36. Things Have Disappeared (1)

So-hee was holding her throbbing head on the drawing room’s table.

Just then, she heard a low voice as a large palm gently swept her hair.

“Why are you doing this, Ariad?”

“Joshua?”

“Let’s go eat lunch.” The man, who couldn’t recognize her troublesome war of nerves, invited her calmly to a meal.

So-hee glanced at Joshua’s pale blank face before burying her head on the table again.

It was more stressful to solve this convoluted plot inside her novel instead of just dealing with the painful process of creation.

“Oh, stop it, Joshua! I don’t feel like eating——-”

Her words were cut short when Joshua picked her up easily as if she didn’t weigh a ton.

Eat.”

Still, her husband refused to listen.

So-hee pouted but she didn’t add anything more.

She knew that he would never back down once he spoke firmly about something.

His look said that it was time to leave the drawing room.

When an unexpected person appeared at the door, So-hee’s eyes went round and large.

This man shouldn’t be here blocking the doorway right now.

“I have something to say,” Hugh said grimly.

What in the ‘love triangle’ was this?

She couldn’t have imagined that a time would come when the three of them would have a discussion.

As she digested the strange situation, she felt like the toast she ate in the morning that should have gone down had come up in the form of a kimchi pancake.

“I’d like you to spare me some time even just for a moment.” Hugh sounded calm.

As she repeatedly described this situation over and over again in her head, Joshua faced Hugh and gave him a kind smile.

She had no idea what both of them were thinking.

She bet she was the only one confused.

Joshua nodded his head in affirmation.

With Sohee in his arms, he entered the drawing room once again and dropped her off where she was sitting a few seconds ago.

“I’m sorry, but…” He continued with hesitation.  “I want to talk to Ariad alone.”

‘He was insane.’

That was his short review of Hugh Carlywood.

Although, she didn’t have to examine Joshua’s mind to know he was crazier.

“I see.”

The sunlight coming from the drawing room’s large window revealed Joshua’s s tender smile.

* * *

Restless, So-hee glanced at the time for no reason.

*TICK TOCK*

The clock’s minute hand had been spinning for a while now but Hugh hadn’t said anything yet.

Joshua was waiting for her outside.

Sohee’s intuition told her that the longer the conversation, the shorter Hugh’s life span would be.

Feeling impatient, she began, “You know——”

“Lady Ariad.” Hugh interrupted her in an instant.

The man, whose mind had been wandering for quite a long time without taking the lead, gave Sohee a serious gaze.

“I’m leaving tomorrow, My Lady.”

“What?”

“I’m going to the Montroll Region.”

So-hee blinked in confusion.

“Montroll.” He repeated quietly.

She knew that place.

Sohee mentioned it directly in her plot.

If there was a problem in that area, a bloody battle would ensue.

“You have to go tomorrow?”

So-hee banged her hands on the table without realizing it and got up.

Surprised,  Hugh took a deep breath and nodded.

“I’ll be right back.” He said faintly but Hugh didn’t elaborate further.

‘He would come back soon? That would be a bummer.’ So-hee almost said but she suppressed it and exhaled a despairing sigh, instead.

Montroll was a battlefield.

Franklin and Dunmark Empire had fought a war of nerves for several years to occupy the mountainous terrains filled with rare minerals.

Nevertheless, they eventually ended up warring not long ago.

According to Sohee’s plot, the Franklin Empire will own these precious mountains and Daniel McKinley would return as a hero from the battlefield.

However,  the course of the war was the major problem since triumph wouldn’t be achieved easily.

Two-thirds of Daniel’s army will return to the Empire with grave casualties.

These knights and soldiers could either be seriously injured or they would be returned to their families, dead and cold.

The victor, Daniel McKinley, had to leave his pinky on the battlefield, too.

Hugh Carlywood.

When So-hee made eye contact with him, she let out another sigh.

Oh, God!

The crazy male lead was about to kill another man.

Although she was an atheist, she wanted to pray to God at this moment.

Hugh, who had no idea what she was thinking, simply added. “Three months would be the longest and one month at the shortest. I’ll be right back.”

It was nonchalant of him to think that Ariad had no idea what was going to happen.

His mono-lids folded gently when he smiled.

As she stared into his eyes, Sohee tried her best to come up with ideas to prevent this tragedy.

She couldn’t believe it was going to be tomorrow and she was crazy enough to think that she could go to war herself to save him.

The idea was arrogant.

Being able to save Deon didn’t mean she could save Hugh as well.

After all, Joshua was a tough nut to crack.

No wonder he was smiling lazily when he left her seat.

This was his strange way of grieving for a man whom he brought to war without the ability to defend himself.

Sohee realized that  what was boiling in her stomach was her anger towards Joshua.

How could he arrange this kind of situation to someone as helpless as Hugh?