I Unintentionally Cured the Grand Duke’s Insomnia - Chapter 100

50. — The Shackles Placed on Him (2)

“I’ll tell you in advance, I haven’t done anything, Irene.”

“…I’ll trust your words. You promised not to throw the first punch.”

“….”

“But why is this person kneeling in front of you?”

“Well, maybe I wasn’t originally a much better person than I thought I was.”

“What?”

Michael looked at Irene’s face, who looked as though she had no idea what he was talking about, and turned his gaze towards the man. As he sat crouched in front of the man and their eyes met, the man looked at him with a vacant face before quickly averting his gaze with a vacant expression.

As expected.

“It seems like this person knows something about my identity.”

“….”

“Is that right?”

Cus hesitated for a moment in response to Michael’s question as he turned to him and slowly nodded his head.

While he wasn’t certain, it was quite a plausible story.

Especially if the woman with the man was Irene Rochere, the empire’s only saintess who could save even those on the brink of death, it made the possibility even more likely. If, as he hypothesized, this man who looked exactly like Grand Duke Destro was indeed Abel Destro, who disappeared in the war five years ago…

This man might be the lifeline tossed to him from the heavens.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

“…That’s quite an interesting story.”

A somewhat bitter voice escaped his mouth as he glanced at me for a moment in response to my cautiously delivered words.

The corners of Cain’s mouth curled up so faintly.

“I shouldn’t be happy, Adelia.”

“Your Highness.”

“It’s absurd for a killer like me, who devours their own people, to become happy.”

“….”

“That’s something no one wants. There has never been a story like that in any of the books you’ve ever read to me, has it?”

I bit my lip as I watched him smile cynically.

I couldn’t offer hasty consolation by denying it. In the first place, it was entirely my fault that he became this way. It was because I gave him an unfortunate story. I wanted him to cling even more blindly to the ray of light he found in the deep darkness.

Cain stood up and looked at me, unable to say anything out of regret for the shackles I had placed on him.

“You must be tired, so let’s call it a day. I told you that what happened today was beyond your control, but I hope you’ll be more careful in the future.”

“….”

“…If something like this happens again next time, I don’t know what to do with you then.”

After he gazed at me silently and left the room without waiting for an answer, I bit my lip, looking at his exhausted face and his untouched plate of soup.

I didn’t want him to think of himself as a murderer.

I hoped he didn’t push himself to the limit. Even though it was undoubtedly me who made him that way, I didn’t want him to be sick or lonely anymore. It was definitely Irene’s role to save him. Still, I intended to release the shackles I had placed on him.

…No matter what.

At the thought, I shook the string hanging by the bedside. As soon as the bell rang, Lily ran into the room as if she had been waiting.

“Young Lady, what’s the matter?”

“Lily, do we happen to have any fairy tale books at our house?”

“A fairy tale book?”

“Yeah. If we have it, could you bring all of them right now? Every single one.”

As she nodded as if understanding my words, I caught a glimpse of her back as she turned to leave and grabbed her again.

“Lily!”

Lily’s eyes, which turned towards me, were also red and swollen.

I looked at her, whose nose was also red, and spoke carefully.

“…I didn’t send you on an errand on purpose.”

She stared at me for a moment as if pondering my words for a moment before the corner of her mouth quivered playfully.

“I know.”

“…You know?”

“Actually, at first, I thought maybe you had bad intentions and were trying to get rid of me.”

“….”

“The look in your eyes was different. Recently, your eyes have been the brightest since I’ve known you.”

Lily smiled at me, who was looking at her blankly. Then, after seeming to think for a moment as if it was a somewhat serious story, she added cautiously.

“And if I may say one more thing… To us, the Young Lady seems like someone who might leave at any moment.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been sick for over ten years and miraculously came back. Because of that miracle, I can’t help but think that one day, the miracle might disappear again, and you might leave us.”

“Lily.”

“So please cherish it. Young Lady, you have to live longer than anyone else. I believe anyone who loves you would think the same way.”

Saying so, Lily bowed her head slightly and briskly left the room.

I raised my head unnecessarily as I felt a tingling sensation at the tip of my nose. Of course, it wasn’t enough to stop the tears flowing down my cheeks.

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