Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 5

Chapter 3.2

As she shrugged and slid the ring onto a necklace, tucking it inside her dress, she heard movement outside the door. Startled, Delinda quickly jumped into bed, lying down as if she had been there the whole time.

The heavy door slowly creaked open, and someone entered the room. Delinda pulled the blanket up to her chin, hiding the maid’s clothes she had changed into.

“Delinda, are you asleep?”

It was her father, Duke Schultz. Delinda’s eyelids twitched in the darkness, but she pretended to be asleep.

The duke sat beside her and gently stroked her hair before pulling back the blanket slightly.

A warm hand rested on top of hers.

“I hope you’re not hurt…”

His worried voice echoed above her. Delinda kept her eyes closed, having already missed the perfect moment to “wake up.”

Concerned with how Delinda had grabbed the spirit stone’s flame with her bare hands, the duke examined her hand, gently pressing around.

Even though it was clear she hadn’t been injured, his concern persisted.

Delinda felt something strange stir inside her.

Is this… what it feels like to have a parent?

Delinda—or rather, Han Ji-an, who had taken over Delinda’s body—had never experienced such affection.

She had been an orphan from birth, and in the real world, no one had ever shown her any affection.

No one had cared about her.

It was as if Han Ji-an was a person who left no real trace of existence.

“I always feel guilty, Delinda. As your father, I will do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

“…”

“Sleep well, my beloved daughter.”

With a tender farewell, the duke stood up. His gentle affection faded away with the sound of his footsteps leaving. Delinda clenched her fists under the blanket.

‘This is strange.’

It felt so strange.

‘Why is my heart…?’

Why does my heart ache like this? It’s not even me he’s worried about.

Biting her lip, Delinda curled up under the covers for a while, her emotions in turmoil.

* * *

Delinda grunted as she climbed over the wall. The only guards protecting the vast mansion were two knights stationed at the entrance, making it a perfect time for a nighttime escape.

“I can’t let Delinda’s father go bankrupt. I’d end up going down with him, wouldn’t I? Even if this is just a temporary home, I still deserve to live happily.”

As she left the mansion and glanced back, she saw the tall spire of the mansion. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the duke, who rested inside.

The reason Duke Schultz felt so guilty for no reason was probably because he loved his daughter so much.

Is that just how parents are? Is unconditional love from someone really this warm? Do other people live their lives receiving this kind of affection?

…They must be really happy.

There’s no way I can take his daughter away from him.

“I’ll do whatever I can until I return your daughter’s body to you! First things first, I need to gather information about spirit stones!”

The capital of the Barkyan Empire was well maintained, even in the back alleys. With skilled capital guards and a mindful public, it was safe enough for a woman to walk alone at night.

The warm lights of restaurants and shops glowed from every corner of the alleys, and smiles filled the faces of passersby.

Delinda tossed back her hood and cheerfully walked down the street.

“If I turn this corner and cut through the alleys, there should be a shortcut… and that’s where the tavern should be.”

As she naturally made her way toward the path her body seemed to remember, she was met with a tall wall blocking what should have been a passage.

“Huh? This wasn’t a dead-end before.”

Could the path have changed without her knowing? Well, it has been five years.

Delinda tilted her head in confusion and started feeling along the wall. But instead of touching something solid, her hand sank right through the wall.

It was as if the wall had turned into soft pudding.

“Agh!”

Delinda’s body wobbled as she lost her balance. She was pulled through the wall, and she flailed her arms in panic. Grabbing for anything to steady herself, she grasped an empty metal drum.

Crash!

She hit the ground with a loud sound. Clank, Clank… The metal drum rolled away noisily.

“Ah…”

Delinda groaned, lying flat on the ground like a squashed frog. She tried to push herself up off the ground with her hands.

But beneath her palms, she felt something slimy.

What the…

It felt damp and unpleasant. Delinda grimaced, her fingers tensing.

‘…Something’s wrong.’

Everything was eerily silent. It felt as if time had stopped, an unnatural stillness hanging in the air.

Just moments ago, there had been cheerful music playing, so why now…?

The ground beneath her face smelled of wet earth.

And mixed with that was a metallic scent.

“…”

Delinda’s breath caught in her throat.

Blood.

It was blood.

The sticky substance that had coated her hands was undoubtedly a pool of blood.

Terrified to confirm what she already knew, Delinda squeezed her eyes shut.

This was the first time she had experienced something so frightening. Her body slowly froze up, and her fingers began to tremble with instinctual fear.

Then, through the paralyzing tension, she heard unfamiliar footsteps.

Step, step, step.

Calm, measured footsteps.

Someone was approaching.

With a rigid expression, Delinda barely managed to shift her gaze. She saw blood-stained shoes slowly moving toward her.

She couldn’t fully grasp what kind of terrifying situation she had stumbled into, but one thing was clear. The blood on those shoes did not belong to the person wearing them.

Delinda closed her eyes again. She was too afraid to see who it was.

Amidst the suffocating fear, the only sound she could hear was the low, pounding rhythm of her heart.

The footsteps that had been echoing in her ears finally stopped.

Delinda knew. The person was now standing right in front of her as she lay flat on the ground. She could instinctively sense the shadow looming over her.

The silence stretched on, feeling like an eternity.

Delinda was so gripped by fear that she could barely breathe. Then, when she could no longer hold in the tension, she finally exhaled.

“Whose mutt are you?”

A deep voice, like the rumble of a forest being shaken, weighed heavily on her.