I Will End My 10-Year Unrequited Love - Chapter 54

Since that banquet, Horace hadn’t gotten up for days. The mental shock seemed worse than any physical pain. Though he’d just barely recovered not long ago, Horace was now rushing somewhere with his weak body.

“You’d sell out your own family for that bastard. Disgusting.”

Perhaps sensing Elia’s gaze, Horace turned around from the window and shouted at her.

“Just wait for the day that bastard’s head is paraded through the square!”

Having risen from his sickbed, Horace now took every opportunity to torment Elia. It seemed less like anger toward her and more like he was venting his hatred for Cyrone through her.

But Horace was the son of the deceased first wife; and worse, a son. Elia, as the daughter of the second wife, was no match for him.

“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”

Elia replied with a hollow, expressionless voice. Though Horace acted like he would storm the Crown Prince’s palace at any moment, she knew he wouldn’t dare say a word to Cyrone.

“Miss, the Duke has forbidden you from going outside.”

The steward Nastan said firmly yet politely, stepping between the two. With a sharp glance from him, the stubborn Horace reluctantly turned away.

Elia’s eyes followed Horace’s boots to the very end.

“Military boots… Where is he going?”

Lately, she had been noticing more men wearing military boots around the estate. Rias had been like that recently, and now it was Horace.

“Miss.”

It was Nastan who intercepted Elia’s gaze after Horace. He skillfully broke her line of sight.

“I’m just stepping out into the garden for a moment.”

“That’s not allowed either. The order was that you must not leave your room.”

“Looks like ‘that’ guest has come again.”

Even at Elia’s sudden question, Nastan merely smiled faintly. No one could match his seasoned composure after decades of serving beside the venomous Reiffers.

“I know it’s frustrating, but you must obey the master’s orders, Miss.”

Nastan said gently. Lately, Elia spent most of her time confined to her room. This had always been the case whenever ‘that’ guest came, but recently it had worsened.

Now, she was barely free to move even within the estate.

“They seem to have much to say.”

Reading the oddly charged atmosphere, Elia narrowed her eyes. It seemed ‘that’ guest was spending longer and longer periods in the mansion.

“I wouldn’t know anything. Miss, don’t dwell on it and just rest well.”

With a polite yet quite forceful motion, Nastan pushed Elia back into her room. The door clicked shut behind her.

“This is strange.”

Elia murmured as she stared out the window, trapped on her bed with no way to leave. The sun was setting. Having been locked away inside for more than half the day, she had lost all sense of how time passed.

“How long has it been?”

Even Elia, who had been confined for nearly several days, could feel an inexplicable tension hanging over the estate. The number of servants had noticeably dwindled, and the steward Nastan responded with an unusually firm determination, as if desperately trying to conceal something.

“Miss, I’ve brought your meal.”

After a neat knock, Susan quietly entered the room and set the food on the table.

“Susan.”

At Elia’s voice, Susan, who had been about to hastily leave, flinched, her shoulders trembling. Her eyes darted nervously as she looked around.

“Where have you been? What happened?”

Finally, someone who might provide a clue had appeared, and Elia asked calmly but urgently. However, Susan, flustered by the sudden question, nervously bit her nails and shook her head.

“No, Miss. Nothing’s happened…”

When Elia remained silent, Susan gave an awkward smile.

Susan must have known this was far beyond just forbidding Elia from going out. This was basically imprisoning her in the room. Yet Susan refused to give her any hint.

While everyone else moved quickly, Elia felt completely alone, frozen in place.

“You can’t lie to me, Susan.”

Susan bowed slightly as if to say, ‘Please rest,’ then quickly grabbed the door handle, wanting to escape.

Elia looked at Susan’s small, delicate shoulders and spoke. Their bond was more than just mistress and servant. They were inseparable friends, like sisters who had grown up together.

More than anything, Elia was hurt that even Susan was trying to hide something from her.

“Miss… I really have no idea what’s going on.”

Susan finally shook her head, perhaps unable to say more. With a fearful expression, she drew the curtains around the room, blocking out every glimpse of the outside world.

The sunlight that had entered the room vanished, replaced by a darkness as quiet as night. Susan knelt before Elia and whispered in a low voice,

“If the Master finds out I came into this room, he will be very angry. You must pretend you don’t know. And you must never eat that food. It’s laced with sleeping pills.”

Holding Elia’s thin hand gently, Susan spoke quietly.