Chapter 82: [Chapter 082] Please, don't abandon me
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Gaspal's mouth gaped open in shock at the dramatic change in Blié's expression. After a moment, he regained his composure.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know those gifts you always personally selected for the Grand Duke?"
"How is that a crime!"
He exclaimed in disbelief. It was something he had often boasted about to this woman.
"It was the Grand Duke's order, and the Grand Duchess was always overjoyed to receive the gifts!"
"I'm sure she was. Foolishly."
A sneer spread across Blié's lips. It was strangely chilling.
"What are you trying to do to me right now?"
Gaspal stammered, unsure of why Blié was acting this way. Blié, who had been sitting and glaring at him, slowly stood up. Even as she rose, her expression changed dozens of times. By the time she stood up straight, there was not a trace of the pitiful woman she had been. With the elegant and beautiful face of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, Blié raised her head.
"Every time you gave a gift to the Grand Duchess, you wrote a note on behalf of the Duke."
"That's what they do in other mansions too! Besides, the Grand Duke was so busy he didn't have time to take care of household matters, and even that was at the Grand Duke's order! What's the problem?"
Gaspal quickly made excuses, fearing he would get caught up in Blié's madness. He had seen her cause trouble for many people in this way, and he felt strongly that he needed to defend himself passionately.
"You were imitating someone else's handwriting, weren't you?"
"The Grand Duke received his education at the imperial palace. Everyone in the royal family learns the same handwriting from the beginning. I was directly appointed by the Crown Prince to serve the Grand Duke. Of course, I'm familiar with that level of writing!"
"No matter how similar the handwriting, it's impossible for everyone's handwriting to be exactly the same. Didn't you find it strange that the Grand Duke had you use two different styles of handwriting?"
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Gaspal was so startled he almost dropped the candlestick he was holding.
"How, how did you know that...?"
"Why didn't the Grand Duke, who loved the Grand Duchess so much, write the letters himself?"
"Well, he was very busy... and since they were already married, he could just have someone else..."
His voice trembled terribly. He had been too busy obeying the Grand Duke's orders to ever think it was strange. He had been so proud of being involved in state affairs that he hadn't paid any attention.
"All the countless notes and letters you wrote to the Grand Duchess... the handwriting used in them. Didn't the Duke show you another style of writing and tell you to imitate it?"
It was true. Even without the woman's confident tone, he knew it best. Duke Noebian Trovica, who had been granted a mansion upon his marriage. The Grand Duke's wedding was a significant event that marked the official establishment of the Trovica dukedom in the capital, rather than a provincial estate. And the Grand Duke had given him, who had been entrusted with the mansion, a crumpled letter as his very first task. It was an order to make the handwriting in that letter his own. Excited to be given such a secret mission, Gaspal had diligently practiced the new handwriting, but soon forgot about it as he was overwhelmed with work.
"So... what does that matter? I handle countless matters related to the dukedom. It's just one of them."
"You fool."
Blié Acacia stretched her red lips into a long line. The mocking expression on her face made Gaspal increasingly uneasy.
"Do you know whose handwriting that was?"
"The Grand Duke's..."
"It was the Second Prince Roardnes."
Gaspal dropped the candlestick. The candle that had lit the space between them went out, and the surroundings instantly became a little darker.
"It was the Second Prince Roardnes."
Gaspal's legs turned to jelly at the name. He clearly remembered how Captain Railon of the Grand Duke's guard had been humiliated by the prince and what a state he had been in when he returned to the dukedom. Railon's pants had been soiled, and he had stammered and stuttered until just before entering to report.
"What will happen to you if His Highness finds out about this?"
Gaspal instinctively took a step back. If he crossed the prince who was known for his troubles...
"Madam? Are you upstairs? His Highness has arrived."
Neil's voice, who was guarding the mansion downstairs, reached them. Gaspal had a feeling he knew who Neil meant by 'His Highness'. It was that insane prince who had recklessly set up a tent in front of this ducal mansion and ordered his servants to investigate.
****
I stared into Gaspal's pale eyes and replied to Neil,
" ...Show him in."
"B-but, Madam!"
"Remember this, your life depends on His Highness the Crown Prince, but also on me."
A momentary flicker of relief passed over Gaspal's face. As if it was a relief to know that he wouldn't be reported to Roardnes immediately, he nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes!"
"What is a butler doing here at this hour, not even greeting a guest?"
At that moment, Roardnes' voice cut through the silence between us. He had climbed up the second-floor corridor without making a sound, and his gaze was fixed on Gaspal, who looked noticeably uneasy.
"Answer me."
"N-no, it's nothing. I was just..."
"I've never met a man who stutters and yet is so bold."
As Roardnes' hand moved towards his sword hilt, Gaspal's already wide eyes seemed about to pop out of his head.
"I'll, I'll prepare a guest room if you're staying!"
Roardnes moved faster than Gaspal could retreat. With no sense of urgency, Roardnes kicked Gaspal in the shin. Gaspal couldn't even cry out as he fell to his knees.
"I'll teach you manners for not greeting your master."
Roardnes pushed Gaspal towards me with a single kick.
"May I retire, Madam?"
"Go."
Gaspal stumbled away quickly. Even as he retreated, he bowed ninety degrees to Roardnes.
We were left alone in the silent corridor. Then, a familiar sound broke the silence.
"...Cowan?"
Bound to the railing, as if brought here by Roardnes, Cowan looked up at me with pleading eyes and whimpered.
****
Adrienne led Roardnes into the Grand Duchess's bedroom, a heavy silence hanging between them. It felt as though she was giving him a tour of the mansion. Roardnes knew she was silent for a reason, and this only heightened his anxiety.
As he entered the room, flooded with green light, his unease grew. The massive canopy bed, the antique nightstands and consoles, and the pristine, almost untouched objects all seemed to contribute to the oppressive atmosphere. Roardnes' gaze lingered on the bed for an unusually long time.
"In this vast mansion, this bed is essentially where I've spent the last two years."
Without needing her to point, Roardnes understood where she was going with this. The bed, which he had thought quite large, now felt small and confining when he considered that Adrienne had been confined to it for nearly two years. A sense of dread, so intense it felt like it would burst his chest, crept up his throat.
He traced the bed with his eyes for a long time before slowly turning to Adrienne. She was leaning against the windowsill, watching him. Cowan, tied to a leash, whined and tugged, desperate to reach Adrienne. Roardnes held the leash tightly, cursing his cowardice. He had left the palace immediately, mounted his horse, and ridden here. But as he got closer to the ducal mansion, his palms grew sweaty. His heart pounded like a madman's, even though he had faced monsters with a calm heart. He had come here with Cowan, whom he had left at the Acacia Earl's mansion, because he remembered Adrienne smiling and petting him. But it wasn't so much that he wanted to see Adrienne's happy face; it was more that he couldn't get her cold gaze out of his head. Roardnes wanted to pull Adrienne into his arms so badly, but he realized he was no different from this dog. In the end, he tied the leash to the bedpost. He turned away from her and took several deep breaths before quietly drawing his sword.
"...Adrienne."
She didn't answer. Roardnes turned around slowly. Adrienne was watching him. He held up the sword he had drawn, catching the moonlight. It was still stained with Noebian Trovica's blood. The light reflected off the blade and landed on Adrienne's eyes.
"The Grand Duke's blood."
"...You killed him?"
Roardnes couldn't tear his gaze away from Adrienne's lips as they finally parted. He lowered his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"...You killed him?"
Roardnes had truly intended to kill Noebian Trovica.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince stopped me."
"..."
"The Grand Duke... he told you that it was my idea."
"..."
"And my brother didn't deny it."
Roardnes confessed as if in a confessional. He spoke without thinking, pouring out his words.
"I'll kill him again someday."
It was a sincere resolution. Although his attempt had failed due to the Crown Prince's intervention, he intended to kill Noebian Trovica someday. Despite his explanation, Adrienne's eyes remained fixed on the blood on Roardnes' sword.
"So the Grand Duke told you that as well."
Adrienne stared at the blood on Roardnes' sword for a long time. Roardnes was increasingly uneasy. So that's it. She wants to kill me, doesn't she? If she told me to kill her with this sword, I would gladly do so. But Adrienne's usually calm eyes flickered with a brief, bitter light before fading. The only sound in the suffocating silence was Cowan's whimpers as he continued to try to reach Adrienne. After a long time, Adrienne finally looked at him.
"I'm going to investigate His Highness the Crown Prince."
Her answer, which had been a long time coming, was sudden and unexpected.
"Even if you don't help me... I don't mind. You're family, and I respect that you love and want to protect them."
Her face, which had been momentarily confused, was now pale but calm. Roardnes silently gritted his teeth and stared at her intently.
"But since I've come this far, I can't stop."
It meant the 'job' wasn't finished. Roardnes understood every word she said intellectually. But he despaired at her words, "Even if you don't help me, I don't mind." Before Adrienne could continue, Roardnes took a large step towards her and extended his leg.
****
As the large man approached, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
"...Help me."
My flinch at his approach caused Roardnes' face to fall.
"As you said, my brother is my only full sibling, someone my mother asked me to protect. He's someone I need to look after."
With each step Roardnes took towards me, I drew in a shaky breath. It felt like my chest would burst.
"So I need to know more."
Roardnes' voice trembled. I quietly raised my head to look up at him, now so close. The shadow beneath his face trembled violently. It was I who was trying to harm someone he cherished the most, yet he was the one trembling more. I wished he would resent me, beg me to stop. He had every right to.
"Please... even if you can't be a friend..."
But the words that came out of his mouth were completely different from what I expected.
"Please, don't abandon me."
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