Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 33

Chapter 17.2

When he arrived at the garden, Rose was already there. She stood like a single, elegant lily, waiting for him there.

The count eagerly rushed toward her.

“Rose.”

“My lord!”

Without another moment’s hesitation, they fell into each other’s arms.

“You seem thinner. Was life in the Kingdom of Rumeyer hard on you?”

“No, Rose. It wasn’t hard at all.”

“Then was the food not to your taste?”

“That wasn’t it either, Rose. It was simply the agony of missing you that made each day feel endless.”

Rose bit her bottom lip, as if his words had struck her heart. Count Duwell seized the moment, tilting her chin up and capturing her lips with his own. He pulled her closer, his arms wrapping tightly around her slender waist as if he could never let go.

His fiancée, Delinda, might be beautiful, but she was like a flower without a scent.

Her blank expressions, clueless tone, lifeless eyes, and sluggish movements. Even the way she looked up at him with admiration grated on his nerves.

Why on earth is that woman even drawn to me? Is it my looks? What does she know about me, really?

For him, being engaged to a noble lady known as a fool served as a constant reminder of his own inadequacies.

His lineage, for example. The unfortunate stain of his mother’s lowly status.

She hadn’t even been a formal mistress. He was the product of a single-night affair.

While his father had acknowledged him as part of the family, the glances he received from the rest of his relatives were sharp and cold. As a result, Count Duwell always harbored a sense of resentment over his legitimacy.

And then there was the House of Duke Schultz. A family of honor, and one of the Barkyan Empire’s founding families.

Their legitimate daughter was known to be a fool, and most reputable families avoided her as a marriage prospect. But to him, she was a golden opportunity. He’d accepted the engagement simply because she was the daughter of a prestigious family.

But then, during one of his obligatory meetings with Delinda, he noticed the woman standing behind her.

Rose Roche. The personal maid of his fiancée. Their eyes had met briefly, and in those fleeting moments, Rose had sent him secretive, seductive glances.

Now, as they pulled away from their long, passionate kiss, they exchanged beaming smiles.

“My lord, shouldn’t you attend to Lady Delinda first?”

“You come before her, Rose. “

“Even so, Lady Delinda must be eagerly awaiting you right now.”

The count sighed, shaking his head.

“Rose, don’t say such things. If it weren’t for you, do you think I’d have dragged my weary self all the way to this dreary territory just to see Delinda? No. I came here for you.”

“But if Lady Delinda finds out… I worry she’ll be hurt…”

Rose murmured, her gaze dropping in guilt. Count Duwell shook his head, gently cupping her cheeks.

“My sweet Rose, if I were to go to Delinda first, wouldn’t that break your heart? I’d rather disappoint her a thousand times than cause you a moment of pain.”

With that, Count Duwell pulled Rose into another tight embrace.

Nestling into his embrace, Rose allowed a triumphant smile to spread across her lips.

Victory is mine, Delinda. In this game, I’m the winner.

An indescribable thrill surged through her as she buried her face deeper into his chest.

The count had betrayed his fiancée, and Rose had betrayed the lady she served. Their forbidden affair was intoxicating, thrilling, and oh-so dangerous.

* * *

At that same moment, Delinda was watching them from the castle’s highest watchtower. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, holding down her dress against the wind.

“Look at them. They’re practically all over each other.”

She didn’t need binoculars to see their shameless display.

They had to be pretty bold if they didn’t care about flaunting such an inappropriate relationship. They were well-hidden in the garden below, but everything was perfectly visible from up here.

Tired of watching the despicable couple, she turned and sank to the floor.

Honestly, she didn’t care about their relationship. Whatever the “real Delinda” might have felt about Count Duwell, she had zero interest in him.

It didn’t matter how handsome he was. A man who toyed with his fiancée while sneaking around with her maid was utterly revolting.

“If he wanted an affair, he could’ve at least chosen someone outside my household. But to do it with my maid? How could they toy with someone like this… So shameless.”

She wasn’t heartbroken by their affair, but it still made her blood boil.

How thrilling it must be for them to carry on with their secret meetings right under her nose. The deceit and betrayal probably only made it more exciting for them.

“What should I do about those two?”

She had no intention of playing the “thrilling obstacle” in their twisted little game.

As she hugged her knees to her chest, thinking over it carefully, an alien memory poured into her mind like a stream of cold water.