Misfortune 58

Chapter 58

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As always, it was impossible to read much emotion in the reticent man's face.

But his jawline was stiffer than usual, and his eyes had a dullness to them that indirectly suggested that his private life was anything but smooth.

The Admiral had no idea why Roan was in such a hurry.

The recent destruction of the illegal gambling house and the firing of many of his employees, including the head maid, all boiled down to one thing.

Roan Barthez had a woman problem.

The Admiral couldn't help but feel perplexed by a problem he'd never thought he'd be associated with in his life.

A man who had survived so much and still had such empty eyes. He could still vividly recall the tenacious, empty stare, as if clinging to something that no longer existed.

But the man before him now had completely different eyes. As if he had regained something he thought he'd lost forever.

Was this a positive change?

It weighed heavily on his mind that he had hoped the slave would be the one to touch Roan’s heart, but now he  couldn't be sure.

"Perhaps I'm not the only one who misses Blois.”

But the Admiral didn't voice those worries, instead accepting Roan’s words with a nod.

After all, he'd been away for so long, it would be nice to get back home sooner rather than later.

It would be a relief to return to Blois, after all.

It was no surprise that it was home to the Navy, but even if you were not in the Navy, the beauty of Blois had a way of mesmerizing you.

Looking at the vast expanse of the ocean, as the waves swept away all the troubles, it made you feel good.

Perhaps Roan was in desperate need of that gift right now.

***

No sooner had Delnia recovered than Barthez Manor was plunged into a new turmoil: the Colonel was unceremoniously informed that he would be traveling to Blois the day after tomorrow.

The butler was half-crazed, especially since the mansion was not yet fully staffed. The remaining occupants of the mansion scrambled to pack their belongings and discuss their new duties.

Delnia's situation was no different, of course.

She had, of course, been chosen to accompany Roan down to Blois. That meant she'd have to pack up her life here for a while.

"Delnia."

Jack called out to Delnia, who had just entered the side door of the backyard that led to the outside, and found her pacing the area.

She was carrying a heavy pack, and she walked toward him at a shuffling pace.

"Jack, what happened?"

Instead of saying anything more, Jack glanced over his shoulder at Delnia's question.

A young man, dressed in suspenders pants short enough to expose his ankles and a straw hat pushed down low on his head, stood looming outside the side door. 

From her previous experience, Delnia could easily recognize him as Marcel.

She quickly calmed her nerves and straightened her expression. She wanted this last time to be as pleasant as possible.

"Thank you, Jack."

After thanking Jack for granting her urgent request without hesitation, Delnia headed for the side door.

As she paused in front of the ankle-high iron door frame, Marcel greeted her.

"It's been a long time, Delnia."

"Yes. I know."

She smiled genuinely, unlike before, when she'd been a little bewildered and awkward, and her gray eyes twitched slightly, a mixture of concern and delight.

"I didn't think you'd be the one to ask to meet first."

A bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of Marcel's mouth. As if he knew full well that he couldn't take pleasure in this pleasant surprise.

"I heard about it. All of the naval officers who remained in the capital are returning to Blois."

Marcel was the first to speak of the day's business.

Delnia nodded calmly, though she was somewhat surprised that the news had reached his ears already.

In fact, she was grateful. It would make it easier to say what she wanted to say.

"You're going there, too?"

"Yes. I am."

Delnia affirmed meekly and handed her precious luggage to Marcel.

Surprise flashed across his face when he saw the wad of paper inside the heavy bag.

"This is..................."

"It's the transcription you asked me to do last time, though the last copy is a little rushed."

She managed to finish while everyone in the manor was too busy to pay attention to her.

She wasn't happy with her scrawled handwriting at the end, but she was relieved to have gotten it done.

"I didn't realize you'd gotten that much done already."

"It went faster than I thought even though I was doing it little by little."

“I see”, Marcel replied, less cheerfully than expected. For some reason, he didn't look too happy.

In fact, from his point of view, it was understandable.

He was about to lose what little contact he had with Delnia, especially now that they would be so far apart.

But instead of openly expressing his disappointment, Marcel forced himself to lift his spirits.

"Thank you. If I had known you were so good, I would have hired you as my assistant."

He joked, feigning amusement, and quickly added before Delnia's lips could open.

"If you can, would you be willing to continue working for me at Blois? I still have a mountain of things to transcribe, and if it's too much for you, we can scale back."

His tone was deliberate and light as he asked for her consideration. He wanted to put as little pressure on her as possible.

She shook her head slowly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"The distance will make it difficult to keep in touch, so it's only right that we end things here."

"Blois isn't that far from the capital. I can have it mailed to you, or if that's too much trouble, I can send it directly to......."

"Uh, no. You don't have to go to the trouble, and neither do I."

In a gentle but firm tone, Delnia finished what she had prepared for Marcel.

"So now you don't have to deliver Sophie's letter for me either."

"What? Her letters?"

Marcel's color drained from his face as he realized that his only point of contact was gone. He asked, almost chastising.

"So how do you plan to keep in touch in the future? Considering the possibility of the letters going missing, there's no safer way than for me to deliver it, although it will take more time than it does now......"

"Still, I’ll have to find another way."

Delnia interrupted Marcel's words with a flourish. Then she pushed him out of line a little more firmly.

"I don't want to cause any more trouble."

Marcel had already done her a lot of favors. It would be impolite to add to that.

But it wasn't just a matter of prudishness. For Delnia, borrowing Marcel's power was only a stopgap measure.

If she was going to live like this, she had to find a way to make it on her own. She couldn't rely on someone's goodwill forever.

"And you don't have to pay me for the transcription."

"But..................."

"It's a small thing compared to the kindnesses I've received, and if it bothers you, consider it my way of repaying you for delivering the letters."

The ever-dazzling woman smiled brightly, as if a debt had finally been lifted from her heart. It was a smile that overshadowed Marcel's heart, which had been working so hard to erase that debt.

"I'm so glad I was able to tell you this in person, since you've been so attentive."

"No, it was no big deal, and I'd rather..."

Marcel's words trailed off as he waved his hands in the air.

This wasn’t what he wanted to say. He needed to say something more, something to divert her thoughts............

But even as Marcel searched for the right words, the moment of farewell was approaching.

"Thank you for being so considerate."

Marcel looked at her with a bit of resentment as she casually said goodbye.

But how could he truly resent her?

After all these years, Marcel would never be able to blame this cruelly beautiful woman for breaking his heart.

"I wish you well, then."

Delnia, perfectly polite to the last moments, turned away from him.

***

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