Chapter 17
After returning to her room in the annex, Evangeline couldn’t even make it to the bed.
Staggering, she caught herself against the windowsill before collapsing in an undignified heap.
“Haa…”
The burning heat inside her chest refused to fade.
Thinking she needed some fresh air, she tried to throw the window open.
But even the window felt stiff and wouldn’t move the way she wanted.
She tried pushing harder before finally lowering her hand in resignation.
This isn’t even my house.
If I damage it, that wouldn’t be right.
If that happened, she couldn’t even imagine what Decarno would say now.
Just thinking about what he had said about Kirion…
He hadn’t even tried to ask for an explanation.
He had already made up his mind before asking.
She had been so stunned that even trying to defend herself had felt meaningless.
Just what kind of person does he think I am?
Her pride had been deeply wounded.
Her mind felt completely blank.
Although she had never been with any man besides Decarno, she knew that in Roak’s open-minded high society, it wasn’t uncommon for married people to have relationships with others.
But…
She had never imagined he would think she was that kind of woman.
It didn’t matter whether she had actually done such a thing.
The only thing that mattered…
Was that Decarno believed she could.
“Miss… may I come in?”
“……”
It was the personal maid assigned to the annex.
After knocking softly, the maid entered carrying tea and a light meal.
Instead of leaving immediately, she cautiously glanced at Evangeline.
When their eyes met, she quickly became flustered.
“Ah, I’m sorry! I was just worried about you, Miss… I wanted to make sure you’re all right… and whether the food suits your taste…”
“Did the Duke send you?”
“……”
The maid’s face instantly turned bright red.
That answer was enough.
Although Evangeline had asked to be left alone, this maid—who hadn’t approached her for quite some time—had suddenly begun paying attention to her.
She had guessed the reason from the beginning.
Maybe… he was right.
The thought made her heart ache.
Perhaps genuine kindness really didn’t exist in human relationships.
Afraid she might say something she would regret, Evangeline swallowed her emotions again and again before calling the maid back just as she was about to leave.
“Wait.”
“Could you send this for me?”
“Yes?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could deliver it to Fifth Street in Melks.”
She quickly wrote a few short lines, folded the letter, and handed it to the maid.
Since the maid had been sent by Decarno…
The letter would undoubtedly end up in his hands as well.
At least she wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of informing someone personally that the appointment had been canceled.
Having given up on everything…
Evangeline no longer even felt anger.
She couldn’t meet the old friend who had been the only person to make her smile.
Every passing day, she felt the balance of Decarno’s judgment tilting further against her.
None of it stirred much emotion anymore.
Her heart was already soaked with sorrow and misery.
There was no room left for anything else.
…Perhaps this is the very bottom.
She believed there could be nothing worse.
Her family had fallen.
Society had abandoned her.
And now…
The man she was supposed to marry believed a completely absurd misunderstanding.
Surely nothing could be worse than this.
“So what if you’ve hit rock bottom?”
“The only direction left is up.”
“…Father.”
As Evangeline lay down on the bed much earlier than usual, her father’s hearty voice echoed vividly in her ears.
Even when thieves had stolen every piece of merchandise from their trading company…
Even when torrential rain had caused one of their mines to collapse…
Her father had simply laughed as though it were nothing.
“As long as no one gets hurt,” he would always say,
“nothing important has truly been lost.”
Back then, she had stared at him in disbelief.
But eventually…
His laughter had always made her smile too.
Closing her eyes, Evangeline tried to remember that smile.
How did he smile again?
Morning became afternoon.
Afternoon became evening.
She spent the entire day thinking about nothing else.
Since Decarno wasn’t home to receive constant reports about her every move, she didn’t even bother eating.
She simply wanted to endure.
She wanted to find the strength to keep going.
“Smile, Evangeline.”
She desperately tried to picture her father taking her drooping hand with his broad smile.
Curled up alone on the empty bed, she whispered a prayer.
I’ve reached the very bottom…
Please… let me start again.
If not…
Then she truly had nothing left she could do.
That thought made her pray even more desperately.
“…Miss? Are you there? May I come in?”
“Yes.”
Only after hearing the maid’s voice again did she realize night had fallen.
Even in her current state, she didn’t want anyone to see her looking so miserable.
She slowly got up, tidied her hair, and faced the same maid from that morning.
“Has the Duke returned?”
“If he has, I’ll get ready right away—”
“N-No.”
“I actually came to deliver something.”
“……”
The room was so dark—the lamps hadn’t even been lit—that Evangeline couldn’t see what the maid was carrying.
Only when her eyes adjusted did she notice a dark-colored box.
The maid smiled awkwardly as she placed it on the table.
“A guest from the trading company came.”
“I told them we couldn’t allow visitors inside because of the Duke’s orders.”
“But they insisted that I deliver this to you at least.”
“What is it?”
“They only said… it was something you had asked for.”
The maid trailed off.
She truly didn’t seem to know anything.
After dismissing her, Evangeline reached toward the lamp—
Then suddenly stopped.
Perhaps it was instinct.
For some reason…
She didn’t want to examine the box under bright light.
Her trembling fingers slowly opened the black box.
Or rather…
Before she could fully open it—
A shaky breath escaped her lips.
“Ah…”
Her vision blurred.
Inside lay…
One mud-covered shoe.
And a single button from the shirt she had personally chosen for him.
They were the belongings left behind by her father…
The man who had once been known as the richest merchant in the Beliche Empire.
Part 3
No news of any survivors. Fragments of the wrecked ship have been found, but none of the cargo has been recovered. The situation is unfavorable. It would be best not to hold out hope.
Rustle.
After reading the brief telegram from Pylon, Decarno tossed it into the fireplace.
Even as the paper burned away from all four corners at once, there wasn’t the slightest trace of disappointment on his face.
He had already expected as much.
From a purely rational point of view, this was exactly the kind of situation where hope should never be entertained carelessly.
So the telegram that had darkened his expression this much…
Was another one entirely.
Dear Kirion,
Something urgent has come up, so I don’t think I’ll be able to keep our appointment today.
Please wait until I contact you again soon.
I hope you’re staying healthy and making sure to eat your meals.
Evangeline O’Hara
It was, in every possible way, an unsatisfactory letter.
There wasn’t a single line that didn’t irritate him.
The word “Dear” written before the name of nothing more than a naval officer…
The way she casually referred to his wishes—as the man who was to become her husband—as merely “something urgent.”
Her promise that she would contact Kirion again.
Even the surname O’Hara signed after Evangeline’s name.
Not one part of it pleased him.
“…How considerate.”
At the final line—I hope you’re staying healthy and making sure to eat your meals—a mocking smile appeared on his handsome face.
She could say something like that so easily…
Even though she herself had been eating less and less, growing thinner with each passing day.
Did she really think she was in any position to worry about someone else’s health?
Just how far did that woman’s innocence go?
“…”
Decarno slowly opened his hand, remembering how he had held the back of hers that morning.
He was certain these hands had held something.
Yet…
Not even the slightest feeling of its weight remained.
It was as if something had merely brushed past him…
And vanished.
As though trying to erase the unpleasant emotion he couldn’t even understand himself, he rubbed his empty fingers together.
It accomplished nothing.
If anything, the meaningless act of thinking about someone only made his mood darker.
Isn’t this unbecoming of the head of House Theseus?
Whether something suited the Duke of House Theseus or not…
That had been the only standard by which Decarno had judged right and wrong for as long as he could remember.
The moment he was born as the only son of the family that had led the Empire’s nobility for generations…
His destiny had already been decided.
It wasn’t only the great matters that determined the fate of the Empire or the House of Theseus.
Even the smallest things—
Who he associated with.
Who he spoke to.
How many times he smiled at someone.
Such trivial actions could influence the standing of other noble families.
Except for the three years he spent serving in the military during his late teens…
Decarno had followed those rules without exception.
If he allowed himself to waver, even for a moment…
There was no telling how far the consequences would spread.
Someone would fall into despair.
Someone else might lose the means to support themselves.
And others…
Would cheer, as though they had been waiting for exactly that moment.
