Misfortune 108

Chapter 108

***

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***

"If you're going to die, just run away. Run away without anyone knowing."

"..."

"This time, I'll help you. I'll make sure you escape safely. I won't tell anyone…”

Margaret couldn't continue. She buried her head in Delnia's bed and began to cry loudly.

"So, try to survive somehow......"

Watching her heave and sob, Delnia had a dazed expression on her face. Her eyes, unable to hide her turmoil, shook violently.

Then, her expression gradually calmed down.

Her left hand, bearing a scar, gently rested on Margaret's shoulder. It was a hand she had never reached out to anyone before, even after regaining her senses.  

Margaret lifted her head slightly, sensing the warmth on her shoulder. Seeing her face covered in tears and snot, she felt like laughing for some reason.

"I will."

Delnia said, this time with complete sincerity.

But for some reason, Margaret didn't respond this time.

Margaret cautiously reached out her hand after watching her blankly for a moment. Delnia didn't try to avoid it.

The tip of her finger, which gently brushed her cheek, was damp with moisture.

"Ah..."

Delnia belatedly touched her cheek. The damp sensation made her realize that she was crying.

She thought she was smiling, but what actually came out were tears.

Realizing this, the corners of her mouth, which had been awkwardly curved into a smile, quickly fell back into place.

Margaret silently embraced Delnia, who no longer tried to force a smile. Delnia buried her face in the small shoulders that were trying to hold her.

"Now, you have to finish all the medicine. Not a single pill should be left. Got it?"

Margaret scolded her in a stern tone. However, her voice, filled with tears, did not sound authoritative at all.

Nevertheless, Delnia nodded several times.

***

Margaret, who had confirmed that Delnia had emptied all the medicine with her swollen eyes, took the bowl and went outside, and immediately after, the maid who had taken over her shift entered the room.

The maid, who was carrying a basket filled with colorful skeins of thread and sewing kits, widened her eyes when her gaze met Delnia's.

Delnia nodded slightly in greeting. The maid's already wide eyes grew even wider, and she returned the nod without thinking.

Her name was Mia, a native of Blois, and she did not interact with Delnia very often. She was quiet by nature, but she was also very wary of outsiders.

Even though they had been distant, she was standing guard without complaint for Delnia's safety.  

"Um... Are you feeling okay?"  

Mia was the first to speak. Perhaps because they had been awkward with each other until now, or perhaps because it was the first time Delnia had acknowledged her since regaining consciousness, her voice was very cautious.

"Yes.Thanks for your concern."

That's why Delnia responded more cheerfully.

Mia then gave a faint smile.

"Yeah. That's good."

The conversation didn't continue. Mia started sewing in her spot, and Delnia didn't disturb her.

Still, Delnia could feel the calm atmosphere more than ever.

In that peaceful silence, she slowly recalled the past few days.

Leticia, who had teared up, and Margaret, who had told her to run away. The other servants at the mansion who had cared for her with all their hearts, and Lena, whom she had met again.

The people who had warmly embraced her, even though she had wanted to abandon herself completely.

She could no longer turn away from the warmth they shared with her.  

‘I was foolish.’ 

She thought there was no one left in this world who loved her.  

All her blood relatives had passed away, and even the nanny she had known her entire life had abandoned her.  

So she thought that those with whom she had a shallower connection would certainly not love her.

But that was not the case.

There were clear voices hoping she would not die. There were hearts that could not sleep, worrying about her.

Delnia gladly admitted that she had been wrong.

The people who had loved her in the past were no longer by her side, but new people had come to cherish her.

To them, she was neither Eperne nor a noble lady. They simply cherished her as Delnia.  

Perhaps that was a more noble sentiment than those who had loved her in the past.  

Therefore, Delnia felt a sense of responsibility to repay that sentiment. Even if she couldn't repay it in full, she couldn't abandon those feelings.

If someone believed in her, she had to respond to that trust to the best of her ability.

So that she would not be ashamed of herself.

That was the teaching of Eperne, whom she had served her entire life.

Although she was no longer a noblewoman or Eperne, the pride engraved in her bones and flesh was not easily erased.

To do so, she had to keep the promise she had made to Margaret. The promise that she would never again try to take her own life.  

‘I must live.’

As she made up her mind, the weight of life she had once again taken upon herself was fully conveyed. It would be a lie to say that she did not feel overwhelmed by the darkness that had descended upon her future.

But there was also a path that seemed to lead to survival.

‘This cannot be.’

If she was going to keep living, she couldn't live like this.

For the first time since regaining consciousness, Delnia's eyes flashed with determination.

***

"Colonel? Didn't you say you'd be late today?"

Leticia asked in surprise when she found Roan entering the mansion.

He had been unusually busy lately, and she had been informed that he wouldn't be able to return home today. But here he was, appearing unexpectedly at a time when the night was still young, which was puzzling.

He looked down at the tray Leticia was holding and nodded.

"I'll be leaving again soon."

"What? Then why………………."

Leticia’s confusion only grew at the mention of returning to headquarters immediately. If he had left something behind, couldn’t he just send someone else?  

However, instead of answering Leticia’s question, Roan snatched the tray she was holding. A foul-smelling black liquid sloshed around in response.  

“Could it be………….”

Did he come back to bring Delnia her medicine?

Roan turned his back on Leticia, who was reacting with shock, and headed toward the stairs.

Leticia, who had been staring blankly at the man's back, which showed no signs of stopping, came to her senses a beat late and hurriedly opened her mouth.

"Delnia says she'll take that medicine now."

At that moment, his steady stride came to an abrupt halt.

And Leticia saw it. The trembling corners of his mouth. The blue eyes flickering with unhidden anticipation.

She couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

‘If this is how it's going to be, you should have done it sooner.’

After Lena arrived, Leticia and the others at the mansion finally learned the basics of their story.  

If such a misunderstanding existed, it was only natural that Roan hated Delnia.  

However, there was something about Roan’s attitude toward Delnia that couldn’t be explained by mere hatred or resentment.  

‘Perhaps that’s why he was so harsh.’

Leticia honestly found it pathetic that the man, who seemed cursed to always act out of line whenever he showed even the slightest kindness toward Delnia, was now unable to control his regret.

But perhaps it was the power of affection, for seeing him like that in front of her, her heart softened once more.

“Hurry up and go. You said you had to leave again.”

Leticia urged him on, hiding her complicated feelings as if chasing him away.

He obeyed like a well-behaved child, quickly climbing the stairs and passing through the hallway. His feet, which had felt as heavy as walking through mud, were now as light as stepping into clear water.

Soon, he stood before Delnia’s room and knocked on the door. Instead of an answer, the maid inside opened the door.

He stepped inside, as if taking over from the maid.

“….”

The expression on Delnia's face, which had seemed calm at first glance, vanished in an instant. Even so, she still did not give him a single glance.

Watching her, Roan felt as if the moisture in his mouth had dried up.

But he quickly regained his composure. He hadn't expected anything more than that, so there was no need to get upset.

Once he was out of sight, she would take the medicine.

That alone made it easier for him to breathe than yesterday.

As he deceived himself into believing he wanted nothing more, he placed the medicine on the side table as usual.

“You told me to say whatever I wanted.”