Misfortune 49

Chapter 49

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"Let go of me."

The mouth that had been tightly closed, as if it would never speak, finally opened.

The voice was as thin and clear as the dew on the dawn. It was the reason why, despite its grim tone, it sounded so sweet to Alex, like a fairy's song.

"No."

The smile on Alex's lips twisted savagely.

The urge to hide the fairy, to rip her wings off and hold her in his hands, was simultaneously overwhelming.

Perhaps it was the way she looked so vulnerable and yet refused to bow her head.

He felt like he could finally understand Roan Barthez as a man to man. His hand tightened on the woman's wrist.

"Come on, Josephine. Can't you just marry that bastard already?"

"What?"

Josephine didn't bother to hide her irritation at Alex, who had begun to ramble on.

A long, lengthening shadow crept between them, and at the beginning of it, someone picked up the slave's hat from the ground.

In a moment that felt chilly, as if a cool breeze were blowing in from somewhere, even in the heat of the day, the figure slowly straightened up.

They recognized the gleaming white of his uniform and the naval insignia. He was tall enough to block out the sun, but he did not look dull in the slightest, and his dark hair peeked out from beneath his cap.

"Colonel ......Barthez?"

Alex said the identity in a stuttering voice. The dumbfounded look on his face like he'd seen a ghost was a bonus.

"If you recognized me, why don't you let go?"

The voice cut through the air, cold and unbecoming of the warm season.

"Unless you dare to steal someone else's possessions in front of their owner."

Alex jerked away from the slave's wrist, a chill that felt like ice running down his spine.

For some reason, he couldn't even move. The blatant insult from the man he'd always addressed with respect, the chill he didn't know where it came from, seemed unreal.

Roan stepped nonchalantly into a world where time seemed to have stood still, and his steady steps led him, naturally, to where his slave was.

He brushed the dirt off the fallen hat, which had just been lying on the floor, and placed it back on his slave’s head.

He didn't stop there, though, as he personally tied the strings of the hat under her chin. There was an unspoken possession in his hands as he tied the knot.

Only when the brim of the hat was pressed deeply into the last inch, hiding the slave's face perfectly, did Roan look back at Alex.

Alex, who had been frozen in place until then, instinctively sensed the murderous intent and flinched and took a step back.

"Please don't put my friend in too much trouble, Colonel."

Josephine, already on her feet, stepped between the two men.

She no longer wondered how he knew to come here while he was still at work.

Two men fighting over a woman, as in a common trope, was one thing, but Roan coming in like a prince to the rescue of a damsel in distress was something else.

"I'll be the first to admit it was a joke, that if Alex ever needs a slave in the future, I'll be happy to give it to him."

"...."

"We're friends, we're supposed to help each other out in times of need."

Josephine spoke so compassionately and graciously, as if she were lending Alex a handkerchief or something. Which made it all the more disgusting.

"She’s just a slave, isn’t she?"

Josephine demanded Roan's agreement with an air of authority. Her confidence was palpable, as if she would not be humiliated over a mere slave.

At that moment, a cloud blocked the sun and Roan, standing in the light, was plunged into darkness.

The man in the shadows was frighteningly chilly. So did the blue eyes that were the only thing shining.

"Of course she is, but..................."

He added before Josephine had time to feel relieved.

"You will never have the authority to even touch the slave's fingertips."

Josephine froze in place as the icy coldness of his voice added to the lack of respect in his tone.

But the cruel words didn’t stop.

"This slave is strictly mine, and I share ownership of her with no one, and it will be no different in the future since the young lady will not become the wife of a mere commoner officer.”

"How, how could you say such a thing when you know my heart..................."

Josephine's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't help but realize that Roan's self-belittling had trampled on the love in her heart.

“I think I’m being quite polite to someone who not only stole someone else’s property, but also tried to deceive others with it.”

But there was still no warmth in his voice, as if he had no mercy left to spare for the spoiled child.

Slowly, the clouds parted, and the man was once again bathed in brilliant sunlight. Even shrouded in the light, his blue eyes were still cold as he gazed down at Josephine.

“You would do well to exercise self-restraint in the future. At least for the sake of Viscount Nubel, who will once again have to endure the humiliation of bowing down to a commoner.”

With one last warning disguised as advice, Roan took the slave's hand and walked away.

Josephine stared after him with wide eyes, and then sank back into her seat as Alex, who had come to his senses late, hurried to her aid.

***

"Colonel!"

The coachman, who had been scurrying across the busy street, finally spotted Roan and came panting.

As soon as the butler had heard the news, Roan had spurred his horse into a gallop, leaving only a brief instruction to send for the carriage, so the coachman had no choice but to ride into the city center and search for him.

"Where's the carriage?"

"This way."

Guided by the dutiful coachman, Roan climbed into the carriage with the slave.

The door slammed shut, and the cicadas' loud, ear-splitting chirping ceased for a moment. The cramped space, cut off from the outside world, was quickly filled with silence.

Roan looked down at the woman sitting quietly across from him.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time we've been alone since then.’

The day he wanted to shatter her. But in the end, he felt like he was the one who was broken.

The dizzying scattering of self-doubt and self-pity was forcibly ended by Josephine's sudden arrival.

She swept through like a natural disaster, leaving behind a silence that felt like an unfamiliar void. And the remnants of a heart that was swept away with it.

No matter how hard he looked, there was no way to determine what form it had once taken. All he could do was stare at the spot where something had once been.

And what about her?

There's no way to find out unless you ask.

But judging by her even breathing and calm demeanor, she was at least as unharmed. He could even tell she'd just been through a lot.

It was not surprising. The woman who had been coldly furious one moment, and then played the noble victim the next, had become so used to being played by the same trick of changing her face whenever necessary that it was no longer funny.

His gaze slowly drifted downward from the calm rise and fall of her chest.

The hands in her lap caught his attention. A reflexive image of the vile, filthy stranger who had refused to let go of her wrists came to mind.

"She's only a slave.”

Josephine's fierce voice suddenly scratched his eardrums in annoyance.

He hadn't expected her to be so obstinate. Perhaps he had overestimated the 'sophistication' of the nobility.

If he had known this would happen, he would have nailed the butler to the wall. He hadn't realized that he had just given him a quick scolding.

But he wondered if it would be enough for the servants to learn a lesson.

A hunch flashed through his mind that it wasn't that simple. Maybe it was something more fundamental than that.

But Roan's thoughts didn't go any further.

He didn't want to go any deeper. Somehow, he did.

He ran a hand frustratedly through his hair, regretting that he didn’t break that filthy hand that had touched her.

All the while, his gaze never left her, even though the long brim of her hat hid her tightly shut lips, all he could see.

It was at that moment that the hat he had put on with his own hands was starting to bother him.

"..................I need a favor."

The woman, who hadn't opened her mouth the entire time, blurted out. Her small, thin voice echoed in his ears, as if it would fade away at any moment.

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