Chapter 183
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
Time had taken longer than expected. Mikhail had left her locked in the room, so he had to hurry.
‘If she hears about the Duke, she’ll make a decision.’
He wasn’t sure if she would believe that he hadn’t done it, but he had no intention of staying idle.
As Mikhail stepped into the lobby of the castle, he squinted at the pouring rain.
“Your Grace. You’ve arrived.”
The knights stood at attention as they saw him. Etrez was still vigilant, not relaxing his guard.
“Are you leaving?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted? I’ll be back, and you’ll deliver the message to the King.”
“…If you had scheduled a meeting beforehand, none of this would have happened.”
“That’s true. If only you hadn’t refused.”
Mikhail passed them and walked toward the Duke’s knights.
“Sir Byne, any updates?”
“No new messages.”
“Let’s head back quickly.”
Mikhail climbed into the carriage. The rain was falling even harder now, making it nearly impossible to see ahead.
“We’ll need to wait a bit before we depart.”
“Leave right away.”
“It could be dangerous.”
“Sir Byne.”
“Understood.”
He nodded at the knights, who immediately mounted their horses.
“The aftermath of the Loren family?”
“I’ve already given the orders. The Duke will soon breathe his last.”
“Still a stubborn life.”
Mikhail clicked his tongue. As he sat in the carriage, an inexplicable sense of unease filled him.
“It’ll be fine.”
Despite Byne’s reassurance, Mikhail’s heart was racing. He felt like he needed to reach the Duke’s estate quickly.
“I’m not sure Madam will understand.”
Byne’s worried words echoed his own thoughts.
Emilia didn’t trust him. Once she read the newspaper articles, she would suspect him.
“From tomorrow, only the Spiegel newspaper should be allowed in the Duke’s estate.”
“…We can’t keep hiding it forever. We can’t block Madam’s eyes and ears for her whole life.”
“At least I won’t be falsely accused of things I didn’t do.”
In truth, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had done it. It wasn’t unexpected and had always been one of the possibilities.
But he didn’t want to see Emilia’s breaking expression any longer.
This time, she would be able to abandon her family. This was the opportunity to sever the painful ties that had bound her.
The carriage swayed violently. The sharp wind howled outside the window in the storm, and the muddy road slowed the carriage further.
Eventually, it stopped after a short distance.
“I’ll go check on what’s happening.”
Byne opened the door and stepped out.
Left alone, Mikhail ran his hand through his hair and splashed his face with cold water.
Their conversation mixed with the sound of the rain outside.
‘It seems there’s a problem after all.’
Mikhail opened the door and stepped outside. A knight immediately unfurled an umbrella and stood by his side.
“Your Grace, please stay inside.”
“What’s going on?”
He ignored the knight’s words and asked the coachman.
“The mountain has collapsed, and rocks and dirt are blocking the road. It seems we’ll have to turn back.”
“Is there another way around?”
“It’ll take quite a bit of time. It will take at least half a day longer.”
“So, the only options are to turn back and wait for the rain to stop or take a detour?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The rain showed no signs of stopping. Mikhail walked toward the front of the carriage and looked at the rocks and dirt blocking the road.
“How long will it take to clear this?”
“It’ll be quicker than half a day.”
Byne answered promptly. With enough knights, even the large rocks could be moved, and the road would be cleared soon.
The knights, understanding the intention behind Mikhail’s question, quickly began to move.
“Once it’s cleared, let’s depart immediately.”
He didn’t want to waste any more time.
His instincts told him he needed to return to the Duke’s estate as soon as possible.
Because of the delay, it was late at night by the time he finally arrived at the estate.
Mikhail felt an uneasy discomfort from the unusually quiet estate.
The moment he stepped into the lobby, his face twisted in a grimace.
The faint smell of blood and the fact that the knights hadn’t immediately come out made him even more anxious.
“Kartho, I told you to contact me immediately if anything happened.”
“The rain was so heavy that the messages couldn’t get through.”
“Was it an attack?”
He hadn’t expected Adrian to be silent, but he hadn’t anticipated that the Duke’s estate would be attacked in his absence.
Had Adrian really been that bold?
Mikhail narrowed his eyes and surveyed the surroundings.
“How much damage?”
He hadn’t left many knights behind, and those stationed on the third floor to protect Dahlia meant the first and second floors were somewhat vulnerable.
Even so, the Duke’s knights were highly skilled. If anyone had managed to injure them, they must have been as skilled as the King’s shadow or an upper-class knight.
“Your Grace, it wasn’t an attack.”
“It wasn’t an attack?”
Mikhail tilted his head in confusion.
“…Madam has left the Duke’s estate.”
Kartho’s words didn’t make sense to him.
She left? Did she run away from the estate?
“That’s nonsense.”
Was he supposed to believe that a woman who wouldn’t even properly cut someone stood up to a knight?
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