DSMBL Chapter 04

Chapter 4

I gripped Theo’s hand tightly.

A familiar sensation washed over me, as if all the strength and energy in my body were draining away. It felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper into the ground.

“Gasp, gasp. This… this isn’t something three bowls of rice can fix. Gasp, gasp. I’m seriously going to collapse.”

After lying face down on Theo’s bed for a moment, I lifted my head. The child, whose face now looked much more at ease, came into view. The color had returned to the once pale and lifeless face.

If I kept doing this, Theo might actually get up from his bed.

“Theo, I promise I’ll make sure you can stand up again. I swear.”

With a bit of strength returning to my body, I managed to stand up. My shaky legs struggled to support me as I rose. Carefully, I slipped out of the room cautiously and then quietly returned. Afterward, I retrieved the tools from the balcony and hid them under the bed.

Phew, I didn’t get caught.

Alright, let’s keep it this way, Charlotte.

****

When Luna touched the door, she felt a chill run down her spine. She was certain she had locked it when she left, yet somehow, it was now open.

“Could it be…!”

Luna quickly opened the door.

There had been a time before when the door was broken. It had happened when Charlotte had thrown a vase at it.

At that time, Cassius replaced the door to Charlotte’s room without telling her.

It was a door that locked from the outside rather than the inside. He had taken this measure because he could no longer endure Charlotte’s behavior of locking herself in and threatening to end her life.

Following his orders, they always made sure to lock the door before retiring for the night. Although Charlotte had been behaving quietly for the past two weeks, Luna couldn’t help but feel tense, recalling the strange things Charlotte had done in the past.

If the duchess had done something strange again…!

“I let my guard down.”

Luna hurried into the room, her footsteps creaking on the wooden floor as she approached the bed.

Even though it was a sunny morning, Charlotte was sound asleep, her face was peaceful. And She was even letting out a faint, rhythmic snore.

“Nothing happened,” Luna muttered unconsciously.

She knew all too well what kind of person Charlotte was, yet her sleeping face appeared as innocent as a child’s.

Recently, Charlotte was unusually quiet, almost as if she were an entirely different person.

With a strange expression, Luna stared at Charlotte.

“I need to be more careful from tomorrow.”

Still, it was odd. Luna distinctly remembered locking the door each night, yet on several mornings, she would find it open again.

“Is the door broken?”

That didn’t seem to be the case, as it usually locked perfectly fine. What kind of trickery was this?

Luna gave Charlotte, still sleeping deeply, an odd glance.

She considered the possibility that Charlotte might have done something, but watching her sleep so soundly, she doubted it.

“I’ll ask the butler to install a new door,” she decided.

But since custom orders would take some time, she decided to pretend not to notice for now, ensuring Charlotte didn’t realize the current door was broken.

****

It had been three weeks since Luna was assigned to watch over Charlotte. That also meant three weeks had passed since Charlotte last wielded a weapon.

To everyone’s surprise, Charlotte had been remarkably calm during this time, and as a result, the mansion had been peaceful.

Cassius rose from his seat, deciding it was time to check on Charlotte himself.

“It’s already 9 o’clock,” he muttered, exhaling a tired sigh.

Supporting a massive household and maintaining the family’s business was no easy task, especially with rumors circulating that the duchess had lost her mind.

Next week, he and Charlotte were expected to attend the founding festival hosted by the imperial family. Not only had their marriage been arranged by the imperial family, but attending together would also serve as proof that Charlotte was doing well.

Cassius wanted to confirm for himself that Charlotte had recovered enough to attend the event.

“What is Charlotte doing right now?”

The head butler lowered his head respectfully.

“She should be preparing to sleep.”

“Then I’ll have time for a brief conversation right? Let’s go.”

Cassius stood up from his desk and headed toward Charlotte’s room.

However, when he opened the door and found her bed empty, Cassius had to restrain himself from shouting.

“…Damn it.”

The room was completely empty, with a pair of slippers lying discarded on the floor. Mocking him, a piece of fabric fluttered from the balcony railing.

Cassius glared at it before summoning the household.

“Find her immediately!”

“I’m sorry, Your Grace!”

Luna knelt on the floor, her face pale as a sheet.

The door that had mysteriously been unlocked every morning wasn’t a coincidence, after all. She felt a pang of frustration toward herself for staying silent, deceived by the sight of Charlotte innocently sleeping.

She shouldn’t have trusted Charlotte.

That woman was, without a doubt, a master at betraying trust.

“Find Charlotte immediately.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Luna gritted her teeth, responding sharply before darting out of the bedroom.

“That wretched woman… that awful woman,” she muttered under her breath, curses spilling out instinctively, picked up from her time on the streets.

It would have been better if Charlotte had simply acted out like before, attempting suicide or injuring maids! At least then, she had been easier to deal with—because she had been right in front of them.

If she vanishes like this and causes a scandal…

Luna shut her eyes tightly. She knew she wouldn’t escape responsibility.

The weight of that thought quickened her steps. The first person she sought out was the head maid.

“Please help me, Head Maid!”

The head maid, who had been preparing for bed, turned toward Luna with a startled expression.

“Luna? What’s going on?”

“The duchess is gone! She seems to have left through the window. His Grace has already been informed and has ordered us to find her immediately. Please gather the servants—”

“I understand, Luna.”

Cutting her off, the head maid threw a shawl over her shoulders and grabbed a lantern.

“Let’s wake everyone up.”

“Thank you, Head Maid!”

Luna’s eyes welled with tears, and the head maid clicked her tongue at the sight.

“So she hasn’t changed after all, despite seeming quieter lately.”

This kind of commotion had become so familiar that the head maid could barely suppress a sigh.

***

It wasn’t long before Charlotte was found—in none other than her younger brother Theo’s room, the very person she had cursed and condemned so often.

As soon as Cassius received the news, he immediately made his way to Theo’s room. Through the partially open door, he could see Charlotte looking flustered as she faced the gathered servants.

Cassius stepped into the room, gesturing for the other servants to leave.

“You really have no bounds, do you?” he said coldly, his eyes narrowing as they settled on Charlotte.

“…Oh dear,” Charlotte muttered, swallowing hard as she rose from her seat like a ghost.

She had just finished treating Theo and had been taking a short break before heading back.

But suddenly, the door had opened, and pale-faced servants had poured into the room.

“We’ve found the duchess,” they had announced as if she were some runaway prisoner.

Despite her attempts to explain, no one seemed to listen. They acted as if Charlotte had truly become a prisoner, and among them, Luna glared at her with eyes full of resentment.

And then Cassius arrived.

“Cassius, I can explain everything,” Charlotte began.

“Explain what?” he cut her off sharply. “That you’ve finally decided to finish off the brother you’ve cursed and despised for so long?”

His icy gaze flicked between Theo and Charlotte, full of disbelief and anger.

“Is that corpse more important to you than I am? Look at me instead of that damned corpse!”

Charlotte had insulted and dehumanized Theo countless times, referring to him as a lifeless corpse. For Cassius, seeing her in Theo’s room now was beyond comprehension.

“What has Theo ever done to deserve this? Why do you keep pushing things this far?”

Charlotte shook her head desperately. She had to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Cassius, please listen to me. I’ve been using my divine power to treat Theo. That’s why I—”

But before she could finish, Cassius raised his voice, cutting her off again.

“Stay away from Theo! You’re truly beyond saving. I asked you to do nothing—to just stay still! And yet here you are, causing more chaos. Marrying you was the worst decision of my life. Escort the duchess back to her room immediately!”

The servants, who had been murmuring among themselves, stepped forward to restrain Charlotte.

As they guided her out of the room, she brushed past Cassius and murmured in a small, subdued voice,

“…I’m sorry, Cassius. I overstepped.”

Her voice, lacking its usual sharpness, sounded defeated.