Chapter 94
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“Ugh….”
A sense of loss so overwhelming it felt like she couldn't breathe crushed Delnia. She clutched her shoulders and trembled violently, as if her whole body were being torn apart.
Marian was dead. She no longer existed.
For Delnia, it was not simply a matter of losing her mother, her last remaining family member.
She had lost the only person in the world who loved her.
Now there was no one left in the world who loved her. The same was true for the people she loved.
No, not just people.
Her family, Belfort.
She had nothing left.
She had become completely alone.
As soon as she realized that fact, an unfamiliar chill swept over her. She gasped for breath like someone who had been exiled from the world, stripped of everything.
How was one supposed to live a life where there was nothing left to love?
How could she possibly live in a world where there was no reason left to keep her alive?
"Ugh………………."
She wanted to scream in overwhelming fear, but only a gasping moan escaped her throat.
Delnia finally realized that she had been crushed by relentless loss all along. That was why she couldn’t even make a sound.
The moonlight fell sadly on her tear-stained cheeks.
She embraced her loss and wept silently until dawn broke.
***
Leticia, who had left Delnia's room, sighed deeply as she looked down at the tray.
“Oh, what am I going to do with this….”
The untouched food and the clean spoon, showing no signs of use, only served to stir her already unsettled mind.
Last night, something must have happened, as Delnia had completely stopped eating.
Until then, if Leticia insisted, she would reluctantly pretend to take a few bites, but now she wouldn't even touch it.
The problem wasn’t just that.
She couldn’t speak, and now she didn’t even respond to anything, as if she had gone deaf.
It was as if her soul had left her body, leaving only her eyes open, making one feel a chill down their spine.
“There are some bereaved family members who struggle more than others. Especially in cases like this, where they’ve lost their last remaining family member.”
Since Delnia wasn't improving, and Leticia was really worried, Dr. Camille prescribed some medicine that was supposed to help with mental stability.
"It should help with insomnia. Sometimes forcing yourself to pass the time is also a method."
Thanks to the medication, Delnia was mostly sleeping during the day.
So Leticia naturally assumed she was getting better.
‘Camille, you quack.’
Leticia secretly cursed her in her mind.
But to be honest, Leticia also agreed with Camille's opinion.
Such issues would be ultimately resolved by time. No matter how slow it may be, it will inevitably improve someday.
That was just how the world worked. If it weren't, humanity would have gone extinct long ago. Or gone mad.
Thanks to the passage of time, Leticia was still alive and well today.
That was why she could confidently tell Margaret it would be okay.
For some reason, it seemed that this obvious truth didn't apply to Delnia. As time passed, her condition didn't improve but instead grew worse.
‘Given the situation, the Colonel doesn't even bother to look at her.’
Anxiety quickly turned into resentment, directed at Roan.
But there was no way around it—in that icy mansion, only Roan was living his daily life with ease.
‘Is it enough that only he is fine?’
His disheveled appearance was nowhere to be seen like when Delnia was confined to his bedroom. It was almost as if the man from back then had been a monster wearing Roan's shell.
No, perhaps the real monster was Roan himself. Seeing his brazen face, unblinking even in the face of the tragedy he had a hand in causing.
Of course, Leticia knew Roan hadn't done it on purpose. Only heaven knew that Delnia's mother's condition would deteriorate so suddenly at that moment.
But even if it wasn't intentional, how could he be so indifferent? As a human being, shouldn't he at least feel compassion, if not guilt?
Watching Delnia waste away day by day, facing that fresh, composed face of his made Leticia feel betrayed.
‘Is this really the Colonel I've known for years? How can a person be so heartless?’
A few days ago, Leticia, unable to contain herself any longer, openly criticized Roan to Milan.
However, Milan, being the old-fashioned man he was, did not agree with the criticism of his employer.
"Well, I think differently."
Milan said, "If you knew how Roan looked when he first heard the news of Delnia's mother's death, you wouldn't speak so harshly."
Perhaps he wasn't indifferent at all, but rather was desperately trying to appear so.
"That's just as unbecoming of the Colonel as it is."
But even if Milan was right, that was a problem in itself. It meant that Roan Barthez was turning a blind eye to reality.
Hesitation or indecision would already be a dishonorable trait for a naval hero, let alone avoidance. It would be more honorable to sink to the ocean floor.
“That’s…”
Milan, who had been busy defending Roan all along, couldn't add anything more to Leticia's rebuttal. It seemed as if he couldn't bring himself to disagree.
So even to Milan’s eyes, the seemingly normal Roan Barthez of the present did not appear to be in his right mind.
“Maybe we have to do something. We can’t keep living like this, can we?”
Leticia, seizing the opportunity, tried to persuade Milan again. But he didn't give in easily, just letting out a long sigh.
"But since I don't know what's going on between the two of them, it's hard to say anything."
Milan’s hesitation was understandable. Watching Roan and Delnia, there was often a strange atmosphere between them that no one could interfere with.
But no matter how dire the situation, Leticia's resolve to no longer stand idly grew stronger by the day.
“This won’t do. I guess I’ll have to speak up after all.”
Even if Roan didn’t seem curious about Delnia, if she were to confront him directly, he couldn't just keep pretending not to know like he was doing now.
Just as Leticia had made her decision and lifted her head to hurry her steps,
“Oh my goodness!”
Startled, Leticia shouted quite loudly. Roan had returned unnoticed and was standing in front of her like a ghost.
“Colonel! When did you arrive?”
Leticia pressed her hand against her pounding chest and asked in a trembling voice.
However, Roan was not listening to her words.
His icy blue gaze slowly traced the tray before shifting beyond Leticia’s shoulder, as if retracing her path in reverse.
His gaze soon came to a halt. It was a fierce look, as if he were ready to destroy whatever was at the end of it with his own hands.
“Um, Colonel. That’s…”
Leticia stammered as she began to speak. Her resolve to say something had been shattered by the sudden encounter with the man and the overwhelming sense of intimidation he exuded.
However, he suddenly reached out and snatched the tray from Leticia, as if he had no intention of waiting. Then he walked past her with heavy steps.
“Colonel!”
Leticia hurriedly followed him, trying to stop him, but it was no use.
He flung open the door to Delnia's room and slammed it shut with a loud bang.
Left alone outside, Leticia could only pace nervously, overcome by a sense of foreboding.
***
Roan entered Delnia’s room and walked straight to the bed where she was lying.
She remained motionless, facing away from him. Despite his loud entrance, she didn't even turn her head once.
“What are you doing?”
He asked, barely suppressing the rage rising to his throat. As expected, there was no response.
Roan sneered harshly and slammed the tray down on the side table.
The woman must have treated others who tried to look after her in the same way.
Watching her stubbornly turn away, his remaining sanity quickly wore away. It was only natural, given that he had already reached his limit by not coming to find her.
With his patience exhausted, he approached the bed without hesitation. He forcibly lifted the woman who had been lying there.
Like a doll filled only with cotton, she hung limply in his hands and was dragged out of the bed.
The momentary shock at her overly light weight was short-lived; the moment he met her eyes, which held no trace of life, anger surged again.
Yes. This was anger. There was no doubt about it.
“Are you going to pretend you can’t hear me now?”
***
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