Chapter 393: Bread and Dagger (91)
Chapter 393: Bread and Dagger (91)
Delphine could guess what the Marquis’s answer would be.
That was why her lips felt so parched. Several rebukes rose within her, words meant to blame the Marquis, but she never let them escape her lips.
The reason was simple.
This was a level of despair Delphine had never experienced herself.
Who could truly understand the Marquis’s despair?
Only the Marquis himself could fathom the depths of his own heart.
It was a perspective she would never have considered before, but first love changes a woman.
It makes her more merciful, more flexible.
Moreover, she found herself inadvertently carving every word spoken by the man she loved into her heart.
This, too, was part of that change.
And it was a turning point that would decide the fates of so many.
“And so, I joined hands with the devil. With their help, my skills began to improve day by day. A few years later, I finally ascended to the throne of Yurdina, just as I had desired.”
“And were you happy? After joining hands with the devil?”
“No.”
At Delphine’s question, spat out like a curse, the Marquis shook his head with a hollow expression.
“I was a useful collaborator for the Dark Cult. I lost count of how many subordinates took the fall for my mistakes and died while I was rising to the position of Family Head. Then, one day, I realized—what made me any different from my brother or sister? Here I was, following the Dark Cult’s orders to sow discord between humanity and the elves, sacrificing the people of the North.”
“Is that why you drove out Seria’s mother?”
“Heh, you’re quite sharp… No, actually, it’s a miracle I wasn’t found out until now.”
The Marquis of Yurdina let out a bitter smile and lowered his gaze.
It was the look of a man who had resigned himself to fate.
“Yes, you’re right. Seria… that poor child’s mother is of the vampire bloodline. She carries the blood of that monster sealed within the Great Forest.”
It was exactly what she had expected to hear, yet the moment the confession left his lips, Delphine couldn’t stop her shoulders from trembling.
Seria Yurdina.
She was her half-sister. Though Delphine had once viewed her as a rival and even tormented her, Seria was still her sister.
To think that the girl carried the blood of the most infamous monster on the continent.
She couldn’t even imagine the storm that would break if this fact became public. Seeing Delphine’s horrified expression, the Marquis muttered in an even more drained tone.
“Please, do not tell the child.”
“Do you think hiding it from Seria will solve the problem? One of the Five Great Noble Families of the Empire has conspired with the Dark Cult! The whole world is going to find out!”
“I will carry the burden of it all myself.”
With those words, the Marquis grabbed the blade Delphine was pointing at him.
Delphine gasped and tried to pull back, but the Marquis’s grip was surprisingly firm. Even as the blade sliced his skin and blood began to trickle down, he did not loosen his hold.
“I have lived a life where I took responsibility for nothing. I wanted you to be my only child because I didn’t want anyone else to suffer the same pain I did. But as if by some cruel joke of fate, Seria was born… That child is innocent, is she not?”
The woman’s brow furrowed as she tried to wrench the sword away.
He was right.
If the fact that the Yurdina family had collaborated with the Dark Cult came to light, it was impossible to guess how far the repercussions would reach. It wouldn’t be strange if the Imperial Household moved to exterminate the entire Yurdina line.
However, there was still a way out.
“Slay me.”
Strike down the Marquis of Yurdina right here.
Excise the traitor to humanity with Yurdina’s own hands. The future of Yurdina cutting away its past.
Of course, it wasn't a simple matter.
The bond between father and daughter was Heaven’s Will. No matter how much Delphine might want to, she had no desire to violate it.
A child slaying their parent.
Could there be a fate more cruel?
The hand Delphine held her sword with trembled violently. Her eyelashes quivered along with her tightly shut eyelids.
Even then, the Marquis continued his persuasion.
“So please, keep the truth about Seria a secret. Delphine… my daughter. This is my final request as a father.”
What Delphine had to do was simple.
Raise her sword and take the Marquis’s head. It would leave an indelible scar on her heart, but the Yurdina family would survive.
There was no need to weigh the options.
Delphine knew better than anyone which took priority: her personal feelings or the prosperity of the family.
And so, Delphine bit her lip.
Her hesitation didn't last long.
She was Delphine Yurdina, after all.
The blade, shimmering in the moonlight, was raised high—and then, a cry of pain erupted from the old man’s mouth.
“Guh!”
The old man’s body tumbled pathetically across the ground. The sword Delphine had raised was now simply embedded in the empty earth.
Instead, what had struck the old man in the solar plexus was the woman’s kick.
Delphine spoke through gritted teeth.
“……Coward.”
No further explanation was needed for that short reproach.
Standing before her father, who was trembling and gasping for air, the daughter spoke.
“Don’t try to take the easiest path while claiming you’ll take responsibility. Do you have any idea how many lives were sacrificed because of your choices?”
“There are also many lives that will live on because of my sacrifice.”
The old man’s wheezing words didn't contain a single trace of a lie.
Though he was weak, his eyes were incredibly vivid. It was enough to make one wonder where such spirit remained in that aged body.
Delphine silently met those burning, blood-red eyes.
Perhaps that would have been the correct choice.
The day might come when Delphine would have to stain her hands with her father’s blood.
But it was not today.
Delphine quietly sheathed her sword. The old man, now completely drained of strength, cried out with a ringing voice.
“Delphine, it will be hard, but you must decide! As the master of Yurdina, you must—!”
“Shut up.”
At the cold gaze directed toward him, the Marquis had no choice but to fall silent.
No, could that gaze even be called cold?
Her pupils were shaking violently, and her eyes were filled with an unmistakable moisture.
There was no father who wouldn't feel like a sinner before his daughter’s tears.
The Marquis’s head slumped forward.
“Then was your choice worthy of a Yurdina? And also….”
Delphine hesitated for a moment, then let a faint smile play on her lips.
She had spent her life being the one on the receiving end.
It wouldn't be an impertinence to play one last prank, even if it might be the last.
“You should at least see your son-in-law’s face before you go.”
The Marquis of Yurdina wore a dazed expression.
It didn't take long for a hollow laugh to escape his lips.
“Hahaha… are you serious? The next head of Yurdina?”
“Who said he was just my husband?”
With a smirk, the woman spoke with an alluring curve to her lips.
“He might be the husband to both sisters.”
With those final words, Delphine turned and walked away.
Her steps were noticeably lighter.
In truth, there were many reasons why she hadn't taken the Marquis’s head.
She still lacked significant information regarding the Dark Cult’s strength. Furthermore, she didn't know how many spies they had planted within the family, and she lacked the means to prove that the Marquis was the only collaborator.
Above all, Ian would likely want to speak with the Marquis further.
The world Delphine had seen and experienced was still insufficient. The man who had taught her that was right by her side. There was no reason to refuse the man who could fill the gaps in her knowledge.
However, it seemed the last thing Delphine said had been quite a shock.
Thud.
The sound of someone collapsing came from behind her.
It was the final groan of the Marquis, who had fainted, unable to withstand the spike in his blood pressure.
While I was unconscious, all sorts of memory fragments pierced through my mind.
Emotions overflowed from the wounds that passed like hemorrhages.
Regret, despair, resentment.
Then, a faint burn scar flickered before my eyes.
“I… don’t regret it… Senior.”
A tender smile, a hand that fell to the ground before it could finish stroking my cheek.
Only bloodstains remained on her face.
“I was so happy. These past few months… felt like a dream……”
“Stop.”
Sobbing, the man pleaded.
“Stop it.”
And then, I woke up, gasping for air.
My breathing was ragged and heavy. I shuddered as if trying to shake off a lingering chill, then sensed a presence.
Right next to me.
It was likely one of the women who had been nursing me.
Perhaps because I was so dazed, I couldn't quite guess the person’s exact identity. So, I hurriedly wiped my face and muttered an apology.
“Sorry, I had a nightmare….”
“Hoho, a nightmare, you say.”
“Yeah, so I was a bit startled….”
My lips, which had been naturally continuing the conversation, suddenly froze.
It was because the voice reaching my ears was far too alien.
My questioning gaze turned to the side, and there, I met them.
The eyes of an old man, so deep their ends were unfathomable.
“Do go on. This is quite entertaining. It’s been a long time since I’ve been spoken to so informally… Hahaha.”
It was the Empire’s Sword Duke.
A sharp chill ran down my spine.