Duke and Duchess Reunion - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“To be precise, it’s not me, but Elena Adenauer who painted that picture. It’s the one you saw when you were a child.”

“Nonsense. Even though it’s been several decades, I remember it clearly. The moment Twilight was finished, it was burned immediately after my mother passed away, and it wasn’t even completed—how could that be the same painting?”

As soon as Elena died, Derek dragged all her belongings out of the mansion and burned them. The last thing he dealt with was the painting.

Carlos, who had learned this from Aneta, watched her expression closely.

Aneta’s face was marked by disbelief and displeasure as if recalling that day’s memories.

There was no way Aneta would assert something so strongly if she hadn’t checked it properly. Carlos waited for the miracle’s response.

“All the paintings I’ve shown you, including that one, are things your mother would have painted if she were still alive. I merely brought into existence what couldn’t come to the world due to her death.”

Despite Anneta’s objections, Lei’s attitude was unapologetic.

“Take a look at the Twilight. You’ll see that I’m telling the truth. No matter how much the painter claims to be the original, is it possible to recreate a painting with such precision? Even if you were to copy it, it would be nearly impossible, especially since it was burned and disappeared long ago, as you said.”

Lei claimed this was evidence he would show.

Aneta scrutinized the Twilight as if glaring at it. She couldn’t refute it, as even the line that Elena had mistakenly drawn due to her pain during her illness was still intact in the painting.

“What’s your real purpose in making me meet my mother? Why put so much effort into this ridiculous act?”

“Purpose? I simply acted out of concern for you, Aneta. We are closely intertwined under my name, so I was just trying to do what I could for you.”

Aneta seemed skeptical of his claim of pure intentions, but the miracle continued as if he didn’t care.

“It took more time and effort than I thought, but isn’t this level of effort necessary to convince a suspicious master? Thanks to that, you’ve realized that I have the power to make the impossible happen.”

Lei glanced sideways at Carlos as he continued.

“I also needed to remind you of your poor mother’s presence, which was gradually being forgotten.”

Carlos sensed that the remark was clearly aimed at him but didn’t react. He simply watched Aneta with anxious eyes, sensing something sinister in Lei’s attempt to seduce her.

“I can’t bring Elena Adenauer back from this world. However, if you wish, I can take you to a world where your ideals have been realized. There, not only will you meet Elena Adenauer, but I will also fulfill all your desires.”

Despite his confidence that he could achieve everything, there was still doubt in Aneta’s eyes. To drive home his point, he made one last decisive move.

“How can you trust me? Oh yes. I swear by my name and existence. I’m going to make sure you meet the real Elena Adenauer.”

Swearing by one’s name was never a trivial matter in this world. Yet, he offered not only his name but his very existence without hesitation. Aneta’s eyes wavered.

“Now, it’s time to decide. But let me warn you, time is running out.”

Lei pointed to the red light at his feet with his chin.

“I can only use my power until twilight fades. You have only one chance, and that chance is now.”

Carlos’s gaze shifted to the darkening sky outside the window behind him.

As he said, time was running out, and the crimson sky would soon be swallowed by darkness.

“Imagine Elena happy as she paints the picture she wants to draw. No one could ever separate you from her or threaten those you both hold dear. It’s a world crafted entirely for you.”

“……”
Aneta bit her lip silently, unable to immediately refuse. Her hesitation revealed her inner conflict.

“Aneta.”

Carlos called her name, his desperation evident. He grabbed her arm, and she turned her head.

“Don’t be swayed. You know that, right?”

Fortunately, Aneta slowly but clearly nodded. Her once wavering eyes settled into calmness as if they had never been disturbed.

She turned to refuse his offer, but he spoke before she could.

“No need to answer. You’ve already hesitated, and I’ve seen it, so the condition is fulfilled. In other words, your consent is no longer required.”

He said that all he needed from the beginning was a slight hesitation.

“That can’t be. Shouldn’t the glory follow its master’s command?”

Carlos argued, citing examples of other powers, but he remained unfazed.

“What should I do? My master over there is not perfectly connected to me to control me.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no reason for me to tell you that. Isn’t it?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the image of Elena, which had been standing behind him, moved.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Sensing the shift, Carlos quickly unleashed the power of the Sky to block the phantom, shielding Aneta, but it was futile.

The phantom was unaffected by the power of the Sky, and Carlos, who stood protectively before Aneta, was equally powerless to harm it.

The phantom passed through Carlos and embraced Aneta, who was standing just behind him. The event happened so quickly that Aneta didn’t have time to react.

Unlike Carlos, whose body the phantom had passed through, Aneta found herself unable to move as she belatedly grabbed the phantom’s arm.

She had tried to push it away but, for some reason, she stopped.

“Aneta!”

Carlos urgently turned around. Just as he reached out to pull her away, a burst of light emanated from the phantom and wrapped around her body. The blinding light quickly filled the room.

As the light, which had suddenly intensified and engulfed the surroundings, faded, Aneta’s figure vanished along with it.

Carlos stared in disbelief at the empty space where she had been, his gaze filled with despair.

“Don’t worry. My master will experience the happiness in that world that she could not enjoy in this one.”

“How dare you say that!”

Carlos, eyes wide with fury, charged at him, enraged by the words meant to comfort but spoken with a face full of amus*ment.

However, his fist never reached him.

He stood still, unfazed, and Carlos simply passed through him as if he were striking at air.

“Damn it!”

There was no way to harm a being that wasn’t truly present.

Carlos, aware that he couldn’t even touch him, still refused to stop moving.

He slammed his fist into the wall at the height where his head had been, trembling with rage. Once again, the frustration of failing to protect her overwhelmed him.

“If my master finds me in that world, I’ll give her one choice. Whether she returns or not will be up to her, but don’t get your hopes up. That world is made entirely of the things she has always desired. Who would want to leave such a place?”

He crossed his arms, standing confidently, even arrogantly, in front of Carlos.

“All that’s left in this world is you, Carlos Baltimor.”

He casually stabbed at Carlos’s heart with his words, confident that everything would go as he planned.

Even though the air hummed with the anger of the sky, he ignored it as if it were nothing.

“Forget about Aneta Adenauer. The two of you were never meant to be together. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have no more time or reason to waste here.”

Before Carlos could question his cryptic words, he vanished, leaving behind only a mocking smile.

Left alone, Carlos clenched his teeth, the muscles in his once-smooth jaw twitching violently.

He couldn’t deny what he had said.

“You know, Carlos…”

“It seems like there’s no place for me in your future.”

“I just… have a feeling.”

Aneta’s words from the past echoed in his mind.

Was this how those words would come true? His face twisted in pain as he remembered her disappearance. The thought of being left behind in a world without her made even standing on his own feet unbearable.

‘We had only just connected our hearts.’

Overwhelmed by despair, Carlos’s knees buckled. The pain from his knees hitting the hard floor was nothing compared to the pain in his heart, which had been torn apart by undeniable truths.

The fact that Aneta had tried to refuse his offer brought him no comfort. If she hadn’t gone to that world at all, it would be different, but knowing that she would meet the real Elena as he had said, Carlos couldn’t predict what choice Aneta might make.

The two of them were just getting started. Because of this, it was still unclear whether she would prioritize him or her mother, and knowing her circumstances, he couldn’t selfishly wish for her to place more importance on him.

Nevertheless, he desperately hoped she would come back.

Even if it was out of pity for him, she had to return.

***

When Aneta regained her senses, she found herself standing in a world of scattered light. The scenery outside the window shimmered ecstatically in the cracking sunlight, and the light dispersed by something drew a band of colour in the air.

Though the scenery resembled the Marquis’s estate, something extraordinary about it made Aneta realize that this was the world of which the miracle had spoken.

Aneta looked down at the fantasy and thought about how she had come to be here.

She had been momentarily tempted by his promise to reunite her with Elena, and that fleeting moment of hesitation had pulled her into this world, which felt both familiar and comforting.

It was a feeling that reminded her of the warmth she had felt from the phantom that had embraced her.

The idea of feeling warmth from a phantom seemed absurd, but Aneta had undeniably felt it—a sensation as real as that of a living person.

Because of this, she couldn’t bring herself to push away the phantom that resembled Elena. She had stood frozen, unable to act.

‘Not that it would have moved if I had pushed it away.’

Aneta moistened her dry lips, tense with anxiety. Now that she had been cast into this place, she would have to find a way out of his trap without anyone’s help. The first thing she needed to do was to understand this world.

Suppressing her anxiety, Aneta stepped out of the room.