HRNGDS 59

~Chapter 59~

If not for some deeper cause, Alfonso would never have abandoned Delphina so completely.

Johannes spoke gravely.

“I will not let Duke Rikeion remain in power. Even if he has suffered a significant blow from the indemnity issue, it is meaningless so long as he holds the dukedom. That is why I intend to strip him of his title.”

“You’re telling me this because there’s something you want me to do,” Delphina surmised.

“A message has reached the Information Guild,” Johannes continued. “It seems Sir Alfonso is heading to the Rikeion Duchy. He even sent a letter to the Duke’s estate, saying he intends to visit you.”

“My grandfather said he wanted to see me?”

Johannes nodded.

“He has always cherished you. He must wish to know how you’ve been living.”

“I… don’t know how I feel about that,” she admitted quietly.

“Delphina.”

“If Grandfather truly cherished me, he would never have left me in my uncle’s care. Even if my uncle had done something to force his hand…”

A look of sympathy crossed Johannes’ face, for he understood the wounds she bore.

“Still,” he said gently, “perhaps you should consider his circumstances.”

“His circumstances?”

“Yes. I cannot yet explain why he abandoned you and chose seclusion, but if you meet him and persuade him, he may reveal the truth himself.”

Johannes fell silent then.

He wanted to tell her everything but dared not entangle her in danger.

If not for Alfonso’s rumored visit to the Rikeion estate, he would not have revealed even this much.

“When he arrives at the estate, I want you to persuade Sir Alfonso to help us depose Duke Rikeion,” Johannes said.

“Me?”

“Yes. I’ve heard Duke Rikeion is already on edge over news of Alfonso’s movements. I suspect he intends to summon you, fearing your grandfather will discover your engagement to the Grand Duke with no preparation.”

“You think my grandfather will truly visit the estate?”

“He can’t possibly know you traveled to the North to become engaged. If he learns that truth, Alfonso will never forgive Duke Rikeion… not if he’s still the man I remember.”

Johannes’ gaze darkened as he looked at Delphina. The girl he had once known had been timid, unable to defy Duke Rikeion’s commands.

He worried she still feared the duke.

As long as Delphina remained ensnared in the duke’s grasp, he could not move against him freely.

Johannes shut his eyes tightly.

As long as she holds any lingering attachment to them, I cannot act as I wish.

He was determined to utterly crush Duke Rikeion, and Alfonso’s cooperation was essential to his plan.

But will gentle-hearted Delphina truly try to persuade Alfonso?

Johannes knew Alfonso’s fury would be unrestrained once he learned how Delphina had been treated at the estate.

He may even go so far as to strip Duke Rikeion of his title himself.

Yet there was one person who could stay Alfonso’s hand: Delphina.

If she begged him to forgive Duke Rikeion, he would have no choice but to comply.

This was what Johannes feared most.

Even now, he could not be sure Delphina was completely free of the dark influence that had once bound her.

No matter how much she has changed, I cannot be certain.

But her answer shattered his expectations.

“Yes, I’ll help you. I don’t know if I can persuade Grandfather, but… in return, Your Highness must promise me one thing.”

“…?”

“Crush my uncle completely. Leave nothing behind.”

“Delphina?”

“I’m not the sort to forget the wrongs done to me. Destroying him entirely will be a blessing for the people of his lands as well.”

Johannes was momentarily speechless. Delphina truly seemed free of the dark influence.

“You’re stronger than you were before,” he said quietly. “Then I can finally tell you this.”

“Tell me what?”

“I feared you’d be too shocked if you learned the full truth. In the past, knowing it would have changed nothing. But now…”

Johannes’ expression hardened.

“The Grand Lady’s recent injury in the North… and what happened to you, to the High Priest, and to Sir Alfonso as well…”

“…”

“There is a possibility it was all the work of black magic. A curse designed to manipulate people for someone’s purpose.”

Delphina was stunned, unable to speak. Johannes, seeing her turmoil, suggested they end the meeting.

“I wish I could stay longer, but too many eyes are watching me,” he said, regret lacing his voice.

“I hear you are pursuing a lawsuit against Ivelina,” he added. “You are likely to win. Duke Rikeion will not sit idly by. He will try to coerce or threaten you in any way he can.”

“You think he’s plotting something?”

“He will want to bring you back to the estate at once. He knows the outcome of the trial is inevitable and is trying to buy time.”

“…”

“He will do everything possible to contact you. He will order you to drop the suit. Even if he doesn’t, he must suspect that you’ve changed. He’ll want to see for himself.”

Leaving those words behind, Johannes departed.

Delphina sat in silence, her face tense with thought.

I’d already suspected as much.

Before regaining the memories of her previous life, she had never once doubted Duke Rikeion.

But after recovering them, her first emotion had been distrust.

Johannes is right.

Her eyes narrowed, cold with resolve.

Elcayan sat beside her, a silent presence at her side.

Calix, too, was there, his muscular frame taut with suppressed anger.

“How dare those wretches harm Lady Delphina’s family… Shall I avenge them now?”

“…What?”

Calix’s hand reached instinctively toward his waist, as though ready to don his mask and depart at once.

Delphina said nothing for a moment, struck by the thought that Calix might actually be capable of carrying out such vengeance.

“No, I won’t let you become a criminal on my behalf,” she said firmly.

“Lady Delphina…”

“If revenge must be taken that way, then I’ll do it myself!”

Calix glanced at her slender arm with worry, knowing she could hardly wield a sword.

She caught his look and smiled softly.

Elcayan, too, watched her with concern. “Are you truly all right, Delphina?”

“Yes, I am. In fact, I feel better than before I knew the truth. Now I feel nothing but the desire for retribution.”

They had once been people she considered family. She had once longed to belong within their walls.

But now, that time felt like a distant past.

Delphina steeled herself.

Learning what her uncle had done did not shock her.

After all, her goal had not changed.

She would have her vengeance.