CHAPTER 88 - MISUNDERSTANDINGAt the sound of continuous coughing, Arai stopped, while Harriet quickened her pace. Arai saw from the edge of the screen behind the double doors, a man sitting in a wheelchair.
The man was so pale with long blond hair that framed his face, coughing so much that his body bowed down. On the floor, broken glass shards were spreading widely, and the maids were busy cleaning them up.
However, what made Arai horrified was the way Harriet didn't care about anything around her and immediately knelt on the side of the man's wheelchair, She swiftly tried to help him wipe the blood that was spewing out of the man's mouth.
Arai saw Harriet's tense expression. "Milord, are you all right? Are you hurt?"
Harriet's voice sounded frantic, suppressed by her default calm attitude.
The frail man turned to see Harriet kneeling on the floor. His eyes were shocked at Harriet's sudden appearance, and his worry was clear.
"Stand up, Madam, the floor is still…" The man tried to warn Harriet, but suddenly he looked in pain and started coughing again.
"Ugh! Cough-cough, cough, cough!"
"Call our physician now," Harriet turned to the burly man who immediately went to carry out orders.
Arai then stared at the man with long blonde hair grabbed Harriet's hand and pulled her to sit on his lap in the wheelchair. "Don't hurt your legs again!" the man said firmly as he hugged Harriet gently to face him.
As Harriet blinked in surprise, Arai too almost flinched. The man was no longer coughing and although traces of blood were still visible on his chin and the corners of his lips, he looked very stern and a little scary in Arai's eyes.
How frantically the man tried to embrace Harriet's body and try to keep her off the floor was. He then tilted his body slightly to check Harriet's legs and tried to lift her skirt.
"Eh?!" Harriet was taken aback, holding the man's hand, but he insisted.
Arai felt she had seen too much. So she meant to interrupt. "Ahem!"
So was this the man who made her best friend put out such a complicated and sad expression? This slender, weak, and frail-looking man–the one who pretended to be strong and insisted on protecting Harriet with his weak body?
Arai furrowed her brows deeply. Her heart ached for Harriet. She entered the room with awkward steps and then introduced herself.
Harriet jumped down frantically from Liam's lap. She then stood up and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Milord, this is Arai, my best friend I told you about. Arai, this is my husband, Young Lord Liam Almandine," said Harriet.
Blink, blink.
Arai and Liam both just blinked at each other.
The silence was broken when Arai chuckled softly. "So Young Lord isn't an old man at all, but he's definitely dying, huh?"
Responding to that, Liam laughed softly while trying to clean the bloodstains on his face. "Your acquaintance is funny, Madam," he said sarcastically.
The two immediately exchanged sharp glances.
So this is Arai Padparadscha?
Liam furrowed his brows deeply and his eyes stared coldly at the woman. He secretly smiled happily in his heart after knowing Arai wasn't a man, but even though she wasn't a man, he still felt jealous. Harriet called her name right away so casually!
He was trying to fill the memory puzzle in his head after he just remembered something. He finally remembered the conversation he had with Harriet about Arai when she had sent his wife a letter.
Instead of feeling relieved after remembering, he felt even more annoyed.
"Madam, thank you for introducing your 'acquaintance' to me. May I ask you to send her back? We have to talk," said Liam, who immediately wanted to throw this woman away.
Harriet flinched silently. Liam wanted to talk? It must be about the rumors?
"Umm, I brought Arai here to talk to you about the rumors…"
Liam raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Rumors?" Liam asked innocently.
Liam already knew he had misunderstood Arai, and he was sure he had misunderstood the rumors, too. Now that a small part of his memory had returned to accompany the other memories that had returned before, he became certain that it was not just a dream and a hallucination from his head. Harriet absolutely loved him and there was no secret lover or anything other than him.
"Oh, about that strange rumor? So you want to talk about it first? Alright, we can talk about the clothes you prepared for me to wear at the Emperor's birthday party later then," Liam said softly.
Harriet tilted her head, worried. She looked at the report on the table and was so relieved. A heavy weight seemed to have been lifted from her chest seeing how relaxed Liam was even after reading about the rumors. She felt like an idiot, and Liam also did right now.
They shouldn't have to feel this anxious.
Arai, who felt like a third wheel, clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned to leave while waving her hand. "Okay Harri, I'm going. I won't disturb you, newlyweds," said Arai annoyed.
She shouldn't have made such a fuss and worried about Harriet. Just look how harmonious they were.
She was jealous.
To Liam Almandine!
The dying man was so lucky to have her beautiful, intelligent, and perfect best friend!
Leaving Harriet and Liam alone in the room after the broken glass had cleared, the maids and the Lycans looked at each other. They thought there would be an argument, but it seemed Young Lord didn't think so.
"So who did this to you?" Liam asked then.
Harriet pulled up a stool and sat beside Liam in front of the balcony window.
"I don't have many enemies, Milord. I barely even think of the troubling people from last year as my enemy," Harriet's voice grew lower with each word.
"The troubling people from last year?" Liam looked at Harriet worriedly. His wife was always confident and calm. Seeing her look uncomfortable discussing what happened 'last year' made him curious and worried.
Harriet smiled gently and reassuringly. "Milord, I have decided to withdraw from the political and social life of the nobility. I should have finished this before things turned out like this. I thought my problem with them was over, but…"
Harriet herself couldn't understand. What did she actually do to make her keep touching shoulders with them?
"Are you worried that I'm bothered by this?" Liam took Harriet's hand and kissed the back of her finger gently.
"I was really bothered by this. Sorry to worry you, Madam," Liam then said in a warm and deep voice.
Liam didn't deny that he was annoyed and jealous, but it was all a misunderstanding. He shouldn't blame anyone, including himself, for what happened. He promised to be even stronger to face whatever it was in the future. Especially after he was determined to make Harriet happy.
As the man's tired-looking golden eyes gazed gently at Harriet, Harriet knew she had influenced Liam so much over the years. Harriet took a deep breath and decided to quickly settle this matter.
"I will find out how this rumor spread, Milord. They dared to spread rumors like this, meaning they had some kind of basis or evidence to back up their argument," said Harriet, who repeated what Liam was thinking.
Harriet stood up and immediately went to carry out her plan. But Liam held her hand. "Can you tell me which 'they' you mean?" Liam asked.
Harriet sat back down and looked back at Liam with a doubtful look. "I really didn't want to worry you, Milord."
"So they are influential people, huh?" Liam asked.
Seeing his wife smile blandly, Liam slowly loosened his grip on Harriet's hand. He couldn't get too involved and he had to trust Harriet more.
"Okay. What can a dying man like me do," he said with a bright smile.
Harriet chuckled, then leaned over and kissed Liam's cheek loudly.
"You can get me pregnant, dying man. And that's enough for now," Harriet joked back at Liam.
Liam watched Harriet leave.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. His beautiful and busy wife–
The man reached for the notebook in his pocket and wrote down his newly returned memory. Slowly, he looked annoyed again because he felt there were still many holes in his memory.
Liam decided to call Sir Russell. When the man arrived, Liam only gave him one order.
"Listen to Madam's orders. Find everything she wants and help her in all conditions. I'm going to rest." Liam decided to recharge before he attended the Emperor's birthday party in a few days.