Duke and Duchess Reunion - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

As the long twilight finally ended, the crimson-stained world was greeted by the arrival of morning.

Aneta had spent the entire day waiting for the miracle, but it wasn’t until late afternoon that he showed up.

“Have you thought about what I said?”

Lei asked in a relaxed tone, unaware of the frustration of the person who had been waiting for him.

“Yes, I did. But the answer I have to give you is still the same. I must return. So, let me leave this world immediately.”

Lei frowned as if he couldn’t comprehend her words.

“In this world, you can have everything you desire. And yet, you insist on returning? Just because Carlos Baltimor isn’t here?”

“That one person has now become my entire world. You knew that, which is why you pretended to be Carlos in front of me.”

“If you’re gone, that man will find new love. Humans are inherently like that.”

“Hearing that from you only makes me more determined to go back. I imagined someone else standing by his side, and just the thought of it made me sick to my stomach.”

Aneta didn’t hesitate to use harsh language, something she usually refrained from.

“No matter how much you try to persuade me, I won’t change my mind, Lei.”

“Then there’s no choice. I’ll have to tell you how to return.”

Lei, who had been deep in thought at Aneta’s firm declaration, suddenly smirked, as if he had never been frowning.

His sudden change in demeanor made Aneta uneasy.

“The method is simple. Find my true form and destroy it. But if you do that, you and your family will lose me forever. In other words, the Adenauer family will no longer be a family of glory.”

As expected, Lei had played his strongest card.

“Are you trying to take yourself hostage?”

Aneta asked, incredulous.

“Rather than being bound by another human, I’d rather disappear from this world. In a way, that’s a form of liberation too.”
He had once claimed that they were tightly bound under his name, but now that he had accomplished his goal of luring her into this world, the miracle made no effort to hide its true intentions.

“You’d better choose what to destroy carefully. You only get to pick one thing.”

Regaining his composure, Lei crossed his legs arrogantly. He looked down at her and asked in a condescending tone.

“One of my favorite sayings is that reputation is the last weakness of a noble person. What about you? Even if you can no longer enjoy the glory of the past, will you still choose to return?”

“There’s no reason I can’t. After all, you weren’t supposed to exist.”

“As someone who found what you once thought lost, you should be more aware than anyone else of the difference between having something and not. If you stay here, you can have not just glory, but even the throne if you desire.”

After the threat, Lei tried to entice her instead.

“I’ll make that happen for you.”

“No, I don’t need the throne either. You may call yourself an emperor, but in this fake world, you’d just play with me whenever you want. I’d rather refuse such a position than be at your mercy.”

Not even the highest seat of power could sway her resolve.

“Seeing how desperately you’re trying to get my consent, it seems you have a reason. Just give up.”

When his attempt to persuade her failed, Lei’s expression twisted in frustration.

“The honor of being a family of glory? Sure, it’s important. Your name has led your family for centuries. But just because you lose the glory doesn’t mean your family will fall apart.”

Aneta had already anticipated that others might change their attitude towards her if she lost the glory, but she wasn’t afraid. In the end, it would be their loss, not hers.

“With everything I’ve accomplished so far, do you think other families will surpass us just because you’re gone?”

Aneta knew very well the position of her family. The Adenauer family’s reputation wasn’t built solely on the existence of the glory. Even the emperor couldn’t disregard the Adenauers. That fact remained unchanged, even without the glory.

The things gained by leveraging the invisible yet acknowledged glory were fewer than expected.

Aneta believed more in what she had built herself than in anything else. That belief was what allowed her to stand firm in the face of Lei’s threats.

“I just want to be happy now with the person I love. If you stand in the way, I can easily give you up.”

As Aneta continued to speak, Lei’s face grew expressionless. The determination to persuade her seemed to have completely faded.

Turning his head, Lei glanced out the window. Aneta’s gaze followed his. Outside, the sky was once again painted in shades of red.

“Fine, I respect your decision. Holding on any longer would just be a waste of time.”

Aneta refrained from pointing out that he had only just realized this. Lei’s demeanor was surprisingly cooperative, which made her suspicious. Sensing something was off, Aneta narrowed her eyes.

“I’ve told you how to return, so you can go ahead and find my true form now. But there’s a time limit.”

“A time limit?”

“It wouldn’t be fair to me otherwise. I’ll give you until twilight ends. I won’t interfere with you until then. But when morning comes, your chance will be gone forever, and you’ll never leave this place.”

As expected, the miracle had no intention of letting her go easily.

“Isn’t it already unfair enough that I have to find an unknown object?”

“If you don’t like it, then forget it. I’m not forcing you.”

“Hah.”

Aneta sighed deeply, exasperated by his shameless response.

“What if I refuse?”

“Well, then I’ll make sure you can’t find my true form. I’m confident I can keep you from taking a single step out of this room.”

Finding his true form in the world he created while facing his interference was nearly impossible.

Aneta glared at Lei. She never imagined that someone with such glory could be so petty. Had she known, she wouldn’t have been so pleased when he first appeared.

“Though it may seem one-sided, I’ve been watching you for quite some time, so I’ll give you a small hint. I don’t have any coercive power to bring you to me just by synchronizing with your emotions. The only reason I could force the issue was because I had your blood.”

Lei, despite the piercing gaze Aneta directed at him, continued speaking without a care, as if he were bestowing some kind of favor.

Aneta, giving up on confronting him, checked outside the window. The dark red sky was gradually preparing to brighten.

The time given to her was absurdly short. She had no time left to argue with him.

“I’ll accept your offer. But you must keep your promise.”

“You too.”

Aneta’s choice was a clear gamble. Rather than sitting idly by and doing nothing, it was better to try something—anything.

Having made up her mind, Aneta quickly stood up.

As she hurried out of the room, Lei’s irritating voice stabbed at her back.

“Do your best. I’ll wish you luck.”

He sure knew how to say things he didn’t mean. Ignoring him, Aneta left the room.

‘I need to check my mother’s room first.’

Her destination had been decided from the start. There was no place more suspicious. There must have been a reason they lured her there using an illusion. Aneta began to run.

“Sweetheart.”

It was then that she encountered Elena.

Aneta froze at the sound of her voice calling out to her. Elena stood waiting in the corridor as if she knew Aneta would come.

‘Could it be that Lei is breaking his promise and pulling some trick?’

The thought made her worried.

“Are you leaving? So, this really is goodbye.”

Elena asked in a calm tone as if she had expected this. Though her expression revealed a hint of regret, she showed no intention of stopping Aneta.

Elena approached and embraced her. Aneta was startled as memories of how she had ended up in this place came rushing back, but the warm touch on her shoulder seemed to reassure her.

As if telling her everything would be all right.

Gradually, the tension in her shoulders began to ease.

Then it happened.

“If you don’t have much time, find and reconnect the lost time. That will at least stall him for a while.”

Elena whispered, and Aneta’s shoulders tensed up again. Although the corridor was empty except for the two of them, Elena acted as if someone might overhear.

That someone was likely Lei.

Aneta wanted to ask the meaning behind Elena’s cryptic words, but she closed her mouth.

In the meantime, Elena straightened up and spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Aneta, though our time together was short, I was truly happy to see you again.”

Elena didn’t ask Aneta anything, just as she hadn’t when Aneta first arrived. She simply looked at her with deep eyes, as if she understood everything.

“It’s best to end our farewells here. You should go now. There isn’t much time left.”

Elena reminded Aneta of the urgency of the situation and moved behind her. With her delicate hands, she gently pushed Aneta forward. Aneta took a step and then turned to look back.

“Thank you, truly. I love you, Mother.”

Aneta, knowing she would never see Elena again, took in her mother’s image with her eyes and finally spoke the words she hadn’t been able to before.

For a moment, Elena’s lips parted in surprise, but she quickly responded with the brightest smile she’d ever shown.

Taking that smile as her final memory, Aneta began to run again, heading towards Elena’s room.

Aneta’s figure soon disappeared. Even as she vanished, Elena remained standing in the same spot, watching her daughter for what she knew would be the last time. She whispered,

“My sweetheart, my precious child. I truly wish for your happiness.”

Her heartfelt wish echoed through the empty corridor.

***

Aneta moved forward without looking back, but her mind was filled with thoughts of Elena.

Elena had been real, just as the miracle had said. Despite knowing this, turning away from her mother hadn’t been as difficult as she had expected.

‘Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to a reality where my mother isn’t there.’

Now that she could let go of the last of her regrets, she felt a strange sense of relief. As these thoughts passed through her mind, she reached the door to Elena’s room.

Fortunately, the door opened easily.

Even though her conversation with Elena had taken some time, she didn’t regret it. Aneta felt her mouth dry with tension as she stepped inside.

The miracle’s true form and the “lost time” Elena had mentioned—Aneta didn’t prioritize one over the other. She only hoped to find at least one of them before morning arrived.

Suppressing her growing anxiety, Aneta calmly began to examine the items in Elena’s room. Her eyes soon landed on some familiar paintings.