Chapter 219

Chapter 219

Rosalynn seemed to think that she could avoid his sarcasm by speaking so politely. However, at this moment, Lucius felt he could nitpick every word she said.

He was already uncomfortable, and no matter how quickly she claimed to handle things and leave, the upheaval would affect not only this room but also his mental state.

And above all, what he most wanted to criticize was why, of all people, Deatrice chose Rosalynn to take with her.

This woman also did Deatrice wrong.

From beginning to end, didn’t go to the duke and confess everything that Lucius was plotting to annul the marriage? Considering the shame Deatrice must have suffered because of that, Rosalynn could also be said to not be great enough to receive Deatrice’s favor.

Why does she get forgiveness while I…

The fact that he entertained such petty thoughts was not solely because of his small-mindedness. He still couldn’t clearly understand why she had left him.

Everything had been so sudden.

The period when she gradually started to distance herself, the night she buried her face in the prince’s embrace, and the events that followed – even when trying to fit a consistent hypothesis about these occurrences, there were too many unexplained parts.

And that last kiss.

The affectionate nickname she called out with a sigh, “Oh, Lucy,” what exactly was it? Was it an apology for her attempts to push him away with a sharp demeanor throughout their conversation?

Lucius still couldn’t forget that final parting, the tearful kiss on his forehead.

In his dreams, sometimes he would grab her as she tried to leave like that, begging her, “If you’re sorry, just please forgive me.” She would then embrace him as he wished, but upon waking up, her form would disperse like sand, leaving him alone in the empty black space reminiscent of Deatrice’s hair.

Then he would wake up again, shedding empty tears.

Damn it.

“Anyway, it’s all over.”

Lucius muttered to himself, shifting his gaze from the letter.

It had been two months since that letter, the one that tore through his heart, had arrived. So, it had been six months since she left, and perhaps Deatrice had settled down somewhere and was living well.

“The prince will make the announcement in two months. You’ll have to give a clear answer by then.”

That was what the emperor had told him not too long ago.

In order to put pressure on Lucius to still have the emperor’s bastard, the emperor called him every day these days. Therefore, Lucius still remained in the capital and was able to hear news from the prince closer than anyone else.

Although he heard news that didn’t interest him, he was irked to hear that the prince would be returning to the capital in two months.

‘So, in two months, those two will meet again.’

Deatrice and that damn prince. Lucius gave a short laugh.

He was very curious about their reunion. No, maybe the prince and Deatrice are still exchanging letters. Deatrice did not even write an address in the letter he sent to Lucius, but he must have written one for the prince.

‘If Elliot agrees, you and I can return to Galaba.’

‘ the prince will say. ‘So just wait for two more months.’ He could clearly see them whispering like lovers who had been forced apart by someone. But Lucius will never give up, and the fight will not end in two months.

Well, it wasn’t about feeding them lies or forcibly bringing her back and putting her back by his side.

As Deatrice said, rather than ruining her and establishing his authority, he felt it would be more acceptable to the social world to convey that they had taken away the marriage, even though he had tried to protect it as best as he could. .

Of course, the two reasons for denying it first were not included at all.

He had been summoned by the emperor again today and was returning to his mansion after hearing something. He suppressed his frustration and took off his gloves roughly as soon as he entered the house, and felt that the inside of the mansion was somehow noisy.

The atmosphere of the employees was strange, as if an unexpected guest had just arrived.

“What’s going on?”

When Lucius asked, the butler turned pale and sweat broke out. Lucius’ heart began to beat slowly as he was unable to respond easily.

‘Could it be that Deatrice came?’

“You should go to the parlor.”

At the butler’s words, Lucius walked quickly and reached the living room without even taking off his outer clothes. Before opening the door, his raised hand hesitated a little. His hands were shaking. He squeezed his eyes shut, looking at the wedding ring still on his finger.

‘If she came.’ he thought.

‘As long as you come back, I will never hold a grudge.’

He would kiss her just like she kissed him. He opened the door, expecting the surprised face of Deatrice. However, sitting under the sunlight streaming through the window was not his wife.

“Lucius.”

A middle-aged woman looked at him with a surprised expression. It was Bella Anise, his birth mother, who suddenly appeared six years ago.

She was also the person who ruined him.

***

‘Why on earth did I think Deatrice would come?’

Lucius sat as if bored, contemplating in front of his birth mother whom he met after six years.

So, did he think that Deatrice, who cut him off so harshly, would just come back as if nothing happened? Moreover, what did that passing thought mean?

‘If only she came back, I would never hold a grudge.’

Lucius cursed the momentary and ridiculous thought that came to his mind. No, he cursed his own weakness.

He mistakenly thought that the disturbance in his small mansion meant that Deatrice had returned. Does this mean that from now on, every time an unexpected guest arrives, he will have such delusions?

When he thought about the possibility of it being Deatrice, he vividly remembered the overwhelming joy that filled him for a moment. How much time had to pass for this feeble emotion to come to an end? He thought he almost forgot about it.

Looking back, after going through that incident six years ago, Lucius, who fell in love with her again only a few months after the reunion, cursed the entire situation.

If that’s the case, will he have to live his whole life like this? Will he spend his life clinging to a woman who is not by his side, creating pitiful memories and feigned indifference?

As he drowned in pessimistic thoughts, unable to break free, he was interrupted by a small cough from Bella Anise, who he had forgotten. Only then did Lucius turn to his mother with a face that said, ‘Oh, you were here.’

A chill had settled between them. Lucius apologized with a face that sought forgiveness.

“I’m sorry. Your visit was so sudden that it startled me.”

It was a natural and sincere apology.

The sigh he had just let out seemed to convey the meaning, ‘Are you still here?’ Honestly, Elena Anise was quite flustered. Until she met Lucius here just now, she had been quite terrified.