Misfortune 101

Chapter 101

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Kais glanced around and took a sip of tea served by the old butler at the Barthez residence.

Whether it was because he lacked the refined taste for tea or due to the extremely tense atmosphere, he ended up burning his tongue.

But he couldn't even feel the tingling sensation in his tongue. His entire focus was on the man in front of him.

Where on earth had their great naval hero gone?

Roan Barthez's condition was so dire that such a sigh escaped him involuntarily.

It wasn’t just that he looked like a dog dragged to the slaughterhouse.

His gaunt complexion and dry skin showed no sign of vitality, and the deep shadows under his eyes suggested how much he had neglected himself.

But what truly caused Kais to sigh was that the once sharp, piercing blue eyes had become completely vacant.

‘What on earth has happened to him?’

Could it be that Roan Barthez had crumbled so easily over a single woman?

It was hard to believe, and he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to get involved either.

But he was a soldier who couldn't disobey orders from above.

Kais, who had been silently cursing under his breath, managed to swallow the sigh that was about to escape his lips and spoke.

“Colonel. You are ordered to return to headquarters immediately.”

Roan didn't even bother to respond. Kais, who disdainfully glanced at Roan's lips, which showed no sign of opening, calmly continued.

“As you are aware, Colonel, the situation at sea has become unstable since the funeral of the Second Prince. Not only are the pirates active, but there are also signs that Dalos is beginning to stir.”

To be more precise, it would be more accurate to say that it was after the emperor collapsed in front of everyone.

The news that the emperor of the Brunois Empire, which had once ruled the continent, was gravely ill was almost a cause for celebration for all nations except the Allied Nations.

This was especially true for Dalos, which shared a border with the empire. After all, Dalos had once attempted to expand its naval presence by recruiting privateers but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Brunois navy.

Now that the emperor's reign was unstable, they must have seen it as an opportunity to avenge past humiliations and seize sole control of the empire.

The sea, which had been momentarily peaceful, was once again about to be engulfed in turmoil. The day when the Brunois Navy's ships would hoist their sails was drawing near.

"The Admiral has also tried to consider the Colonel's situation as much as possible, but given the circumstances, I believe you will understand that it is difficult to delay the return any further."

Kais bowed his head. He thought that by saying this much, he must have understood.

However, even as he straightened his back, Roan remained silent, his lips tightly sealed like a clamshell.

Kais's eyebrows shot up in annoyance.

‘Maybe I should just grab him by the collar and drag him along.’

Kais was unmatched in his ability to sense when it was time to lie down and relax. So it was no surprise that he often clashed with Roan, his superior.

Of course, Roan had been lenient toward him as a fellow officer, but now, even if Kais were to defy him, Roan wouldn't react much differently.

Still, Kais suppressed his impulse, thinking of the loyalty they had shared. He scraped together what little patience he had left and urged Roan on.

“So, when will you be returning………………”

But before he could finish his sentence, the outside suddenly became chaotic.

As Kaise turned his gaze toward the source of the noise, somewhere on the ceiling, Roan abruptly jumped to his feet.

“What is it?”

Kais, startled as if he had witnessed a rock suddenly moving, reflexively stepped back and asked.

However, Roan didn't even glance at Kais, let alone answer, and was already striding toward the door.

“Wait a moment, Colonel! Answer me…! Hey, Roan!”

Kais, flustered, blurted out anything he could think of, desperately trying to stop him.

But Roan never looked back, opening the door of the parlor and rushing out.

“What on earth…”

Kais, staring blankly at the spot where Roan had disappeared, let out a helpless sigh.

It seemed there was no denying it anymore. The painful truth that their hero had fallen because of a single woman.

***

“Delnia! Are you okay?”

A scream that sounded like a cheer echoed down the hallway, causing Roan’s steps to quicken.

He arrived at Delnia's bedroom in an instant and opened the door without hesitation.

For a moment, he held his breath at the sight before him. Even though it was exactly what he had expected and hoped for.

Delnia was just beginning to sit up with the help of the servants. Her expression was dazed, as if she hadn't fully woken up yet, and her eyes were unfocused and glassy.

But she was definitely awake.

She had awakened.

Roan unconsciously clenched his fist. His heart was pounding wildly, causing his chest to ache. His entire body tensed involuntarily.

“Oh, my goodness. Thank you, God!”

“Quick, go get the doctor!”

“I’ll go!”

With Delnia finally regaining consciousness before her, Leticia was too busy praying to notice, and the servants left noisily, claiming they were going to fetch the doctor.

However, there was no change in Delnia's face, which was at the center of the commotion.

And Roan couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Why? Even though it was the moment he had been waiting for, his feet wouldn’t move. Despite having rushed here in a single bound, he felt like turning back.

He had been longing for her to open her eyes. He had acted as if nothing would be impossible if she did.

But when she finally regained consciousness, an indescribable sense of relief washed over him, yet at the same time, his entire body felt stiff, as if the blood had stopped flowing. He still couldn't understand why.

Still, Roan resisted the invisible force pressing down on his body and slowly took a step forward. He had to keep his legs tense, fearing that even the slightest relaxation would cause him to stumble awkwardly.

“Why… why…”

Just as the distance had narrowed to the point where he could almost touch it, a voice as clear as ink diluted with water echoed.

Roan’s feet came to a sudden halt. His heart began to beat irregularly, at a completely different rhythm than before.

It was a voice she hadn’t heard in a very long time. She had been silent since before she collapsed.

But was this overwhelming sense of unease simply due to the unfamiliarity of the voice?

Really?

As he faced this massive wall of doubt, Leticia answered on Delnia's behalf.

“It’s a miracle that the Colonel discovered it early. If it had been just a little later, who knows what would have happened…”

“….”

"I, really………………."

Leticia, who had been constantly patting her chest, finally teared up and began to sob.

“Oh, what a fool I am, holding onto someone who just woke up.”

Leticia hurriedly wiped her eyes and stood up. Then, for some reason, she left the room with Margaret’s help, who had been standing far away.

Even then, Delnia’s eyes still showed a dazed expression. It seemed as though Leticia’s answer had not resolved her doubts at all.

Watching that scene, a sudden chill ran down his spine.

Roan took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. But all he felt was a stinging sensation in his throat, as if it had been scratched by the cold air.

"Why am I…?"

That hollow voice. Perhaps even a sense of despair...

Just as he was about to clench his fingers into a fist to shake off the echoing voice, the eyes that had been staring blankly into the void suddenly turned toward him.

Roan froze in place.

Her eyes, still clouded with confusion, looked as fragile as the lingering heat of a dying flame. He dared not breathe, fearing he might extinguish it…

“Was my atonement… insufficient?”

At that moment, a voice emerged from her chapped lips, spreading faintly like winter fog.

“What?”

Roan asked blankly, as if his mind had been completely drained.

However, the woman facing him remained motionless, her eyes still as calm as ever.

“So, you saved me………………?"

The dry, cracked voice struck his ears like a bolt of lightning once more. The breath he hadn’t even managed to exhale properly was choked off.

“Why?”

What kind of question was that?

A person was dying right before his eyes. Not saving them would have been the strange thing to do.

But Roan couldn’t even bring himself to utter such a basic answer.

Because it was clearly reflected in the dying eyes.

A ruthless monster who would never save her unless it was for atonement.

Roan's pupils began to tremble uncontrollably.

He desperately wanted to flee. From this woman's space. From those eyes that reminded him of what he had done.

But contrary to his thoughts, his legs wouldn't budge, and he was forced to face her helplessly.

The woman who felt no emotion toward anything in the world, just calm.

The woman who didn't even seem the slightest bit happy about being alive.