Misfortune 102

Chapter 102

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***

Perhaps she was too complacent.

Like others who had miraculously survived near-death experiences, it would be a lie to say that she did not hope to change her mind and be grateful for the life she had been given again.

But if she were that kind of person, she wouldn’t have taken her own life in the first place.

So there was no need or reason to be disappointed now, and Roan clenched his teeth, trying to steady his mind, which felt like it might be swept away by despair at any moment.

If being alive wasn’t something to be happy about, then she just needed reason to be happy.

"Lena………………."

As Roan blurted out that name, his mouth went dry. Even standing before God’s judgment seat after death wouldn’t feel this tense.

Still,he couldn’t stop himself from speaking.

"Lena is alive. While you were lying in bed, that child came to find you. She kept searching for us.......”

Even she couldn't help but be surprised by the news of Lena's survival, and her previously composed gaze began to flicker.

Roan felt truly relieved as he met the eyes that were suddenly dazzling as if sparks were flying.

There were so many other things he wanted to tell her.

As she said. He was wrong.

So she could take her revenge on him anytime.

Still, she would be okay. Even if she had to rely on that hatred to live again.

Just as he had done in the past.

He wanted to tell her that he would take on her resentment and hatred.

Before she weakly opened her mouth.

“Good for you.”

The voice that dropped coldly and indifferently into his ear.

And that was the end.

The light in Delnia’s eyes, which had briefly flickered, quickly faded.

Her lips no longer moved. It seemed as though her feelings about Lena’s survival ended there.

No, as if Lena’s survival or death had nothing to do with her at all.

Roan felt as stunned as a soldier stripped of his weapons by the enemy. The words he had prepared in his mind had already vanished.

He had thought that if she heard the news about Lena, she would naturally vent her anger at him. She would complain about how unfair it was that he doubted her and get angry.

However, she merely muttered with a face so blank it showed no trace of emotion.

"Then I…"

“….”

“Do I no longer need to atone?”

Unlike him, who couldn't even breathe, Delnia, who had been casually uttering shocking words, suddenly let out a sigh of despair.

“But why……………..”

Her words did not continue from there.

Nevertheless, Roan could easily infer what she was about to say.

Why did he save her?

Why bother saving her when there was no need for atonement anymore?

As if atonement was the only reason she had to keep living.

In his dazed mind, he finally realized what the fear that had been lurking in him all along was.

She didn’t even leave a suicide note. The reason she could leave so abruptly, as if erasing herself from the world, was clear.

Because she had no regrets left in life.

Not even hatred toward him.

He couldn't understand how she could do that. For him, who had relied on that hatred to sustain himself his entire life, it was simply incomprehensible...

In a state of panic, he frantically searched through his mind, which had gone completely blank.

He had to find something she might have been attached to. Anything that could give her the will to live would do...

But no matter how hard he thought, there was nothing.

Things that could keep her alive.

The things she cherished and held dear.

Such things had already vanished or been destroyed.

He was the one who had done that.

The expression on the man’s face, who had finally realized his sin, completely disappeared.

"You will pay for your sins for the rest of your life."

He stopped breathing as if choking, having spoken those words. The inescapable truth pressed in, blurring his vision.

She was ruined.

He had ruined her.

That was his sin.

***

“I’ll prescribe more sedatives first.”

The doctor, who had been meticulously examining Delnia's condition, left an order for Leticia. She didn't even glance at her.

“Please make sure she doesn’t stay alone. She’s in a mentally vulnerable state…”

Camille trailed off. But the warning tone alone was enough to infer the content. There was no guarantee Delnia wouldn't make the same choice.

Leticia frowned as if she had heard something terrible, but nodded seriously.

And Delnia was observing them indifferently. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she was really seeing them.

Delnia’s state was different from when her mother had passed away. Her expressionless face, as if the organ responsible for emotions had completely malfunctioned, was proof of that.

Even if she were told that her mother had passed away now, she would likely remain expressionless, merely nodding her head.

“I should have paid more attention back then.”

Camille sighed with self-reproach.

She had vaguely sensed that Delnia was in an unstable state.

But she had assumed it was just a temporary issue caused by the shock of drowning. After that, she had only thought it was due to the grief of losing her family.

Of course, since her mind and body were weakened, the shock might have been greater than for others, but Camille still vaguely believed she could overcome it.

Everyone at the mansion cared for her. Especially the Colonel.

Colonel Barthez, whom she had occasionally seen coming and going at the residence, was not the type to be easily fond of.

He was the kind of person who never showed unnecessary interest in others, someone with clear boundaries.

Leticia praised her employer as a sturdy and reliable man, but those words ultimately meant that he kept a certain distance from her as well.

Yet this man reacted unusually sensitively to every detail of Delnia's condition. A man who never did that for anyone else.

So it was only natural to think she was a pretty special person to the Colonel.

Even after she attempted suicide and went mad, Camille didn’t think she was completely wrong to have guessed that.

Yet she couldn’t understand why the situation had gone this way, even after hearing some details of their story from Leticia.

“She’s been through a lot, Camille.”

As Camille’s expression grew somber, Leticia patted her shoulder comfortingly and escorted her to the door.

Delnia, who had been staring blankly at their backs, finally lowered her gaze. The fresh, soft bandage the doctor had just changed caught her eye.

It seemed rather pitiful that the doctor had to visit the mansion every day for such a minor wound.

‘It would have been better if I hadn't survived.’

Then none of this would have been such a hassle.

Delnia scolded her thoughtless body and closed her eyes tightly. Inside her eyelids, the darkness that had become so familiar it was almost comforting flickered.

She didn’t remember what it was like to lie there unconscious. But she was sure it was better than this.

Now, she just wanted to rest.

There was no need to struggle to escape the darkness. She could just stay here, buried in it, and that would be fine…

‘But why.’

Even in her unconscious state, she could feel the strong hand holding her. The slightly cool body temperature felt familiar.

If she had been awake, she would have pushed that hand away. She would have shouted to let her sink like this.

But she was powerless, and the ruthless hand succeeded in pulling her out of consciousness. Like the brutal hand that had grabbed her waist when she had fallen into the water.

Yes. It was that man again. Annoyingly so.

“Was my atonement... insufficient?"

That's why she asked that. She couldn't find any other reason he needed to desperately try to save her.

She never expected to hear the news that Lena had returned alive.

At that moment, even she couldn't help but be surprised. Lena's death was the original sin that Delnia had carried her entire life.

But despite the shock, she couldn't understand the man who had saved her life.

He had regained the family he thought he had lost.

And she had nothing left.

The debt had been settled, and she no longer had any sins to atone for.

But why?

"That's good."

So that was all she could say in return.

It was a relief that Lena was alive.

She felt nothing more than that.

Yet the man stiffened like someone who had been stabbed in the heart. It was an incomprehensible reaction, as always.

After that, she didn’t see him anymore. To be more precise, since she never left the bedroom, it would be more accurate to say that the man didn't come to find her.

Of course, it didn't matter either way.

The thoughts that had been floating in her mind for a moment flew away as lightly as dandelion seeds.

Having unexpectedly regained consciousness, she found her mind as clean and empty as the aftermath of a massive flood.

There were no traces of broken or shattered pieces, not even a single blade of grass. It was a complete wasteland, no longer even worthy of being called ruins.

Such a void did not bother Delnia. It felt somehow refreshing, as if she had vomited up all the discomfort in her stomach.

If it hadn't been emptied to this extent, she might have gathered whatever strength she had left and tried to die again immediately.

Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate, she couldn’t tell.