Chapter 13

Just as Anais stood there without the strength to move, Nectar opened his mouth again.

“Whatever it is, it’s too soon for the poison. She might still be useful.”

“That’s why I only gave her one bottle. After all, she needs to take several, right? Didn’t that woman die after drinking three bottles? So she should be fine.”

“If she’s anything like her mother, that should be the case.”

She had thought there was nothing left that could hurt her.

But then, what came out of Nectar’s mouth was the revelation that the man she had believed was her father had poisoned her mother.

“With that toxin, the cause of death can be written off as suicide, like back then.”

“How tidy.”

Her father’s voice, responding, sounded not just relieved but almost buoyant.

Unable to listen any further, Anais quickly turned and walked away. As she stumbled into the lower corridor, she felt her limbs trembling uncontrollably. It was as if pitch-black water, creeping upward from her feet, had suddenly surged to the top of her head, swallowing her whole.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The unnaturally loud pounding of her heart filled her head, and she couldn’t move a single step. Standing frozen in the dark hallway, she could do nothing but wait for the fear coiled around her body to subside.

“Ha…”

Forcing out shallow, deliberate breaths, Anais dredged up one clear sentence from her chaotic mind.

‘The people I believed were my family… never were.’

They were people who used her, only to throw her away afterward, just like they had done to her mother. The mother she had resented for abandoning her and leaving her behind had, in truth, passed away unjustly. She realized it all too late.

“….”

Standing alone in the dark, Anais didn’t even notice that her fingertips had gone pale from clenching her fists so tightly.

Struggling to hold back the flood of indescribable emotions, she lowered her head as if to hide her reddening eyes. Still unable to control her trembling body, she remained like that for a long time, until an unexpected voice reached her ears.

“Lady Anais? Why are you alone in the dark…?”

The Grand Duke, who had trailed off mid-sentence, quickly approached her.

Thud.

He draped a heavy coat over her trembling shoulders. With the warmth of his body still lingering on the fabric, her trembling slowly began to subside.

“…Lady Anais.”

The Grand Duke called out to her in a voice both cautious and gentle.

“Are you all right?”

Still unable to lift her head because of the emotions she couldn’t conceal, Anais heard his kind whisper slip softly into her ear.

“Hide your emotions. Do what others expect of you.”

Every rule that had governed Anais crumbled away in an instant.

With those rules broken, Anais began to move instinctively, doing what she truly wanted. The moment she lifted her head and met the Grand Duke’s eyes, the tear she had fought so hard to hold back slipped free.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

In the dark corridor, where the only source of light was the moonlight streaming through a few large windows, Anais, standing still in the center, lifted her gaze to Diego.

When her wounded face appeared between strands of hair as silver as moonlight, Diego froze.

Something felt different. Her expression was stained with sorrow.

The violet eyes that had always been firm were now filled with resentment, resignation, and grief. When a single tear slipped free, Diego stood frozen, unable to move.

“Ah…”

The involuntary gasp slipped from him, his gaze wavering.

He raised his hand toward her back, as if to comfort her, then pulled it back. His fists clenched and unclenched as if he were unsure of what to do. All the while, Anais stared at him, her restrained sobs gradually breaking into trembling cries.

In the pale moonlight spilling through the window across from them, her violet eyes glistened with sorrow. And Diego, watching her cry without end, finally rested a hand on her back and gently patted her.

Anais, her face etched with sorrow, began to cry, covering her face with one hand. Diego couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.

With her face buried in her hands, she stifled even her sounds, leaving the corridor utterly silent.

“….”

Diego bit his lip and stood quietly, waiting.

After a moment, when her tears had subsided slightly, he finally spoke.

“If you’re alright with it… would you mind showing me around outside the mansion? The moon is bright, and I thought a walk might be nice.”

At last, she lowered her hand from her face and stared at him for a moment before giving a small nod.

Diego, silently watching the glimmer still lingering in her tear-filled eyes, extended his hand.

Anais hesitated briefly before lightly resting just her fingertips in his palm.

Holding her only as much as she permitted, he gently drew her a little closer to him. The motion made Anais sway like a ripple in water. Diego instinctively caught her in his strong arms and quickly stepped into a nearby empty room.