Chapter 139

 

As if nothing had happened, Leroy walked straight toward Iona with calm steps.

 

As the distance between them gradually closed, a faint crack appeared on Iona’s face.

 

Iona, watching Leroy approach her, was overcome with an indescribable feeling.

 

It was the first time. The first time someone had saved her from a predicament.

 

Iona had always been the one protecting others.

 

It wasn’t just the years she spent as Richard’s escort.

 

Iona had to take responsibility for herself from a very young age, a time she could barely remember.

 

Hayden, who regularly scolded her as if pruning an unsightly branch, Nils, who raised his hand at the slightest provocation, Yvonne and her cronies, who constantly schemed against her.

 

To protect herself from those with malicious intent, Iona grew stronger just to survive.

 

Eventually, Iona became strong enough not to lose to them, but to win, she had to fight.

 

Countless exhausting battles and boring victories repeated themselves.

 

She didn’t realize it then, as she had always faced them alone.

 

She didn’t know that she could share her burdens with someone else, that having someone on her side could be so reassuring and comforting.

 

“Duke, I...”

 

Iona, calling out to Leroy, choked back the overwhelming emotions and stopped speaking.

 

Leroy gently embraced Iona’s arm.

 

Feeling his warm touch on her skin, Iona reflexively bit her lip.

 

Leroy spoke softly to the hesitant Iona.

 

“Whatever you want to say, say it outside.”

 

“......”

 

“I want to hear love confessions when we’re alone.”

 

Leroy raised his voice to add.

 

Because he was blocking her view, she couldn’t confirm it herself, but she felt everyone’s eyes on him.

 

Iona’s gaze was also entirely fixed on him.

 

Iona, staring blankly at Leroy, barely managed to nod her head.

 

Whatever words Iona had intended to say, they had now turned into an expression of affection for her lover.

 

Iona could leave the room not as a filthy bastard, but as the precious fiancée of the Duke.

 

As if it was alright for her to love him, as if she was someone worthy of being loved.

 

Iona matched her steps with his and left the place that had tormented her.

 

***

 

Back at the main residence, Iona guided Leroy not to the dining hall but to her room.

 

The effort of the chef, who had showcased his skills after a long time, went unappreciated, but neither Leroy nor Iona was particularly hungry.

 

Upon reaching her bedroom on the second floor, Iona dismissed the maids and personally closed the door.

 

Leaning her back against the door, Iona took a deep breath.

 

Eventually, she spoke with difficulty.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Leroy, who had been looking around the changed room, finally turned his head toward Iona.

 

He asked, puzzled, “What are you apologizing for?”

 

“I’m sorry for not telling you from the beginning. I never intended to deceive you with bad intentions...”

 

Iona stopped her excuses and bit her lip.

 

She felt utterly pathetic for spouting such implausible excuses.

 

Lowering her eyes, Iona muttered her apology as if in pain.

 

“No, I’m sorry. If I could, I wanted to hide it from you until the end. I didn’t want you to know my flaws.”

 

“I feel the same way. And it’s not a secret I wanted to know.”

 

Leroy replied calmly to Iona’s words.

 

Iona tensed up, feeling as if his response was a reproach.

 

Leroy had sided with Iona in front of Yvonne, but that was because Yvonne was a common enemy that needed immediate attention.

 

There were other matters to be addressed between just the two of them.

 

Anticipating his reproach or blame, Iona lowered her eyes.

 

However, his next words were slightly different from what she expected.

 

“It wasn’t something I needed to know, and it wasn’t something you had to confess. So, there’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Nothing will change.”

 

“……”

 

“What I’m really curious about is something else.”

 

Leroy, who had been walking around the center of the room, stopped and turned to approach Iona.

 

His face was stern, but his anger wasn’t directed at her.

 

Standing before her, Leroy slowly closed his eyes.

 

As he erased the image of the grown-up Iona, the past he had been constantly replaying in his mind became clearer.

 

The young girl had said that he would be unhappy if he didn’t marry someone he loved.

 

She believed that her current state and being left alone without parents were all because of that. She lived accepting unhappiness as her fate, with those words someone carelessly uttered etched in her heart.

 

Leroy had always thought that it was the fault of the unworthy adults who had taught her wrong.

 

But after learning about Iona’s birth, the meaning of her past words read a bit differently.

 

‘I must be being punished for doing something really bad.’

 

‘What did you do wrong?’

 

‘I ran away.’

 

Recalling her young voice, Leroy bit his lip hard.

 

He tasted the metallic tang of blood before he relaxed his jaw and struggled to calm down as he asked,

 

“After that incident, did the Count find you and officially register you? Or,”

 

“......”

 

“Did he imprison you to hide the existence of an illegitimate child?”

 

“......”

 

“I need to know.”

 

Iona, who hadn’t expected him to connect the dots and infer the past, involuntarily took a step back.

 

But there was a wall right behind her, and her attempt to put distance between them failed.

 

Instead, she turned her head away to avoid his gaze.

 

She had no idea what to say to him.

 

The words wouldn’t come out.

 

How could she tell him how pitiful she was, and with her own mouth at that? She would rather die.

 

Even though she knew things would be easier with his help, she had handled most of the matters related to her family herself.

 

It was all because she didn’t want him to see her miserable side.

 

She didn’t want his pity.

 

That was the one thing Iona hoped for in this marriage.

 

She didn’t want to be dragged up from the bottom by his help again; she wanted to stand by his side as an equal.

 

That was all she wanted...

 

“The Count died too peacefully.”

 

Leroy muttered as if realizing something while staring intently at Iona.

 

His eyes twisted fiercely.

 

In disbelief, Leroy let out a bitter laugh.

 

He raised his hand to his mouth as if to swallow the harsh words threatening to spill out.

 

But his anger wasn’t quelled, and in a voice laced with murderous intent, he spat out,

 

“How could anyone wearing the guise of a human do such a thing...?”

 

“Don’t speak like that.”

 

Iona hastily interrupted.

 

Her only thought was to stop Leroy from delving further into this matter.

 

Without fully grasping her own words, she continued to dissuade him.

 

“Don’t think about how I was back then. Don’t try to piece together how I must have lived before and after. As if I went through something I shouldn’t have, as if I grew up strangely...! Don’t...”

 

“......”

 

“Don’t pity me.”

 

The final words came out almost as a whisper, as she was out of breath.

 

Feeling her cheeks dampen, Iona roughly wiped her face with the back of her hand.

 

The revelation of her hidden truth made the miserable moments of her past life repeat like a broken record.

 

She couldn’t believe she was crying in front of him over the same thing again.

 

Her hand moved more forcefully as she wiped away her tears.

 

Leroy gently caught her hand, guiding it down to her side. Then he rummaged through his clothes for a handkerchief.

 

Realizing his pockets were empty, he frowned slightly.

 

He remembered he had left the handkerchief behind after cleaning his hands in Yvonne’s room.

 

With an inward sigh, Leroy took a step closer and cupped Iona’s cheek.

 

He roughly wiped the dampness from under her eyes with his thumb and then pressed his lips there.

 

The warmth of another person settled on her tear-streaked eyelids.

 

Startled, Iona flinched involuntarily.

 

Leroy tilted his chin back slightly and spoke soothingly.

 

“I’m not pitying you.”

 

“......”

 

“I’m feeling sad and angry. Because that’s the right thing to do.”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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