Misfortune 86

Chapter 86

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"Give me that child." (Little Delnia asked her father to give her the young Roan)

When the girl, who appeared like a fairy in the unfamiliar Belfort Castle, clung to the Count and begged him like that.

In truth, Roan already knew then. To the naive noblewoman, he was nothing more than a curious toy.

So the sweet-sounding words she was babbling were nothing more than meaningless noise.

"It's a gift. They say it's grapes that only grow in the south, and it's so delicious that I hid it secretly."

“Then why don’t you eat it yourself…”

“Because it’s delicious. I wanted you to taste it too.”

The kindness shown to him was clearly just a way for the young lady to pass the time. It was no different from the pitiful sympathy shown to a stray cat being fed scraps.

Therefore, Roan could easily mock her kindness.

However, there was one thing he hadn't anticipated: her amusement, which he had thought would fade quickly, unexpectedly lingered on.

At times, he ignored her as if she didn't exist, but eventually, he found himself glancing at her without even realizing it, drawn by her persistent determination.

Every time, he had to repeat to himself over and over again.

That woman is the beloved daughter of the Count of Eperne, who was raised in luxury. She is the bloodline of the enemy who killed my parents.

Moreover, she was unaware of this fact. She was so innocent and pure, as if the cruel, blood-soaked reality had nothing to do with her.

"Roan!"

But no matter how hard he tried to reignite the embers of hatred, it was useless. A single call was enough to extinguish them easily.

When did it begin? When did the anger that had once burned so fiercely begin to fade? When did the resentment that he had thought would burn for a lifetime begin to lose its power?

Even as that happened, why did those eyes, sparkling like flames, remain so unwavering, causing him such frustration?

But what was even more despairing was that she herself would never know that she had made him fall to his knees.

So she continued to know nothing, while he alone swayed and swayed as if caught in a typhoon by her careless breath...

"So what?"

One day, it suddenly became difficult to tolerate the innocent and ignorant woman as usual.

"You like me, so what are you supposed to do about it?"

On that day, he couldn’t bear the thought of himself being swayed by those sweet words.

"Are you going to run away with a lowly servant like me, you, a noble lady?"

Roan wanted to push her out of his world.

He never imagined in his wildest dreams that his clumsy attempt would end up tripping him up.

"Yes. I'll go."

"What did you say?"

"I'll run away with you."

"………………Do you even know what you're saying right now?"

"Of course. I don't care where, Roan. As long as I'm with you."

He didn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe it.

No matter how much he pushed her, it was useless.

He kept wanting to believe. He wanted to be fooled by those eyes that kept staring straight at her until the moment he looked away.

"If you keep your promise, I'll consider it. The words you spoke last time…"

And so he finally gave in. To that insignificant cuteness that could never match his own weight. To that woman, whom he still wanted to believe in.

"Yes. I'll definitely keep it."

He already knew the outcome of that promise, made so lightly by lips that knew nothing.

"You promised... You promised to keep her safe!"

The scream from that day still lingered in his throat like a thorn, refusing to fade.

Yet, he was told to trust her again.

So, like back then, to be foolishly and willingly abandoned by her.

“I guess I must have looked pretty pathetic. The way you casually spouted such nonsense.”

He didn’t even know what to believe in a woman who kept running away, but if she was going to make such ridiculous claims, she should at least choose her targets carefully.

Or maybe she was just clever enough to choose her targets carefully.

“Well, it was a pretty successful strategy, I guess.”

With a hollow laugh escaping his lips, Roan admitted it willingly. He was foolish enough to almost fall for this woman’s tricks without getting tired of it.

So how easy must this damn woman think of him?

He recalled the previous night when he had covered the tired woman with a blanket.

The desire for the woman, who looked cold, to no longer feel cold. That night when he felt helpless, wanting to be kind to such a woman.

How foolish had he become?

“I never thought you’d go so far as to sell your own parent’s story to escape.”

A contemptuous gaze, as if looking down on a life that had hit rock bottom, coldly swept over her.

The woman who had once stubbornly clung to her pride was now so pitiful that she was almost grateful. Thanks to her, he could now freely destroy her without any qualms.

“I… that’s…”

Delnia’s voice faltered. It felt like hitting a wall with no exit. It was just vague and hopeless.

But what could she possibly say?

After all, he wouldn't listen to a single word she said.

He’d never believe her.

“It’s a shame. If I had just gone along with it, maybe you could have escaped safely.”

Faced with Delnia, overwhelmed by the helplessness of knowing that no words could reach him, he lightly expressed his regret. His voice was calm and even, as if he were truly sorry.

That’s why Delnia could tell. Even if she had truly intended to escape, the plan would have inevitably failed.

Because that man would have made sure of it.

“But even that pathetic attempt ended in failure…”

Roan muttered monotonously as he slowly took a step toward her.

Delnia couldn't move. She was frozen in place, unable to take a step. The man gently grabbed her shoulder and whispered softly in her ear.

“Now you must pay the price.”

***

Roan Barthez had imprisoned the slave in his bedroom.

Even that alone was shocking enough, but it didn't end there.

He had locked himself up along with her.

The suddenness of his actions left the mansion staff flustered and unsure of what to do. They were even more perplexed because they had no idea what was going on.

It was Margaret, who came forward crying and confessed the entire story, that resolved their confusion.

"It's my fault. I told the Colonel something unnecessary..."

After hearing Margaret's story, Leticia and the other servants at the mansion were able to roughly piece together what had happened.

“What if something happens to Delnia?”

Leticia couldn't say anything to Margaret, who was weeping and blaming herself for everything.

Was Delnia really planning to run away? Was the claim that her mother was ill also a lie?

Leticia couldn't bring herself to think that way. She knew how long Delnia had been waiting for a reply from her mother. Even before the suspicious man's visit, as Margaret had mentioned.

Of course, it was impossible to completely rule out the possibility that Delnia’s acting skills were so exceptional that she could have deceived them all.

Therefore, shouldn't they refrain from jumping to conclusions and instead investigate the truth more thoroughly?

If there was any room for misunderstanding, the sensible response would be to resolve it through conversation or by understanding the circumstances.

In other words, the current Roan Barthez was clearly not in his right mind.

However, the bigger problem was that there was no way to point out that fact to Roan.

Physically, it was impossible. How could one attempt a meaningful conversation when he refused to come out of the room?

Still, there was one opportunity for Leticia, who had been taking care of their meals.

Most of the time, she would leave the meal at the door and leave, but on one occasion, she had the chance to deliver it directly to Roan.

“Colonel! Please spare me a moment!”

Leticia urgently grabbed him, forcing her way through the narrow gap in the door, just wide enough for a tray to fit through.

Roan blocked the narrow gap with his sturdy body, as if to prevent anyone from knowing what was happening inside.

Leticia, who had been peering inside to try to check on Delnia's condition, quickly gave up her goal. It was because of Roan's piercing gaze, as if he were looking down on an invader daring to trespass on his territory.

The overwhelming pressure emanating from Roan made even Leticia sweat with tension.

But she couldn't just back down like this.

Leticia calmly cleared her throat and tried to soothe him.

"Please don't do this. Let's resolve this through conversation. I don't know what misunderstanding there might be, but first, please release Delnia………..”

However, Roan didn't even let Leticia finish her prepared speech; as soon as Delnia was mentioned, he slammed the door shut right in front of her.

Stunned by the unprecedented rude behavior, Leticia belatedly knocked on the door, but there was no response.

***