I Regret The Kindness I Gave You - Chapter 26

The scale tipped to one side without further contemplation, weighing her younger sibling’s life and Rude.

Merche calmly made her choice.

“I will leave. Please allow me a moment to gather the necessary belongings.”

There was nothing more she could do for him now.

She truly did her best.

She saved him, brought him to this castle, and even offered her body to save his life once more.

What more could she do here? For a moment, Rude’s desperate face flashed before her eyes as he begged her not to abandon him, but she quickly erased it.

To save her younger sibling, she had to abandon Rude.

Genovefa, standing atop the castle wall, gazed at Merche’s retreating figure as she rode away on horseback.

The steward standing beside him lowered his voice and asked,

“I heard the young master has just awakened. What should we do, Lord?”

“…Secretly follow and monitor Merche, then capture her before she leaves our territory.”

“But shouldn’t we rather chase her far away so the young master can’t find her?”

“Chase her away? Ha, you’re saying something foolish unlike yourself.”

Let her go far away with his younger sibling? How could he allow that?

That danger which could cling to and hinder his son’s ankles at any time.

“Merche must die. Either be buried in the ground before my eyes or be burned to ashes. Only one of the two.”

The examination of Merche’s eyes revealed they had not been dyed purple.

That meant Rude had not imprinted on her.

When Merche, who was on the verge of death, suddenly became well, and conversely, his perfectly fine son became almost lifeless.

He didn’t know how much he had agonized over that uncanny coincidence that made the back of his neck go cold.

Perhaps Rude had imparted his life force to her through imprinting.

Perhaps that’s why Merche had survived. He had been sleepless for days, fearing that possibility.

But as if God had been watching over them, there was no imprint. So now was the opportune time.

Before Rude truly imprinted on her, before the child he had taken in and raised could devour the Lupinus family. Even if it meant rushing, he had to eliminate Merche.

Turning his back on the castle wall, he commanded the following steward,

“Keep the bribed commoner couple and mercenary on standby. We’ll need to use them immediately once Rude makes his choice.”

“Merche left.”

As soon as he regained consciousness, those words pierced his ears, and Rude stiffened his entire body.

“…What?”

“She said she had to leave before you woke up and was in quite a hurry. Her will was so strong that even I couldn’t stop her.”

“…Don’t joke around. She wouldn’t do that.”

She’s the stupid one who embraced me knowing she would die and took a blade for me. Why would such a woman abandon me?

“Where is she? Bring her immediately. I need to see for myself.”

“Merche is gone. She crossed the drawbridge and disappeared long ago, my son.”

“No! She wouldn’t leave me!”

“Stop denying reality any further. You were abandoned by her. That was her choice.”

“Shut up…! I can’t, I can’t…”

I can’t be without her now.

He had crossed a river of no return.

He had already imprinted on Merche. He willingly shared the pain for his mate Merche and poured his life force into her until his own body was in jeopardy.

Yet Merche was gone?

Just the thought made it feel as if all the blood in his body had dried up.

Amid the mind-eating anxiety and desperation, all his senses were driven to the brink of madness.

With bloodshot eyes, he clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached.

“Yes. I know how much you cherish her. Then, my son, even now, do you have no intention of accepting the proposal I made?”

Genovefa bowed his head and coaxed him kindly.

Rude’s mind, sharpened to its limit, instantly recalled the proposal he had previously received from Genovefa upon hearing those words.

−Drive Merche into a corner and imprison her so she can’t escape.

−Frame her for false charges and bring her to the brink of death. Make it so she can only beg you for her life, become Merche’s only hope.

−Then Merche will be bound and trapped beneath your feet. Forever.

…Forever. Bound and trapped beneath my feet. Rude muttered the last words he had thought of as if enchanted.

Merche. If I throw you into a pit of despair with nothing but a black maw, you will despise me.

But you know, Merche… I fear not having you by my side more than you despising me.

That’s right. I have no choice now either. I know, I’m about to do something that anyone would see as idiotic. But what can I do?

If leaving me is your choice, then capturing you, breaking you, and trampling on you is my choice.

“…What do I need to do to follow that proposal? Why don’t you ramble on to your heart’s content for once?”

Genovefa smiled.

He embraced his son’s shoulders, telling him not to worry, and slowly laid out the rotting, foul-smelling plan.

The knights suddenly barged in just as Merche was about to leave the Lupinus territory.

They dragged Merche away like a criminal without even explaining the reason and soon entered the Lupinus castle she had left.

As they arrived in the spacious courtyard, the murmuring sound gradually grew louder.

Waiting for her there were servants gathered like a flock of clouds, a kneeling couple, and a familiar man.

“…Ugh!”

The knights roughly forced Merche to her knees.

Her golden hair, which had always shone softly under Karin’s affectionate touch, was in a unsightly tangle and shook.

In the midst of utter confusion, Genovefa emerged from the crowd, his face contorted.

“Merche.”

“…Lord?”

“I trusted you. I took you in as a member of the family when you were young and taught you with all my devotion. Yet you end up betraying me.”

Just as she was about to ask what he meant, a man with unmistakable deep purple eyes appeared.

“…Lord Rude.”

“Hello, Merche. You have quite the brazen face for someone who tried to run away like a rat.”

Rather than being angry, he had an overly calm and leisurely demeanor.

He strolled over as if taking a leisurely walk and stopped at Merche’s feet.

“I turned a blind eye even though I knew of your sins. I tried my best to understand, thinking it was possible since you lost the successor position you almost had because of me.”

“……”

“But Merche. Playing with my life just to regain your position is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I…”

“Torben. The thing my uncle did. They said it was under your orders. Uncle confessed everything, Merche.”

“That never happened. It’s truly a false accusation.”

Merche barely mustered her strength and endured.

She felt like she would collapse the moment she let her guard down. She struggled to maintain her composure.

“I was also in disbelief. That you tried to secure a position in the family under the pretext of saving me. It’s sickening to even hear. If I hadn’t known about your past sins, I might have been fooled like an idiot and let it slide.”

Not a single word. Not a single phrase he uttered properly reached her ears.

Sins? The sins she committed against Rude? How could there be such a thing?

Her vision blurred dizzily, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

In front of her pale face, Rude slowly bent one knee and sat down, then recited clearly and loudly for all to hear.

“Before I came to this castle, I had seen you before. If you have a brain, you should remember that day.”

“……”

“Merche. That day, you saw me and just passed by. Did you hate the idea of me returning to Lupinus that much?”

Her hair whipped her cheeks as it fluttered in the blowing wind.

Merche, trapped in her own golden locks, groped at the empty air and shook her head without a word.

“I… didn’t pass you by.”

That day, the moment she saw him trapped behind iron bars, what resolution did she make?

Even knowing her 20 years of life would turn to bubbles, she took Rude out of there.

Taking care of him and treating him, she personally shattered the future and hopes she had built with each passing moment.

To her, why on earth was this man…

Merche mustered her last strength and looked up at Rude earnestly.

“Don’t you know what I have done? I did my utmost for you.”

“…Utmost?”

With a faint scoffing sound, Rude caressed her cheek.

“I did my utmost for you too. I tried my damnedest to endure because I didn’t want to create this kind of shitty situation.”

“……”

“That’s right. Why did you abandon me? This is all happening because you abandoned me. Everything that’s gone to hell is all because of you leaving me, Merche.”

With those words spat out as if chewing on them, Rude’s gaze no longer reached Merche.

He briefly glanced at Merche once more after straightening his bent knee, then disappeared far away, leaving the dizzying chaos behind.

That was the signal.

As soon as Rude left, the commoner couple and mercenary lined up kneeling beside Merche began shouting at the top of their hoarse voices.

“Lord! We had a chance to know that our adopted son, our Rude, was of noble blood, but we missed it! This woman here came to our house one day, saw Rude, and just left saying she didn’t recognize him! We are innocent victims!”

“That’s right! This woman deceived us while knowing everything…!”

“I only served as an escort once at this woman’s request! An elderly woman confessed to kidnapping the precious son of a noble family, but she insisted that I keep it a secret. The one who played dirty tricks is this woman, and I am just a mercenary who knows nothing, so if you’re going to punish someone, punish her!”

All lies. Absurd and fabricated false accusations.

As they poured down and stained her entire body with filth, Merche remained silent and curled up.