Chapter 79

79

The bouquet Theodor was holding also caught fire. The blue wrapping paper and the pristine peonies were instantly consumed by the flames. However, a bigger problem was at hand.

Serafin had attacked Somnia.

“……!”

Is he out of his mind!

Somnia was a spirit that could not exert physical force. At the same time, no physical attack could harm Somnia. It was both a weakness and a strength.

As a result, Serafin's flames did not inflict any damage on Somnia and dissipated futilely.

...I felt that Serafin was afraid of Somnia. And that feeling was similar to what a human might experience when facing something very ominous.

“...Lily, that...”

Theodor, with a shocked expression, gazed at Somnia and moved his lips. Serafin, who had returned to his side, swirled threateningly. Theodor glanced at Serafin, frowned, and then turned to me, speaking in a troubled voice.

“The attack just now was not intentional. Serafin acted on his own...”

“It’s fine.”

“...”

His casual dismissal of the matter left a moment of silence. Theodor blinked, moistened his dry lips with his tongue, and then, lowering his head, spoke.

“At that time in the wilderness... I thought I was seeing things because of the chaos, but that purple mist was real.”

“...”

“What... happened?”

In his right hand, he held the remains of the burned bouquet. A sad light flickered in his blue eyes as he looked down at it. Theodor carefully placed the charred bouquet on the console. Then, taking a few steps toward me, he hesitated, unable to come any closer.

“...”

Strangely, I felt that he was reading my mood. Theodor... had never done this before me. He had always been arbitrarily cruel and harsh. When I lost my memory, he had been affectionate, regardless of whether I felt uncomfortable or not. Thinking about it, he was a very arbitrary person.

Seeing him now, gauging my mood... felt very strange. It was somewhat amusing... and also somewhat annoying. His uncharacteristic behavior made me worry unnecessarily.

“...Charlotte, please place a chair for the Duke to sit on.”

I rubbed my aching forehead and gently requested. Charlotte nodded and quickly brought a chair to place beside the bed.

The bed and the chair were at a suitable distance from each other. ...That distance felt like our relationship, which was continually in a strange state of exploration.

Theodor soon took his seat. His attitude, waiting for me to speak, was extremely cautious.

At this point, I wanted to ignore the reason for his behavior. I was a little afraid to meet his eyes. ...Really, are you now looking at me differently? Can your change alter our relationship? Is it even possible to have such hope?

'If...'

If this time it can change, then...?

'But...'

I bit my lip hard at the accompanying negativity. My heart beat uneasily. ...It was truly contradictory. I wanted to harbor hope, yet I also wished for no change to begin.

It couldn't be helped.

Because I...

'...don’t have much time left to live.'

The small light that gave me life was very weak.

Thanks to it, I could breathe, but the poison Mrs. Seymour had fed me, Adeline's curse... my body was once again in ruins.

How much longer do I have to live? ...I thought my life was truly tragic. Why are there so many people around me who want to harm or kill me?

I sighed heavily and spoke.

“I don’t know exactly how I ended up in that wilderness. What I remember is that someone kidnapped me in the port city...”

“...”

“The person who hired the kidnappers was Adeline Albines.”

At my revelation, Theodor's eyes widened, and he froze. Of course, it was shocking. Adeline was his childhood friend, someone he had known for a long time.

Moreover, what was Adeline's usual character like? Considerate, kind, and lovely. I knew it was all pretense, but most people didn’t. Theodor was likely the same.

Perhaps, he suspected I was lying. His silence suggested he was trying to gauge the truth of my words.

However, I... wasn’t particularly disappointed. On the contrary, I felt like laughing. He didn’t believe me and suspected me, yet I wasn’t disappointed.

But, in a way, it was natural. His suspicion and wariness of me had been a daily occurrence. I had become too accustomed to it.

To Theodor, who still said nothing, I said with a hint of self-mockery.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. Adeline pushed me into that underground pit, and I barely escaped by making a contract with Somnia here. ...I can’t forgive Adeline. I will make her pay.”

“...”

Theodor's eyes gradually regained their luster. There was no longer any sign of confusion on his face. He looked as if his thoughts were organized. And... he seemed very angry.

But his anger was not directed at me.

“...”

I momentarily forgot what I was about to say, my mouth opening and closing. I was completely absorbed by the intense anger he displayed. ...My mind went blank. He wasn’t suspecting me...

“...Dr. Soph said that your internal organs are damaged, but he doesn’t know why. Was that also Adeline’s doing?”

He was greatly enraged by Adeline.

I nodded absentmindedly. Theodor, who had never been on my side... believing me, being angry on my behalf, was hard to believe.

“...Yes, the blood I vomited... was because of Adeline’s curse...”

“A curse?”

Theodor's eyes flashed. A fierce momentum surged in his blue irises, as if a violent storm capable of swallowing the world was contained within them. I blinked in a daze and replied.

“...Yes, a curse.”

“...”

“Adeline cursed me. The only way to break the curse is to drive Adeline mad or kill her.”

Theodor's next action shocked me even more. He suddenly swept his hand across his face and laughed. It was a laugh of disbelief, or perhaps of anger.

“Perfect.”

“...Perfect?”

“Adeline is currently at the Valentin mansion.”

...What? It felt as if I had been hit hard on the head. That woman... is she really insane? What was she thinking coming here?

“She came to visit you out of concern.”

“...”

“I’ve known for a while that Adeline has spies all over Veronice, keeping a close eye on the Valentin family...”

Theodor laughed again, this time in disbelief. I stared at him, dumbfounded. It was as if he was not in his right mind.

“The reason she rushed here as soon as she heard your news... ha...”

After a short laugh, he stood up. I moved my lips, reaching out to grab him, but my hand didn’t reach his clothes.

...Surely not, it can’t be. Theodor Valentin...

wouldn’t try to kill...

Adeline Albines...

My heart raced. Even though I knew it couldn’t be, I couldn’t be certain. A strong instinct told me I needed to stop him.

“T, Theodor, wait.”

“No, you wait here.”

Theodor, who was heading for the door, paused and turned to look at me.

After a moment of contemplation, he approached me and slowly bowed his head.

...His warm lips touched my forehead.

I blinked in disbelief, looking up at him.

Theodor smiled softly.

His gaze, as he looked at me, was warm.

It was as if the times he had coldly looked at me were a lie...

“You just need to wait here.”

“...”

“There’s no need to worry. As long as I am alive, you will not die from a curse or poison.”

Theodor, who gently caressed my cheek with his slightly rough hand, then turned away.

Click, the door closed as he left the room.

“...”

A heavy silence followed. After a while, I snapped out of my daze. I hurriedly tried to get out of bed, almost falling over.

“Madam!”

“Charlotte, bring me some clothes to wear. And slippers.”

Charlotte, who supported me, bit her lip but soon began to follow my instructions. She looked very worried.

“Madam, you should rest more...”

“This isn’t the time. Adeline is in the parlor, right? Let’s go there quickly.”

As I stepped into the hallway, Jane, who was carrying medicine, tried to stop me, but I ignored her and hurriedly quickened my pace.

The anxiety that filled my heart... wouldn’t go away.