Misfortune 103

Chapter 103

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****

"Delnia, would you like something to drink?"

At that moment, Leticia, who had just returned from seeing the doctor off at the door, asked kindly.

Delnia shook her head. Despite her refusal, Leticia persisted.

"Then let's eat before taking your medicine. I asked Margaret to bring some porridge."

Even though it sounded like an order, Delnia showed no reaction.

After she woke up, Leticia refused to compromise on the meal. She persistently asked until she got a yes. It was better to eat quickly and get it over with than to keep refusing.

Leticia made room for her to eat comfortably by placing a side table close to the bed.

Meanwhile, Margaret entered the room carrying a tray, and Leticia hurried over to her.

Delnia stared blankly at the two of them. As always, it didn't mean anything in particular.

But just as Margaret was about to turn away, she happened to meet Delnia's gaze and flinched, her shoulders shaking.

"Um..."

Her freckled cheeks twisted into a sad expression, but Margaret quickly fled the room.

Delnia, who didn't know the reason, could only watch the scene in a daze.

Unlike her, Leticia looked sadly at Margaret's retreating figure before straightening her head again.

The bitter smile on her lips changed the moment she met Delnia's gaze.

"Come on, let's eat."

With a cheerful voice, Leticia placed a tray on the side table.

It was obvious that she was raising her voice on purpose, but instead of asking her what was wrong, Delnia silently picked up her spoon. She had no energy left to be curious about anyone else.

After finishing her meal, she was struggling to swallow the medicine that Leticia had carefully prepared for her.

"Even though she looks like that, Margaret was very worried about you."

Leticia suddenly spoke up, offering an explanation that Delnia hadn't asked for.

"She waited for you to wake up and took care of you every day... It seems to be taking some time for her to sort out her feelings from that time. Please understand, even if it seems strange."

It wasn't that she thought it was strange.

For some reason, hearing those words made Delnia feel strange, so she lowered her gaze.

Leticia added in a calm voice, interpreting that reaction.

"It wasn't just Margaret. I, and the other servants, couldn't sleep because we were worried about you. Even as we waited for you to wake up, we were so anxious that you might pass away like this..."

Delnia thought she had done well to lower her head. She didn't know what expression to make.

But she soon changed her mind. The servants here were, after all, under that man's orders. Perhaps they were just being overly cautious.

"Of course, I was too."

What made Delnia change her mind was Leticia's sincere voice.

"I was so shocked that my heart was pounding as if I had heard that my husband had gone missing..."

Delnia's pupils flickered for a moment as she was drawn into an unexpected story.

Perhaps she had reopened Leticia’s wounds.

Just as a sense of guilt she hadn't anticipated began to wash over her, a slight crease appeared between her eyebrows.  

Leticia gently brushed the bandage wrapped around Delnia's wrist. It was a faint touch, as if she were determined not to hurt her.  

"Why did you do such a terrible thing? Where could you possibly find a place to hurt such a beautiful body...?"

"...”

"How much did it hurt...?"

Delnia's head rose involuntarily at the sound of her voice, which made even the listener feel sad.

Leticia was still staring at her wound, as if she herself were in pain, looking both pitiful and sad.

As she quietly looked at her profile, strangely enough, Sophie, who had turned her back on her so cruelly, came to mind.

It was a truly strange feeling. The two were not alike in the slightest.

Why was she seeing the two of them as one?

And why was Leticia trying to embrace her, even though Sophie had turned her back on her?

They had only known each other for a season or so.

Why would she want to embrace someone she had wanted to turn away from her whole life?

The more Delnia thought about it, the more her heart ached. It made her feel uneasy, even though she had been relieved that she could no longer feel anything.

Everything had been swept away cleanly. Was something trying to take root and sprout again in that barren land?

Thinking that made her feel infinitely uncomfortable. Driven by an instinctive sense of rejection, Delnia quietly pulled her wrist away from under Leticia’s hand.

Fortunately, Leticia did not hold her back any longer but stepped back gracefully.

"I guess I held on too long. Take a rest now."

There was no hint of disappointment in her warm and gentle voice.

For some reason, Delnia found it difficult to face Leticia, so she hurriedly lay down. She tried to erase the lingering image from her mind and pulled the blanket over her head.

***

Finally, Roan appeared at the Naval headquarters.

Ignoring the stares directed at him as if he were a rare animal, he walked straight to the Admiral's office.

"You're finally here."

The Admiral greeted him with a hollow laugh.

Roan saluted neatly to announce his return. The Admiral waved his hand dismissively in response to his greeting.

"I apologize for causing you concern during my absence."

The Admiral replied nonchalantly to Roan's words.

"Well, I can't say you didn't worry me, but it wasn't all bad. There's good news, too."

The Admiral then lit his pipe and mentioned the "good news."

"You found your only sister."

The fact that Colonel Barthez had found his long-lost sister was already common knowledge among those in Blois who were in the know.

The people at the Barthez mansion were usually tight-lipped, so it was likely that the news had come from the younger sister’s side. After all, merchants were known for having tongues as light as feathers.

That didn’t mean he was trying to ride on Roan’s reputation, though. He was already a significant figure in his own right.

“The head of the Golden Wheel.”

It was no surprise that some of the merchant guilds he invested in were also heavily involved in transactions with the Golden Wheel.

However, her identity was not the most important issue for the Admiral.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“What concern? I didn’t even know you were separated from your sister.”

The Admiral responded sarcastically to Roan's polite gratitude.

That was true. What surprised the Admiral most was that some of Roan's family history, which had been shrouded in mystery, had been revealed.

Roan never spoke of his past, and neither did his family. All the Admiral knew was that Roan had lost his entire family before he went to sea.

Of course, just because he had found the family he thought was long dead did not mean that the details of what had happened in the past were known.

However, the mere fact that he had a younger sister whom he had been separated from in his childhood, and that it happened to be in Belfort, allowed the Admiral to vaguely imagine his past.

The reason why he was still looking gloomy even though he should have been happy.

"For a miracle, your face looks pretty beat up."

The Admiral glanced at Roan disapprovingly and said bluntly.

"If the Dalos guys saw you now, they'd be stoked and raise a toast."

At the sarcastic words that followed, Roan forced a slight smile and let out a sigh-like chuckle.

He was already accustomed to the Admiral's harsh jokes, which he used to change the mood.

"That will be a toast to the Dalos' graves."

Roan quickly composed his expression and replied indifferently.

Despite his appearance, which had deteriorated significantly, his voice still carried the strength of the old Roan Barthez. His piercing blue eyes also revealed a steadfast resolve.

Judging that his mind had returned to some degree, the Admiral nodded.

“If you’re that confident, let’s hear it.”

His eyes, now those of a naval Admiral, shone with sharp intensity.

The two immediately got down to business, discussing the current situation in Dalos.

Dalos had not yet made any noticeable military movements. However, intelligence had recently indicated that supplies were being concentrated in a port adjacent to Brunois.

In fact, just yesterday, the enemy’s reconnaissance ship had appeared along the northern coastline facing the sea.  

Given this situation, war might seem inevitable, but there was another reason why both sides remained quiet without taking any significant action.