IBACM Chapter 85

Chapter 85

I curled up on the floor, quietly sobbing. Then, someone kicked my head lightly.

“Ugh!”

“Oh? You were out here?”

Seeing Somerset’s face, which looked exactly like Delani’s, made me so angry I could barely stand it.

“Somerset…!”

“Wow, you’re really crying a lot. Look at the floor, all wet with tears.”

“You took Didi! You took me!”

I charged at him in rage, but his large hand struck my cheek with perfect accuracy.

Slap!

I fell to the floor, rolling.

“Oh, did I just hit your face?”

Somerset laughed, then suddenly threw something at me. The fine powder covered me completely, and as it entered my nose, I couldn’t stop myself from sneezing.

“Achoo! Cough! What is this…?”

My entire body was covered in flour. I looked at him in confusion, and he scratched his head.

“What? You’re not visible? Does that monster absorb flour too?”

I touched my body in shock.

I can see blood, but not flour?

Was my body malfunctioning because the wardrobe was broken?

As I was trying to make sense of it, Somerset came closer and poked my stomach.

“Hey, you’re crying so much I can see exactly where you are.”

“Oh yeah? Then can you see this?”

I grabbed his leg and yanked it.

He lost his balance and fell backward.

“Ahhh!”

“Pfft. Serves you right.”

I wiped my tears and slowly got up. Furious, Somerset screamed at me.

“Hey! Do you know what you’re doing?! Don’t you want to know what happened to your master?!”

I froze.

“Didi? What happened to him?”

“If you want to know, get on your knees.”

“If I kneel, will you be able to see me?”

This guy is such an idiot.

“Oh, right, I can’t see you anyway. Then crawl under my legs.”

“I can crawl as many times as you want.”

Even if I moved to another wardrobe, I would return to this one soon.

Both the wardrobe and my body were in ruins.

“What are you waiting for?”

I crawled under his legs, purposely brushing against them to make sure he noticed.

“Huh, for a monster, you sure are small.”

“Enough. Just tell me what happened to Didi.”

I kept wiping away my tears. I already had a bad feeling.

After all, Dedrick had tried to attack the Grand Duchess in front of the head of House Aulus.

If only I had been there… if only he had gone to Herba Academy willingly…

Then he wouldn’t have been exiled in disgrace like this.

“You’re crying again.”

“…”

“He’s being sent to Herba Academy.”

It felt like my heart was being ripped apart. It was so painful that even breathing was difficult.

Somerset twisted the knife deeper.

“It’s your fault.”

“…”

“If you weren’t around, do you think he’d have a weakness? His mother is long dead, so he could’ve ignored whatever she did.”

“…”

“A real monster, huh? Bringing misfortune to the one person who cared about you!”

He laughed mockingly.

But the words “It’s your fault” were worse than his laughter.

Because they were true.

Even if he managed to graduate, as long as I was in the Grand Duchess’s hands, he wouldn’t be free.

I have to see Didi one last time…

I can’t let him go like this.

I need to tell him not to worry about me, no matter what.

But then I hesitated.

“Would telling him change anything?”

His eyes, his actions, his voice—everything about him screamed that I was all he had.

How could I tell him to let go?

When he never would?

“Hic…“

Everything was a mess.

I did everything to make him happy, and it ended up ruining him.

You idiot.

I hated myself.

As if he was done here, Somerset turned to leave. Before walking out, he added:

“Oh, did I mention? He’s leaving at dawn tomorrow.”

“What…?”

He grinned wickedly before vanishing into the darkness.

Only then did I take a good look around.

Except for the wardrobe, everything was covered in pitch-black darkness.

“I have to let him know where I am.”

So he can find me later, even if it’s too late.

I ran straight into the darkness where Somerset had disappeared.

“Ugh!”

But I crashed into an invisible barrier and fell back.

Crackle!

A faint electric current flickered in the air, revealing a dome-shaped shield before vanishing again.

Somerset’s voice echoed from the shadows.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention—you’re never getting out of here. That barrier was made specifically to trap creatures like you. You really think my mother wouldn’t prepare for this?”

“Damn it!”

Despair tried to take over, but I shook my head fiercely.

No. No! If I use the wardrobe, they can figure out where I am.

I rushed inside the wardrobe, dragging my aching body, and teleported.

When I opened the door, I found an empty room.

One of the countless rooms in the Grand Duke’s castle.

Stepping outside, I only saw a long hallway.

“Where is my wardrobe?”

I tried to scan the area as quickly as possible—

Whoosh!

But before I could take everything in, I was pulled back into the wardrobe.

“The return time is too short.”

My stomach twisted in pain, and I coughed up blood.

But I refused to stop.

As long as the wardrobe wasn’t completely destroyed or burned, I wouldn’t die.

I just had to endure.

Clenching my teeth, I moved again.

I stepped out of the wardrobe once more and looked around, my heart pounding.

“This place is…”

I arrived in an empty room near Dedrick’s chamber.

It was quite far from where I had first tried to go.

I had wanted to move to that first room, but…

‘You’ll never get out of here. I put up a barrier. One that stops things like you.’

Somerset’s voice echoed in my head.

‘Is it because of the barrier?’

Maybe the magic barrier was stopping me from moving properly.

Realizing that, all the strength drained from my body, and my head dropped.

This really was a dead-end road.

Drip, drop.

The tears that had stopped now poured down like rain.

Was I being punished for wanting to live like a human?

Or was this the price for changing Dedrick’s life as I pleased?

Whoosh!

I was pulled back into the wardrobe again, and I broke down crying. The pain felt like someone was cutting into my chest.

But I couldn’t give up.

If I didn’t know where I was, then I had to at least find Dedrick.

Through unbearable pain, I kept moving.

And finally, I found him.

A dark room with not a single ray of light.

Dedrick was chained up.

His hands and feet were covered in wounds, blood still dripping onto the floor.

With a trembling voice, I called him.

“Didi.”

His head, which had been hanging low, suddenly lifted.

His eyes were swollen, and dried blood clung to his lips.

I took a step toward him.

“Why are you like this?”

Tears streamed down my face.

Dedrick silently lifted his arms, as if telling me to come closer.

In the end, I ran into his embrace, sobbing loudly.

---

At dawn today, Dedrick would leave for Herba Academy.

‘I just… I just want to see Mary before I go.’

Maybe I should’ve begged to see her, even just for a moment.

I was lowering my head in regret when—

“Didi.”

The voice was full of tears, but I could never mistake it.

The voice of the one I loved.

Dedrick’s head snapped up.

Her white clothes were stained with blood. Her pale face, like flour, was also covered in bloodstains. White powder clung to her body as if something had been poured on her.

“Why are you like this?”

His golden eyes immediately clouded over.

As she silently cried, he reached out his hand.

Marilyn ran into his arms with all her strength.

His body was colder than usual, and Dedrick held her tightly, as if afraid she might disappear.

“Mary.”

“Didi…”

Dedrick buried his face into her neck, holding her as if he would never let go.

“I’m sorry, Mary. I… I couldn’t hold back.”

“Didi, look at me.”

Dedrick looked at her.

Then his eyes widened as he saw her clutching her stomach in pain.

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

“No, Didi. There’s no time. I—ugh, cough…”

Blood dripped from her lips.

Dedrick’s face turned pale.

“Mary!”

“I’m really okay.”

She grabbed his face, making sure he looked at her.

“…I’m so sorry. I wanted to help you, but I only made things worse.”

“Don’t say that, please.”

“Never let the Grand Duchess control you. No matter what, even if I’m here—”

“If you’re going to say that, I won’t listen. I just want to hold you.”

He gently pulled her closer, but Marilyn kept her eyes locked on his.

“Didi, don’t worry about me when you’re there. Take care of yourself, sleep well… smile a lot…”

“…Did you come just to say this? I don’t want to leave you.”

As Dedrick smiled through his tears, Marilyn finally broke down and cried.

“I don’t want to either… I don’t want to leave you! I want to beg you to stay with me. I want you to find me so we can be together—”

But Marilyn couldn’t finish her sentence.

Because Dedrick, unable to hold back any longer, pressed his lips to hers.

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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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