~Chapter 15~
I buried my face in my knees.
Bianca, go see Ricardo already!
My grandfatherâs voice seemed to ring in my ears.
âLeon, I knew from the start that kid was trouble. That wild temper of hisâwhere do you think thatâll end up?â
The newspapers were filled with gossip about Leon and Ricardo. The article about me and Ricardo, which my grandfather had managed to get published, had long been buried.
âŠWell, it deserved to be buried.
In the photo, Ricardo and I both had veins bulging in our necks. It didnât exactly scream âloving couple.â
The reporter tried to pass it off as a loversâ quarrel, but we had a real fight. A nasty one.
I glanced at the bouquet on the table. It was the bouquet Grandpa had prepared, telling me to visit Ricardo.
âŠI should go.
But the thought of facing Benjamin and the knightsâ disapproving looks made it hard to move.
Oddly, my stomach churned.
***
âŠLeonhart Owen.
Ricardo repeated a manâs name over and over.
Such an ignorant fool. He didnât even know how to shoot a bowâswinging it around like a stick was laughable.
âI asked you to tell the butler last timeâŠâ
Lost in thought, Ricardo snapped out of it at Idetteâs voice.
âTell me now.â
âYes⊠Lady Siren really did die in the Magic War.â
The magic war. A dreadful conflict that lasted for the past 20 years. The Duke of Hessen and Marquis Roygin had fought in it and returned victorious.
ââŠI figured.â
He had expected it. She had come back under a dead personâs name.
Ricardo gave a dry chuckle as he played with his teacup.
The dead returning to lifeâwhat nonsense.
But for some reason, the royal family was hiding this fact.
âWhat about the Tower Master?â
ââŠI donât know. I did wake up, Lord Peril, but we werenât that close.â
As Ricardoâs eyes turned dark, a nervous Idette quickly added, âMaybe… just a little bit closer now.â
âIsnât that what youâd call being close?â
Ricardo tilted his head.
The Tower Master, Peril. He had definitely been at the hunting competition. He looked pretty close to Bianca too.
That woman did see meâsaw me bleeding and writhing in pain.
But she turned her head away like she hadnât seen anything.
âŠWe made eye contact. If we did, shouldnât she have run to me, worried?
The old Bianca wouldâve done that. With tears streaming down her sly, lying face.
Yeah. Thatâs what shouldâve happened. Worrying about meâthatâs the proper thing to do.
Thatâs what was always expected from a fiancĂ©e. The courtesy the Roygin family drilled into her.
So why didnât she come?
âŠEven now.
Was that apology she gave me fake too? If not, then why?
Was that first love story she told me all true?
Then who was it?
Leonhart? Or that snake-like, flirtatious Peril Edwin?
Can feelings really change that fast, Bianca?
Just then, the teacup in Ricardoâs hand shattered with a loud crash.
Idette, startled, shouted in panic, âYou donât seem well. Iâll be going now!â
âWait.â
Ricardo stood up and pulled out a document from his drawer. He handed it to Idette.
âThis is the information you asked aboutâLord Picard.â
âTh-thank you!â
Idetteâs eyes lit up at the unexpected gift, but then she hesitated and cautiously spoke.
âUm⊠will you be addressing the rumors?â
âWhat rumors?â
âThe ones going around⊠about you and me.â Idette swallowed nervously.
âYou donât actually⊠have feelings for me.â
âWhy not? It might be true.â
At that, Idetteâs face went stiff like sheâd heard something she wasnât supposed to.
âI know you want something from me, and youâll act kind until you get it.â
ââŠâ
âBut⊠your engagement to Lady BiancaâŠâ
âOh, are you worried my engagement to Bianca will be broken because of you?â
Because of you? Ricardo let out a small laugh, as if that were the most ridiculous thing.
Idette looked down, knowing he was right.
Ricardo, still half-smiling in mockery, said confidently, âBianca wonât leave me.â
ââŠâ
âShe never did.â
She talks about first love, but I know that was a lie.
Bianca always smiled her most beautiful smile when she lied. Just like back then.
Thatâs how I knew she was lying again.
Idette parted her lips to speak, but then stayed quiet.
ââŠThen Iâll be going now.â
Sheâs leaving me?
The Marquessâs illness was just an excuseâeveryone could see that.
…And that she loved someone else too.
She used to cling to me with all sorts of excuses.
So now, suddenly leaving me?
That canât be.
Knock knockâ
âDuke, Lady Bianca is here,â Benjamin said.
Ricardo gave a sly smile.
See, Bianca? You canât leave me.
ââŠShall I tell her youâre restingââ
âLet her in.â
Ricardo quickly lay back on the bed.
Ricardo said I could come in?
I was surprisedâIâd expected to be turned away.
Creakâ
Inside, there were two teacups on the table.
No way Ricardo had prepared them for me.
One of them had lipstick on itâŠ
Idette.
She was the only woman Ricardo ever kept close.
Ugh, the timing is just awful.
Even with his arm covering his eyes, Ricardo looked oddly cheerful lying in bed.
âŠWhat the heck? Is he this happy just from seeing Idette?
Thatâs annoying.
I rolled my eyes and carefully spoke.
âUm⊠if youâre sleeping, Iâll just goââ
âWhy did you come?â
Ricardo looked at me sharply, like he was a completely different person.
âF-for a hospital visit.â
âThis late?â
âŠWas it late? The hunting competition was yesterday.
He was the one who told me to leave so he could rest, and now heâs snapping at me?
But I couldnât exactly get mad at a patient.
I ignored his tone and set the bouquet on the table.
âIs your leg okay?â
ââŠThey said I wonât be able to walk for a week.â
âOh no.â
I was so jealous.
But of course, I couldnât show it, so I forced my face to look concerned.
âThen what about your official dutiesâŠ?â
Ricardo slowly sat up.
Startled, I rushed to help him.
âI still have to do them.â
Being a duke must be awful. Doing paperwork from bed⊠just the thought made me cringe.
âShouldnât you be resting, though?â
âItâs my leg thatâs injured, not my brain. It wonât affect my work.â
Fine. Good for you.
I didnât have that kind of passionâguess thatâs why Iâm not a duke.
âAnyway, what do you plan to do about Earl Owen?â
That was the real reason I came.
I have a gut feeling he got hit on purpose.
Leonâs frustrated voice echoed in my mind.
Even I doubted Ricardo would fail to dodge Leonâs arrow.
Leon was worse at archery than I was.
Still, what reason would Ricardo have to let himself be hit?
Ricardo responded with a strangely annoyed tone.
ââŠSo youâre more worried about the earl than me?â
âOf course not.â
In any case, he was the one who got hurt.
âI donât plan to hold him responsible. I donât even want an apology.â
âŠThen what do you want?
I felt a bit uneasy at what he might say next.
When I looked at him, Ricardo let out a dry laugh.
âWhat? Are you afraid Iâll punish him too harshly?â
âThatâs for you to decide.â
Maybe I shouldnât have brought up Leon.
I quickly tried to change the topic.
âWell, if youâre doing fine, Iâll get going.â
Just as I was about to say goodbyeâ
âAsk me for help like you used to.â
His voiceâcold and arrogantârang out.
I can’t decide whether or not I’m for this duke fellow….
The response, at least my response, is in your name… I know it won’t happen but I hope she finds someone else.