I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 84
Valerio entered the room and found himself at a loss for words.
He had urged Ricardo to conduct the Grand Duchess’s funeral to help him acknowledge her death.
But he never anticipated this outcome.
With a heavy heart, Valerio asked.
“Was this what you meant by ‘ending it’?”
At Valerio’s calm question, Ricardo sat up and began to roughly unravel his bandages.
As Ricardo gripped the bandage, pulling it as if to tear it apart, red stained the white bandage.
The wound that was barely stopped from bleeding, reopened as Nasir exclaimed in shock.
“Stop this!”
Nasir’s cry was echoed by Ezio and Valerio, who each grabbed one of Ricardo’s arms, urging him to stop. Ricardo, with bloodshot eyes, gritted his teeth.
“Let go.”
“No.”
Ricardo scowled at Valerio’s voice and slowly turned his head upon hearing the firm tone.
Spotting the Crown Prince, Ricardo offered a dry smile.
“Good timing. Go back to the imperial palace and confess to the Emperor that the Grand Duke is plotting treason.”
“Why? To be sentenced to death? Just do crazy things on your own.”
The frustrated Valerio let go of Ricardo. He ruffled his hair and said,
“I can’t stand to watch this anymore.”
Valerio sighed, seeing Ricardo’s wrist, half-unwrapped. He sat on the bed and spoke to Ricardo.
“You said she ran away because she hated you. If you die on the day of her funeral, do you think you’ll meet her in death? If I was the Grand Duchess, I’d detest being followed to the afterlife and run away even there.”
Valerio’s biting words made Ricardo clench his jaw. Valerio stood up, glaring at him one more time,
“I can’t bear to see you like this any longer. The rest is up to you. I’m heading back to the imperial palace.”
Valerio walked with long strides, then stopped at the doorway. He turned to look at the still-seated Ricardo and said.
“Live. Think about what she would have wanted, what she could do while alive. That’s what atonement is.”
Ricardo flinched at Valerio’s words. A flicker of light began to shine in his previously dim eyes.
As Valerio’s footsteps faded away, Ricardo lifted his eyes. He then turned his head to look at those around him.
“Nasir, bring me the ledger from the past year.”
“…Pardon?”
Nasir was taken aback by the sudden request. Why ask for the ledger all of a sudden?
Yet, his master continued to issue orders calmly, one after another. It was all related to the administrative tasks that had been halted since Armilla disappeared.
Only then, Nasir managed a smile, taking a deep breath.
Though the reason was unknown, it seemed Ricardo had come back to his senses.
Believing so, Nasir went to fetch the requested ledgers from the office, unaware that his belief was soon to be proven wrong.
* * *
“Charles!”
“Prince! Please stop!”
The voices of Mirabel and her maids echoed in the royal garden of the princess’s palace in Segollinde.
The young prince, who had only recently started toddling, was now darting around the garden with surprising speed that it was difficult to keep up.
Catching her breath and leaning on her knees, Mirabel turned to Sophie, asking for her help.
“Sophie, could you please fetch Charles for me?”
“I would love to, but look at him.”
Sophie looked apologetic and gestured towards the black-haired prince who was gleefully chasing butterflies around.
“He’s full of energy. Wonder whom he takes after.”
Realizing her slip, Sophie covered her mouth in shock.
Mirabel, as if she hadn’t heard Sophie’s remark, looked expressionlessly at her son.
The sight of his bouncing black hair in the spring breeze and his big blue eyes made her smile silently.
“Charles, come here.”
When Mirabel opened her arms, Charles stopped running and, with a bright smile, ran towards her.
Sophie, who had been futilely chasing after the prince, shook her head at the sight of the prince running towards Mirabel.
She should have known. Charles was always ready to listen to his mother’s call.
“Mommy!”
The soft lips of the child touched Mirabel’s cheek. Mirabel smiled brightly and rubbed cheeks with him.
“Our little rascal!”
“Mommy, Charles catch buwufly!”
“No, that’s not okay. We need to let the butterflies fly freely. That’s how we show our love for them. Understand?”
Mirabel gently pressed Charles’s pert nose, explaining kingly. The child blinked his large eyes, trying to grasp her words, then suddenly hugged her tight.
“Hmm!”
Whether he understood or was simply expressing his affection, Mirabel couldn’t tell. She hugged the warm child and smiled.
Charles, who is now three years old, was a bright and lovely child. He enjoyed playing pranks but never did anything to inconvenience others. He always prefers to stick close to Mirabel.
“Mommy, love you.”
Since learning to speak, he had taken to declaring his love whenever he wanted.
“Mom loves Charles too.”
Whenever Mirabel thought about how Charles could have never been born, or even worse, could have been killed by his own father, a chill ran down her spine.
Charles allowed Mirabel to forget Ricardo. Yet, because of Charles, she was reminded of Ricardo too.
The jet-black hair is so like Ricardo’s, and sometimes the sharp glint in his eyes.
“You’re nothing like him. He was only ever cruel.”
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