Chapter 180: The Red-Haired Bear
Camilla’s own heart, however, which had loved and longed for Lord Dominic all this time, could not bear to accept that truth.
It was screaming in protest, breaking apart inside her, spinning out of her control.
"What exactly do you have to offer him?" Camilla demanded. "What can you possibly give to that man? How can you be of any use to him? You are just a commoner, aren’t you? You have no power at all, do you?"
She did not even know what she was saying anymore. Her mouth moved on its own and the words spilled out before she could stop them.
"You’re only a little bit cute, but you don’t even have the kind of beauty that draws people in. You’re just a boy, aren’t you? You are nowhere near worthy of him! Someone like you is nothing but a curse. Someone like you is—"
"Lady Camilla, that’s enough."
A cold low voice spoke from behind her, and Camilla abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
What had she just been saying? What words had she just thrown out? Even if they were true, they were words that should never have been spoken aloud.
Her blood had been boiling, her mind consumed and she had completely forgotten where she was. She was in someone else’s home and she had shown a shameful display of behavior she could never take back.
She turned her head with trembling hesitation. Her attendants and guards were staring toward the door, their faces stiff with unease.
Before Camilla could even look up properly, the man who had spoken passed by her and came to stand beside Shiao Yi.
Camilla clenched her hands tightly at her chest as the man spoke again, his voice sharper this time.
"Stop using words that insult my Shiao Yi. Insulting him is the same as you insulting me."
Camilla forced herself to lift her head, summoning every last scrap of courage.
There he was—Lord Dominic—staring at her with an expression of anger.
In his eyes there was not a trace of affection for her.
Instead, his gaze was like ice—no, it was sharper than ice, like a blade that cut through everything, it was cold and merciless.
In that instant, Camilla understood that everything was over.
There had never been a place for her in Lord Dominic’s heart from the very beginning.
Overwhelmed by despair and shame, she could not bear it another second.
She turned on her heel and fled, running out of the house into the open air.
"My Lady!"
Her attendants’ voices called out from behind, but Camilla could not stop.
She nearly collided with a large man who is carrying a heavy load.
She caught sight of her own red hair reflected in the corner of her vision as she swerved to avoid him, but she kept running, slipping past him blindly.
Her tears blurred her sight so much that she could barely see the road ahead.
Suddenly, there was a loud creaking sound and an angry shout.
Before she even understood what had happened, she found herself in someone’s arms, sitting on the ground.
Right in front of her, the massive wheel of a wagon loomed and the horse was pawing at the ground.
Only then did she realize—she had almost been run over.
"Watch where you’re going!"
The driver of the cart shouted angrily and then cracked his reins, urging the horse onward. The wagon then rattled away down the street.
"Miss, are you hurt?"
The person who had saved her spoke while offering his hand.
Camilla clung to that hand and slowly rose to her feet.
Only then did she look up properly at her savior.
It was a bear.
A bear with magnificent red hair.
That huge bear looked at her, shifting awkwardly and fidgeting nervously. Then Camilla remembered—she was still crying.
"Uh—um? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you really okay?"
The big bear stumbled over his words, flustered and uneasy. Camilla who is still shedding tears, gazed at him.
As she looked at the giant who is bending his large frame toward her with such a worried expression, something inside her heart began to change.
The pain and despair that had been screaming inside her only moments before suddenly grew calm, as if soothed by a gentle wave.
In that moment, Camilla thought to herself that this big red-haired bear was—strangely—very cute.
...
There had been an unexpected visitor.
At that time, a message had come from Louis, saying that the men of the Second Division wished to deliver a housewarming gift. Because of that, Dominic had gone out to the knight’s barracks to meet them.
The woman who had briskly stepped inside was a young and beautiful lady—almost like a princess.
For the daughter of the Prime Minister and a Marquis, she was unusually lively and spoke with sharp, decisive words—in plain terms, she was a fearless young lady.
As Shiao Yi watched the lady state her name so boldly, he thought to himself that this must be the young woman who had once been set to be engaged to Dominic.
She was indeed beautiful. She seemed to have decisiveness and energy and in Shiao Yi’s eyes, she looked like a woman who would suit Dominic well.
Yet strangely, his heart did not move.
He simply accepted her harsh and accusing stare head-on without flinching.
Before, he would have surely been shaken. His heart would have wavered, tormented by the thought that such a woman was more suitable for Dominic. For Dominic’s sake, he would have seriously considered stepping aside.
Everything she said to him had been normal and reasonable within the noble society of this world.
It was also true that he had no social power to support Dominic.
Hearing those facts thrown at him, he should have felt crushed, become self-effacing and shrunk back.
But instead, Shiao Yi listened calmly and let her words pass through him.
No matter what she said, his trust in Dominic inside him did not waver. No words could wound him.