I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 102
Ricardo stood on a storm-lashed mountain, a huge leader beast towering in front of him.
And there was Armilla, standing still, staring up at the beast.
“Armilla!”
Ricardo shouted urgently and ran toward her. But his legs sank deeply into the snow, slowing him down.
Even so, the beast kept approaching Armilla. Ricardo screamed until his throat bled.
“Get away, Armilla!”
At Ricardo’s cry, Armilla looked at him. Her green eyes were filled with resentment.
Seeing the emotion in her eyes, Ricardo felt his heart shatter.
“Come here, hurry!”
Despite Ricardo’s call, Armilla didn’t move. She stared at him and let a tear drop. The tear streamed down her red, cold-bitten cheek.
And as the tear hung on her chin.
“Grooowwwl!”
The beast snatched Armilla away.
“No!”
Ricardo cried out and reached out his hand. At that moment, his vision suddenly brightened.
“Hah, hah, huh…!”
Ricardo woke up from the dream and gasped for air. Nasir said something beside him, but it was unclear. Clutching the blanket, Ricardo gritted his teeth.
It was a nightmare as vivid as reality. His whole body was soaked in sweat. But Ricardo knew the truth.
Armilla hadn’t died.
She had returned, living as Princess Mirabel.
“The princess?”
Ricardo’s voice cracked as he spoke. He wanted to meet the princess, to see Armilla with his own eyes. He wanted to confirm that she was alive.
“That…”
Nasir hesitated and couldn’t answer right away. His attitude was unlike himself who always had an answer ready.
Sensing something was off, Ricardo sharply turned his head. His violet eyes sparked as he looked at his aide.
“Where is the princess?”
His question was tinged with urgency, making Nasir roll his eyes. When Nasir avoided answering, Ricardo’s eyes widened.
“Answer me, Nasir.”
“I advised against it…”
Hearing Nasir’s response, a chill ran down Ricardo’s spine. He kicked off the blankets and hurried down the corridor.
‘Could it be, she’s already left?’
The Princess wanted to leave Renato as soon as possible. Despite Ricardo’s plea to wait until the snow stopped, there was little chance of her agreeing.
‘Damn.’
Ricardo violently pushed open the mansion’s main door.
As soon as the door opened, a biting cold wind swept in, but Ricardo paid it no mind and called for the butler.
“Paolo!”
“Yes, yes, Master.”
“Prepare a horse, immediately.”
“What?”
Paolo asked in confusion and Ricardo gripped the door handle tightly in frustration.
“Hurry!”
“But, Master, why the horse all of a sudden…”
When Paolo lingered, Ricardo’s patience snapped.
Without saying anything, Ricardo headed towards the stable. Then, Nasir’s voice caught him from behind.
“Your Grace! Please, just wait a moment!”
Ricardo ignored Nasir’s shouts and continued to run towards the stable.
He was anxious. He had just met Armilla and couldn’t let her slip away.
“Your Grace!”
Nasir ran after Ricardo with all his might, but he couldn’t catch up.
Eventually, Nasir had to shout from a distance.
“The princess has gone to the cemetery!”
Hearing this, Ricardo stopped in his tracks. He stood on the snow-covered path, his chest heaving.
While Ricardo caught his breath, Nasir struggled to reach him.
“Your, Your Grace. Huff, huff!”
Nasir finally reached Ricardo and placed shoes at his feet.
“First, please put these on.”
Only then did Ricardo realize he had rushed out barefoot. However, he didn’t even think about wearing the shoes as he spoke.
“…She went to the cemetery?”
“Yes, I told her to wait until the snow stopped but she said she couldn’t delay any longer. I was just about to tell you that.”
Nasir looked embarrassed as he faced the Grand Duke. Ricardo was disheveled; his thin white shirt was completely unbuttoned showing his chest, and he only wore black trousers.
It was a weather so cold that teeth would chatter even under several layers of coats, yet he seemed unconcerned.
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
Ricardo muttered to himself and then looked at Nasir. He calmed his eyes and asked.
“Did she say she was heading to the capital right after that?”
“She was going to, but the Ragnar Bridge collapsed under the snow.”
“The bridge collapsed?”
Ricardo narrowed his eyes at Nasir’s explanation.
The Ragnar Bridge was the only bridge connecting Renato to the capital.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the ‘only’ bridge, but it was effectively the only one during winter. The other bridges would get buried under the snow.
“When did it collapse?”
“Last night. When the princess heard the news, she said she wanted to at least visit the cemetery. It seems she felt too confined staying inside the mansion.”
“What about the bridge repair work?”
“With this weather, to conduct repairs…”
As Nasir’s voice trailed off, Ricardo understood him and spoke in a calm tone.
“We’ll have to wait for the snow to melt, then.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And since they can’t cross the snow mountains, they can’t go to Segolinde either.”
“Indeed.”
After hearing Nasir’s reply, Ricardo sighed deeply. He gazed at the cloudy sky with a cold look and then covered his face with his hands.
“It’s a relief…”
“Pardon?”
Nasir tilted his head, puzzled by Ricardo’s murmur. But there was no further explanation.
Ricardo stood silently for a while.
As the snow began to fall again, he finally lowered his hands from his face.
“Are you all right?”
“I have to be.”
Ricardo muttered to himself as if casting a spell. Then he started walking back towards the mansion.
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