Chapter 51

The heat that had begun in the early evening finally subsided in the deep hours of the night.

Debert pulled the delicate body in his arms closer to him once again. The woman, who had collapsed and clung to him countless times under his touch, was now utterly exhausted, barely stirring.

Debert pressed his lips to the prominent, bony wings of her shoulder blades.

“Beth.”

There was no reply.

With a mischievous smile, Debert opened his lips and gently nipped at her soft skin. Another mark of heat bloomed on her pale back, a testament to his playful bite.

“Are you asleep?”

He could feel the calm rise and fall of her breath.

In the still darkness, Debert’s low laughter accumulated softly, like the snow falling outside. He rested his head against Beth’s soft hair, inhaling deeply the scent that belonged solely to her.

His thirst was insatiable.

If he could take her as much as he desired, he felt he could give up anything. It amused him how this woman both ignited his beastly desires and somehow soothed them.

He was completely mad.

Debert acknowledged it. He was insane.

And that insanity had its sweet rewards.

Because this woman was in his arms.

“Beth.”

He didn’t care that there was no response. Who knew it could bring him such joy that she was unable to speak?

If she knew, she would probably be horrified and try to flee. But he was already too adept at hiding such things.

“Don’t leave.”

It was more of a warning than a request.

“Never.”

His stubborn words were finally complete.

“Don’t ever think of leaving me.”

A relaxed smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he issued his warning. Debert tightened his arms around Beth and closed his eyes.

It was a night of complete satisfaction, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Debert awoke to the commotion outside the barracks.

No, to be precise, he awoke to the absence of warmth from his arms.

Beth, who should have been nestled against him, was gone. Debert’s eyes slowly scanned the barracks. From the edge of the small bed to the clothes discarded on the floor, to the narrow nightstand where she had kissed him.

Beth was nowhere to be found.

The noisy arrival of supply wagons and the transfer of soldiers from early in the morning grated on his sensitive ears. Debert pressed his hand against his throbbing temple.

The image of Beth walking alone down the dark forest path last night flashed across his mind.

“Of course, she wouldn’t stay put.”

When had she woken and slipped away to the quarters?

He couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the thought of Beth, who had once mistaken the sounds of animals in the forest for a couple in the throes of passion, now running through those very woods at dawn.

The moment he realised Beth was gone, the headache that had been plaguing him suddenly cleared.

As he rose from the bed, the rusty frame creaked. At that moment, a clear, soft clinking sound made Debert pause.

The eyes that had been suspended in space for a moment then turned to the floor.

There was something there that didn’t match the dusty floor.

Debert’s eyes grew cold.

That should not be there.

He reached down and picked it up. The sparkling strings that wrapped around his fingers glowed.

The stained key hanging at the end also dangled as if mocking him.

“Beth Jane.”

The expression on Devert’s face, as he repeated the name as if he was going to eat her, was one that no one had ever seen before.

* * *

“Oh my!”

Ines, who had been about to leave her quarters, jumped back in surprise at the unexpected visitor.

“I’ve come to see Miss Beth Jane.”

Without any pleasantries or greetings, the Duke got straight to the point. Though his face appeared calm as usual, there was something different about the atmosphere around him.

Ines glanced back over her shoulder. The nurses peeking down from the stairs with curious eyes quickly retreated.

Ines quietly closed the door.

“Have you not seen Beth?”

Debert’s eyes scrutinised the count’s daughter, who looked genuinely puzzled. She didn’t seem to be hiding Beth from him.

Debert gave a slight nod.

“It seems she’s not here.”

“I thought you were with her.”

Ines lowered her voice, almost whispering.

She was one of the few who had a vague idea of the relationship between Beth and Duke Debert. Gale had dropped a hint to her about it.

“Maybe she’s gone to the hospital?”

Ines muttered to herself, concern for her missing friend evident in her voice. Debert tilted his head slightly, glancing at the shadowed corner of the quarters.

There had been days when he stood for a long time beneath the small window that appeared after rounding that corner.

Though he knew Beth wouldn’t be there, he still cast a meaningless glance in that direction.

“I understand.”

“It’s a busy day. She might already be at the hospital helping the professor.”

Debert stepped back and nodded in gratitude, offering a polite bow. Ines returned the gesture, though she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

There was no urgency in his steps as he walked towards the hospital’s back entrance. If anything, his pace was slower than usual.

It was a stark contrast to the military commander she knew, whose strides were always direct and focused, cutting through any obstacle.

“How strange…”

It was just a feeling, but something felt off.

It was surprising that Duke Debert was looking for her friend so early in the morning, but it was obvious that Beth would already be busy helping out.

We’ll meet soon enough. Ines shook her head, dismissing the thought as nothing significant.

Today is the day we return to Wayne. Ines was unaware that the day of return to one’s place could be just as unpredictable as the day of departure.

* * *

As Debert entered the hospital through the back entrance, the soldiers moving supplies quickly saluted. Debert nodded at them with his usual calm expression as he walked through the hospital lobby.

His demeanor was as relaxed as if he were out for a stroll. He could feel the fleeting glances thrown his way but didn’t bother to look back.

Debert was searching for one person only.

He couldn’t shake the image of the woman who once brightened this dark, death-scented place, so dilapidated now that it was hard to believe it had ever hosted a party.

There was no one in the military hospital who could stop Debert in his tracks.

He entered the dispensary without hesitation. As his fingers brushed over the medicine cabinet and table, which hadn’t yet been cleared, his eyes caught sight of a glass jar filled with colourful sweets.

It was there that he made a bold lie about wanting to quit drugs and asking for help.

Even in this place full of memories, Beth Jane was nowhere to be found.

“Oh, Your Grace. What brings you here?”

Dr. Barden, who often made rounds to the barracks, acknowledged Debert. He greeted the medical staff on the battlefield with a faint smile.

“I’m looking for something.”

The slight curve of his lips was enough to display the calm confidence of a Duke of the Empire. Barden, sensing the tension in the air, subconsciously stiffened his shoulders.

“Shall I help you find it? I know this place better than—”

“No.”

The fleeting smile disappeared, leaving Debert’s face cold as ice.

“This is something I need to find myself.”

“Oh, I see. My apologies.”

Barden turned away hurriedly, his face flushed with embarrassment at the Duke’s curt response.

Something he need to find.

Debert’s pace quickened slightly. Only he could sense the urgency within him.

He walked through the second floor.

Beth wasn’t there.

He searched the third floor.

Beth was nowhere to be seen.

On the fourth floor, Debert found himself standing in an empty isolation room, where even the beds had been cleared out. He looked down at his hands. The key he clutched so tightly had dug into his palm, his knuckles turning white.

In that place, where nothing remained, Debert was the only one left.

He walked towards the window.

When he opened it, he saw the heads of people busily moving about on the white snowfield below. After watching them move like tiny toys for a moment, Debert abruptly turned away.

The echo of his boots hitting the silent corridor was menacing.

The soldiers, startled by the stark contrast in the commander’s demeanor as he descended, shrank back, fearing they might catch the fallout.

As soon as he exited through the front door, he pulled the driver out of the transport vehicle.

“Oh, sir, Your Grace.”

“Debert!”

It was Arthur who hurriedly grabbed him as he was about to climb into the driver’s seat.

Arthur had been running up from the edge of the forest path leading to the barracks.

“What are you doing?”

Arthur asked, raising the dazed driver from the ground by the scruff of his neck, his voice slightly raised.

Debert’s gaze shifted to the bundle of letters in Arthur’s hand. Fixating on them as if something had caught his attention, Debert finally spoke.

“She’s gone.”

“What?”

Arthur, still not fully understanding the situation, frowned slightly.

Debert continued to stare at the bundle of letters as if it held some answer.

“Beth Jane is gone.”

Slowly, Debert’s gaze lifted. His deep grey eyes, which seemed out of place in the morning sunlight, glowed fiercely.

A smile crept across Debert’s lips. It wasn’t the polite smile he had given Dr. Barden. This was the smile of a man who had become unhinged.

“Yes, she’s gone.”

“What are you talking about?”

Debert tossed the car keys onto the ground and walked towards the nurses’ quarters. Arthur, after hastily handing over the bundle of letters to a subordinate, followed behind him.

Bang.

Debert nearly broke down the door to the nurses’ quarters as he entered. The sudden appearance of the commander and the prince caused the few remaining nurses to let out soft, startled cries, but that was all.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Debert ascended to the second floor. The quarters, now emptied of luggage, felt desolate, like an abandoned house.

“Your Grace?”

Ines, who was still in the quarters, looked at Debert and Arthur with a surprised expression.

Debert headed towards the bed beneath the only window in the room. The bed, with its crisp white sheets, was impeccably made, with not a speck of dust in sight.

Next to it, a pair of military boots were neatly placed.

Debert’s shoulders began to tremble slightly.

“Debert?”

Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder, but Debert flinched and pulled away.

“Debert, what’s going on?”

Debert was laughing.

Arthur, baffled by the bizarre sight, stared at him with a shocked expression.

“She ran away.”

“Things are chaotic, so she must just be out of sight. Haven’t we been through the hustle and bustle of evacuation day more than once?”

“Do you really think that’s what’s happened?”

Debert’s head tilted slightly, his gaze fixed on Arthur.

Behind Arthur, a small mirror on the wall reflected Debert’s image. The golden brooch with the imperial emblem, which should have been pinned to his chest, was missing.

In the mirror, he was still smiling. His face was blank, the corners of his mouth twisted upwards into a smile.

Debert’s expression gradually hardened as he stared at the empty space where the emblem should have been on his chest.

Everything became clear.

“As I thought. Trusting was too much.”

Beth Jane had escaped.

From the grasp of Debert Cliff.
[T/L: Ugh my heart.)

 

 

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TRANSLATOR:

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