Chapter 202

Chapter 202

As the eldest son of the Penry family, he had refused to be engaged to noble young ladies and had served in the navy in Hastow, an unusual story that Deatrice was aware of.

The documents even stated that he had been stationed in the navy in Hastow, where he had sustained a leg injury and undergone treatment.

During his recovery, what if he had met and fallen in love with Isabella Anise, then returned as the count to officially announce their marriage?

Perhaps he had tried to reconcile with his father, who couldn’t accept the daughter of an insignificant Viscount as his eldest son’s bride, only to succumb to illness.

So, Lucius was Connor Penry’s only son, the legitimate heir to the count position from the beginning.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She quickly raised her hand to her face to prevent the tears from falling onto the documents. Overwhelming sadness washed over her. Her breath quickened, and she couldn’t stop the flood of tears.

“Why… Why…”

That one word was all that remained as if all her words had been forgotten.

Why.

If this were indeed the truth, why?

Why had Dixie sent her the letter telling her to tend to Chetworth household? Why had the maid overturned the box? Why had she read the letter? Why had Bella Anise’s portrait differed from the woman in her memories, and why had she suddenly realized that the count hadn’t limped?

All the truths had come to light in an instant.

But not all truths were deeply buried. Sometimes, certain truths were not buried deeply at all.

They simply awaited someone to uncover them, as if they had been waiting for that touch all along.

She knew that. But if these truths had been revealed earlier, before they had lost everything, before Lucius had gone off to the battlefield…

If that were true, Lucius wouldn’t have had to suffer, and she wouldn’t have lost her beloved. The hardships Lucius endured and the time they lost together weighed heavily on her.

Sitting still, tears streaming down her face, she gathered herself from the overwhelming emotions. Everything was still just speculation at this point. It wasn’t too late even if everything fell apart after becoming certain.

She wiped away her tears, organized the documents, and then asked the priest for copies of Conner Penry and Chris Penry’s injury records. After the priest wrote them up, she took the papers and left the temple.

“I need to pull myself together.”

She repeated those words to herself as she walked back to the palace. Her cheeks, pale from the winter wind, stood in contrast to her reddened eyes. She pinched her cheeks to bring color back and entered the hall with a smile, as she usually did.

The hall’s warm yellow light and the sweet music wiped away all traces of her earlier tears.

Though the faces of the people were blurred, she made no major mistakes due to her familiarity with this situation. She tried her best to act and speak as usual. It was necessary. She had to do what she could right now.

However, her desperate efforts shattered when the Duke appeared. He was her father, someone she had seen countless times before, but in that moment, he felt like a horrifying monster to her.

Her stomach twisted, and chills ran down her spine. It felt like she might vomit, so she turned and fled from the scene.

As soon as she left the hall, she grabbed onto a random wall in the corridor and retched, but nothing came out. Her mouth, dry as a desert, offered nothing in response to her desperate coughs. She had to sit down, her vision spinning.

“Are you okay?”

As she rushed out of the hall, Deatrice clung to a nearby wall in the corridor, feeling like she was about to vomit. However, in her empty stomach, nothing came out.

Her mouth, and even her insides, felt parched as a desert. She coughed forcefully, as if trying to force something out, but nothing came forth. Eventually, she sank to the ground.

“Please, please…”

She prayed desperately, not even sure what she was asking for. It was a prayer born from sheer desperation.

“Please, please…”

She closed her eyes tightly, reciting scripture and muttering prayers in any way she could. And then, like a savior, someone grabbed her shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

Lucius, perhaps? But when she opened her eyes, she saw not the radiant blonde but neatly combed black hair.

“What did you eat? Some poison?”

Frederick prodded her, shaking her shoulders. She raised her hand to push him away, but she lacked the strength, lowering her head in resignation.

“Please…”

“What?”

“Please, just let me…”

Save me. Forgive me. Those were the only words that came to mind. Of course, those pleads weren’t for Frederick, so she stopped herself.

“Let’s see a doctor. Or consult to the priest.”

Frederick nudged her, urging her to move. “It’s not like that,” Deatrice tried to say, but her throat felt heavy, and no words escaped her lips. She couldn’t move her body either. Eventually, she collapsed into Frederick’s arms.

If only it were because she had ingested poison. If this sluggishness, this numbing of the mind was due to some unknown poison she had unknowingly consumed.

She leaned her head against Frederick’s chest, seeking warmth in the midst of the confusion, feeling as though her body had turned cold.

Frederick appeared bewildered, but he didn’t pull her closer or push her away. They remained there in silence, with no words exchanged between them.