My legs felt like lead, but I forced myself to move.
I couldn’t afford to hesitate now.
-Knock… knock…
I had gone to see none other than the Duke.
As I entered his study, Raymond greeted me as if he had been expecting my visit.
“So… I heard you have a favor to ask.”
He spoke casually, as if he were oblivious to the situation.
“You already know what I’m going to ask, don’t you?”
I didn’t bother with pleasantries.
I knew he was well aware of everything that had transpired.
After all, he was the one who had allowed this whole scheme to unfold under his roof.
“Your silence was all the consent I needed.”
“…”
“What do you want?”
“Help me deceive her.”
I had only one role for the Duke to play.
To control the flow of information, ensuring that Margaret never learned the truth about what had happened that night.
“Make sure she never finds out… about any of this.”
I wanted her to hate me. To despise me.
To forever be trapped in the shadows of ignorance.
“I doubt you’d want your precious daughter to marry a madman like me.”
This was a transaction.
A mutually beneficial agreement.
I would get her hatred.
And he would get to break off the engagement.
Our goals were aligned. A perfectly rational arrangement.
“The choice is yours, Your Excellency.”
I extended my hand.
His troubled red eyes stared at it silently.
.
.
.
“…What if I hadn’t taken your hand back then?”
The winter wind howled around us.
Raymond murmured, his gaze fixed on the darkened world beyond the terrace.
It seemed the past weighed heavily on his mind.
“It’s my fault.”
“Why do you blame yourself?”
I was the one who had proposed that deal.
I was the one who had inflicted such a deep wound on Margaret.
In essence, I had held Margaret’s life hostage and forced the Duke’s hand.
Raymond, left with no other choice, had agreed to my terms.
“At least that part… was entirely my fault.”
“You were young. Your mind wasn’t in the right place… while I was a perfectly capable adult. I should have guided you onto the right path.”
The Duke let out a heavy sigh.
His breath formed a cloud of white in the frigid air.
“But I don’t regret my decision. If I could go back, I would make the same choice.”
“I understand.”
His response was only natural.
He was only looking out for his daughter.
He couldn’t bear the thought of his only child clinging to a madman like me, destined for a life of misery.
I had understood his heart, and that was why I had proposed that deal in the first place.
“It was a choice you made for your daughter.”
“I truly believed it was for her own good back then… but now… I’m not so sure.”
Raymond muttered, his eyes distant.
He fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, before turning to me.
“This might sound selfish… but I have a request.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Have pity on Margaret. She’s a child who has already suffered enough.”
“…I’ll try my best.”
I lowered my head, my voice laced with uncertainty.
I didn’t know what the future held for Margaret and me.
So I couldn’t bring myself to refuse Raymond’s request outright, nor could I accept it wholeheartedly.
“That’s all I ask.”
Raymond nodded at my response and turned to leave.
The Duke’s figure disappeared into the mansion.
I watched him go for a moment, then shook off the complicated emotions that threatened to engulf me.
His words echoed in my ears.
I let out a soft sigh.
“Ha…”
Our relationship was a difficult one.
I had hurt Margaret deeply in the past.
And Margaret, consumed by the hatred that had taken root in her heart, had hurt me in return.
In the end, all that remained were scars.
I resented Margaret, yet I also felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.
I was sure she felt the same way.
We hated each other, yet a part of us still clung to the love we once shared.
It was a twisted, messy affair.
Could a bond as broken as ours ever truly be repaired?
“Is it even possible… for us to forgive each other… and move on?”
I muttered to myself, then lowered my gaze from the starry sky.
Perhaps the best course of action was to simply ask Margaret herself.
“What do you think, Your Highness?”
I asked softly.
My words, carried by the night air, reached the far end of the terrace.
A faint rustling sound came from behind the thin curtains as if something was startled by my voice.
A moment later, a trembling hand pulled back the curtain, revealing the figure hidden behind it.
“…Raiden.”
Burning red eyes.
Long, silver hair cascaded down her back.
A slender figure, accentuated by a simple yet elegant dress.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
I greeted Margaret, my voice calm and steady.
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