Chapter 262

Chapter 262

Deatrice approached the bars to hand it over. But as she bent down to pass the paper through the bars, Ethan grabbed her hand instead of the paper.

His dirty, skeletal hand gripped her wrist tightly. A scream almost escaped her lips, but she held it back for Ethan’s sake. She feared that if she screamed, the knights might rush in and beat Ethan.

“You’re doing it, right? You’re persuading him, right? Please, tell me you are. Deatrice, just a little longer and I’ll be free.”

His eyes, tinged with a faint madness, stared directly at her.

They were eyes she had seen many times growing up together. At times, they had been quite good cousins. They weren’t particularly close, but when they met, they shared a comfortable atmosphere and exchanged jokes. Ethan had often been her dance partner at balls. Even when he wasn’t escorting her, if she stood with a drink in hand, Ethan would always come over to talk to her.

He would brush his hair back as if bored and gossip about the women he had danced with or their relatives.

Once, Deatrice, tired of his constant complaints, had said, “All you do is badmouth the people you meet. You probably talk bad about me too. Go away. I don’t want to give you any more reasons to gossip.” Ethan had burst into a cheerful laugh and replied,

“Never. I’ve never spoken ill of you.”

The memory pained her. Whether it was true or not, their relationship had been flawless until this incident.

But no matter how good their past was, how could she possibly beg Lucius to spare Ethan’s life? Clenching her eyes shut, Deatrice pulled her hand back and said,

“Let go.”

“Why aren’t you answering? Are you persuading him? Are you asking him to save me?”

Instead of answering, Deatrice frowned and asked,

“Why did you do it?”

For the first time, Ethan fell silent at her question.

“You came here with just thirty men. Did you really think you would succeed? They’re all dead now. The fact that you’re still alive is a miracle.”

“So you’re saying I should die?”

Ethan dug his nails into her wrist.

“Because he’s your husband, right? I’ve heard all about your great love story, but I didn’t think it would be more important than my life. Do you think you can live well after letting me die? I’m your cousin. We’re family!”

His nails dug into her flesh. It hurt. But Deatrice bit her lip to keep from making a sound.

“…Ethan. Stop it. Uncle has accepted your death too.”

“What?”

Ethan’s grip loosened slightly at the unbelievable news.

“Read the letter. The answer is in there.”

Taking advantage of his weakened grip, Deatrice pulled her hand back. There were marks on her wrist where his nails had dug in. She quickly took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around her wrist to cover the wounds.

“My father… gave up on me?”

Ethan, who had read the letter in the meantime, spoke in a hollow voice and put the letter down. Deatrice swallowed her words of comfort and looked at Ethan, then forced herself to turn away. As she did, a voice filled with resentment came from behind her.

“He’s playing with me… He’s toying with me like I’m prey.”

It was obvious who he was referring to. Deatrice tried not to listen.

“Please, Deatrice. I’m innocent. This is all your husband’s doing!”

But those last words made her stop. Not because she believed him, but because she couldn’t stand Ethan’s evasive attitude.

When she turned back and approached the bars again, Ethan’s face lit up.

“You still haven’t come to your senses.”

She said, her voice biting. Ethan let out a dumbfounded groan, unable to adapt to her sudden change in demeanor.

“Deatrice, it’s not that…”

“How can you say all of this is Lucius’s fault? No matter how self-centered and spoiled you grew up as a noble’s son, can’t you see the reality? None of this would have happened if you hadn’t come here with a sword. Are you saying Lucius ordered you to bring knights and come here?”

“That…”

Under Deatrice’s fierce gaze, Ethan couldn’t say anything. She looked down at him with a pale face and then tried to turn away again. But at that moment, Ethan shouted.

“Then why did he let me go?”

“What?”

“That time, when I thought I was completely caught, he let me go. He stopped his horse from a distance and just watched me. Why did he do that? If he didn’t intend to spare me, why did he…?”

“What are you talking about? You stabbed Lucius’s horse with a sword and ran away.”

But Ethan just looked up at Deatrice with a blank expression, as if hearing this for the first time.

“A sword… I wasn’t even holding a sword. I had dropped it at some point. Did he say that? That I stabbed the horse and ran away?”

Conflicting stories made Deatrice hesitate. Ethan didn’t seem to be lying. There was nothing for him to gain by lying about this.

So did that mean Lucius had lied? But why would he lie about something like that?

Of course, she had thought it was uncharacteristic of Ethan to stab the horse and run away when she first heard the story. But she had dismissed it, thinking that people sometimes make desperate choices when cornered.

Noticing her confusion, Ethan seized the opportunity and shouted.