I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 97
Sleepless nights brought relentless headaches to Ricardo. The headache struck unexpectedly, severing his train of thought. The pain as if needles were pricking his brain, occurred sporadically.
“Ugh…”
Leaning against the wall, Ricardo’s broad shoulders heaved. Overcome with pain, he slid down the wall to the floor.
Despite the agony, he tried to get up.
He needed to find Armilla, Princess Mirabel. He wanted to see her again, to plead with her.
Please, don’t leave yet.
“Huh!”
Struggling to support himself on his knees, Ricardo suddenly collapsed forward. He braced himself with his arms, desperate not to lose consciousness.
If he passed out now, Princess Mirabel might leave in his absence.
Ricardo couldn’t bear the thought of letting her go without another word.
His eyes bulged as he strained to push himself up.
That’s when he heard it.
“Grand Duke…?”
It was Princess Mirabel’s voice.
For a moment, Ricardo thought he was hallucinating and didn’t immediately look up. But then her voice came again.
“What are you doing here? Why are you like this?”
The princess knelt down and placed her hand on Ricardo’s shoulder, spreading warmth from the touch.
Ricardo’s eyes shot open as he gasped for air, his breathing soon steadied and the pain magically subsided.
He looked up at the person who had eased his suffering.
The woman with a golden veil, tried to remove her hand.
“Don’t.”
Ricardo said hastily, grabbing her hand and pulling down the golden veil covering her face. He grasped her face with trembling hands.
“Don’t leave me.”
“…”
“I was wrong.”
Princess Mirabel’s expression hardened. She coldly knocked his hand away.
“It seems you’re still half asleep.”
The princess stood up coldly, facing Ricardo with a frosty gaze. Ricardo, feeling the fear of being left alone, spoke urgently.
“Don’t go. I know you. I’ve thought about you every day. You’re my wife. You loved me. You said you were mine.”
The princess did not move. She stood quietly, looking at Ricardo.
As Ricardo began to speak again, the princess interrupted with a question.
“What if that’s true?”
Confused by her question, Ricardo looked at her. The princess met his gaze with a calm voice.
“If I am Armilla, what changes?”
Caught off guard, Ricardo took a sharp breath. His hand tightened on the thin veil he was holding.
His lips quivered, and his eyes shook with a heart pounding furiously.
“If you, if you really are, Armilla…”
“Even if I am Armilla.”
In Ricardo’s eyes, Armilla, or rather Mirabel, continued.
“Nothing changes.”
Mirabel’s blue eyes darkened. She looked directly at Ricardo and said firmly,
“Armilla has already left you, and she’s dead.”
“No.”
“No?”
Her beautiful lips twisting into a cold smirk. Mirabel looked at him with disdain.
“Have you forgotten? You killed her. You played with the person who desperately wanted your love and then killed her. Poor Armilla.”
Ricardo’s face drained of color at her calm and clear face. His throat bobbed, and his sharp jaw trembled.
He clenched his teeth, and no excuses came out.
There could be none. Everything Mirabel said was true.
A person can die without being strangled or stabbed. If pushed to the brink by neglect and persecution from a loved one, they can reach a breaking point.
Duke Ricardo Vittore, Renato’s master, had killed the woman who loved him. The woman who craved his love died miserably.
Alone in a vast field of snow.
That Armilla was dead was known to all of Renato.
“She didn’t die!”
Everyone but Ricardo.
“Armilla isn’t dead!”
A roar like the cry of an angry lion echoed through the hallway. Ricardo suddenly stood up and grabbed Mirabel’s slender shoulders.
His veins bulged on the back of his hand as he held her. Trembling like a frightened person, he spoke desperately.
“Why would you say that? You are alive. If you are alive, then why…”
“Do you want to believe that?”
Mirabel scoffed at Ricardo’s attitude of denying his guilt. A cold and beautiful smile momentarily crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself and spoke.
“You’re still shameless.”
Her icy voice made Ricardo’s large frame flinch. At the same time, his grip on Mirabel’s shoulders weakly fell away.
“I’m sorry.”
Ricardo’s knees hit the cold hallway floor. He knelt down in front of Mirabel.
“I’m sorry…”
Mirabel was unmoved by his actions. She just stared at him with cold eyes.
“If this is your attempt to gain my sympathy, let’s end it here. It’s not fun.”
Ricardo froze at Mirabel’s chilling words.
Those were his words. Words he had used to intimidate and mock Armilla when she had run away. Now those words were returning to him like arrows.
“The deal is over. You said it yourself, didn’t you? The moment I ran away, it was over. We are nothing to each other anymore.”
Ricardo shook his head quickly at Mirabel’s declaration that was cutting him off.
It wasn’t over. He couldn’t end things with her. If she cut ties, he wanted to force them back together.
Ricardo began to plead frantically.
“Don’t say that. I’m sorry for being too late, for leaving you alone. I… I…”
Ricardo’s voice faded as he spoke. His large body began to tremble uncontrollably.
“I mistreated…. you…”
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