DSMBL Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Cassius called me. I was already resting after taking a warm bath and eating a meal.

Sir Giverny was standing next to him.

“I called you because I want to hear exactly what happened. Can you tell me?” Cassius asked in an unusually gentle voice.

Well, I did show up looking quite terrible. And on top of that, I was the victim of a kidnapping.

I explained everything in as much detail as I could remember.

“You don’t know who it was?”

I shook my head.

All I could recall were his dark brown eyes and grayish hair, but those features were common in the North.

“If we catch him, we can find out who was helping him from the inside,” Giverny said with a frown. He clearly didn’t like the idea that there were spies within the Duke’s household.

“Oh, by the way, his left leg was injured. Crinny broke it,” I added.

“His left leg?”

“If it was broken, he won’t recover easily.”

Cassius nodded. This was a big clue to finding the culprit.

“Is there anything else you remember?”

I stayed silent and looked at Cassius.

“Cassius…”

Would he be able to handle what I was about to say? He might blame himself for not protecting Theo.

“Tell me,” Cassius said, looking at me strangely.

Seeing my hesitation, he dismissed Giverny, leaving just the two of us.

“There’s something the man told me. It’s about the past, but it still affects the present.”

Honestly, it wasn’t a tragedy that deeply affected me.

I had never thought I was ready to be a parent. I never wanted to have children.

I was abandoned and raised in an orphanage.

I never learned how to love a child or raise one properly. The only thing I knew was how to survive.

I didn’t have the confidence.

Taking care of Theo and Stephanie was different. They came to me already grown.

So when I found out that Charlotte had become infertile, it didn’t impact me much.

But Cassius might feel differently.

I spoke carefully.

“The man was a traitor to Istheria, Cassius. He made me infertile and poisoned Theo to kill him.”

Cassius dropped the glass of water he was holding.

Thankfully, it didn’t break, but it rolled on the rug, spilling water everywhere.

“What… Theo was poisoned?”

Cassius looked completely shocked.

“And that man… he…?”

“He seemed to be a noble. He spoke with a Northern accent. It looks like he wanted to remove me and replace me with a new duchess.”

Cassius placed a trembling hand on his forehead and took a deep breath.

“I already knew… that it was my fault you became infertile.”

“Cassius…”

“I don’t know who he is, but I knew he had to be one of those greedy nobles.”

He lowered his head, looking lost. His broad, strong back somehow looked so fragile.

My heart ached.

“So I felt guilty. I felt so sorry.”

I already knew.

Charlotte might not have realized it, but I did.

That’s why Cassius could never abandon Charlotte.

I gave a bitter smile.

“And he kept giving me medicine too. It was a drug that damaged the brain.”

That explained why Charlotte had acted insane.

“He wanted Theo to die and planned to frame me for it. Luckily, he was a talkative man, spilling out all these secrets…”

Before I knew it, Cassius pulled me into a tight embrace.

In a soft voice, he kept whispering,

“I’m sorry, Charlotte. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry for what I did to you.”

I patted his back.

It was heartbreaking.

Was this really how things were meant to be?

The real Charlotte wasn’t even here to hear this apology.

This wasn’t meant for me.

I gently ran my hand down Cassius’s back. He would never be forgiven.

“It was my fault, Charlotte.”

Cassius always looked strong, but in truth, he had just been barely holding on.

I understood that well.

Cassius was a kind person deep down.

He just found it easier to hide his feelings than to express them.

That’s how he had been raised.

“Swallow your sadness and shield yourself with strength, Cassius. You are the guardian of the North and the Empire’s final sword.”

That was what the former Duke had always taught him.

He was shaped into a man who was cold, distant, and guarded.

I continued to pat his back, letting him release his emotions.

Listening to his pain.

“I’m sorry too, Cassius.”

For not being able to tell you the truth.

***

It was a shame, but after everything that had happened, we couldn’t stay at the villa any longer.

It was revealed that there were people threatening the Duchess. Before anyone else got hurt, we had to return.

“We’ll come back next time, Theo. Okay?”

“Yeah. Theo is a grown-up. I can understand.”

We couldn’t celebrate Theo’s birthday the way he wanted—with candles on a cake made of sand—but we still made a lot of memories.

Stephanie slowly sat down next to Theo.

After making sure the children were safely seated, we set off in the carriage.

This time, a search party was traveling with us. There was a chance I could be targeted again.

Janice and Lorencia also got into the carriage. Lorencia looked a little unhappy, but she didn’t say anything.

Cassius kept checking inside the carriage over and over again, making sure the children and I were safe.

He’s going to make himself sick at this rate.

I knew how he felt, but I still had to tell him several times that we were fine.

After arguing for a while, Theo and Stephanie finally fell asleep.

I gently brushed Theo’s forehead, now tanned darker than it was a week ago. When his head drooped to the side, I carefully supported it.

“Uuung…”

Mumbling in his sleep, Theo snuggled into Stephanie’s shoulder.

They fight so much, yet in moments like this, they stick together.

Shaking my head slightly, I leaned back against the carriage seat.

So much had happened.

But the real main event hadn’t even started yet.

I clenched my fist.

I was heading back without a word, simply accepting the circumstances.

But I had already decided—I was going to say goodbye to Cassius.

Seeing him struggle only made my decision stronger.

Whenever he looked at me, he would only feel more guilt.

And there was nothing I could do for him.

This role belonged to Lorencia. Even though she seemed distant now, once she found her place, she would fulfill her role.

“His birthday is coming soon.”

After Theo blows out his birthday candles—then.

Then, I would leave.

I strengthened my resolve once more.

But as I looked at Theo and Stephanie, my heart wavered.

I might never see them again.

That thought made me feel so sad.

Goodbyes were never easy.

It felt like tearing my heart away.

I gently poked Theo and Stephanie’s cheeks.

They frowned and shook their heads, annoyed.

I stared at them for a long time.

One day, they would grow up.

Would they still remember me then?

Ah, Charlotte, you fool.

You weren’t supposed to get attached, yet you gave them every last piece of your heart.

And now, you’re crying.

“Idiot,” I muttered.

Before anyone could see, I quickly wiped my eyes.