Chapter 38

Dominic instinctively put some distance between himself and Daniel before hesitantly speaking up.

“M-Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

No, why is it suddenly you again. Who would want to hear that ‘bro’ stuff. With his preparations to bolt complete, Dominic slowly backed towards the door.

“D-Did I? I don’t really… remember…”

“Stop putting on a show and get out. Stop by upstairs and let them know the guests are coming tomorrow.”

“Who? The Duchess?”

“Besides the lady of the house, is there anyone else who needs to know this?”

“Well…”

Dominic scratched behind his ear and wore a troubled expression.

“I’m in a bit of an awkward situation to see the Duchess, who is with Sir Rosivalt right now.”

Seeing the look in Daniel’s eyes that seemed to say ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ Dominic pouted.

“I got caught by Rosivalt. He knew about the secret vault but kept quiet all this time. He glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, saying he knew everything and I just stood there. He’s probably telling the Duchess everything right now. How can I go there? I can’t.”

“Did you ever care about that?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then?”

Crossing his arms, Dominic plopped onto the desk.

“Can I speak freely?”

“Only if you want to die.”

“Ha…”

Dominic sighed deeply, covering his face.

“I might die soon even if you don’t kill me. They say you die if you do something you’ve never done before, but I keep getting this strange feeling of guilt, Daniel.”

“I didn’t know you had that in you.”

Dominic immediately removed his hand from his face and shouted at Daniel.

“I mean, where’s my conscience? Dominic Moli shouldn’t have a conscience. Look at what I’ve done. There are countless things a person with a conscience would never do.”

Standing up abruptly, Dominic paced in front of the desk with a serious expression. His right index finger tapped incessantly on his left forearm.

“You know, I learned to cheat before I learned to read. I pretended to be sick, weak, and scared, and lived by taking advantage of others. It’s only natural. I didn’t know if my father was alive or dead in the war, and my mother was in a terrible state. What could I have learned from them?”

If Lady Laura hadn’t taken me in and raised me, I would have lived an even worse life. I tried to act human to impress Lady Laura, but human nature doesn’t change. If it weren’t for her last words, I would have died long ago from living as I pleased.

“I won’t forgive you if you die a dog’s death, Dominic.”

This was the warning Lady Laura left for the fifteen-year-old boy who was raging about revenge.

“Dying means nothing. You can take your revenge after you’ve gained enough strength. Dominic, you must survive. Be there for that child. If you die rashly, even in heaven, she won’t meet you.”

Dominic’s life goal was simple: survive at all costs, save Daniel, and take revenge on the old fox of Schendal Castle. He lived thinking only of this, never looking back. The hand that had been tapping his forearm was now scratching the back of his head.

“What kind of person am I? I used to show off to you, who had aphasia after Lady Laura passed away, and then got into trouble. And yet, I’ve never felt guilty before.”

Stopping his pacing, Dominic approached the desk where Daniel was sitting. Extending his left arm to rest on the desk, he tapped his chest with his right hand and leaned in close to Daniel.

“Me, who has felt a little pain here countless times over the past three years. Can you believe it? Can you believe it?”

To be honest, I’m scared to see the Duchess. Just thinking about the disappointment in her bright, clear purple eyes… Oh, it’s killing me. Bending his head deeply, Dominic clutched his head with both hands.

“I should have just given him the key. When have I ever kept my word with you? If you think about it, Lady Laura only said to be there for you, not to always favor you. Damn. Rosivalt probably told her everything. How can I face her now?”

Daniel, who had been calmly watching Dominic’s suffering, pushed his chair back and stood up. Passing by Dominic, who was tearing his hair out on the desk, he pulled the door handle of the office. His low voice echoed heavily in the open office.

“Stop whining and get out.”

Dominic, feeling guilty and tormented, was another memory he wanted to forget. *** As Daniel started up the stairs, his eyes met Murial’s. She took a step back and bowed. She, who rarely spoke first, called out to Daniel as he walked towards his bedroom.

“Your Highness, Duke.”

Daniel lowered his gaze without turning his shoulders. Slightly shorter than Dominic, she could see his eyes when he lowered his head slightly. His eyes, characteristic of the Rosivalt family, met hers steadily and calmly.

“Speak.”

“Could you visit the young lady before dawn? She seems to have a slight fever, but keeps saying she’s fine.”

Daniel, who had turned his eyes to the door of the Duchess’s bedroom, looked back at Murial.

“The doctor?”

“She insists on not calling one because it’s late. She says not to worry as she has the medicine given by Anton, but I don’t think she’s well. She’s been out for more than half a day, so it must have taken a toll on her body.”

“…I see.”

As Daniel finished speaking, Murial bowed again.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Have a good night.”

This time, Daniel stopped Murial.

“Did you tell the Duchess?”

“Pardon?”

After a moment, Daniel slowly spoke.

“About Dominic hiding the secret vault.”

Her calm gray eyes flickered slightly. Despite the look of unease, Murial answered calmly.

“No, I didn’t tell her.”

“Why not?”

“…I don’t want to see her hurt.”

She couldn’t say it, even though she wanted to. When the young lady sold the jewels she brought from her family, when she disposed of the furniture in the castle. Dominic handled all these tasks. Sometimes, she would shed tears over the things she had to part with, and when she had a lot to do but nothing to do it with, Dominic was there. The damn son of a bitch who would smile reassuringly with his shameless face.

“The young lady trusts others easily. She doesn’t know how to be deceived and believes that others will treat her the same way.”

She didn’t know she was being deceived and trusted Dominic infinitely. She would smile brightly, saying it was fortunate to have Dominic.

“She… trusts Dominic a lot. She likes him.”

But how could she say it? That all of Dominic’s actions towards her were lies, that there was no truth in them. That the young lady meant nothing to Dominic Moli. She couldn’t say it.

“It will hurt her deeply when she finds out.”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and Murial clenched her fists. If she felt this way, how would Frida react if she found out? No, she absolutely couldn’t tell her. Absolutely.

“A knight who chooses to hide to avoid hurting someone… How ideal. Perfect.”

In the corridor, the low but powerful voice resonated. The Duke’s voice, filled with implications, made Murial’s eyebrows twitch. She looked at Daniel to confirm her feelings, and he slightly twisted his lips.

“You truly believe that.”

“What… do you mean?”

Murial saw a clear smile on Daniel’s face.

“That my wife won’t live much longer.”

“…”

The perfect mockery, the derision filled with criticism.

“What can I do? I think differently from you, and it will hurt you.”

*** Lying in bed, Frida weakly rubbed her throat.

“Is it because I’m in a pile of dust? Cough, cough.”

Her throat felt so dry and uncomfortable. It had been over a month since she last cleaned the library. Without anyone to take care of it, it was full of cobwebs, and the unventilated library smelled of mold and must. She didn’t notice it when they were living alone, but after hearing that the Viscount Boild family was coming, she started to pay attention to every corner.

“Maybe I should redecorate the Brabant Hall. Phew, it cost a lot to clean the Skadi Hall. I could have bought more bulbs with that money.”

In a month, the Turk merchants would arrive with bulbs. Thanks to Lord Ricardo, the remaining fields were almost ready… What else do I need to do? Murial seemed very angry. Did she deliver the money I asked Dominic to give?

“Cough, cough. I can’t get a fever.”

Pulling the blanket up to her neck, Frida thought about the warmth of the room in the midst of the peak of spring. How could there be a chill?

“Don’t worry, Frida. You’ll feel better by tomorrow.”

After Murial left, she took the medicine given by Anton. She would be fine after a good night’s sleep. First thing tomorrow morning, she would go to the Duke. When she told him that today’s Duke wasn’t her type, he seemed quite shocked and was silent on the way back to the Marian Hall.

“Why did he look so dejected and blame himself? Phew. There’s nothing I can do. I’ll have to comfort him.”

This added another task for tomorrow. Blinking, the wall lamp, which she kept on until dawn because she was afraid of the dark, became increasingly blurry each time she opened her eyes. Feeling exhausted, Frida smiled and fell asleep. *** A few hours later. When Daniel approached quietly and checked her face, Frida was still smiling. Stopping both his footsteps and his breathing, Daniel reached out to touch her forehead. He carefully moved a few strands of hair that were covering her forehead and placed his hand there. He felt a slight fever. Lifting his hand, he reached for the wall lamp that faintly illuminated the room. Clenching and unclenching his fist, which had touched Frida’s forehead, he stared at it. Since she usually has a higher body temperature, he couldn’t tell if the heat he felt was his or hers. His calm gaze returned to Frida. She’s small. Definitely small… But for some reason, she keeps looking bigger to me. Everyone around her is fidgeting and struggling, trying to read her every move. From the carefree Moli family to the knight of the Rosivalt family, known as the empire’s sword.

“I don’t know. Today’s Duke… wasn’t my type.”

Why did that bother him?

“I don’t want to see her hurt.”

Why did the protective barrier Rosivalt had built around her, like handling fragile glass, bother him?

“Hmm…”

Frida’s cheeks, which she turned in her sleep, seemed to be flushed.

‘Is she really running a fever?’

As Daniel was about to touch her cheek with his fingertips, he suddenly remembered something his mother used to do when he was a child.

“Daniel, come here. Our son seems to have a fever.”

Daniel’s long legs climbed onto the bed. His strong, long arms braced the bed on either side of Frida’s face. He swept away the fallen bangs and slowly, as if not to wake her, held his breath and leaned in. Daniel’s forehead gently touched Frida’s smooth, unblemished forehead. It was hot.

“You… have a fever.”

Or maybe, it’s me who has a fever.