HRNGDS 72

~Chapter 72~

Duke Rikeion was sweating coldly. Others might not realize it, but he knew.

‘It’s exactly the same as Father’s face when he was young…!’

At first, he didn’t recognize him. There had been no reason to look closely at a commoner man.

But the moment he declared his name as Alphonso Rikeion, and when Duke Rikeion saw the family emblem in his hand, he knew immediately.

This man was indeed his father, Alphonso Rikeion.

Duke Rikeion’s face dripped with sweat. Alphonso’s expression was grim and hard. He didn’t know exactly how far Ivelina had gone.

‘But there’s one thing I do know.’

She had tried to fabricate an affair for Delphina.

And he had lent her the family’s power to do it. If Alphonso found that out, he might kill him without hesitation—especially because Alphonso cherished Delphina that much.

“F-Father, there’s some misunderstanding here. Ivelina and Delphina are usually on good terms, so I don’t know why this happened…”

“Ivelina already told me.”

“…What?”

“She told me how much Delphina suffered from discrimination growing up.”

“Ivelina said that?”

Duke Rikeion held his head, feeling dizzy. It wasn’t hard to believe that Ivelina would say such a thing.

It was obvious she would spout unnecessary words just to attack Delphina—

And she had done it right in front of Alphonso!

He quickly spoke up.

“N-No, that’s not true. Please give me a chance to explain. Ivelina and Delphina often play pranks on each other, so those words might have just been part of that.”

“You call this a prank?”

“It’s the truth. Please come with me and meet Delphina.”

Duke Rikeion gritted his teeth. His mind began working quickly.

‘Father’s reaction is milder than I thought.’

He had expected to be slapped right away. Alphonso Rikeion was always harsh with his grown sons.

And in this case, there was no question of guilt—yet Alphonso was still “talking” to him.

‘Father never talks about matters like this—he would have gone straight to physical punishment!’

If Alphonso was reacting so normally now, there was only one conclusion.

‘Father’s curse is still active. Even if it’s weakened enough for him to move, it’s not fully broken.’

The curse on Alphonso’s body was still working.

Duke Rikeion’s eyes glinted. In this state, even something small could crush Alphonso’s will.

The only reason he was acting now was likely because his feelings for Delphina had flared up strongly.

“Explain? Can you also explain Delphina’s engagement?”

“That was unavoidable because Delphina liked the Northern Grand Duke so much.”

Given the current situation, he was relieved Delphina and Elcayan had a good relationship.

“Delphina agreed to it herself? You can take responsibility for that statement?”

Duke Rikeion nodded. It was the only way to avoid Alphonso’s immediate wrath.

Most likely, this sudden interest of Alphonso’s was just a temporary effect of the curse weakening.

‘So all I need to do is buy time.’

Duke Rikeion clenched the bead in his pocket.

Black mist began seeping out and drifted toward Alphonso, sinking into him. Soon, the light faded from Alphonso’s eyes.

Delphina, Elcayan, and Calix headed to a clothing shop nearby.

It was run by a famous madam, and when they arrived, they were the only customers.

The madam greeted them with a bright smile.

“The Grand Duke ordered the entire shop cleared for you.”

Elcayan finally released Delphina from his arms once they stepped inside.

She felt a pang of regret at that moment. After leaving the firm, warm embrace of Elcayan, she felt strangely empty.

“Delphina, choose anything you like and change into it.”

“Thank you, Elcayan. And you too, Sir Calix.”

Both men nodded.

“We’ll wait until you’ve changed.”

While changing, Delphina thought back. She had watched the whole scene from Elcayan’s arms, even the moment the man called Alphong revealed himself as Alphonso.

‘To think that man was my grandfather.’

For Ivelina, it must have been a nightmare. The evidence and witnesses she had prepared had ended up tightening around her own neck.

‘Ivelina and Kassen were busy fighting each other.’

From the outside, it must have been an amusing sight. Today’s events would surely spread quickly as gossip.

Seeing Ivelina and Kassen focused on blaming each other rather than supporting each other made Delphina more curious.

‘Why did Elcayan trust me immediately? Sir Calix too, and Sana…’

While others had looked at her with suspicion, Elcayan and the people from the North had never doubted her even once.

After changing, Delphina went to find Elcayan and Calix. Calix seemed to have stepped away.

Standing before Elcayan, she felt strangely awkward—it wasn’t easy to meet his eyes.

“Why did you defend me?”

Without hesitation, Elcayan replied, “Because I knew Ivelina had set a trap for you.”

“You didn’t even have a little doubt?”

“No.”

“Why? How could you be so sure?”

Elcayan looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Because I believe you.”

“….”

“I know you’re not the kind of person to have a lover and then cheat. It was such an obvious truth there was nothing to think about.”

He frowned slightly, as if imagining something unpleasant.

“If you ever did fall in love with someone else, I know you’d tell me in advance. So, of course, it had to be a trap someone set.”

Delphina smiled at his words, thinking of Kassen—who hadn’t trusted her at all despite knowing her relationship with Ivelina.

Elcayan, whom she had only known for a short time, trusted her more than her ex-fiancé of years.

“Kassen didn’t trust me. And he knew everything between me and Ivelina.”

“He’s a foolish man.”

Delphina knew how hard it was for someone to trust you unconditionally. When she was falsely accused back at the academy, no one had believed her.

‘When the other side is waving supposed evidence of betrayal, it’s not easy for someone to believe you completely.’

Because she knew that, she spoke sincerely.

“Thank you, Elcayan. For believing in me.”

At her thanks, Elcayan’s face reddened instantly.

Delphina was startled.

‘Is Elcayan unwell?’

He covered his face with his hand, as if to hide the redness. She had only smiled at him—she didn’t understand why he was reacting like this.

Just as Delphina was about to step closer to him, Calix’s urgent voice called out.

“Lady Delphina, Alphonso and that Rikeion guy are here to see you.”

Delphina’s eyes widened.

Caught off guard, she didn’t notice how strange it was for Calix to refer to Duke Rikeion so informally.

“My grandfather came to see me?”

Her eyes met Elcayan’s. In that moment, she felt an unexpected sense of regret.

Even knowing she had to meet Alphonso, she still felt reluctant for this time with Elcayan to end.

<The god Frad grumbles that the duke has no sense. Due to Frad’s complaint, Duke Rikeion’s misfortune stat increases.>