Chapter 89
It was early in the morning when Beatrice came to the Florence mansion, sobbing uncontrollably. Angela approached her, unable to understand why she was crying so bitterly, and Beatrice only begged to be saved.
“Stop crying. And explain clearly what’s going on.”
“Th-that…”
Only after Angela spoke in a tone that seemed somewhat harsh and cold did Beatrice open her mouth. Right after hearing the words pouring out from Beatrice’s lips, Angela dashed straight out of the Florence mansion.
The place she ran to was the Bilton mansion. The man who had stubbornly seated her in front of him last time had now drawn her here again with another absurd incident.
She could feel the servants at the Bilton mansion bowing to her as she strode in, yet glancing nervously at her. Angela ignored those gazes entirely, as if she didn’t see them at all, and headed toward Dominic’s room.
The sight that met her eyes the moment she opened the door and entered was horrifying.
“This is…”
Angela couldn’t tell if this voice was coming from her own throat. A rough voice, like scraping metal, burst out in an instant.
“What the hell are you doing!”
Screaming, Angela immediately approached Yvonne, who was slumped on the floor. Blood was flowing from one side of her forehead.
That sight reminded her of Yvonne emerging injured from Grace’s room, making Angela feel as if blood were rushing to her eyes. Her heart, which shouldn’t feel hot, burned with heat.
“Are you insane?”
The room was in utter chaos. The large round table had lost one leg, and the chairs had completely lost their shape. The sofa was covered in slashes as if cut by a knife, and the bedding was the same—everything sliced and torn, rendered useless. Not a single ornament was in its place; they were all scattered across the floor.
These were traces of Dominic smashing things. Blood was dripping profusely from his hands. Amid all this, Dominic smiled brightly upon seeing Angela, who had finally come to him.
“Haa, you’ve come. My daughter.”
Dominic approached and pulled Angela into an embrace. Unable to even step back, Angela, now held by Dominic, gestured to Yvonne to leave. If she got more involved, it seemed like real trouble would erupt.
However, Dominic spotted that gesture first and, releasing Angela, approached Yvonne.
“Where do you think you’re going? After what you did to my daughter. Huh? You’ll only leave this room when you’re dead.”
Angela wanted to cover her ears at the words spilling from Dominic. So, Yvonne’s injury wasn’t from trying to stop Dominic from wrecking the room like this…
“Get out, Yvonne.”
Yvonne showed no intention of moving. Whether she thought it was only right to suffer like this because of what she’d done to Angela, or if she didn’t want to leave Angela alone with Dominic in this state, Angela couldn’t tell. But either way, Yvonne shouldn’t be here.
“Get out!”
Angela screamed. It wasn’t good for her emotions to escalate like this. If she lost control, it would give Grace an opening to appear. Yet it wasn’t easy.
Only after Angela screamed a couple more times did Yvonne finally leave the room. Confirming that she had gone, Angela surveyed the room once more.
This wasn’t the act of someone in their right mind. Not a single item remained in its original state.
“Have you really gone mad? What is all this?”
At Angela’s words, Dominic tried to pull her into his arms again. This time, Angela stepped back to avoid him. But his rough grip seized her wrist and inevitably drew her into his embrace.
“Haa, that wicked one starved you. Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of it all. I won’t let anything that torments you go unpunished, so don’t worry about a thing.”
Angela bit her lip hard before releasing it and asked,
“By any chance, have you been having dreams lately?”
Dominic laughed as if he’d lost his mind before speaking.
“I do, every single day. They tell me all sorts of things about you. Very good dreams. If not for those dreams, I might have… lost you forever.”
Letting out a sigh, Angela barely pushed Dominic away and met his eyes directly. His hazy, unfocused gaze didn’t seem like his own. He had always been a man with eyes like a blazing sun.
“It’s Grace’s trickery. You’re being manipulated. You mustn’t dream. Take stimulants and don’t sleep. Then you’ll be fine.”
“Ha, haha.”
Dominic shook his head as if he didn’t want to.
“Why? I like those dreams. They tell me everything about you. How pretty my daughter was as a child. Ah, I’ve never seen your smiling face, but they show me that too.”
“Ah…!”
She almost called out “Father,” but Angela stopped herself. The word just wouldn’t come out.
Then Dominic looked at Angela expectantly. His hands gripped both her arms tightly.
“Try calling me? You used to call me that all the time. Call me Father?”
Dominic seemed unaware that the person before him was the twenty-four-year-old Angela. His tone was like speaking to a four-year-old.
As Angela tried to shake off his grip and move away, Dominic pulled her back with force. It felt like her arms might crush.
“Call me, I said? Hmm?”
Words forced like this wouldn’t hold any meaning, but the deranged Dominic didn’t know that either. Angela bit her lip tightly before releasing it and opened her mouth.
“…Father.”
Ecstasy spread across his face.
“Yes, I’m your father. I’m your father.”
Repeating the words, Dominic smoothed Angela’s hair back. What truly needed tidying was Dominic’s room, his body, his mental state. Yet Dominic obsessively only smoothed Angela’s hair.
“You mustn’t dream, Father. Don’t be fooled by Grace.”
She tried to persuade him by using the title he wanted. Only then did it seem like her words were getting through.
“Yes, Grace… I mustn’t be fooled by that devil. That devil took my daughter from me…”
But perhaps it was a misunderstanding. As he spoke, Dominic suddenly released Angela and rushed to the wall, slamming his head against it. Startled, Angela hurried over and stopped him.
“I, my daughter…!”
“What, what are you doing! Please, stop!”
“I, I, I…!”
To stop him from slamming himself repeatedly, she grabbed his clothes and pulled him back as if tearing them.
“Father!”
Even then, Dominic couldn’t calm down until he heard Angela’s call. It was as if he’d been under a spell. Dominic’s eyes turned toward Angela.
“Yes, my daughter…”
With that reply, Dominic staggered and collapsed to the floor. He sprawled out just as simply and terrifyingly as he had raged fiercely.
“Father, Fath…!”
Angela, sinking down with him, looked at the fallen Dominic as if she might cry, then promptly opened the door.
Wondering if Yvonne had truly just left as told, there she was, standing right outside. Seeing the untreated wound, Angela bit her lip hard.
“He’s collapsed, so go in and check. Call a doctor.”
“Yes, understood.”
After giving instructions to the servant, Angela pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and pressed it to Yvonne’s split forehead.
“You should have run away, you fool.”
Then Yvonne placed her hand over Angela’s, which was staunching the blood, and spoke.
“How could I do that? If I’m a sinner, I deserve punishment.”
At those words, Angela hardened her face frighteningly and said,
“Then I’m a sinner to you and Beatrice too, so I’ll take my punishment. Does that mean my forehead needs to be split?”
With a voice so savage it seemed she might actually do it, Yvonne shook her head vigorously.
“I said I’m fine. Since I said I’m fine, no one can blame you.”
Finishing her words, Angela stared intently at Yvonne. Sensing what she wanted, Yvonne nodded up and down as if controlled. As if to say well done, the touch on her forehead softened.
“You handle a sword, so what if something serious had happened? You need to value your life. What would Beatrice do if you died?”
The stream of nagging and reproaches felt warm, causing tears to well in Yvonne’s eyes. Once again, guilt surged over what she had done to such a kind young lady.
‘What did you do to my daughter!’
Being treated like this by Dominic, who had screamed and charged at her, somehow hurt less. Less than confirming Angela’s kindness in every moment.
* * *
Kalian, who rushed over after hearing the news from the Bilton mansion late, misunderstood upon seeing Dominic’s blood on Angela and caused a commotion.
After calming him that it wasn’t like that, he sternly warned her never to get involved in the Bilton mansion’s affairs again.
Amid all that, it was Angela who stubbornly insisted on not returning to the Florence mansion. She was worried that something might happen to Yvonne or Beatrice while she was gone.
Kalian showed a face of polar opposites: understanding Angela’s worry on one hand, yet utterly unable to comprehend it on the other.
“I gave him stimulants, so he should be fine.”
Kalian said coolly. It meant she should go back. This wasn’t a place for Angela.
“Just let me stay tonight and watch, okay?”
Angela’s answer veered in a direction Kalian absolutely didn’t want.
Preparations for war were in full swing. Soon they would have to leave, and accordingly, the tasks Kalian had to handle were piled up like mountains.
Unlike usual, he couldn’t stay here with Angela. She knew that, yet she was being stubborn like this.
“I always say I’m worried that Angela might get hurt in places where I’m not.”
“You know I don’t get hurt easily.”
“Isn’t it your heart?”
“Huh…?”
At Kalian’s words, Angela looked up at him blankly.
“I’m asking if hurting your heart means nothing.”
For a moment, Angela hesitated, at a loss for words, then simply pulled Kalian into an embrace.
“This heals it all. Even if it hurts, holding you like this makes it nothing.”
In the end, Kalian couldn’t break Angela’s stubbornness. Clenching his fist tightly, Kalian hugged her back fiercely.
It was indeed Angela’s place. It fit her perfectly.
“Then, if there’s even the slightest injury, you must come right away. Promise made.”
Only after receiving Angela’s promise did Kalian turn away. After sending him off, Angela glanced at Dominic’s room before coming to her own. She had told the servants to inform her immediately if there was any strange sign.
Entering her cleanly tidied room, Angela stood by the window she habitually sought when feeling stifled, instead of sleeping, and fell into worry. It was about whether to visit Dominic’s dream once.
It would be fortunate if the stimulants worked and Dominic regained his senses, but somehow she felt uneasy.
It was different from Anette’s case. Dominic seemed eroded by something deeper and more vicious. His cloudy pupils, unable to see the world clearly, were strange. It felt like the moment she entered, she’d see Grace standing behind him.
“Haa.”
A sigh escaped on its own. Fatigue crept in.
However, today even Angela thought it better not to sleep. She was being cautious, lest she give Grace, who exploited vulnerabilities, any link.
It was while she was staying up all night with such various worries. Angela’s door opened. Entering was Dominic. Upon spotting Angela, Dominic’s face filled with immense joy as he pulled her into an embrace.
“Finally, finally you’ve come.”
He overlapped his arms several times, continually drawing Angela into his hold.
“The servant was about to knock, so I asked why he’d do that to an empty room, but it wasn’t. You were here. Father was inconsiderate. Haha, no. Still, we met like this, so it’s fine? Right?”
Angela just listened to the words pouring from Dominic’s mouth.
“I came to your room every night. I thought you’d be here if I came. I wanted to find traces of you. But you weren’t. There was nothing. Yet something kept feeling like there would be… It was all for today.”
Dominic kept spilling words like a madman. Only after listening to the end did Angela speak.
“Did you have a dream?”
Dominic shook his head like a child.
“I had them every day, but today sleep wouldn’t come at all, so I couldn’t dream of you. Damn that doctor for feeding me something. But we met like this, so it’s okay.”
Watching Dominic pull her even closer, Angela newly realized how severe his condition was. It was palpably clear that a mind like this wouldn’t recover from just a few days without sleep or temporarily preventing dreams.
Indeed, it seemed she needed to visit Dominic’s dream once. Even if, like with Anette, she ended up unable to do anything again, she couldn’t leave it like this.
This person who was nothing because he was her father, and a father because he was nothing.
