Thanks to the rainy days, the garden was full of life. The flowers, pampered by nature, expanded freely under the constant humidity. Delilah easily lost herself among the fragile and colorful petals, even when she could only contemplate them from her place at the breakfast table, facing the large dining room windows.
Time seemed to flow differently for a girl who usually appeared distant. Raguel, who observed her in silence, could swear that the habit of staring at the garden and forgetting the rest of the world was not truly born from a passion for flowers. The garden had acquired a new meaning for her.
For a few days now, elegant and discreet things—like that damp, silent landscape—had the power to evoke the face and figure of the younger brother of the House Bathory heir.
That morning, she had been distracted during much of breakfast, looking toward the windows. The Marquise was seated beside her. In fact, it had been the Marquise herself who had personally gone to wake her and bring her to the dining room, as if her visit had that sole purpose. She knew in advance that Neil had already said everything that was prudent to know, but she needed to ensure that certain words remained engraved in the young candidate's mind.
"I am sure you can keep this secret as if it were your own. No matter what, Neil must not be harmed."
Lathasha, who was always polished when it came to personal matters, had shown a hidden side of herself then: one that revealed just how important that man was to her. Now, that dining room awakened fleeting memories in the Marquise's mind.
She always lost her breath when she remembered Neil's words regarding the marquisate. For years, she had wavered between asking for his advice or standing on her own for as long as possible. But Neil was not someone who knew how to wait for uncertain things. To him, the background of the mansion and the lands represented no problem.
The true obstacle was her.
Lathasha was incapable of fully accepting the nature of the upper classes. She refused to live disappointed in her own parents, but she didn't want to remain a lamentable figure either. Neil, for his part, would never waste time trying to understand such sensitivity.
—You will be bound to this contract even after you are dead —he had told her once—. It must be terrible to be the last descendant of a bloodline as ambitious as the Marquises'.
Lathasha, who could endure any word from Neil even if he tried to stab her with them, simply closed her eyes and remained in silence.
—Most of those peasants died of hunger —he continued pitilessly—. Even if you spent half your fortune now to compensate them, it would be completely useless.
She knew it perfectly well. She had tried everything to clean her name, but her parents' sins could no longer be paid for. She refused to continue living amidst luxury sustained by a title she could break if she only wished to. If she could have renounced everything to stay by Neil's side, she would have done it from the beginning.
But Liam hated the Zehrens. All of them: those of the past and those who might exist in the future.
—Nothing can be done for the people who have been buried by the past —Neil had said coldly then—. But regarding the present, there is only one path to follow… an heir.
Lathasha could barely believe what she was hearing. She had worked hard to create her own place within the nobility. Her current fortune no longer depended on the old family inheritance. However, she couldn't simply discard the mansion and the lands she considered cursed.
And yet, destiny seemed hell-bent on cursing any Zehren who walked that place. The noble lineage would die with her. Because of her infertility.
How could Neil say something like that so lightly?
—The families that share ties with the Zehrens are many —he continued—. There is a long list within the middle nobility that holds legal kinship, even if it is not by blood.
He leaned back calmly in his chair before adding:
—He who is capable of reviving this place under Lathasha's ideals should be able to keep everything. Don't you think?
The idea of adoption had never crossed her mind. The only thing Lathasha had truly desired was to hand that place over to Neil and forget the weight of the past. Why must he complicate everything that way? What kind of absurd solution was that?
—You are capable of taking what Liam has desired so much —Neil added with a slight smile—, yet you are tracing another path. You are too cruel.
At that moment, Lathasha couldn't have known that, for Neil, that place held no value. If he involved himself in the matter, it wasn't just for his father's whims. Instead of using his influence to snatch it all away, he preferred to take a much longer road. After all, Liam would never allow him to commit to Lathasha.
Of course, that meant accepting that in life, things get complicated when one is so stubborn… and so selfish.
—Is something wrong, Delilah?
Leroy's voice brought her back to reality. Lathasha left those memories behind and focused her attention on the listless face of the young woman beside her.
—She has felt very lonely these days —Raguel commented with a soft smile—. She must miss Cain.
It was the first time Delilah's obedient expression transformed into something more aggressive.
—Cain should return from Yuor in the coming days —Raguel added lightly.
Lucrecia, who was completely unaware of the situation between them, elegantly wiped her lips before speaking.
—Miss Eilith is kind and patient. I am sure Cain is not so indifferent if he has traveled only with her.
Delilah barely managed to maintain her serene expression upon hearing the Marquise mention the Duke's granddaughter's name.
—It was none other than the Count who expected this outcome —Lucrecia said calmly—. Cain has only been kind by accompanying her. I wonder if she truly understands that he has no intention of committing yet.
—It's true —Raguel hurried to add—. Cain doesn't have those aspirations.
But the evident change in Delilah's mood forced her to look down.
—Even so —Leroy interjected while drinking from a glass of dark wine—, judging by his track record, Cain had never been so permissive with his previous suitors.
Delilah's chest tightened forcefully. A gesture of bitter frustration darkened her already distant expression even more. Without saying anything else, she finished her breakfast quickly. Then she rose from the table, excusing herself to return to her duties in the kitchen. With the Marquise's permissive nod, she vanished from the dining room.
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