I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 75
“Read it.”
“What?”
“You came to read it, didn’t you? Go on, read it.”
Valerio was taken aback by the arrogance in the command.
Ricardo’s condition was said to be bad, but had it gone as far as madness? Treating an envoy who brought the Emperor’s decree in such a manner, and that too the Crown Prince.
“Are you out of your mind?”
At Valerio’s rebuke, Ricardo let out a deflated sound and began to chuckle, eventually breaking into laughter.
“Ricardo?”
“Yes, I’m mad. A lunatic. I should never have let Armilla go. I should have chained her down. Damn it…”
Ricardo muttered to himself before his voice started to rise.
“Do you know? She said she hated me. Even though she claimed to love me. When did she start hating me? Why did she come to hate me?”
“What are you talking about?”
Valerio was bewildered. The Ricardo he knew was a man of unshakable resolve. Yet, now he seemed utterly fragile.
Through the cigarette smoke, Ricardo appeared a complete wreck.
His naturally sharp features seemed more pronounced due to weight loss, his lips were parched, and his under-eyes were dark from lack of sleep.
“Armilla, my wife.”
Responding to Valerio’s question, Ricardo’s eyes suddenly sparkled. A chilling light danced in his purple eyes as he abruptly stood up.
Without giving Valerio a chance to step back, Ricardo advanced and snatched the imperial decree.
“Ricardo!”
“The name written here. This name… Armilla Vittore. This is my wife.”
Ricardo kissed the name in the Emperor’s decree as if it belonged to his beloved.
Valerio was stunned by the sight.
The decree was the same as the ones previously sent to Ricardo.
It stated that Armilla Vittore could not be recognized as the official Grand Duchess, and Ricardo was to marry Julia Adalberto, the daughter of Durante Adalberto.
Ricardo acted as if only the name Armilla Vittore mattered to him and disregarded everything else.
“Why are you doing this? Where is this wife of yours?”
At Valerio’s perplexed question, Ricardo slowly detached his face from the decree. He looked at Valerio with eyes filled with rage,
“I don’t know.”
“….What?”
“I said I don’t know.”
Ricardo appeared lost and confused, like a child who had lost his way. He dropped the decree and his hands began to tremble. His thick fingers covered his gaunt face.
“I can’t find her. I’ve searched the mountains again and again, killed all the beasts, dispatched knights. I’ve done everything possible… but I can’t find her…”
Ricardo slowly collapsed and sat down. He supported himself on the floor with his hands as his shoulders shook.
“Please, Armilla…”
Valerio quietly gasped at Ricardo’s sobbing.
Ricardo was crying.
Ricardo Vittore was a man who would remain calm even if someone were to slit his throat.
Yet, to see such a person break down and lose himself like this was unimaginable.
“Hey, Ricardo…”
“Your Highness, it’s best you leave now.”
As Valerio tentatively placed a hand on Ricardo’s shoulder, Nasir quietly opened the door and called him out. Valerio reluctantly moved his feet.
It was an odd feeling.
Valerio had lived his entire life detesting Ricardo. He hated the Grand Duke who received all the affection from their father, an affection Valerio himself never got.
Everything Valerio wanted, from his father’s attention, was Ricardo’s.
Yet today, Valerio found himself feeling pity for Ricardo. For the first time in his life, he felt sorry for him.
* * *
“What exactly happened to the Grand Duke?”
Valerio asked Nasir in confusion as he stepped out of the office. Nasir looked exhausted, rubbed his face and dryly responded.
“Please pretend you didn’t see anything.”
“How can I ignore this? Since when has he been like this? Don’t tell me, he’s been in this state for the past year?”
“This must not be disclosed outside. The borders of Arcangelo must remain strong.”
Nasir evaded the question.
“Just tell the Emperor he’s been suffering from a minor cold.”
“…Understood.”
Valerio reluctantly agreed. It was a matter of imperial peace, so he had no choice but to cooperate. However, his taste soured as he replied.
“I heard the Grand Duchess disappeared. So it’s true that the Grand Duke was deeply infatuated with the Duchess.”
At Valerio’s murmur, Nasir made a peculiar expression but added no further comment. He only nodded.
“That’s why he’s deeply distressed now.”
“That’s not just ‘distress’. Why did the Grand Duchess disappear? Was she kidnapped?”
“If only it were that simple.”
Nasir sighed, looking at Valerio before changing the subject.
“You must be tired. We’ve prepared a place for you to rest before you return to the palace. This way.”
“Nasir.”
Valerio stopped Nasir as they walked down the hallway. He couldn’t return to the palace with this unsettling feeling.
“Tell me what’s going on. I need to know.”
Nasir looked at Valerio carefully, as if trying to gauge his intentions.
Nasir knew the Crown Prince was keeping the Grand Duke in check.
Yet, he had allowed the Crown Prince to meet the Grand Duke because he was the bearer of the Emperor’s decree. To refuse an envoy of the Emperor would be nothing short of treason.
Want to read more? Advanced chapters are available on Patreon:
For update pings, novel discussions and/or to send mistake reports, join our discord server~!