IBACM Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Marilyn struggled to catch her breath, her fingers weakly tapping against his chin before falling limply.

She smiled faintly, reassuring him.

“I think… I can bear it.”

Even as her breaths grew fainter, Marilyn smiled brightly—but it was clear how fragile she was.

“So… don’t blame yourself too much. This isn’t your fault, Didi.”

At her gentle comfort, Dedrick buried his face in her palm and sobbed.

The guilt of failing to protect her strangled him.

“I could have stopped it. I should have, Mary.”

He wished she would resent him, cry, or even throw a tantrum, asking why he hadn’t protected her. But Marilyn, as always, simply embraced him with warmth.

“That’s a lie. It must have been impossible to stop.”

Marilyn couldn’t just watch as Dedrick collapsed under the weight of his own regrets.

Enduring pain that felt like her whole body was being torn apart, she reached out to wipe away his tears.

“I will not be able to properly feel the pain if you continue to blame yourself.”

“…”

“So please, ah…”

When she finally couldn’t suppress a groan of pain, Dedrick hurriedly stroked her hair.

“You don’t have to say anything. I won’t blame myself.”

Only then did Marilyn smile in relief, her eyes slowly closing.

Dedrick grew anxious. What if she never opened them again? Her body was still cold. He quickly tried to wake her.

“Mary, I know it’s hard, but look at me. You can’t lose consciousness or fall asleep.”

“…”

Marilyn quietly opened her eyes and met his gaze. Her golden irises were dim.

The sight reminded him too much of his mother’s last moments, so he gripped Marilyn’s hand tightly.

“Mary.”

“…Yeah.”

Her eyelids were heavy, constantly fluttering shut. Dedrick hesitated before carefully opening his mouth.

“My mother… she was kind and gentle, just like you.”

He had never told this to anyone before, but now, he slowly began.

Marilyn’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Didi.”

When she reached out, as if to stop him if it was too painful, he pressed a kiss to her fingertips and continued.

“She loved me a lot. And my father… he loved her deeply too.”

Marilyn, barely able to move, traced his lips with her fingers and asked weakly,

“Did you… grow up being loved?”

Dedrick let out a small, teary laugh.

“Yeah. A lot.”

Marilyn smiled as if that made her happy. Dedrick stared at her, as if engraving the sight into his memory.

“But happiness was short-lived. The duchess always despised and insulted my mother. She would wait until my father was away and then torment her in clever ways.”

“That awful woman…”

Even in pain, Marilyn muttered a curse, making Dedrick chuckle softly.

“No matter how many times I complained about the duchess’s cruelty, my father always said the same thing: ‘Bring me proof.’ But how do you prove words were meant to hurt?”

“…And your mother?”

“She always told me not to hate my father. She said he was doing the best he could from his position.”

Amelia had never resented Duke Carlos. Whenever he came, she smiled and whispered words of love as if nothing was wrong.

In truth, it was Carlos who suffered the most, and it was Amelia who comforted him.

“But then, my mother was accused of poisoning the duchess’s tea and locked away in a tower.”

“What…”

Marilyn’s golden eyes grew clearer with shock. Dedrick kept talking, all while checking her condition.

“There was no proof to prove her innocence. The duchess used that momentum to declare my mother was insane.”

“In… insane?”

“Yes. She used to talk to herself sometimes…”

Whenever Dedrick walked in, she would stop, pretending nothing had happened. But he had witnessed her chatting cheerfully into empty space multiple times.

Even when he asked, Amelia never explained.

“Looking back now, maybe she was seeing something. Like me.”

“…Another monster in the wardrobe?”

Marilyn tried to joke, making Dedrick smile faintly.

“My father still didn’t act. And whenever I blamed him, my mother always said the same thing.”

“Not to?”

“Yeah.”

As he recalled that day, Dedrick’s pupils darkened. His hands, holding Marilyn, trembled slightly, and she quietly grasped them.

“If it’s too painful, you don’t have to—”

“I’ll say it. I have to say it…”

He pressed a kiss against her forehead.

“So listen to everything.”

“…Okay.”

Dedrick resumed his story.

“Even locked in the tower, my mother didn’t seem to mind. My father still visited regularly. I thought she would eventually be freed…”

His grip on Marilyn’s hand tightened. He stroked her softly, as if trying to warm her up.

“But the duchess was faster.”

“Didi…”

“She bribed the tower guards to sneak in. She must have hated my mother enough to want to kill her herself.”

Delani had poisoned Amelia’s tea right in front of her. When Amelia refused to drink, her servant, Gemma, restrained her.

While she was tied up, Delani smiled sweetly and forced the tea down her throat.

Dedrick still remembered that day vividly, as if it had happened just yesterday.

The helplessness. The terror. The despair of losing his mother.

Even in her final moments, Amelia had begged him to tell no one.

She knew that if the truth came out, the duchess would turn her wrath on Dedrick next.

But he couldn’t just let his mother’s death be buried.

“…The one who poisoned the tea was the duchess. The one who killed my mother was her. But my mother was painted as the villain, while that woman was hailed as a noble lady who took me under her wing.”

Marilyn quietly pulled him into an embrace. Dedrick leaned into her fragile arms.

“No one believes me, Mary.”

“I do.”

“…What?”

“And even if they haven’t spoken, I’m sure there are people who believe you.”

Hogan surely knew the truth. So did Jacob.

And in the future, Marilyn knew only good people would surround Dedrick.

“So don’t be too sad.”

“…My mother… wanted me to be happy.”

Dedrick held Marilyn tightly, his voice trembling with longing.

“Happiness with her was too short, so… I want to be happy with you for a long, long time. Will you live like that with me?”

Marilyn nodded, deliberately answering cheerfully.

“Of course! My dream is to live happily with you for a long, long time.”

“Then we’re the same.”

Her body gradually warmed up, and her breathing steadied.

Only then did Dedrick realize—he, too, was finally breathing.

---

Dedrick’s embrace was so warm and safe.

The excruciating pain had melted away like snow. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

As expected, Dedrick was the first thing I saw, his face worn out from crying before he had gone to sleep.

His sobs, his childhood story—all of it echoed vividly in my mind.

I tried to lift my hand to stroke his face.

Ah, I have no strength.

Even lifting a single hand was a struggle.

As I gave up and let my hand fall, Dedrick suddenly grabbed my wrist in a panic.

His terrified eyes met mine, and I greeted him with a bright smile.

“You’re awake?”

I didn’t ask if he’d slept well.

Because I knew he hadn’t.

Only then did his stiff expression soften as he frantically checked me over.

“H-How’s your body? Does anything hurt?”

I grinned.

“I’m totally fine! Just a bit weak.”

At last, Dedrick pulled me into a tight embrace. I felt his body tremble with relief.

I hugged him back and patted his back gently.

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Didi.”

Then, feeling a little embarrassed, I laughed.

“S-Sorry for whining. I’ve never been in pain like that before.”

His hands cupped my cheeks as he shook his head.

“It never felt like whining. If anything, I wished you had.”

I reached up and brushed back his sweat-damp hair, revealing his handsome face.

But then I saw his hands—scraped raw, full of splinters, blood staining his skin.

Tears welled up.

“Didi… what happened to your hands?”

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel

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