Chapter 13

"Let go of me!"

Adeline screamed in a high-pitched voice that would have woken up the entire Horn village had they not been in the forest.

She struggled to free her shoulder from the grip, but the more she tried, the tighter the grip became.

"Help me, someone! Please help!"

She cried out, hoping someone, anyone, would come to her rescue.

The irony of her situation struck her – reincarnated as a character in a novel, only to be led to her death by her own biological father.

Her plight was indeed tragic, and she thrashed about in desperation.

"Adeline!"

The familiar voice that seeped into her ears made Adeline's shoulders jerk.

She cautiously lifted her head.

"Mel? Why are you here?"

Only then did Adeline realize that the person holding her was Cassius.

She frantically looked around, clutching the sleeve of his coat.

"Did you see anyone following me? Are you alone? Are you alright?"

Her grip on the Duke was trembling uncontrollably.

Drenched by the pouring rain, water streamed down from her hair, forehead, and eyes, obscuring her vision.

"It's okay. I'm alone. No one is following me."

The Duke lifted his hand to wipe the water off her cheek.

It wasn't just rainwater.

The temperature of the droplets warming his fingertips revealed they were Adeline's tears.

"I was just worried about you, Adeline. But what's this about someone following you?"

Adeline's legs gave way under the guileless gaze of the Duke.

There was no one.

The person following her wasn't the Duke's men but this man!

Tears of relief and resentment towards the man mixed and streamed down her face.

"Why… why did you come out here!"

Her emotions surged momentarily.

"I told you to stay at home!"

She had repeatedly instructed him not to come out, yet he couldn't resist and had come looking for her.

Normally, it might have been a matter to be gently resolved.

But perhaps due to the constant tension of being pursued by the Duke, Adeline had reached her limit.

She was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

She should have been grateful to the Duke for braving the storm to fetch her, but her body couldn't follow her mind's understanding.

"It's okay, I'm here…"

Adeline pushed away the Duke's arms trying to embrace her.

Her gaze at the Duke was icier than a frostbite, chilling enough to freeze the man's heart.

The Duke had only intended to lower the small zipper and leave.

But as he touched the zipper, his intentions changed.

Seeing the breathless Adeline, he wanted to tease her. So he deliberately began to lower the zipper slowly.

His initial aim was just to unsettle her, but as more of her pale skin was revealed, he felt himself getting lost.

What was meant to be teasing turned into him being tormented.

Seeing Adeline's white skin, he couldn't control himself.

Even though he knew she would be troubled, he buried his lips in her shoulder.

Predictably, Adeline startled and turned around, and the Duke, unable to face her expression, just held her still.

"Haa…"

The Duke feared she would look at him with contempt.

So he kept his head down, unable to face her.

Why did he, the amnesiac, create such a situation?

He felt utterly pathetic about his amnesiac state.

Suddenly, something hot surged in the Duke's heart.

What if his memory never returns? What then?

He wanted to clarify his relationship with Adeline.

Turning her towards him, he lowered his head, relieved to see no contempt in her eyes, just an endless quiver.

He thought he'd be satisfied with just their lips touching. But the moment he felt her breath, he couldn't think straight.

Unwittingly, he gripped her waist tightly, then gently enveloped her in his arms.

"Ah."

Startled by a flash of lightning through the window, Adeline pushed him away. His heart ached at her pushing hands.

He looked into her lost eyes and couldn't help but smile affectionately.

Deciding to let her go for today, he said, "Go wash up."

He needed to cool down too. Unable to do so in the same space, he left the bedroom.

After some time, the rain stopped, and he encountered Adeline in the hallway. Seeing him, her face flushed, and she ran off towards town.

Initially, he thought she'd return soon. But contrary to his expectations, darkness enveloped the world.

Remembering the thin dress she wore, he started to worry. It was chilly.

Driven by concern, he grabbed a coat to find her.

Entering the forest path to town, the rain began again. The initially light rain soon became a downpour.

Unable to return home with worry, he started searching for her, holding the coat over his head to block the rain.

After some searching, he spotted her under a large tree.

"Del! You're there!"

He shouted, unsure if she could hear him over the rain.

"I'm coming, wait there!"

He yelled louder, but Adeline started running in the opposite direction.

"That's the wrong way! Where are you going!"

He quickened his pace to catch her.

"Stop!"

No matter how much he shouted, Adeline kept running.

Eventually, he saw a landslide up ahead. Despite the danger, Adeline tried to hide among the debris.

Rushing over, he grabbed her shoulder.

"Aaack! Let go!!"

She screamed as if she had seen a monster.

"Calm down! It's me."

"Aaack! Someone help!!!"

"Adeline!"

"Mel? Why are you here?"

It seemed she recognized him in her panicked state.

Now Adeline started sobbing.

"Did you see anyone chasing me? Are you alone? Are you okay?"

She was almost hysterical.

The Duke felt choked up seeing her precarious state. Who had driven her to this?

"It's okay. I'm alone. No one is following me. I just came out because I was worried about you. But what's going on? Someone chasing you?"

But it was him who had been following her.

"Why… why did you come out here! I told you to stay at home!"

Her tears were thicker now.

She must have been really scared.

He didn't know what it was, but he felt a pang of sympathy for her and wanted to comfort her.

But Adeline harshly brushed off his hand.

Then, Adeline spat out resentful words.

"From now on, even if I don't come, never, ever come out!"

"How can I stay at home if Del doesn't come?"

"Don't come out when I tell you not to."

Adeline was unwilling to compromise with the Duke's words.

His lips curled into a hollow laugh at her unyielding attitude.

"How can I do that when I'm worried?"

"Why do you worry about me? Don't! Just stay at home whether I come or not."

Adeline raised her voice.

Her emotions towards him seemed almost close to hatred.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

All he did was go out searching for his late-returning partner.

He was just worried. Worried that Adeline might get hurt or lost in this storm.

"Is it so hard to stay in the mansion?"

Her sharp words continued endlessly. Her furious tirade made Cassius's red eyes darken deeply.

His reflection in her gray eyes looked so pitiful.

What made her so angry and anxious?

"Don't worry about me if I disappear, get captured, or even die. Just leave me alone."

Was his concern only bothersome and inconvenient to her?

The rain kept pouring heavily. His heart felt torn apart.

His eyes became sorrowful. Wounded.

He wished she could understand his genuine concern for coming here.

But maybe it was obscured by the heavy rain. His sincerity didn't reach her.

Pain throbbing in his heart, he unconsciously grimaced, then noticed her hand.

The bandage wrapped around her hand was soaked and half-unraveled.

No longer feeling his own pain, he focused on her suffering.

"Alright. If you have the energy to be angry, let's continue at home."

They didn't speak a word to each other on their way home.

The unresolved emotional rift just deepened in the rain.

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This novel has been translated up to chapter 35.

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