Misfortune 53

Chapter 53

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"Because your father killed my parents.”

The voice that spoke the truth shattered Delnia's consciousness like a thunderbolt from a god, or a whisper from a demon.

After that, the memory was a blur. Her consciousness rose briefly to the surface, only to sink again.

She hadn’t been able to wake up from the shock. The fact that her body still wasn't responding to her was proof of that.

'I can't believe I collapsed.’

And it was in front of Roan.

Self-pity almost leaked out at her own shamelessness. How much longer was she going to be so shameless?

With a single-minded determination not to be shameless anymore, she pushed herself to her feet. The covering felt heavy, as if it were mud rather than blankets.

Still, she forced herself to look unaffected and said, 

"I'm fine now, I'm going back to my room."

"Your room?"

The maid squinted one eye as if she didn’t understand.

"Your room is here."

"What ......?"

"The Colonel has already given his instructions, you'll be staying here from now on."

Delnia glanced around, puzzled.

Changing rooms, why on earth?

It didn't make sense, considering how it went last time. Especially not in a room as nice as this one...

Just then, the maid, who was finishing organizing the washbasin and drying a towel on the nightstand, glanced at Delnia's confusion and gave her a quick tongue-lashing.

"You should be more pleased, for you have been diligently flirting with the Colonel."

"...."

"Ah, so you've raised in riches that this isn't enough for you?"

The maid shrugged her shoulders with a smirk and gathered up her things and quickly left the room.

Left alone, Delnia stared blankly into space and shook off the covers. The first thing she wanted to do was get out of this luxurious bed.

But as soon as her legs touched the ground, she felt dizzy. She stumbled a few steps, bracing one hand on the table to catch her breath.

Her vision faded from black to white and back again before finally stabilizing. It was then that she noticed the tray on the table.

On the tray was a bowl of clear soup with nothing on it. There wasn't even a spoon to be found.

But she knew that she was in no position to complain about the half-hearted meal.

Besides, she needed to put something in her mouth to move her body, which was drained of energy just from walking.

Without hesitation, she raised the bowl with both hands and gulped down the soup like she was drinking water.

The cold soup slid down her throat like it had been made in ages, but with nothing to choke her, it was actually easier to swallow.

When she felt somewhat full, Delnia set the bowl down and stumbled to the window.

‘If I’m really going to change rooms, I should at least pack.’

The coins she had received from Roan were still in the wooden crate in the attic, as were the manuscripts Marcel had commissioned. It would do no good to be seen by anyone.

She looked outside first. The sun was high enough to be invisible, so it must be around noon.

‘If it's lunchtime, everyone should be in the kitchen.’

Her guess was probably correct, as there was no sign of anyone wandering around outside.

Now was the time to move the luggage without being seen.

Delnia crossed the large room like a hunted man, and cautiously opened the door. After a quick check of the hallway to make sure no one was coming or going, she took a cautious step.

‘First, let's get the coins, and then take the manuscripts to Jack.’

She hadn't finished transcribing the last copy yet, but the way things were going, she might as well stop now.

She would apologize to Marcel for not being able to finish the job, and ask Jack to pass the word on to Marcel that she didn’t need to get paid for it….

"Hey, there you are."

Delnia was just about to ascend the main staircase, making a rough plan in her still-feverish brain.

A voice called out from the landing below. It sounded as if it was calling her by some unspecified title.

Swallowing hard, Delnia stopped and peered down over the railing.

It was the same maid, nameless but recognizable, who had visited her in the dining room at the last call from the head maid.

"You know the gardener, don't you?"

The maid asked cheerfully as she quickly climbed the stairs.

Delnia nodded, not knowing what to say, and the maid spoke as if she had been waiting for her.

"Then go to the gardener now. He seems to be in a hurry to find you."

"You mean me?"

"Yes. He grabbed me as I was walking by and asked me to bring you to him right away. Normally I would have ignored him, but he seemed so desperate."

Jack had little interaction with the occupants of Barthez Manor, save for the butler and the mansion's caretaker, so if he was so urgent as to grab a passing maid and ask for her help, it must be urgent.

Perhaps Marcel's unannounced arrival had gotten him into trouble again.

The blood drained from Delnia's pale face. She couldn't afford to give Jack any more trouble than she already had.

"You ran into him in the garden?"

"Uh, yes, but not by the cottage..................."

The maid shrugged, as if it was nothing.

"Come along. I'll take you there."

With her head in a daze and her heart in a rush, Delnia didn't think to question the unexpected kindness of the maid.

Out the back door of the manor, the maid took a sharp left. It was the opposite direction from Jack's cabin.

She grew more impatient as she realized that Jack had chosen an inconspicuous place to hide Marcel.

But unlike her impatient mind, her body, which hadn't fully recovered, could barely keep up with the maid's rapid pace.

As her breathing quickened and her mind turned white, she became increasingly unable to think.

As she squeezed through the rounded shrubs that separated the pathways, she found herself in a clearing dotted with tall trees. The lush, forest-like space felt like a world away from the Barthez mansion.

Delnia breathed heavily and followed the maid, the only thing that felt real here.

Suddenly, the sound of a branch snapping in the wind stopped her in her tracks.

A chill ran down Delnia's spine in the eerily perfect silence. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Excuse me."

Delnia called out to the maid ahead of her.

The maid slowly turned back to her.

The moment she saw the maid’s expressionless, impassive face, Delnia realized something was wrong.

She took an involuntary step backward, and the maid's expressionless face suddenly contorted. Then, as Delnia turned to leave, she was grabbed roughly from behind.

The gagged Delnia struggled violently. But there was no way she could have been strong enough to fight back.

The maid dragged the struggling Delnia somewhere, then threw her to the ground.

"Ahhh!"

Delnia's ears picked up an ominous click as she hit the cold ground. It was the sound of a clasp being fastened.

She was trapped.

With an instinctive realization, Delnia looked around, but the surroundings were dark and she couldn't see ahead of her.

"What do you think? Pretty cozy, huh?"

Just then, a smug voice came from beyond the wall.

As Delnia walked in the direction of the sound, something heavy caught her foot. A sharp scraping sound on the floor suggested it was a pitchfork.

After nearly tripping over several other obstacles, most likely farm equipment, she finally reached the door.

As she struggled to get it open, a crisp sneer came from outside.

"You'd better not exert yourself, this place has been closed for so long that most people don't even know it's there. Which means no matter how much noise you make, no one will come to save you."

"What the hell are you doing..................!"

"So just wait patiently, and I'll let you out soon, not here, but somewhere else."

As the maid finished her taunting words, her footsteps retreated.

"Hey!"

Delnia called out, banging on the door frantically but unable to catch the retreating footsteps.

Then the place fell into complete silence.

After a few more attempts to open the door, Delnia gave up and sat down in a daze.

She couldn't understand why this was happening.

Why on earth?

But Delnia knew how pointless such questions were. Because no matter what reason she gave, there was only one answer.

Because they hated her.

She buried her head in her lap, as if fleeing from a malice she could not control. Darkness obscured her vision.

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