Chapter 79: [Chapter 079] I”m here to make your wish come true
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Adriene, who had smiled so brightly when I offered to help her just a few hours ago. Now, I remember her looking at me with those dull, lifeless eyes. Memories flooded back, each one piercing my heart. Roardnes stopped reminiscing and stared at Bardenaldo. His feelings for Adriene had deepened from affection to friendship, and then to love. When Adriene Swan Pireta"s name appeared among the list of potential candidates for the crown princess, I felt a pang of anxiety. It was my elder brother, Bardenaldo, who noticed my unease right away and listened to my confession.
"Adriene is not suitable," I said.
"Hmm? Why?" Bardenaldo replied with a playful yet affectionate smile.
"She"s someone I want to be with. There are many other noblewomen. Adriene is not the one."
"Is she your first love?"
It was the first and only desire I had ever expressed in my life.
"Yes. I can"t give up Adriene, no matter what."
"...Does the lady know of your feelings?"
"I, I will tell her soon. So please, don"t."
Bardenaldo, who had been staring at me intently, said something. He patted my head, which barely reached his shoulder, as if I were a child, and shrugged. "Shall this elder brother help you?"
"Roan."
The more Bardenaldo tried to explain himself, the more devastated Roardnes became. Realizing that no words could soothe his younger brother, Bardenaldo"s voice grew more urgent.
"What must I do for you to forgive me?"
Roardnes groaned softly. Should I resurrect Adriene from the grave? Should I find Blié, who is actually Adriene, and kneel before her, beg for forgiveness, and even end my life? Should I turn back time and undo everything I did to hurt Adriene and encourage Noebian? The more he thought about it, the more desperate he felt. Who could compensate for Adriene"s despair? I had foolishly believed that I could make amends. Now, I had become the brother of the person who had indirectly caused Adriene"s death. It felt like all the efforts I had made to protect Bardenaldo were now arrows aimed at Adriene. Desperate thoughts filled my mind, each more hopeless than the last. Perhaps even the most trivial matters were somehow connected to Adriene"s death.
"What am I to do?"
Even after hearing about Adriene"s situation in another body, my heart, which had remained unyielding, trembled and burned. The belief that it didn"t matter if she was a mere mortal or anything else had been replaced by the fear that Bardenaldo could never be forgiven by Adriene. Could a person as fragile and wounded as her accept me? Could she look at me without thinking of Bardenaldo?
"Roan, please..."
The more Bardenaldo pleaded, the deeper Roardnes' turmoil and despair grew. Why didn't he deny it? Why did he accept Noebian Trovica"s words as truth and only seek forgiveness? I wanted to shout and ask him why.
"How could you..."
When Roardnes finally spoke, Bardenaldo's tense face appeared before him. Roardnes' expression was devoid of any smile.
"How can you atone for such a sin?"
But I couldn't quite gather the crumbling pieces of my heart.
"I was just coming from helping with the funeral arrangements."
Bardenaldo's gentle reply, delivered with such sincerity, only plunged Roardnes deeper into despair.
"I heard that the lady was originally in frail health and could have passed away at any time. I will apologize to her in the afterlife and seek your forgiveness as long as I live. If it can comfort you, I won't oppose that noblewoman who resembles her becoming a princess. Let me help you."
'Brother.'
The words stuck in my throat.
"A living person must go on living. It's all my fault... Please don't stain your hands with the blood of your kin and give others a reason to attack you. Blame this elder brother."
'Brother, Adriene... she is not dead.'
"Even if Mother were alive, she would say the same thing."
'She is alive, and she saw and felt everything that you instigated and that my uncle committed.'
The words welled up in me like vomit—the thought of Adriene's spirit, unable to go to Avadelia, witnessing all this filth and suffering continuously. I cursed the past days when I had considered it a blessing to have Adriene exist in this reality, not in Avadelia. It wasn't a blessing for her. For her, Noebian Trovica, the Crown Prince Bardenaldo, and I, his blood relative... we were despair. As Roardnes saw the approaching gate, he felt his breath catch. He trembled with fear of how Adriene would look at him.
****
The duke's mansion was in an uproar. News of Grand Duke Noebian Trovica's exile to the frontier on the emperor's orders had the eastern people overjoyed, and they immediately stormed the dukedom. Despite Gaspal's desperate pleas for me to do something, I simply let them be. If it gave the eastern people, who had been so hurt by Noebian and me, a little satisfaction, I would have given them clubs or torches to use. The thought of this place burning to ashes amused me.
Just then, the door to the duchess's chamber burst open violently. It was Bianca, with a sneer on her face.
"Your fate is truly wretched. You craved another's position, and look at the sorry state you're in."
Her face, which had been filled with scorn, hardened as soon as she saw my attire. Instead of the mourning clothes I had been wearing earlier, I was dressed in the opulent robes of the duchess. Striding forward, Bianca grabbed the front of my robe and tore it open.
"How dare you wear something like this on the day Adriene was laid to rest? Just how low can you sink?"
I silently stared at the Bianca I missed. Despite her harsh words, her eyes trembled as if she were about to cry.
"Now that I look at you, I understand why Noebian, that bastard who was dragged away, wailing Adriene's name, did what he did to you. Your appearance is eerily similar to our Lien."
Bianca muttered as she stripped away the remnants of Adriene from my body.
"...Would you believe me if I said I was Adriene?"
Bianca's expression changed as if I had insulted her. Her eyes, bloodshot and wild, were filled with such rage that she could have stabbed me with a sword.
"How dare you..."
Bianca trembled violently, her eyes bloodshot. She raised her hand, ready to strike. I closed my eyes in resignation. I heard a slap, but my cheek didn't hurt. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Yona holding her cheek and falling to the ground, and Maji standing by the open bedroom door. She must have come to the dukedom when she heard the news, but her timing was off.
"Yo, Yona!"
Maji called out softly as she rushed to Yona's side. Bianca flinched. She clenched her fist, still raised, and glared at me, ignoring Yona.
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"Believe you? No. Even if you could recite every detail about my cousin, I wouldn't. Not because I forgive you, but because I know you'll eventually fall to the bottom, and I'm simply letting you be."
Yona, who had staggered to her feet, stood in front of me protectively.
"Don't ever appear before us again."
Bianca looked back and forth between Yona and me, scoffing at us both. Then she left the room. Maji quickly came over and put a coat on me. I wanted to engrave Bianca's scornful expression in my mind. Perhaps I would never appear before her as Blié again.
"...Yona, are you alright?"
"Yes, ma'am. Are you hurt?"
Yona was more concerned about me, even though her cheek was red and swollen. It felt strange that a maid who I hadn't been particularly kind to would risk herself for me.
"Aaaah! Don't let go! Let go of this! What is it?!"
A sudden scream pierced my ears. I told Maji to take care of Yona and quietly left the bedroom. The eastern people were desperate to take Adriene's belongings back east, and Gaspal was running around gathering items to send to Grand Duke Noebian. The noisiest place was the room next to mine, Noebian's bedroom.
****
Annie was brimming with hope. She had heard tales of noblewomen who would send their maids or servants to their husband's chambers and let them handle the situation. Perhaps this was something similar? The position of the next duchess, which Duke Castagna had promised her two years ago, was now out of reach. So too was his sweet offer to adopt her into one of his vassal families and restore her noble status. If he had intended to do so, he would have done it by now. Everything that seemed to be progressing had been put on hold, and the sudden appearance of the interloper, Blié Acacia, had thrown the mansion into chaos. Annie, too, needed to find a way out. She was grateful to Blié for dismissing her maids and giving her exclusive access to the late duchess's dressing room. However, Annie had no intention of obeying her so easily. She was confident she could captivate Duke Noebian. The thought of comforting her grieving master in his chambers filled her with anticipation, and she was taking a leisurely bath in the spacious bathroom. Unfortunately, the bathroom was too soundproof for her to hear the commotion in the mansion. After finishing her bath and struggling to put on her dress, she was suddenly confronted by a group of angry people.
"Aaah! Don't let go! Let go of this! What is this?!"
A group of people had barged into the duke's chamber and roughly dragged her out.
"...What is going on?"
"M-Ma'am! Ma'am!"
"Oh dear."
Annie crawled towards Blié, who had emerged from the adjacent bedroom. Blié was only wearing an underdress with a coat draped over her shoulders, and Annie was too flustered to examine her properly.
"S-Suddenly, strange people!"
"They're not strange people. They're relatives of the late duchess."
Glaring eyes were fixed on Annie. It was the same cold look she had received from this woman just a few hours ago. Annie finally looked around at the chaotic scene. Eastern people were ransacking the place, and knights in full armor were patrolling. Something felt very wrong.
"Who is this woman? What on earth is going on in this house!"
"What were you thinking? Wearing clothes that only Adriene would wear and being in the duke's chamber!"
Annie was speechless as she looked at Blié Acacia. She clasped her hands together in desperation.
"Annie, I told you to help with the funeral arrangements. Why are you coming out of the duke's chamber?"
"...Ma'am?"
"And what are you wearing...?
"I-it's not like that! You told me..."
"You mean, on the last day of the duchess's funeral... were you trying to seduce the duke?"
The woman's horrified expression was almost demonic.
"Butler, it seems this girl wants to serve the duke. Let her have her way."
Before Gaspal could say anything, the knights who had occupied the dukedom grabbed Annie's arms.
"No! Let me go! What is this? Where is the duke? How dare you, in the duke's mansion..."
"Annie, you poor thing. The duke has been exiled to some remote corner of the north for his crimes."
It felt like the world was collapsing around her. The murmurs of the eastern people, whispering among themselves, finally reached her ears.
"The sinner, Noebian Trovica."
"Even the crown prince had to abandon him..."
"How many women did he have in his bed..."
Annie stared blankly at Blié Acacia as she approached. With eyes filled with pity, as if looking at the most pitiful creature in the world, the woman leaned in close to Annie, whose arms were still being held.
"...You wanted to be by the duke's side, didn't you?"
"!"
"I'm about to grant your wish, so what's the problem?"
Her voice was a low, chilling whisper as she pulled away. Annie looked up at the woman who was slowly retreating. Dressed only in an undergarment, with her hair disheveled and a barely fastened coat, she seemed almost pitiable at first glance. But...
"...She's crazy."
A green-eyed glint, filled with a wicked intent to condemn Annie to hell, flickered in the woman's eyes.
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