DSFL | Chapter 21

~Chapter 21~

 I parted my lips, then spoke.

“I’m okay. It was just… an accident.”

Thankfully, my voice didn’t crack with emotion.

“Leon oppa got to me quickly, so I wasn’t hurt. I think maybe it was just stress piling up.”

I forced a smile, but Grandfather’s expression didn’t ease in the slightest.

Why… why is he looking at me like that?

Growing uneasy, I began joking out of habit.

“Grandfather, I’m really fine. You should go rest. What if you catch a cold from me?”

Under normal circumstances, he would’ve chuckled at that.

But now, he remains just the same.

“…My dear.”

Instead, the hand holding mine tightened.

“I only ever wanted you to be happy.”

I had no idea what Grandfather was trying to say.

“…Was I wrong to want that?”

“What… what are you saying right now?”

Startled, I quickly shook my head.

“I grew up well, thanks to your love. Just like you always said, I’ve become a fine adult. So why are you saying these things now?”

But in his eyes—darkened and shadowed—not a single glimmer of light remained.

“…I heard about Ricardo.”

Still, I didn’t quite understand what he meant.

That Ricardo had feelings for Idette? But surely Grandfather already knew that.

Then… was it about what happened at the lake?

A duke who left his fiancée behind to save someone else—of course the rumors would’ve reached Grandfather.

I didn’t know what to say, my lips just moved without sound.

I wanted to break off the engagement with Ricardo.

But… would Grandfather want that?

It had been a promise made in war, with the previous duke—a vow between comrades.

…Was I really worth enough to ask for that?

“Grandfather, I…”

The words wouldn’t come out easily.

Again, my throat tightened, and I barely managed to speak with dry lips.

“…Actually, the Duke already has someone he loves.”

It slipped out before I could stop it.

Grandfather’s eyes began to tremble, little by little.

I couldn’t bear to look him in the eye, so I lowered my gaze.

“You once said that becoming a duchess would be my happiness… But I don’t know anymore.”

“…”

“I just…”

…I just want to go back to where I came from.

But I couldn’t finish that sentence.

That wasn’t something the Bianca he loved so dearly should be saying.

“I don’t think I’m the kind of granddaughter who can make your wishes come true.”

Grandfather didn’t have much time left.

And yet here I was, burdening him with complaints.

The fog in my mind suddenly lifted, and panic set in.

“I—I didn’t mean that! The Duke treats me well! Just like you said, he’s kind—”

“My dear.”

Grandfather’s hand trembled helplessly.

“…Bianca, not once in my life have I thought you were lacking. If anything, you’ve always been more than I deserved.”

For a moment, I froze.

He spoke again, his face pained.

“I was wrong. I thought you wanted that position. I was trapped in the past, unable to see the present.”

“…”

“…Bianca, I’m sorry. I gave you a burden too heavy to bear.”

Grandfather, with a dazed expression, pulled me into his arms.

That familiar scent washed over me.

With trembling hands, he held me close.

“…You’ve suffered so much, haven’t you?”

He gently patted my back.

For some reason… tears started to fall.

***

“Cedric.”

Bluea gently stroked his sleeping granddaughter’s cheek as he spoke.

“Yes.”

“…I wanted to protect both of you until the end of my life.”

He stood up, fastening the buttons of his disheveled uniform.

The countless medals gleamed on his chest—testaments to the life he had lived.

“It’s time I accepted it. That so much time has already passed.”

Standing before Cedric was the perfect soldier— The general who had once commanded an empire.

Bluea Roygin, the hero who restored peace to the land.

For a moment, his name shone once more in the silence.

“We’ll have to move your inauguration forward a little.”

He put on his ceremonial hat and took a step forward.

“That means—”

“It means it’s time for me to retire. Seems my worth ran out back in the war, fifty years ago.”

“…If Bianca heard you saying that, she’d be really upset.”

Even at Cedric’s words, Bluea’s face didn’t waver.

Paul, who had been waiting in the hallway, bowed politely to him.

“My lord, the carriage is ready.”

“Good. Thank you for your work.”

Climbing into the carriage, Bluea offered a faint smile.

“This will be my last duty as the Marquis of Roygin.”

It was, indeed, the perfect retirement ceremony.

***

“I don’t want to take my medicine.”

“Are you your own doctor now, my lady?”

As I pouted in protest, Emily took the chance to slip the medicine spoon into my mouth.

“I’d love to grant your wishes most of the time, but not today! You have to take your medicine!”

Before I could argue, Emily popped a candy into my mouth.

“Bianca, you’ve got yourself a very good maid.”

Rayla murmured, watching Emily walk out of the room, then turned her attention back to me with a deep sigh.

“Are you really okay?”

“I told you, everyone’s just overreacting…”

But Rayla’s expression stayed dark.

“I should’ve come back from the west no matter what. What were you thinking, boarding the same boat as her?”

I rolled the candy around in my mouth and only half-listened to her lecture.

“Was your trip fun?”

“Fun? Are you kidding me? Can’t you tell I came running back the moment I heard?”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You really…!”

Rayla gave my cheek a sharp tug in frustration.

“What if I had fallen in the water and nearly died, huh? What would you have done then?”

Her words left me speechless. Only then did she let go of my poor cheek.

“I’m only letting you off because you’re sick. If not, I wouldn’t have been so nice.”

I rubbed my aching cheek and let out a small laugh. Rayla sighed and gently helped me lie back down.

“Still… thank goodness. You weren’t seriously hurt.”

“…”

“Do you know how shocked I was when I heard? I was blissfully picking out your gift, and then—bam! News like that!”

“So? Did you still buy the gift?”

“Did I have time? I rushed straight to the capital the moment I heard!”

Rayla smacked her chest in frustration hard enough to make a sound.

“Do you know what thoughts were running through my head in the carriage?”

“What kind of thoughts?”

“I was trying to figure out how to get rid of that Hestia witch without a trace! What, got a problem with that?”

Rayla said this proudly, as if wanting to become a royal assassin was a perfectly reasonable response.

…Still, it was kind of touching.

“That duke bastard too! How could he ignore his fiancée like that?”

Her voice rose in fury, and I narrowed my eyes.

“How do you know about that?”

“How else? The whole city’s talking! The streets are buzzing with gossip about the duke saving his lover while leaving his fiancée behind!”

Rayla paced the room several times in frustration. Chewing on her thumbnail, she finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and yelled:

“I just can’t forgive him. How could he leave you like that? Someone fell into the water, for god’s sake!”

Then, she marched over to me and declared loudly:

“Let’s break off the engagement.”

I hadn’t expected those words to come out of her mouth.

“There are plenty of men in the world. Just look at the Orphen Kingdom across the sea—full of handsome guys. That snake doesn’t deserve you, Bianca. And this is the perfect chance for you to develop better taste.”

Her grip on my shoulders tightened.

“That’s right.”

“I’ve always known—you’re way too good for—wait, what?”

“I said I’ll do as you say.”

Rayla’s eyes grew wide.

I never had any intention of keeping the engagement in the first place.

In fact, this disaster might’ve been the perfect excuse.

***

The room was overflowing with flowers and letters.

It seemed, just as Rayla said, the rumors had spread far and wide.

Even distant relatives I barely remembered had sent notes, and people I wasn’t even close to had reached out.

But of all the letters, not a single one was from Ricardo.

Instead, Hestia had sent one.

She wrote that there had been nothing wrong with the boat and blamed the weather that day.

…Does she take me for a fool?

I shoved the pile of gifts and letters off to one side in annoyance.

That’s when I noticed a strange envelope with a sun emblem on it.

No way…

As I tore it open, suddenly, a complex symbol floated in the air, forming the figure of someone.

A figure shimmered into focus, bathed in silver light.

…Peril?

“It’s been a while.”

He greeted me calmly as I sat there, stunned.