Chapter 102
However, she couldn’t bring herself to say the rest and swallowed her words.
Somerset hated being compared to others, especially to Axel or Dedrick. The mere thought made him furious.
As expected, he jumped up from his seat and shouted angrily.
“Axel? Are you regretting not supporting him instead?! What can that guy even do?!”
At that moment, Axel entered the room and calmly spoke.
“I knocked, but it seems you didn’t hear it.”
Somerset walked up to him, shoved his shoulder, and gritted his teeth.
“Hey, Axel. Don’t tell me you’re still after the successor position?”
Axel almost laughed but managed to keep his expression neutral.
“Of course not. I have no interest in being the successor. Mother may say those things, but she wouldn’t want me in that position either. Right, Mother?”
Delani quickly calmed herself and reassured Somerset.
“…Somerset, I misspoke. You must be the successor. Axel is not an option.”
Hearing her firm words, Somerset finally relaxed.
Axel stared coldly at them before speaking again.
“If your argument gets any louder, the servants will start gossiping. And we can’t afford any more rumors. Word has already spread that Dedrick attended the founding festival.”
Delani rubbed her throbbing forehead in frustration. Axel gave her a slight bow before excusing himself.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“I’m leaving too! I don’t want to be in the same place as that bastard for even a second!”
After Axel and Somerset left, it wasn’t long before hurried footsteps echoed through the hall. The drawing room door burst open.
The one who entered so rudely was Gemma.
“Gemma?”
Delani was puzzled—Gemma had never acted this way before. The maid, panting, quickly whispered.
“M-My lady!”
She locked the door behind her and approached.
“D-Dedrick has arrived. But….”
She leaned closer and whispered into Delani’s ear.
“A-Arnold is with him.”
“What?!”
Delani shot up from her seat.
“What do you mean?!”
“H-He’s calling himself a member of the Black Hawk unit…”
“Who told him he could—?!”
Delani lifted her dress slightly and ran out of the room, not caring about the servants watching.
‘Arnold?!’
She had ignored all his requests to join the Black Hawk unit.
So this was why he had been so quiet all this time?
Panting, she rushed to the entrance and saw Dedrick walking inside, with Arnold following behind.
Arnold smirked when he saw her, while Dedrick spoke calmly.
“What brings you here, Duchess? You must have been eager to see me, running here without a care for appearances.”
His words were vague, but there was a sharp edge to them.
Delani clenched her trembling hands and glared at him.
‘Does he know? Could he know everything?!’
“My lady, please calm yourself,” Gemma whispered urgently. Delani took a deep breath and forced a smile.
“Of course. Seeing you back at the ducal estate is a pleasure, Dedrick.”
“Is that so?”
He answered indifferently and walked inside.
Delani anxiously watched his back, but then Arnold stepped closer and murmured in her ear.
“You ignored my requests, so don’t think I’ll stay quiet, Duchess.”
Delani gritted her teeth and glared at him.
“Are you trying to drag us both down?”
“Well, let’s see. My lord seems quite fond of me.”
“…My lord?”
“I mean Dedrick Blackwood. He took me in when I had nowhere to go, so I decided to dedicate my life to him.”
“Don’t be fooled by him. He has his own agenda! Leave the estate now. I’ll find another place for you…”
Arnold suddenly lost patience and sneered.
“When?”
“What?”
“I waited for years without hearing a single word from you. And now, you suddenly care?”
He let out a bitter laugh.
“I’m not leaving. And if you keep trying to push me out, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do.”
Delani’s face twisted in anger. Just as she was about to snap back—
“Hey, Arnold! What are you doing?!”
Milos called out, and Arnold waved with a grin.
“I’m coming, senior!”
Calling a boy young enough to be his son “senior” didn’t seem to bother him at all. He smirked at Delani and walked past her.
“M-My lady… If this continues, everything will be exposed,” Gemma said anxiously.
Delani clenched her dress tightly, trying to stay composed.
“For now, it’s fine. The duke is keeping silent.”
For some reason, the duke knew but hadn’t spoken.
That terrified Delani even more.
Because behind his unreadable face, she feared what schemes he might be hiding.
But he wouldn’t suddenly reveal everything now.
Dedrick, however, was another story.
If he didn’t know yet, she had to get rid of Arnold quickly. If he did, she had to come up with a plan.
“Find out exactly what’s going on. Figure out how much that bastard knows!”
“Yes, my lady.”
Dedrick stopped in front of a door. He hesitated, unable to bring himself to open it.
He was afraid to look inside. The nightmare still haunted him, feeling too real.
Taking a shaky breath, he finally opened the door and stepped in. Slowly, he scanned the room.
Everything was the same—except for one empty space.
The spot was noticeably brighter than the rest, as if something had been removed.
With heavy eyes, he stared at it.
“…Mary.”
But there was no response.
As if to remind him again that she was gone.
With slow steps, he walked toward the wall and ran his fingers over the uneven scratches.
She used to be so much smaller than him.
“You’re small.”
Now, if he hugged her, her head would barely reach his chest.
“So, are you going to insist on measuring me by my horns again?”
He let out a small laugh, then slowly lowered the hand he had placed against the wall.
This time, he walked over to the desk. Pressing firmly on the floor beneath it, a hidden space opened up, revealing a box.
Dedrick took the box out. Inside, there were traces of Marilyn’s handwriting practice.
He gently touched the papers filled with clumsy letters.
She used to read the letters he taught her out loud, enjoying the process of writing them with her small hands.
Sometimes she got distracted, but she loved writing his name the most.
She liked talking about the fairy tales they read together. She enjoyed lying on the bed, taking naps in the warm afternoon sunlight.
Whenever she was sick or scared, she would hide in the wardrobe and hug him tightly, and just like that, her fear would disappear.
But now, the girl was gone.
His salvation was gone forever.
All that remained was a small glass vial filled with ashes.
Dedrick tightly gripped the tiny bottle hanging from his necklace.
Being here only made him miss her more. His chest ached as if it was being torn apart.
Eventually, he collapsed onto the floor, bowing his head deeply.
He thought he had been holding on well.
But facing the traces she left behind, he was swallowed by an uncontrollable storm of emotions.
Drip, drip.
At first, he only heard the sound of raindrops. Then, heavy rain began to pour.
His sobs were drowned out by the roaring storm.
Tears slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the floor.
As time passed, her presence didn’t fade—it only became clearer.
He wanted to finish everything and go to Marilyn’s side.
‘Just a little longer… Just wait for me, Mary.’
A moment later, as if nothing had happened, Dedrick stood up, his face completely expressionless.
It must have been just a passing shower, as the rain had already stopped.
As Dedrick stepped out of the room, Pavle quietly followed behind him. He already knew where Dedrick was going.
Outside the Grand Duchess’s reception room, Gemma was waiting.
She had once overpowered him with her strength when he was a child, but now, she couldn’t even look him in the eye. She only lowered her head and opened the door.
As Dedrick walked past her, he suddenly stopped and looked down at her.
“Aren’t you standing too tall?”
“W-What…?”
Next to her, Pavle pressed down hard on her shoulder.
“Ahh!”
Unable to withstand his strength, Gemma collapsed onto the floor.
Dedrick stepped firmly on the hand she had placed on the ground before walking inside.
“Ugh…”
Pavle looked down at her and ordered coldly.
“From now on, keep your head at this height when facing our lord.”
“……”
Gemma bit her lip.
Her hand, reddened from being crushed, trembled as she slowly got up and closed the door.
Delani, who had been watching, bit the inside of her cheek. Then, after a long pause, she finally spoke.
“…You’re here.”
In the suffocating room, Dedrick faced her.
Delani tried to hide her unease with a natural smile, but it looked forced.
“How have you been?”
“That’s not what you really want to ask, is it?”
At those words, the smile on Delani’s face disappeared.
