Chapter 43
Once she fully acknowledged that uncertain truth, Dalila finally had a clear sense of how to handle Elzenon.
“Alright, let’s see what message Father sent.”
With a more settled mind, Dalila removed the seal of the Bourbon family.
I wonder what he could have written to a daughter who ran away right before her wedding.
She wasn’t afraid—she was simply curious.
The feelings she had once harbored when thinking of her father—those futile expectations of paternal affection, fear of punishment, or the shame of being rejected—had long dulled and eventually disappeared altogether.
If I were to guess what he might say, it would either be a coaxing message forgiving my runaway act and urging me to return for the wedding with Shirei, or a terrifying threat to ruin my life because it slipped from his grasp…
She had long since abandoned any expectation of her father.
So I was confident that no matter which of these reactions I received, I wouldn’t be shaken…
Unexpectedly, the letter he had sent by his own hand, without ordering anyone else to write it, contained content that completely diverged from the directions she had anticipated.
“…….”
As Dalila read through the letter, both Elzenon and Roy focused on her changing expressions.
“Hah,”
Her voice was hard to interpret—was it a sigh, or a laugh?—and both men tensed.
“You didn’t know what it said either, Elzenon?”
Flipping the paper, she asked him, looking visibly lighter.
Elzenon’s tension, however, only increased.
“Yes. That’s correct, Miss. I… don’t know the precise contents either.”
“But you had an idea.”
“You were told to make sure to bring a reply. And…”
“Go on.”
“You were told to carefully observe how you are, and under what circumstances and with whom you are spending your time…”
Elzenon spoke, trying not to show it, glancing around.
When she first left, I imagined she would be enduring hardships somewhere…
He found himself subtly overwhelmed by the sight of the lavish mansion Dalila was staying in.
Stumbling over his words, Elzenon continued explaining what the Marquis had specifically ordered him to do.
Listening to him, Dalila’s smile deepened, and soon she covered her forehead with her hand and burst out laughing.
“Miss…”
Elzenon awkwardly rose and reached toward Dalila.
The atmosphere clearly indicated that her laughter was not from genuine amusement, prompting Roy to step forward to block him.
“What’s going on?”
Instead of replying to Roy, Elzenon simply stared at Dalila.
“You’re the one who made Dalila feel weird, right now.”
Though unsure of the situation, Roy keenly sensed her emotions.
Laughing is naturally something done in joy, but this was the first time he had seen Dalila like this.
He disliked Elzenon for bringing what seemed like bad news.
“Should I throw him out?”
As Roy asked Dalila, he grabbed Elzenon’s collar from behind with enough force to feel rough, causing the usually poised Elzenon to crumble instantly.
“W-What are you doing?”
Elzenon struggled in alarm.
“…….”
Dalila, seeing the comical scene, stopped laughing and regained her composure.
“Don’t. Let him go.”
“Miss, in the time we haven’t met, you’ve acquired a rather rough subordinate.”
“Sorry, but that’s not for Elzenon to judge.”
“……He’s reckless, but at least he seems loyal to you. Though he could use some training.”
Elzenon, who brought such news, hardly looked pleasant either. Dalila regarded him calmly, as he spoke without realizing the situation.
Ignoring Elzenon, Roy asked Dalila,
“Ah, can’t we just throw him out?”
Although she let him go under orders, his strange evaluation of her didn’t sit well with her.
Adding to that, not long ago, a human man had kidnapped Dalila, so Roy’s distrust of humans was at its peak.
“Come here.”
It seemed Roy was about to threaten Elzenon again, so Dalila reached out and drew him back to her side.
Roy quickly positioned himself right behind her, glaring at Elzenon.
“Roy, calm down.”
“I’m not angry.”
“……I can feel your breath at the back of my head.”
“…….”
Dalila’s weary tone slightly deflated Roy’s intensity, and she gave a faint smile. While he fussed, Dalila had regained her composure.
“Elzenon. Father seems very curious about how I’ve been.”
Calming herself, she spoke, and Elzenon immediately responded.
“Yes, Miss. That’s only natural as a father. Your being away from home is concerning.”
“……”
“I know the two of you weren’t on good terms. But please understand the Marquis’s position.”
Elzenon was one of the few who had witnessed the Marquis’s relentless abuse and terrible acts firsthand.
And yet…
“You and the Marquis share blood. Surely you could find some middle ground through dialogue.”
He spoke with an annoyingly rigid sense of principle.
“Really?”
“Yes. The Marquis worries a great deal about you.”
“Yet, as a father, his concern can’t surpass his interest in the person I’m seeing, huh?”
“…Excuse me?”
Dalila’s nonchalant remark left Elzenon dumbfounded. He truly had no idea what the letter said.
Seeing his utterly clueless reaction, Dalila laughed again.
This was not laughter of joy, nor an attempt to hide sadness.
She simply found the situation absurd and amusing.
“Fortunately, seeing your stunned reaction while still keeping calm even when your collar was grabbed confirms that my father’s behavior seems just as unreasonable to others as it does to me.”
“…….”
Dalila kindly explained to the bewildered Elzenon.
“This isn’t about my well-being—it’s filled with questions about the man I’m rumored to be seeing.”
“…No way.”
“It’s true. There are so many questions about him I don’t even know where to start answering.”
“……”
Elzenon looked completely flustered.
It’s only natural he’d find this hard to believe.
Even he, who had foresight of the future, had not expected a father to behave this way. Perhaps he had known but had wanted to deny it.
Dalila looked at the paper with cold eyes.
“Funny as it sounds, it’s true. The part emphasized most is regarding his wealth.”
“E-Excuse me, Miss. Is it true you’re seeing someone?”
Elzenon’s eyes flashed as he asked, recovering from shock. Dalila shrugged at his unexpected insistence.
“Yes. It’s true. If you’re really curious, I can introduce him. You’ll find out eventually anyway.”
Knowing Khalid’s identity and that he ensured her safety, the pretext of avoiding her father’s scrutiny had essentially vanished.
How could her father harm someone under the Dragon’s protection?
“However, I think….”
Elzenon quickly composed himself. He had been most shocked not by the father’s letter, but by Dalila not denying her relationship.
“Go on,” she permitted, and he continued, hesitantly.
“The Marquis was indeed harsh, but I was also surprised. From our last conversation, I would never have guessed you’d meet a man.”
“……I see.”
Dalila agreed with that. She had asked Elzenon if she could inherit if she didn’t marry, after all.
“But I also asked about other scenarios, like if a husband took my family name.”
“But…”
At that moment, Elzenon couldn’t voice his true thoughts.
He had assumed Dalila would maintain her unmarried status or, if she didn’t, meet a commoner like him and share her name. He never expected her to so quickly pursue a relationship with another noble.
That was why he had anticipated today’s meeting—to confirm her situation with his own eyes under the Marquis’s orders.
“I don’t know what sweet talk he used to win your heart, but if that man is truly a noble, he wouldn’t easily give up the family name.”
Elzenon spoke with firm certainty.
Even he, from a modest house without noble titles, had wondered if he could love someone enough to give up his name. For him, nobles giving up titles for love was unthinkable.
Dalila tilted her head at his confident assumption about the man she was seeing. Surprisingly, it didn’t upset her—it even piqued her interest a little.
