Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 37

Chapter 19.2

A prince, not invited to dinner.

He had chosen to hide his identity, but still, as the most exalted member of the imperial family, he should have been offended. Yet he seemed perfectly unbothered.

‘What a fascinating character. He has that naturally haughty look, but he doesn’t even seem to care about being disregarded.’

Delinda hurried toward the stairs, glancing back over her shoulder as she reached the edge.

From a distance, she noticed him standing there, fixated on the very spot where she had just been, looking almost lost. Unsure of where to go.

‘He really knows how to get under my skin… He’s like a big, wet puppy. Even with those cold eyes and that imposing presence.’

If only some clear memory of this prince would surface already.

Shaking her head, Delinda stepped inside the castle.

* * *

A short while later, she ran into a servant in the corridor and followed them to the dining room, where most of the guests were already seated.

Duke Schultz called her over.

“Delinda, come sit here.”

“Yes, Father.”

As Delinda took her seat beside the duke, Lord Cavila rang a small bell, signaling the start of the evening meal.

They began with bean soup. Lord Cavila glanced around the table and asked,

“Where might the mage be? Sir Carlot?”

No harm in building connections with useful people, he thought. It would be good to make a favorable impression.

“He mentioned he doesn’t enjoy dining with strangers, so he decided not to join us.”

“I see.”

Lord Cavila took it in stride, well aware of how eccentric mages could be.

His acquaintance, Cramuld, was the same. He’d been put off by some unknown irritation and locked himself in his room rather than attend dinner. It was nothing unusual.

After exchanging a few words with Lord Cavila, Duke Schultz turned to Delinda.

“Did you enjoy exploring the castle? I was beginning to worry when you hadn’t returned by dinner.”

“There was no need to worry, Father. The castle is perfectly safe.”

“What did you go to see?”

“I went up the watchtower to look out over the fields. It’s a view you don’t get in the capital.”

Delinda smiled as she pushed her plate of soup aside.

Unlike the crowded capital, where buildings and people filled every space, this place was open and vast. Fields stretched endlessly, trees swayed with the wind, and she even heard the distant howl of wolves.

It was a new and fascinating scene for her.

“I saw a large tree below the castle… a river… and even some animals roaming about… it was all there.”

These “animals” Delinda spoke of were, in fact, Count Duwell and Rose.

Those two were animals, alright. Engaging in a deceitful relationship, giving into their primal urges. No person with a sense of morality would behave that way.

Her fiancé, Count Duwell, who had been listening in, suddenly spoke.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Lady Delinda? I would have gladly accompanied you.”

“Hmm. Me, with you, my lord? And why would I do that?”

“What?”

“I don’t see any particular reason for it.”

Delinda said lightly, almost as if she were talking to herself. Count Duwell’s eyes widened.

Did Delinda just reject me? Delinda, of all people?

Normally, she’d be all smiles, suggesting they go explore immediately, happily stabbing her fork into her food without any sense of decorum.

Now, Delinda didn’t even glance at him. Finally, she turned to meet his gaze, and Count Duwell’s expression was stiff.

“I only meant that you must still be tired from your journey, my lord. There was no need to trouble you.”

Honestly, she would have preferred to bluntly tell him that being near him was nauseating, but Delinda held back for now. Her father was watching.

“Oh, is that so? For a moment there, I thought…”

Count Duwell visibly relaxed.

“As if there would be any other reason.”

“I was worried I had somehow upset you, my lady.”

Count Duwell flashed Delinda his most charming smile. He’d been briefly startled, thinking she was pushing him away, but clearly, it was a misunderstanding.

‘Delinda is head over heels for me. Almost to an exhausting degree.’

His fiancée was so infatuated that it bordered on blind devotion. Any sharpness in Delinda’s gentle tone must have been his imagination.

Delinda mirrored his smile. After all, the reflection she saw in his eyes—the Lady Delinda—was just as breathtaking as the count himself.

‘You think you’re the only one who can put on a charming act? I can play the part just as well.’

And for the record, Prince Iskan is way more handsome than you.

“I don’t understand why you’re so concerned about my feelings. Whether I like, dislike, or even detest you, it doesn’t change anything, does it?”

“Pardon?”

“We’re engaged for the sake of our families. Unless one of us commits a grave mistake, nothing about our arrangement will change.”

“What are you—?”

“I’m merely saying there’s no need for you to concern yourself with me anymore.”

With that, Delinda turned him out, pretending to focus on her meal.

You live your life, I’ll live mine, and we’ll get along just fine.