We're in a Contract Marriage, But I've Imprinted - Chapter 206
As Ian was being sucked deeper into the swamp, memories of the past flashed before him like a speeding carousel. They weren’t exact recollections, but rather a reimagined version shaped by his hopes—a past that he longed for.
He imagined running and playing with the young Melissa, taking Monica’s whip punishment instead of Melissa, or protesting to the former Count before bringing her to the Duchy as his fiance. The moments he never had but dreamed about weren’t so bad to think about.
He turned his gaze toward the fresh scent that guided him, and for a brief moment, it seemed like he saw Melissa, faintly visible through a misty veil that blocked his vision. Afraid she might disappear again, he reached out with a trembling voice.
“It’s too late, but… just once, give me a chance, Melissa.”
“…”
“I’m sorry I can’t fully understand your pain…”
“…Is that how someone who understands does this?”
The kind dream, not just her appearance and scent but even her voice, offered him mercy. Even though her voice was angry, it filled him with a strange kind of happiness.
So, like a fool, he smiled and replied with words he hadn’t been able to speak in reality.
“I didn’t know how… to return your heart. I know how to do many things… but I didn’t know how to apologize.”
“Do you think I’d like it if you acted like this, doing something so stupid, or as you say, foolishly?”
“But…”
Ian suddenly felt something was wrong. His once blurry consciousness began to clear, and just like that, the blurry image of Melissa became sharp and distinct.
“…Mel?”
She stared at him with a stiff expression, her violet eyes slowly scanning his body. With each passing moment, her expression grew colder.
“Did you think I wanted this?”
“…No, Mel, wait.”
Melissa could no longer stay in the same place as him. She hated this déjà vu-like situation, and she couldn’t bear to watch him so badly hurt, any longer.
She didn’t know exactly what she was feeling. Was it anger? Surprise? Or was it the pain from past memories…?
Ignoring Ian calling her name, she left the room. With a pale face, she headed to Diers’s room but ran into the former Duke in the corridor. Though he had stopped crying, his face remained full of sorrow, and he spoke in a subdued voice.
“Could you spare me some time?”
“…Is Dia asleep?”
“He’s been active since morning. As soon as I laid him down, he fell asleep.”
“I can’t take much time.”
“That’s fine. Just a moment.”
They were led to the sitting room by Henry. Melissa looked at him with a cold gaze, something she hadn’t done in a while.
“…I’m glad to see you’re in good health, Madam.”
“I’m no longer the person you serve. So, the title ‘Madam’ is uncomfortable for me.”
“I apologize. I’ll be more careful.”
Henry, burdened with guilt and regret from Melissa’s glance alone, hurriedly placed the refreshments on the table and quickly left the sitting room.
She couldn’t hide the confusion and frustration she felt. Ian had suffered the same fate as her, no, it wasn’t an accident, it was more accurate to say it was self-inflicted.
Nonetheless, the fact that Ian had been injured in the same way, with such serious injuries, made it hard for her to say he was fine. Particularly, the burns that marred his skin left her heart sinking just by looking at them.
“…Has Ian woken up?”
At the Duke’s question, Melissa felt puzzled
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to check yourself, Your Grace? I assume you haven’t looked in on him yet?”
“I did visit briefly this morning, but he hadn’t regained consciousness then.”
“He just woke up a little while ago, so you should check for yourself.”
“I figured he would wake up if you were there.”
“…What do you want to say to me? I don’t intend to stay here long.”
The Duke’s way of speaking reminded her of Ian. The father and son both had a tendency to beat around the bush instead of getting to the point, and it was starting to wear on her.
“Aren’t you curious as to why I was certain he’d wake up with you there?”
“It was probably just a coincidence, the timing.”
“I don’t think there are such things as coincidences.”
The former Duke, without even looking at his teacup, sat lost in thought for a while before speaking again.
“There’s something my father always told me, something that stuck with me from a young age. He used to say, ‘Alphas should never imprint.'”
“…So, what exactly are you trying to say?”
At the mention of imprinting, Melissa became more wary of the former Duke. Could it be that he knew she had imprinted on Ian? But now, it seemed that wouldn’t matter; perhaps the story hadn’t been passed on.
“I’ve heard that when an Omega imprints, they die alone, but if an Alpha imprints, they bring death to everyone around them. I had a duty to protect my family, and Ian was meant to be my successor, to protect our name.”
“That’s a ridiculous thing to say.”
“Haha, yes. Looking back, it sounds contradictory. But in the end, death is the same. After you die, what good is the family?”
Melissa stood up, irritated, as the former Duke kept talking about things that didn’t seem relevant. But before she could leave, the former Duke quickly added another remark, as if he was trying to stop her.
“I’m saying this because I see you don’t understand. As a father, I wanted to save my son.”
“Go ahead.”
“Ian has imprinted.”
“…What?”
She tilted her head, as if she had heard something strange. He had imprinted? On whom?
“He imprinted on you long ago. It’s been years since the madness and illness started. Judging by your expression, it seems you didn’t know.”
“…That can’t be true.”
“Why not?”
“If he had imprinted on me, he wouldn’t have let me leave this place.”
“That is strange.”
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