DCEB | CH 21

Chapter 21: The Owner of the Bedroom (2) 

Kylus Shell Tatier Carniel.

The little boy who survived those horrible memories of his childhood always had to live as a Carniel.

So he was used to the heavy duties and the eyes that forced those duties on him.

The inside of the duke’s castle was always filled with a heavy atmosphere, and everyone always reached out to him.

“Master, please don’t cry. You must get up. Remember the late Duke and your brother. You’re not a child who can cry and act immature.”

“Your Grace! Please don’t forget our sorrow! Only you can take revenge!”

“We, the Black Hawk Knights, give everything to our master and commander, the Duke!”

“Duke Carniel, don’t forget. Until we achieve our cause, we must act like quiet beasts!”

Those loud voices. Again and again.

Even now, they were loud.

“Get out! You devil, get out!”

“Don’t step foot in Carniel!”

The furious people of the land ran at them as if they were ready to burn everything.

They threw eggs. They threw stones.

If Kylus hadn’t ordered his knights not to interfere, the loyal but bold Black Hawk Knights probably wouldn’t have stopped the angry crowd from attacking the daughter of their enemy.

His thoughts turned to the woman, standing tall even after everything thrown at her.

The woman was strange.

Really strange.

From the beginning until now, every time he saw her talking calmly in front of him, he thought the same thing.

She seemed crazy. Like she had no thoughts.

She rushed forward like a beast with its tail on fire, without looking back.

It made people nervous.

‘Nervous?’

Kylus suddenly stopped walking.

The knights, guessing that their master was in a terrible mood after today’s wedding, stood frozen, more than usual.

Kylus’s expression twisted as if proving them right.

His big hand covered his face.

As if he didn’t want anyone to see him.

‘Did I say I was worried?’

All of this—really, all of it—was because of that woman.

The moment she appeared, talked to him, and looked into his eyes—something kept getting tangled up.

Kylus let out a painful breath.

He wasn’t acting like himself. And he didn’t even know why.

She was the enemy he should hate.

Someone he should never trust.

But he agreed with her words. He even held her hand for that ridiculous contract marriage.

Kylus himself did that.

He, who had always grown up drinking hatred for the Grace family like poison, had taken the daughter of that man’s house.

Hate Count Grace.

Never forget what he did to you and your family!

You must become strong.

Stronger than anyone else, and take your father’s place!

He was the Empire’s strongest shield and sword, and you must become the same!

Those words were awful.

Words that always tightened around his neck.

A familiar headache started.

But strangely…

That woman never looked at him like others did.

Eleanor—she never looked at him with fear or disgust because she was the daughter of an enemy.

She didn’t look at him with hope or expectations either, just because he was the powerful Duke of Carniel.

That made her hard to deal with.

He should hate her, want to kill her, just like everyone else said.

But her clear, calm green eyes were strangely indifferent.

No—actually, every time she looked at him…

‘She looked angry.’

She was used to hiding her expression and emotions, but he could still see it.

The woman was holding back overflowing anger when she looked at him.

When he thought about it, it was ridiculous.

‘She’s angry at me?’

Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

He was confused inside.

At that moment, the man who never missed the sound of even a small animal didn’t notice the small figure standing in front of him.

A black dress, always worn for mourning, hung weakly.

He didn’t need to look to know who it was.

The person spoke.

“Where have you been?”

With a cold expression, she stared at Kylus like she wanted to kill him.

The small woman in front of him was his mother.

But at the same time, she was the most distant person from him.

“…You have eyes and ears everywhere, Mother. You already know.”

Even without asking others, he knew his voice was cold like death.

His mother’s eyes filled with rage, but she stopped. Her lips shut. She turned away, as if she couldn’t bear to face a monster.

Kylus bit the inside of his mouth. It hurt.

‘Why, why did you come back alive!’

‘Because of you—because of you, my husband died. My son died. Because of you! You should’ve died instead, you monster!’

He knew those were words spoken from deep shock and grief.

Kylus also understood her.

He wasn’t completely alone. A kind nanny stayed by his side.

And a worn-out handkerchief from a little girl helped him not suffocate under the pressure.

That’s why he allowed his mother to still have power in the household, even as she raged and spread hatred.

He closed his eyes.

But…

‘From now on.’

What should he do?

While he was quietly thinking, his mother couldn’t hold it in and finally spoke again.

“Why did you stop the people’s rightful anger? The maids said something strange. They said the young Duke welcomed the enemy’s daughter—that girl!”

Her trembling voice still sounded elegant, but her words were not.

Kylus felt another sharp pain behind his eyes.

He just wanted to go home and stop thinking.

Today had been too tiring, even for him.

So at this moment—

‘I’d rather look into that woman’s calm eyes.’

He opened his eyes.

“Mother.”

“…!”

“You are the former Duchess. Now that there is a new Duchess, please stay within your place.”

The old Duchess looked like she was going to faint.

“H-How could you… How could my son say something like that? Don’t tell me—you’re not falling for that girl’s looks, are you? Say it’s not true! Say it!”

Of course not.

Kylus never cared about beauty.

Even the girl in his memories—buried deep inside his mind—hadn’t looked good back then.

She had been skinny, wore dirty clothes, had bruises all over her, and her fingernails were cracked from lack of nutrition.

He couldn’t even remember her clearly, but those things stuck in his memory.

Another reason he hated Count Grace so much was because of that.

Even more than his mother’s screams or the deaths of his father and brother.

Humans were selfish like that.

“I’ll be going now.”

“How can you protect that girl in front of me, Kylus!”

“…”

The woman would make a contract with him.

That night, when she showed up suddenly and he didn’t turn her away—that’s when it was decided.

So there was no reason to stir up more trouble.

‘That’s just cowardly.’

And she had even said that to him.

He heard the maids scream as the Duchess collapsed, but the son known for being unfilial didn’t look back.

* * *

At the Carniel ducal estate, there was a special symbol only the Duchess received.

A secret bedroom that the first Duke had created for his beloved wife.

This room was connected directly to the Duke’s own chamber.

I…

Eleanor took a shaky breath.

I never thought I’d enter this place.

She didn’t even expect it.

She didn’t worry that this wasn’t the original room and it would be hard to make a hidden passage again.

“You’re here, miss?”

“Oh, Laura! You should call her properly now that she’s married.”

“Ah, sorry. Then… should I call you ‘Master’ now?”

Laura and Daisy had been standing seriously, keeping the Grace family people in line. But now, when they saw Eleanor arrive, their faces lit up and they rushed over.

Far in the back, she also saw Mary, the Carniel family’s nanny, who seemed to be helping out too.

And finally, with hesitant steps, Eleanor crossed the doorway into the room.

The room she had never been able to touch in the past. The room that could never have belonged to her.

The bedroom of the Duchess.