Wicked Husband-Chapter 131 - 130

A chilling silence settled around them, a dry, gritty tension sinking into the air like shifting sand. Eileen felt paralyzed, her breath caught in her chest. She wanted to faint after hearing the Emperor’s words, but somehow, Leon continued speaking as though nothing were out of the ordinary.

"Strange, isn’t it?" Leon remarked lightly, adjusting his hood back over his head. He tugged it down just enough so only Cesare and Eileen could see his eyes.

"If I startled you today, my apologies. Let’s meet again in the Imperial Palace."

With a final nod to Eileen, Leon turned his gaze toward Cesare. "You’ll bring the Duchess with you, yes? Play a song for me on the piano when you arrive."

Then, without another word, he swept past Cesare toward the main road, his guards following silently until they vanished from sight.

Diego and Michele, who had been keeping a careful distance, approached quickly, their faces pale and stunned, mirroring Eileen’s own reaction. As she struggled to steady her breath, she turned to look up at Cesare. His long lashes cast a shadow over his eyes, which seemed distant—as if lost in a memory. Realizing her gaze, he looked at her and murmured softly.

"My brother..."

His lips moved slowly, and Eileen caught the faintest trace of meaning in his words. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"...he’s the one person who would die for me."

With a gloved hand, Cesare tousled Eileen’s hair. His eyes lingered on her behind his glasses, his voice barely audible as he muttered, almost to himself.

"From the beginning... was that the problem?"

The words escaped him like fragments of a half-formed thought, cryptic and unresolved. Cesare offered no further explanation.

"Cesare..." Eileen called his name hesitantly.

Cesare turned to look at her, then reached out to smooth her disheveled hair once more. Normally, his touch would bring her comfort, but this time, it only deepened her unease.

Did the Emperor seem displeased because of me?

She couldn’t make sense of the situation, but the thought that she might be the cause of all this turmoil weighed heavily on her heart. Dread crept up, and she felt on the verge of tears.

"Eileen."

"Yes...?"

"Did you see the pharmacy?"

"Oh, the pharmacy."

Eileen nodded enthusiastically at Cesare’s question, eager for something to focus on that didn’t involve the heavy atmosphere around them.

"I didn’t go inside, but I saw the line from a distance."

"You should see the inside, too."

"But the line is so long..."

Eileen admitted with a slight shrug that she hadn’t had the patience to wait. Cesare’s eyes twinkled with the faintest amusement at her words.

"I’ll go with you, then. I’d been meaning to go myself."

With Cesare beside her, the crowd would likely part like waves. But Eileen hesitated, her thoughts still tangled in the moment. She mumbled uncertainly.

"Like... like this?"

Leon’s voice echoed in her thoughts:

"You don’t walk around like this all the time, do you?"

Even Eileen, who often failed to notice such things, understood what he meant. Her glasses and slightly messy bangs gave her a look that hardly seemed appropriate for the Duchess she was supposed to be. She hurriedly began to push back her bangs and remove her glasses, but Cesare gently caught her hand.

"Why? You look cute with glasses on," he said casually, as if it were no big deal. Eileen’s cheeks flushed. If he liked it, maybe it wasn’t so bad to leave it for a while.

It’s not like a little touch-up will turn me into a princess, she thought. Even if she fixed her hair and took off her glasses, she still felt like a "mud-stained potato" next to Cesare. Quietly, she lowered her bangs again.

Cesare continued to smile at her, clearly amused by her reaction. Diego, who had approached, grinned and added, "It’s been a while since I’ve seen Madam in glasses."

Then he took the lead, speaking with authority. "Lotan and Senon are likely by the pharmacy. There are soldiers nearby, too. We’ll head over and explain the situation ahead of time."

Michele, following behind, winked at Eileen as she passed, making her smile despite herself. The tension and anxiety from her encounter with Leon began to fade, like a storm passing.

Cesare wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her toward the pharmacy as they walked together. After a moment, he asked, his voice light,

"You haven’t asked me today?"

"Asked... what?" Eileen replied, her voice a little unsure.

"If I’m busy."

"Oh..."

Eileen fidgeted, clasping her hands nervously in front of her.

"I mean... I know you’re probably busy, but I wanted to show you the pharmacy, since you funded everything, after all. So, I thought I’d be a little greedy..." She glanced up at Cesare as she spoke, feeling a little self-conscious.

Cesare tilted his head slightly toward her, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"I see. I had planned to pretend to meet you by chance, but the timing didn’t quite work out."

His breath stirred her bangs, momentarily clearing her view. Cesare’s grin deepened, playful and teasing.

"This isn’t so bad, either, is it?"

Eileen’s heart skipped a beat at his boyish smile. She quickly nodded, murmuring a soft "yes." He responded with a quiet chuckle, the sound light and warm.

As they walked together, the two of them soon arrived at the pharmacy, which was once again teeming with people. But this time, the atmosphere was far from orderly.

Both the staff trying to manage the line and the people waiting were murmuring in confusion, exchanging worried glances.

The cause of the commotion became immediately apparent: A man stood near the entrance, holding a medicine bottle aloft, shouting loudly enough for the entire street to hear.

"This is outrageous! The Duchess must have threatened the pharmacist with her power!"

People turned to stare at the man, who shook the bottle in the air angrily, his voice carrying over the crowd.

"This is the medicine that young pharmacist made!" he shouted, his indignation clear.

Eileen’s eyes widened in shock, and she gasped softly.

The man shouting was Luca, a watchmaker who lived on the main street. He wore a monocle, which was now askew, and his mustache trembled with outrage.