Chapter 19 (2/2)
“Did you make this fuss knowing that?”
“It’s all because of Dylan.”
Elisabeth pouted her mouth.
Dylan looked up at the sky. The darkened sky was seen between the thick branches and leaves.
‘It’s too late.’
Dylan gave Elisabeth a big hug. Suddenly Elisabeth, held in Dylan’s arms, opened her eyes like a rabbit.
“You’re slow and I’m burnt out, so if we keep going like this, we’ll be chased by a beast again.”
“Do you have to say that? I knew that.”
Elisabeth was held tightly in Dylan’s arms, depressed.
‘That’s a realistic rabbit.’
Dylan cherished Elisabeth in his arms and began to speed up and run.
The whole place began to recede with the advent of darkness.
The sound of trees swaying and the sound of owls crying over the darkness. The cold wind brought by evening and the roaring roots of trees that may turn into traps at any time. And the cries of a wild beast somewhere else.
The darkened forest seemed to have no intention of hiding all this anymore.
Elisabeth was terrified and hung on to Dylan even more. The little tremors of the girl were delivered to Dylan.
Dylan felt strange as Elisabeth leaned heavily in his arms. A pleasant aroma came from the small soft Elisabeth. Above all, it was the warmth of the girl that made him feel strange.
<Is there something you want to protect?>
Marquis Dalton’s voice echoed in Dylan’s head.
lisabeth. Your younger sister.>
When Elisabeth disappeared into the woods, when he found out she was in danger, Dylan felt his heart was wearing out.
When the beast appeared and threatened Elisabeth, Dylan thought he would save Elisabeth because he could do whatever it was.
I’ve never felt that way before in my life.
‘Can I send this kid away? Will I be able to bear it if this child even disappears before my eyes?’
Not anymore. No, it’s been like that for a long time. I couldn’t send Elisabeth.
I wish this child was next to me. I tried not to admit it, but it was now a limit.
Dylan couldn’t deny the words of Marquis Dalton at this moment.
“Don’t be frightened.”
“…..”
“You have me.”
“But Dylan…”
“Don’t worry, this brother will protect you.” (t/n: he called himself ‘oppa’)
Like a lie, Elisabeth’s tremors stopped. Dylan hugged Elisabeth more tightly. Elisabeth also leaned on Dylan gently.
‘There’s no turning back now.’
He was beginning to see the drill hall over the forest.
‘I admit it.’
Dylan accelerated his pace toward the moonlit drill hall.
‘I have to protect this child forever now.’
He was always afraid to be like this. To have entered someone’s heart and that someone becomes unbearably precious.
But Dylan now realizes that the idea is wrong.
He didn’t hate having something precious.
***
I was lucky.
That there is a child neglected by the Duke of Cabezo.
The fact that the kid rolled in front of Victoire’s feet.
Everything was lucky.
God gave Leschine bad luck and Daughtry good luck.
Through the misfortunes of a little girl.
For Victoire, it was a routine to monitor every move of the Duke of Cabezo.
To avenge, you had to know your enemy. To destroy the red castle by targeting both the advantages and weaknesses of Cabezo, the overflowing and the deficiencies.
Ferdinand Cabezo, the Duke of Cabezo, who owns a vast expanse of land, was a worse human being than Victoire thought. Like his father, who brought down the Duke of Leschine, he was mean and greedy, but he was not good at learning, martial arts, and calculation in any way.
His wife, Filena Cabezo, on the other hand, was too much for her husband.
The failure of Ferdinand’s business, fraud and gambling money, and the reputation of the Cabezo family was still high thanks to Filena.
But far from thanking his wife, Ferdinand was jealous of her.
Ferdinand, who was tightly united with the inferiority complex, used to release his pent-up desire for control in the brothels. It was Diana, Ferdinand’s concubine, whom I met then. Diana knew how to please Ferdinand. She licked his feet to please Ferdinand’s moods, even though she was being coy.
At the same time that Emilie, the daughter of Filena, was born, Ferdinand was with Diana. A year later, Polia was born.
Since she was a child, Polia has known how to please Ferdinand like Diana. Emilie, on the other hand, grew up to be a girl who looked like Filena who knows her dignity. And knowing dignity was the beginning of misfortune for Emilie.
<Filena Cabezo died suddenly last night.>
One day the Marquis of Dalton gave Victoire some surprising news.
<The Duchess of Cabezo died a week after she met the Duke’s mistress? What a coincidence.>
<Victoire, your guess is not always right. How dare a prostitute-turned-concubine kill a duchess? In addition, Filena Cabezo even offered to raise the concubine’s daughter like her own. From the prostitute’s point of view, it was on the verge of a deal that would not be regrettable.>
<Don’t you think it’s too bad, Dalton?>
<What are you thinking? No matter how much the Duke of Cabezo does, he can’t take his concubine as the duchess.>
Less than a year later, however, it turned out that Dalton’s ideas were too naive. The prostitute Diana was transformed into a fallen aristocrat and entered the ranks of the Duke of Cabezo. With his daughter, Polia.