Misfortune 87

Chapter 87

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Leticia was stunned as she turned away in disappointment, having missed a unique opportunity.

She had watched him closely ever since he joined the military as an officer, but she never imagined that such a side of him could be hidden. She had no idea how to deal with this unfamiliar Roan Barthez.

Moreover, Roan had even sent someone to the Naval headquarters to take leave.

Since he was not the type to take leave willingly, his colleagues were probably surprised, but at least on the surface, it seemed like a plausible disappearance. It meant that it was unlikely anyone would notice his unusual behavior and try to stop him.

Thanks to the Colonel’s blatant seclusion, the servants’ imaginations ran wild. Mostly, they speculated about how horribly Delnia must look.

"They say the merciless torturers pull out the prisoners' fingernails."

"Perhaps she's being whipped..."

These grim imaginings cast a gloomy shadow over the mansion's atmosphere. Even setting Delnia aside, no one knew how Roan would react, leaving everyone feeling as though they were walking on thin ice.

Unable to bear watching the people anxiously coping with the completely upended daily life, Leticia stepped forward once more.

"We should at least call Milan."

Milan, who had known Roan longer than anyone else, was the only hope left at this point.

He was currently busy restoring order to the Barthez mansion in the capital, but given the situation, what did the mansion matter?

She might even have to be prepared to forcibly drag Roan out of his room if necessary.

Leticia, having made up her mind, began to move swiftly to send someone to the capital.

***

What a terrible thing to endure.

Shaking beneath him, Delnia stared blankly into space.

She couldn't tell if time was passing. After all, whenever she regained her senses, it was always the same routine.

Perhaps it was the same even when she wasn't conscious.

It wasn't until she was dragged here that Delnia finally realized it. This endless, sexual act was the true punishment.

Then what had they been sharing all this time?

Unfortunately, she had no time to think about that.

The man treated her like an animal, literally. Naturally, she could no longer expect the gentle touch of him wiping her body or covering her with a blanket.

Her body was always sticky with sweat or some other unknown liquid, and the man took her body as he pleased. His bite marks, no longer controlled by his strength, left deeper red bruises on her body each day.

No matter how much she pleaded that it hurt or was difficult, it was useless. It was as if a human being couldn't understand an animal's cries, no matter how much it howled.

Once, she struggled and scratched his shoulder, but he casually glanced at the wound and suddenly brought a leather belt, tightly binding her wrists with it. He then secured the belt to the bedpost.

The brutal master looked down at her, now bound like an animal, with great satisfaction. And he indulged himself even more.

All she could do beneath him was moan.

It wasn't just the physical pain that was agonizing. His attitude, which was no different from taming a mere animal, felt like her soul was being torn to shreds.

Her mind, crushed like sand grains, scattered once more under the harsh heat that swept in. There were many moments when she wished she could simply lose her mind.

At some point, she stopped resisting. She knew it was pointless.

Her exhausted throat emitted only the sound of escaping air. The corners of her swollen eyes had long since dried of tears.

Instead of her cries, the silence was filled only with the relentless sound of flesh hitting flesh and the creaking of the bed.

Then, one day, she finally realized that even the pain had grown faint.

From then on, she no longer felt human. She felt like she had been trained to be his beast. The fact didn’t bother her.

How did they end up like this?

Even the circumstances leading to this were now hazy. The countless times their bodies had intertwined, the relentless heat that never grew weary—it all felt unreal, as if it weren’t her own.

Even when awake, it felt like she was dreaming. The constant trembling of her vision only intensified that sensation.

“…”

Her unfocused eyes gazed blankly at the man towering over her.

“Now it’s time to pay the price.”

The last words he had left behind echoed in her ears.

To Delnia, it was another name for atonement.

So, in a way, her pain and suffering could be seen as a natural consequence. That was what atonement was.

She even felt that she was finally atoning properly.

But why did he, who was inflicting the punishment, also seem to be in pain?

Even as he was freely abusing her as he pleased, why did he have a pained expression on his face?

As the distorted face of the man flickered with the image of the boy she had lost forever, she suddenly felt like crying, oddly enough.

It felt as though she was still running away, leaving that young boy behind her.

“Ro…an…”

Her lips moved. She didn’t realize she was desperately calling out to him. Perhaps this too was a dream.

Then the man, who had been moving endlessly, suddenly stopped.

A faint blue light flashed beyond her blurred vision, as if the sky were falling into her arms.

She wanted to reach out and catch it before it fell any further. But her body wouldn’t obey her mind.

Ah, now that she thought about it, she was still bound.

She, who had easily given up, instead looked up at the man floating above her like the sky and opened her mouth again.

“I won’t run away…………………”

“….”

“I won’t do that anymore. I……………”

Perhaps because it was something she had been holding inside for a very long time.

Now, the man above her no longer seemed like the cruel man forcing her, but only like the boy whom she had wanted to say those words to.

That’s why she could manage a faint smile.

I’m sorry for leaving you alone back then. For running away like that.

She wanted to say that too, but her lips wouldn’t move anymore. She wanted to stroke his face, which looked like it had lost its soul, but she couldn’t.

Soon, her vision flickered. Then, the familiar darkness engulfed her.

***

The Colonel appeared after four days.

When the tightly closed door to Roan's bedroom opened, Leticia jumped in surprise. The butler, who had rushed to Blois after receiving her call, reacted similarly.

She was grateful that Roan had come out before she had to burst in, but she didn't feel like welcoming him with open arms. Even from a distance, she could sense the gloomy atmosphere surrounding him.

It was a moment when Milan and Leticia, who had been looking up at him from the first floor, exchanged puzzled glances.

"Milan."

A voice so low it was almost unfamiliar dropped down the stairs.

“Yes, Colonel.”

Milan, startled, hurried up the stairs.

As he found himself face to face with him, the old butler barely managed to suppress a sigh that threatened to escape.

Roan’s eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn't slept at all, his sunken eyes, and his dark complexion that clearly showed he was troubled.

Looking as though he had been punished, Milan could not bring himself to speak.

As far as he had heard from Leticia, Roan was supposed to be imprisoning and tormenting the slave. Could it be the opposite?

“Send someone to the Beauvais Convent immediately.”

However, the unexpected demand that followed instantly cleared the confusion in Milan's mind.

“The Beauvais Convent… ?”

Roan nodded promptly and added in a slightly cracked voice.

“Check on the condition of the Countess of Eperne. I will receive the report directly.”

Milan, who had already inferred his intentions from the explanation he had heard from Leticia beforehand, quickly nodded.

“Yes, I’ll send someone immediately.”

Watching Milan hurry down the stairs again, Roan roughly swept his disheveled hair back.

He couldn’t help but feel he was doing something pointless.

She was the kind of woman who wouldn’t hesitate to run away from him again, even if it meant betraying her own family with another man.

He no longer intended to believe a single word she said. The fact that she had already fled once, and was even fleeing again when they met again, was sufficient evidence.

So there was no doubt about it……………….

“I won’t run away……”

At those words alone, it was as if he had been doused with icy water, his mind suddenly clearing. The chaos in his mind, which had been tangled and messy, felt as though it had been washed clean in an instant.

After giving the order, Roan stared down at the unconscious woman.

***