Chapter 261

Chapter 261

“I don’t mind, but are you going to deliver it yourself?”

“I feel like I should. But if you oppose it, I won’t.”

Lucius, who always put her first, seemed unusually silent, perhaps because he found the request unexpected or something was bothering him.

Deatrice quickly shook her head and retracted her words.

“No, I wasn’t thinking clearly. It’s better if I don’t go.”

“Deatrice.”

When she lifted her head at his call, Lucius gently brushed her hair back with a soft smile and said,

“I told you, you don’t need to feel guilty for something that’s not your fault. You are my wife. The person I love. So you don’t need to feel small for making such a request.”

“Then… does that mean I can meet him?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll just deliver the letter and come out.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll check the contents of the letter and, of course, undergo a body search.”

“My wife is indeed very thorough.”

Lucius said playfully and kissed Deatrice’s forehead. Knowing that he was joking to put her at ease, Deatrice swallowed her thanks and responded with a smile.

“In that regard, I’ve always been better than you.”

“That’s true. In fact, in most aspects, you are better than me.”

“You’re just realizing that now?”

She replied playfully, but Lucius confessed with a serious look.

“No. I’ve always known. From the moment I first met you.”

She was momentarily speechless at his confession and looked up at Lucius. His red eyes, looking down at her, seemed filled with emotions she couldn’t quite fathom. Did he have something he couldn’t tell her?

She felt a pang of worry but soon realized it was only natural.

Just as Deatrice had things she endured alone, Lucius must have had his own burdens. There were things that couldn’t be shared, even in love. Just as she had decided not to confide in him out of love, Lucius must have had his own secrets. It left her with a bittersweet feeling.

But there was no other way.

It was a weight they had to bear together.

*

“You are cleared.”

The knight guarding the castle’s prison returned the letter Deatrice had handed over and nodded, indicating she could enter.

Deatrice had requested a body search, but the knight, blushing, repeatedly refused, saying, “How could I dare search the captain’s wife?” So she had no choice but to take the letter and descend into the underground prison.

Being underground, the prison was dark even during the day, and it smelled musty. The deeper she went down the stairs, the worse the stench became, until she had to cover her nose with a handkerchief.

The knight stopped in front of an iron cell. He bowed and stepped back, indicating that his guidance was complete. Deatrice briefly wondered if the knight had brought her to the wrong place.

It didn’t seem like anyone could be in there. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she began to make out a figure huddled in the corner. Gradually, the figure became clearer.

What she saw was Ethan’s filthy hair. Ethan was pressing his head against the wall, covering his ears with both hands.

Deatrice clenched her fists as she looked at her completely broken cousin. She knew he had tried to kill Lucius, but seeing him in this state wasn’t satisfying.

“Ethan!”

Since he was covering his ears, Deatrice raised her voice to call his name.

“…Deatrice?”

Ethan, who had been shouting for everyone to leave him alone with his ears tightly covered, finally recognized the familiar voice and turned his head. Seeing her skirt and feet, he hurriedly approached the bars.

“Oh, you finally came. Deatrice. You have no idea how long I’ve waited. I begged countless times to see you. But everyone ignored me! Those, those bastards. They ignored and beat me… I’ll kill them all once I get out.”

Ethan stammered repeatedly. His words, which started directed at her, quickly turned into muttering to himself and cursing someone. Deatrice’s cold voice shattered Ethan’s delusions.

“Ethan. I’m not here to save you.”

“What? Then why are you here… No, what do you mean you’re not here to save me?”

“I…”

Even though she had practiced her words several times before coming, it was still just as difficult. Telling Ethan, who was completely broken and whose face lit up with a glimmer of hope upon seeing her, that nothing would change and that he was still set to be executed was incredibly hard.

“I’m just here to deliver a letter from your father. Once I deliver it, I’ll leave.”

“A letter from my father?”

“Yes.”