Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 35

Chapter 18.2

The duke suspected that the real reason Iskan had loaned money with the Schultz mansion as collateral wasn’t for the interest. It was likely because he wanted the mansion itself.

Even so, the duke told her he was still trying, clinging to the last sliver of hope, determined to make this final venture succeed.

“Well, there are plenty of other beautiful mansions besides the duke’s residence.”

“But there’s few near the palace, and they aren’t as grand and lavish as the Schultz mansion.”

“If I can’t have the duke’s mansion, I’ll simply acquire something even more magnificent.”

“Ah, I see…”

Once again, Delinda found herself nodding along.

Wasn’t the only place bigger and grander than the Schultz mansion the imperial palace itself?

She decided not to bother asking. There was no point in stirring up unnecessary trouble. It wasn’t as if the prince was suggesting he’d take over the palace. That would be treason. Completely out of the question.

And as he’d said before, “Treason warrants for immediate execution.”

Delinda’s gaze drifted back to where Rose and the count had stood. She’d practically forgotten about them, but the moment her eyes landed on that spot, the memory of what she had witnessed replayed in her mind.

“Your Highness, don’t you think it’s strange?”

Though she’d started with a question, he didn’t react with curiosity. He didn’t ask what she found strange. Delinda hadn’t expected him to.

“How falling in love with someone you can’t have makes it even sweeter because of the guilt?”

Was that why people cheated on their partners?

“Maybe that’s why people are drawn to love that can never be. You know, the forbidden kind. They savor the thrill of it, like a dangerous game,” Delinda added, a quiet chuckle escaping her lips.

She wasn’t expecting a response. She never did. He wasn’t the kind of man to entertain idle talk.

It’s just that… she had been swept up in the emotions of Delinda’s real memories.

Those jerks. That horrible count. That wretched Rose.

But to her surprise, a soft reply came from him, the one she thought would simply ignore her.

“A thrill, you say… Hmm. All that would come from an impossible love is unbearable pain.”

“Pardon?”

“If it’s real,” he said, his voice distant, “it could never be enjoyed as some mere game.”

His tone was flat, yet she could almost hear the gritted restraint behind it, as if he were suppressing something. A turbulent emotion buried beneath the surface.

Delinda suddenly felt strange. He delivered the words with so much indifference, but they sounded foreign. He spoke as though he had experienced that kind of love. He was far too cold to ever love anyone, yet he looked as if he’d been hurt before…

…But who could he have loved so deeply?

And why does it bother me so much?

“…”

Delinda’s mood soured for no reason she could explain. She pulled her hand away from the edge of the watchtower.

So what if he had experienced some passionate, movie-worthy romance?

A light breeze swirled between them, followed by a heavy silence that drifted over them like the wind.

“Lady Delinda.”

“Yes?”

Delinda turned to him, meeting his gaze. His eyes were as cold and unreadable as ever.

“Are you certain we’ve never met before?”

The insistence in his voice bordered on obsessive.

Delinda paused. He’d asked her this same question before. “Have we met somewhere before?”

Though, this time, she didn’t have to give it much thought when delivering a firm answer.

“Yes, I’m certain.”

Because hesitating might only make him suspicious.

This wasn’t the time to reveal her hidden card. She couldn’t tell him she was possessing another person’s body, not when she knew he was the kind of man who could treat others like garbage and kill them without a second thought.

And from what she knew, during her first possession as “Ruyan,” she might have been murdered.

There were only a handful of people with the power to kill an imperial court priestess.

And this man could be a prime suspect. For her own safety, she had to keep the truth buried.

A strange silence settled between them. Iskan’s gaze drifted somewhere beyond the castle walls.

Delinda turned her attention downward. Below the watchtower, far in the distance, she could make out the knights patrolling the castle walls.

‘…I fell from here and hit my head… would they believe it if I suddenly went from a fool to a regular person?’

Why wouldn’t they? There were certain cases of people waking up from head injuries speaking five new languages or playing the violin.

So if Lady Delinda were to fall from a wall and injure her head, maybe she’d go from the “Foolish Noble Lady” to just a normal noble lady.

Entertaining the thought, she leaned forward slightly—

A gust of wind struck her face. Her hair whipped around wildly as her body tilted over the railing. Her legs wobbled as she lost her balance.

She tried to grab the railing in a panic when a strong arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her back.

“Ah…!”

Delinda gasped, flailing her arms to regain her balance, but Iskan’s grip held her firmly in place.

Her small frame was pulled against Iskan’s towering body. He held her painfully tight, but Delinda couldn’t bring herself to protest.

Because Iskan’s face was twisted with something she had never seen before.

His usual calm, cold mask had been shattered. His face burned with force, unrestrained anger.

“Never again. Don’t you ever try to die in front of me again.”

His eyes were turbulent, filled with pain and raw emotion.

Translator’s Note: Hi everyone! Apologies for the lack of updates on this novel, but since uni has started again, I won’t have time to update this as much as I’d like to (ಡ‸ಡ). I’ll be prioritizing my other novels, but that doesn’t mean I’m dropping this! If you’d like to keep up with the story, please read the webtoon and support the original author (all for free!). Thank you for everyone’s patience~