Misfortune 85

Chapter 85

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"I have something to tell you. It's about Delnia..."

Even though she had already made up her mind, her voice trembled uncontrollably. She couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the change in the man's gaze as soon as Delnia's name was mentioned.

Margaret struggled to steady her trembling breath and continued speaking haltingly.

“Actually, when the Colonel went to the capital last time, someone came looking for Delnia.”

Roan said nothing. His eyes, gazing down at her, were as calm as a still sea. He seemed to be listening calmly.

Still, for some reason, the words wouldn't come out easily, so Margaret finally closed her eyes tightly and blurted out the words.

“And that person told Delnia to run away together………!”

“Run away?”

A cold, dim voice, as if drawn from a bottomless well, cut off Margaret’s words.

Margaret  flinched her shoulders and peeked through narrowed eyes. She didn't have the courage to look up at him, so all she could see was his upper body within her limited field of vision.

The thick tendons on the man’s forearm twitched clearly in the bright midday sun. Margaret lost her words for a moment when she noticed his fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

"Who was it?"

Roan asked again. This time, it was not a question but a demand.

“He was tall and slender. His hair was, um, a lighter shade of silver than Delnia’s, and….”

Terrified, Margaret blurted out the suspicious man's description in a jumble.

She was sure she remembered, but for a moment, her mind went blank, and she couldn't recall properly. She even began to doubt whether her memory was accurate.

“Marcel Fabron?”

At that moment, an unfamiliar name suddenly came out of Roan's mouth.

At the same time, Delnia’s voice, which had him “Sir Marcel,” echoed in Margaret’s ears.

“Yes, that’s right! That was the name.”

Margaret replied confidently, having found the final piece of the puzzle. She hadn’t yet realized that her bright tone, which didn’t fit the situation, was a physical reaction to avoid the fear that was about to come.

And in that moment, the air changed.

Margaret's lips quickly stiffened. A chill ran through her body as if she were coming down with a fever.

Unaware that it was due to the killing intent emanating from Roan, Margaret defied her instincts—or perhaps was drawn by them—and slowly raised her head.

And in that instant, when she met Roan's gaze, a belated realization flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning.

Perhaps she had made a huge mistake.

This choice could never be the right one.

“Uck.”

Her startled stomach had finally given way.

Margaret hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands. But once the hiccups started, they wouldn't stop.

And Roan simply walked past Margaret.

He never hurried his steps. His stride was steady. But each step he took seemed to carry the force of crushing the ground.

The servants who spotted him sensed the unusual atmosphere and hurriedly bowed their heads or stepped back. Roan didn't even glance at them as he walked slowly into the mansion.

Just as he was about to step onto the stairs, the door to Delnia's bedroom opened.

The woman who emerged was wearing her usual plain black dress. She had long hair hanging down from under a brown bonnet pressed tightly on her head, and she was carrying a square suitcase in her hand.

“Colonel, you’ve come at just the right time.”

Leticia, who was leaving the room with her, spotted Roan and greeted him warmly.

However, he showed no reaction and simply walked up the stairs with purpose.

Leticia looked at Delnia with a puzzled expression at Roan's unusual behavior. Delnia, who had no idea what Roan was thinking, simply tilted her head slightly.

Meanwhile, Roan continued to climb the stairs steadily and finally passed through the hallway, closing the distance.

"Um, Delnia said she wanted to say goodbye to the Colonel before leaving..."

Noticing that the atmosphere around him was somehow off, Leticia deliberately adopted a light tone of voice to try to lighten the mood.

However, despite her efforts, Roan simply walked past Leticia as well. The utterly natural disregard made Leticia momentarily wonder if she had been invisible to Roan’s eyes.

And just as he had ignored Leticia, Roan did not spare a single glance for Delnia, who was standing beside her.

Leticia might have seriously doubted whether he was blind. If only he hadn't grabbed Delnia's wrist like that.

"Huh?"

Without any warning, Delnia, whose arm had been suddenly grabbed, was dragged away somewhere.

Despite the sudden grip causing her to drop the bag she was holding and stumble backward, she still couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

“Wait, just a moment…”

Not knowing what was happening, Delnia tried to stop him by pulling on her wrist with all her strength. But he didn't budge.

The man, who had never stopped dragging her, continued on his way until he entered his bedroom.

Dazed, she was dragged into his room, and the cold sound of the door locking behind her echoed through the space.

In that instant, the confusion that had filled her mind vanished completely. What filled the void was instinctive fear.

Delnia struggled to turn her stiffened body around.

Surprisingly, Roan was smiling at her. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had suddenly swooped down on her like a predatory bird from the sky.

But upon closer inspection, she could see that the corners of his mouth, which seemed to curve into a gentle smile, were oddly twisted.

Above all, his eyes—those piercing blue eyes—were not smiling at all.

“Marcel Fabron came.”

If sound had a temperature, she would have frozen in place, unable to move. It was that cold.

“How… how…”

Delnia’s mouth opened without thinking, shocked.

But in truth, that wasn’t the important issue.

The fact that Roan had come forward like this meant he already knew what Marcel had offered her.

Of course, she had firmly refused Marcel’s offer of “help.” So she could be completely at ease about this matter.

But Delnia also knew the reason why she had chosen to remain silent about that day’s events, even though she was innocent.

It was because she didn't want to face this moment.

“So, have you already scouted out a place to run away together?”

Roan asked in a tone that sounded like a bad joke, already certain that she would flee.

Delnia quickly shook her head and denied it.

“No, no. I’ve never even thought about it.”

She was clearly confident, swearing she’d never even considered such a thing.

Her voice trembled uncontrollably, despite her resolve.

Nevertheless, Delnia refused to give up speaking.

She wouldn’t run away now. She had decided that.

“You’ve never thought of running away?”

The mocking tone was evident at the end of his calm repetition of the words.

Delnia clenched her trembling fist and tried to steady her voice.

“Sir Marcel did come and make such an offer… but I clearly refused.”

“Why? It was a good opportunity.”

He asked in a voice that was eerily soft and gentle.

“You could escape your enslaved status. You could get rid of the man who only thinks about revenge against you. Instead, a man who is desperate to help you in every way possible will stay by your side, making it the perfect opportunity for a fresh start.”

He urged her to confess, as if he were a torturer offering sweet persuasion after brutal torture.

"No. I don't need such an opportunity. I've never harbored any grudges."

But Delnia didn’t give in. Holding her trembling hands tightly, she reaffirmed her innocence.

"Sir Marcel only visited once that day. I made my refusal clear, so he won’t come again. Please believe me. I…”

"Believe? You?"

Roan couldn't suppress the hollow laugh escaping his lips. It was as if he'd heard the most absurd thing imaginable.

Even normally, the words that came out of that bold mouth were not worth listening to, but this one was truly unique.

Believe you.

You.

You, of all people.

"So, is it my turn to get hit in the back of the head next?"

Roan sneered savagely.

He clearly remembered the price he had paid for trusting a woman he shouldn't have trusted. It was a mistake he had never forgotten for a single moment in his life.

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