Chapter 187: A Change of Heart
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187: A Change of Heart
“Why would you say that? You know how much I think about you, Loik.”
“If that’s the case, how can you be so careless with your own body?”
Feeling a bit sheepish, I hesitated before answering. “It was just an accident…”
“You could have been hurt, Annette.”
His dark eyes sank into a heavy, somber depth.
“Do you have any idea how startled I was when I saw the blood the Prince spilled? To think that it could have been yours…”
Loik bit his lip hard and muttered, “You didn’t have to meet in such a dark and dangerous place.”
A hint of hurt lingered in his low voice.
“And after such a major accident, how could you even think of staying behind at the theater to handle the aftermath?”
As he spoke, Loik eventually turned his gaze away, looking genuinely sulky.
Was I really that thoughtless?
“Um, I’m sorry.”
I reached out and wrapped my hand around his long index finger to soothe him. He flinched for a moment, then, as if unable to resist, he finally intertwined his fingers with mine.
“I think you’re laboring under a grave misunderstanding, Annette,” he murmured.
“You act as if I could actually go on living without you.”
“You can’t live without me?” I asked playfully.
Loik lowered his eyes with a slight pout. “How could I possibly live without you?”
Contrary to his grumpy expression, his touch was full of affection as he toyed with my hand.
“You are my only light, my sun.”
His low voice vibrated near my ear.
Perhaps embarrassed by his own words, the tips of Loik’s ears turned a bright crimson as he whispered, “So please, be careful from now on. You hold two lives in your hands.”
My heart fluttered at his words.
“…I will.”
Only then did Loik slowly lift his head.
To think a man of his stature would kneel before me and call me his sun. Meeting those dark eyes filled with such deep devotion, my heart swelled with a blissful, intoxicating warmth.
I leaned in and gave him a kiss that landed with a soft mwah.
“You’re not upset anymore, right?”
Loik seemed startled for a second, but his eyes soon narrowed playfully.
“I’m still a little upset…”
He tilted his head and pressed his soft lips against mine.
“Is it alright if I keep doing this until I’m not upset anymore?”
I could do this all night.
My face flushed hot at the suggestive tone in his voice. Before I could even think of an answer, his hot tongue slid smoothly between my parted lips. The searing heat soon left my mind in a hazy, dreamlike state.
*
“Where is the Count?”
“He has been in the drawing room for about an hour, Your Grace.”
At Perel’s report, Loik swallowed his rising irritation as he strode down the hallway.
I should be in bed right now, held in Annette’s arms…
Loik licked his lips, where the lingering sensation of the kiss remained, trying to soothe his disappointment. He had almost lost control and gone further.
Not tonight. Annette must have been so shaken by the accident…
He wanted to pat her to sleep tonight and make sure she rested comfortably, rather than troubling her. The thought that she might have another nightmare like last time made him feel uneasy.
I need to finish this quickly and get back.
Loik quickened his pace.
Upon entering the drawing room, he saw Count Arbor sitting hunched over on the sofa. Loik dropped onto the seat opposite him and got straight to the point.
“Well then, let’s hear your excuse.”
The Count’s lips quivered, but he couldn’t find the words to speak.
“The condition was clearly that we wouldn’t let this matter escalate.”
The sensation of Annette’s fingers running through the hair at the back of his head was still vivid, and Loik absentmindedly brushed his hand against his neck.
“To involve the Countess and cause such a scene… should I take this as a sign that you wish to challenge me?”
The Count cut in desperately. “My wife acted without consulting me! I’ve been looking for her all day since she left the house this morning. I had no idea she would pull such a stunt at the theater…!”
After Lady Meisel had been locked in the dungeon, Loik had summoned the Count to inform him of his daughter’s crimes.
— “The Lady shall be executed.”
The kidnapping of the Grand Duchess, collusion with a black shaman, and treason against both Blenheim and the Empire. Faced with the staggering list of his daughter’s crimes, Count Arbor hadn’t dared to utter a single word of protest.
To such a man, Loik had offered one condition.
— “If you accept the punishment quietly and unofficially, I will leave the House of Arbor untouched. I will also ensure the Lady’s death is painless.”
If the Lady’s crimes were made public, it wouldn't be strange for the entire House of Arbor to be annihilated. From the perspective of a head of a household, it was an incredibly generous offer.
— “However, the entire Arbor family must remain silent regarding this matter. That means silence on the Lady’s crimes, the circumstances of her punishment, and the final disposition. You will not be permitted to witness the execution.”
For the same reasons, the House of Arbor had no choice but to welcome these terms.
— “Please, give me a little time.”
Even so, the Count had asked for time to think because he doted on his daughter so dearly. And Loik had granted that request only because he knew that, in the end, the Count would have no choice but to choose his family over his daughter.
Even if they pushed for a trial, there was no chance Lady Meisel would be saved. On the contrary, many who sought to check Count Arbor’s power would step forward and drag the entire family down with her.
Loik also had no desire for a trial that would draw the capital’s attention. It would be problematic if talk of dragons and black magic started circulating in a courtroom.
Above all, if this becomes a huge ordeal, it will be hard on Annette.
That was why he had intended to handle the matter quietly over time.
To think the Countess would step forward and blabber about it.
“I swear, it wasn't intentional!” the Count protested, nervously wetting his lips.
He explained that after finally making the difficult decision regarding Meisel, he had informed the Countess, who then fled the house in a fit of emotion.
“I rushed here as soon as I heard about the commotion at the theater.”
“Regardless, the negotiation is over.”
“Your Grace!”
“The House of Arbor will be held responsible for the Lady’s actions. You may leave.”
Just as Loik rose indifferently from his seat, the Count collapsed to his knees on the floor.
“…Please, tell me!”
“Tell you what?”
“You want something from me, don’t you?” the Count said in a trembling voice. “…I will accept anything.”
He’s quick on the uptake, at least.
The Count was right. If Loik had truly intended to end the negotiations, he wouldn't have met with him at all.
It had happened just a while ago, while he was tucking Annette into bed.
— “Loik, about Lady Meisel.”
Annette had brought it up in passing.
— “Is the execution definitely decided?”
Her tone seemed casual, but Loik recognized the underlying feelings behind her words. Annette felt guilty about the fact that the Lady was to be executed. The reason she hadn't shown it to Loik was likely out of her sense of responsibility as the Grand Duchess.
This was exactly why he had avoided mentioning it to her.
— “Annette, don’t worry too much. If her death weighs on your mind, I will issue a different, appropriate punishment instead of execution.”
— “Is another punishment possible?”
— “Of course. Even if I rescind the death penalty, I will make sure she pays for her crimes one way or another.”
At those words, Annette’s expression had visibly brightened.
In the end, Loik had changed his mind about the execution. She was already a tender-hearted person; if the Lady were executed, she might suffer from nightmares for a long time to come.
But things will certainly not go the way the Countess wants.
It had been a clear mistake on his part not to remove the Countess from the theater lobby immediately. To dare corner Annette in front of everyone like that and demand mercy…
Loik masked his grimace and spoke.
“I will withdraw the death sentence for the Lady.”
The Count’s head snapped up. “R-Really?”
“In exchange…”
The words that followed filled the Count’s face with utter despair.
*
It was the dark, blue dawn before sunrise.
Meisel, dragged out of the dungeon, was forced into a shabby transport carriage without knowing why. It was a carriage with no proper walls, only iron bars.
“Where are you taking me? Surely not to the execution grounds?”
Neither the guards who dragged her out nor the knights giving orders offered any reply. Anxiety gripped her heart.
“Please, someone call Count Arbor!”
Meisel no longer called for the Grand Duke. In her final moments, the only person she could trust was her father.
“The estate isn't far from here! My father will give you as much money as you want! Please!”
She was screaming at the guard locking the iron bars when an official, looking like an administrator, walked over with a weary expression.