Duke, Please Stop Because it Hurts

“You think that it has already been a few days since she hurt you, but that was just yesterday. She scratched you—yesterday.”

“I know.”

“You know that, yet you are still going to invite her?”

Raven heaved a deep sigh before shaking his head.

“No way, Molitia. She can’t attend. If you are still going to invite her, I’ll be there as well.”

“Don’t worry. Now that we don’t have to face each other in private places anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

Molitia reached out and held his hand. His hand was covered with calluses everywhere, but to her, it was absolutely soft.

She didn’t have to back away if this hand was around. She even attained enough strength to face the feelings that reminded her of that terrifying day.

“I’ll be referred to as ‘the Duchess’ while Arjan Clemence will merely be presented as Lady Clemence. I’d like to establish a formal relationship between the two of us in the society. Not as sisters, but within the nobility itself.”

“Can’t we put it off a little while longer?”

“If I were to do that, my feeble mind will emerge yet again. I finally realized how I really felt yesterday, thanks to you. Plus, the surge of emotions that were bubbling wildly yesterday.”

Yesterday, Molitia had cried a lot and a great deal of thoughts had crossed her mind. Her smothering and crushing emotions were finally liberated out from her.

By revealing her story to Raven, she could then ultimately face her own emotions. A dark and gloomy feeling that even she wasn’t aware of. The festering feeling of being stifled in a cold room was not something that could be referred to as a mere memory.

Her debts, her sorrow and her anguish were a compilation of frail emotions that were gradually eating her. They had her locked down—cold in bed—right in the utter end.

It was caused by the terrible Count. There was once when she tried to find comfort in itself—all alone. But even the act of dismissing it as a mere past had prevented her from doing so.

It was her very own family.

They had been taking advantage of her as a subject that was still regarded as a progressive material.

As long as they had mentioned of Molitia Clemence, who was always deemed as vulnerable and useless since forever, she would have definitely maintained that kind of reputation until the day she’d die.

Raven looked at her determined eyes before holding her hands together. Even now, her crying face was the only one that had vividly come to his mind whenever he closed his eyes.

She cried so hard that her eyes had turned red and swollen that she even had to swallow her own cries. He couldn’t get it out of his head with the way she had cried at his soothing touch.

“It’s just like a double-edged sword for you to face the wound right away. There’s still a way to get around it step by step, Molitia.”

It was fortunate that her bank of emotions, which she had always swallowed without knowing the proper way to express, had finally opened. However, if the proper amount wasn’t exactly controlled, the bank would definitely be destroyed. Raven was worried that she might be unaware of the fact that he was such a mess under her little feet.

“There’s only one thing that I’m worried about. You—hurting yourself. I’ve never cared about my reputation in all my life. So, marrying you won’t make me feel any different. If you’re worried about your job as the Duchess, you can just start out slowly.”

“Well then, Raven. Why don’t we do it like this? I’ll just send an invitation to Arjan Clemence. I’ll give her the right to decide herself, whether or not she’ll attend.”

Raven hesitated for a moment when he heard what Molitia said. From what he had discovered from the butler, Arjan was kicked out after being scolded by Molitia.

It was clear that after what had transpired, one would definitely be reluctant to come invited. Even a child would be uncomfortable, despite not being able to feel any reluctance.

“What if she sends you a message of rejection?”

“If she doesn’t attend… Then, I’ll take the other way around. I will try to tend and soothe this wound so that it will diminish into a small, insignificant grain.”

Raven could no longer say anything about her determined resolve.