I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 96
After they finished their affair, Ricardo would hastily push Armilla away. But now, he was holding on to her. It made no sense.
‘Ever since I arrived in Renato, it’s been one absurd thing after another.’
Mirabel left Ricardo, who was deeply asleep, and got out of bed. She wrapped her robe tighter and took her veil, ready to leave the room.
She didn’t want to stay in the same space with Ricardo any longer.
Being near him stirred unknown feelings deep in her heart.
These feelings were a mix of hate, pity, and sometimes, agitation.
Whatever it was, Mirabel did not welcome these emotions. She wanted to feel nothing towards Ricardo.
She wished to ignore him completely, as if he was a stranger, as if he didn’t exist in this world.
‘Is that too much to ask?’
While walking down the hallway, Mirabel caught a glimpse of her reflection in a dark window and was lost in thought.
Maybe the moment she decided to come here, it was destined that she would be unsettled.
This was Renato.
This place was full of painful memories she could never forget.
“Princess?”
Mirabel, who was lost in thought at the window, turned her attention to a voice nearby. Nasir, holding documents in his arms, greeted her with a soft smile.
“Nice to meet you. I am Nasir Joachio, the Grand Duke’s aide.”
Mirabel nodded quietly. As Nasir was about to walk past, something seemed to occur to him, and he stopped.
“I have conveyed to the Grand Duke the request you made through your handmaid. However, visiting the cemetery will have to wait until after the snowstorm subsides.”
Mirabel responded with a nod. The mention of the grave brought back the image of Ricardo at Armilla’s grave.
Ricardo, crying out for Armilla.
He dug at the grave with his bare hands, muttering to himself like a madman.
It was a side of Ricardo that didn’t fit his usual cold-hearted demeanor.
Mirabel clasped her hands tightly. The thought of Ricardo, so utterly broken, made her feel suffocated.
“I heard the Princess was supposed to meet the Grand Duke this morning.”
Nasir observed the princess carefully, then adjusted his monocle.
“If the Grand Duke makes any mistakes… please be kind enough to forgive him.”
“Why should I do that?”
Mirabel’s clear voice echoed down the corridor. Nasir, surprised, widened his eyes before furrowing his brows. He carefully observed the princess before speaking.
“It’s because he had lost something precious. Surely, Princess has something precious as well.”
At Nasir’s words, Mirabel naturally thought of Charles. Thinking about her beloved son, coming into her arms with a bright smile, filled her heart.
Nasir watched the princess’s unspoken answer with kind eyes.
“It seems you know well what is precious to you.”
“Isn’t that the case for everyone?”
“Indeed.”
Nasir sighed at the end of his response. He continued with a troubled expression.
“However, His Grace did not realize what he had was precious. That’s why he was so devastated when he lost it. That’s why I hope you can be forgiving.”
“Precious things…”
“That’s not for me to say, I’m sorry.”
Nasir firmly closed his lips after responding to Mirabel’s question. He then turned away from the princess and looked out at the snow swirling outside.
“On such a dreary day, I was worried. If she’s safe, if she’s well.”
It was a murmur without a clear object, but Mirabel knew who Nasir was concerned about.
Nasir was worried about Armilla.
The realization tightened her throat.
Nasir had been one of the few kind people to her. His presence had made her stay in Renato bearable.
Mirabel suddenly realized that she had left behind not only Ricardo but also others.
Nasir, Luce, Missus Catarina… and even Ezio.
Armilla had turned her back on all the connections she had made in Renato. Those ties seemed gone now, but they remembered Armilla.
Mirabel bit her lip before speaking.
“They’ll be fine. Whatever you’re worried about.”
“I suppose so?”
Nasir smiled gently, then bowed to the princess and continued walking in the direction he was heading.
Mirabel stood in the corridor, watching Nasir’s figure shrink in the distance.
* * *
Ricardo suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils quivered, showing his turbulent thoughts.
His large frame felt the softness of the bed. When he realized this, he abruptly sat up.
Recognizing the green-decorated room, Ricardo let out a deep sigh.
He was in the guest room.
He remembered speaking with the princess, but what happened afterward was a blur. He must have overexerted himself trying to meet her.
‘Damn it.’
Ricardo steadied himself with trembling hands on his knees. Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t slept deeply since the room was still dark. He must have only lost consciousness briefly.
Ricardo gingerly walked around the room, then headed to the door to look for the princess.
After opening the door, he began wandering aimlessly down the hallway, his mind consumed with thoughts of Armilla.
Mirabel is Armilla.
Ricardo was convinced of it.
Whatever had happened, she had returned as Princess Mirabel.
During the four years he had looked for Armilla, Ricardo had obsessively recalled every detail about her.
Not just her features but her scent, her smile, her walk, and even her way of speaking.
Obsessively, Ricardo had recounted everything about Armilla.
That’s how he recognized her immediately.
The princess’s refined speech, tinged with a Segolinde accent, was identical to Armilla’s. Not just the manner of speaking, but the voice itself was the same.
Her different hair color and eye color did not matter to him, such external appearances could be easily altered with magic.
What really concerned him was her identity.
Could it be that Armilla had lost her memory as Princess Mirabel?
As Ricardo walked down the corridor, he clutched his throbbing head and staggered.
“Kugh…”
Cold sweat formed on Ricardo’s forehead.
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