Chapter 49: Good Grief, Not a Drop of Blood in His Veins, It’s All… p1
The suppressed, angry voice echoed in the room. For a moment, the two of them were speechless.
Duke Bell let out a long sigh. He looked at his daughter with his dull, yellowed eyes and said in a low voice, “You won’t even call me father…”
Looking at Duke Bell, Sandy let out a cold laugh.
“Hah.”
“Why did you insist on me coming back?”
“Even if I don’t take this position, isn’t there still Shelley?”
“Isn’t he your biological son? What are you so afraid of?”
Narrowing her eyes at Duke Bell, Sandy continued her questioning.
“There’s one more thing I’ve never understood…”
“Why did you make it public knowledge that Shelley is an illegitimate son?”
And why wasn’t I treated as an illegitimate daughter? Why was I raised as the Duke’s legitimate eldest daughter?
Ever since Shelley had arrived at the Duke’s estate and received completely different treatment, this question had plagued her.
“Some things happened back then…”
“Some things are not that simple…”
Without giving Sandy an explanation, Duke Bell skipped over the topic. He changed the subject.
“Are you really unwilling to come back?”
“About your mother’s matter, I am very sorry…”
“Her remains were sent to the cemetery long ago. What you saw in her hometown was just an empty grave.”
Hearing this, Sandy wanted to rush forward and grab Duke Bell by the collar, but she stopped after just two steps.
Hmph!
Glaring at him fiercely, Sandy turned and strode toward the door. As she was about to leave, she turned to look at Duke Bell, who had retreated back into the shadows, and said softly, “My mother can no longer go to heaven… I hope you don’t go either.”
I curse you!
In any church, even in the religions of evil gods, suicide was a grave sin. The soul of a suicide was tainted and could not be transformed into a petitioner in the divine realm.
Clang!
Facing the closed door, Duke Bell let out a long sigh. He wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose and whispered, “You will come back.”
“You definitely will.”
“Mount Celestia? Sigh…”
“There’s no place for me there anymore…”
**
Clack, clack, clack!
The sound of angry footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. The moment Sandy left the bedroom, she could no longer control her emotions. The high heels under her feet nearly shattered the marble floor.
“How dare he use my mother’s grave to threaten me?”
“That scumbag!”
“He doesn’t understand that a person’s value is not just in where their body is laid to rest!”
“My mother’s home will always be in that warm little village, not in this cold ducal estate!”
Nearly grinding her teeth to dust, Sandy closed her eyes in fury and took a long, deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
“It’s been a long time, Lady Sandy.”
A clear, gentle voice sounded before her, dispersing much of her anger.
Sandy looked up and saw her long-unseen brother, Shelley. He was the only one of Duke Bell’s children who didn’t disgust her.
The man before her, aside from the traditional silver-gray hair of the Bell family, looked nothing like a Bell. He wasn’t brawny; Shelley’s build was tall and strong, but not as burly as the Duke had been in his youth. He wasn’t a lecher; he frequented the circles of noblewomen, yet there were no scandals associated with him. His features were softer than the others, less angular, more gentle. His aura was as warm as a gentle spring breeze, always able to soothe others’ moods.
And most importantly, Sandy had never felt a malicious gaze from Shelley. The kind of lustful gaze other men directed at her body. Even Congreve and Bowen had failed in this regard.
“It has indeed… been a long time, Shelley.”
Her intense emotions interrupted, Sandy composed her expression, nodded slowly, and prepared to leave.
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood. Did something happen?”
Hearing this, she stopped. She turned back to see Shelley’s face, who was looking at her with concern. Looking at that handsome face filled with worry, Sandy hesitated for a moment, then said, “What if, and this is just a what-if, I became the next Duke Bell? What would you think?”
If I said I wasn’t willing to fight for that position, what would you do?
The moment the words left her mouth, Sandy stared intently at Shelley’s expression, wanting to know his true thoughts. To her surprise, his expression didn’t change at all. He still looked at her with concern and asked, “That’s not important. First, tell me what happened.”
“If I can, I will do everything in my power to help you.”
Just as Sandy wanted to know Shelley’s thoughts, Shelley also wanted to know hers. He didn’t have any ill feelings or prejudice against Sandy, this beautiful woman who also had silver-gray hair. Although she might be Duke Bell’s only true bloodline, Shelley wasn’t too wary of her. Sandy was ten years older than Shelley, and she had taken care of him a little when he was young. Moreover, their situations were similar; they were companions in misery, and they got along reasonably well. As for their relationship, it was like that of casual friends who weren’t particularly close. Neither intimate nor distant.
“…Is this the method of the Canary of Lunt?”
Unable to handle his warmth, she turned her head away slightly. Sandy hesitated for a moment, then continued, “…It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Sandy looked back at Shelley, her voice a little louder.
“About my earlier question, what are your thoughts?”
After observing her carefully, Shelley thought for a moment and said, “I have no interest in that position.”
He spread his hands and chuckled lightly.
“It’s true.”
“If I could have, I would have left this place ten years ago. I just didn’t have the opportunity or the ability.”
“But thankfully, I’m an adult now, and I have enough ability to go on adventures.”
“So I will be leaving here soon to gain… freedom.”
Seeing her thoughtful expression, Shelley decided to take this opportunity to clear some things up.
“I know why you’re here today, but you don’t need to overthink it.”
“Why not take what is rightfully yours?”
“The tragedies of the past should not be borne by the people of the present.”
“You are different from me. You still need that power to prevent certain things from happening.”
At this point, Shelley looked at Sandy’s gradually changing expression. He smiled happily and said, as if hinting at something, “After all, only with that status can you prevent the same thing from happening again.”
Hearing this, Sandy’s calm expression completely changed. She said, uncertainly, “Do you… know something!?”
Impossible! No one should know! Our matter… impossible!?
Chuckling softly, Shelley looked at Sandy with a fatherly expression. He watched her grow tense before shaking his head with a smile.
“Maybe, maybe not. What does it matter?”
“Love is a beautiful thing. I truly believe that.”
“Political marriages, on the other hand, are disgusting.”
A deep blush spread across Sandy’s beautiful face. She stared at Shelley with wide, beautiful eyes.
“You!”
You’d better explain yourself! What do you know?
Nearly screaming, Sandy was about to rush forward and grab Shelley to demand an explanation, but he easily dodged her.
“Alright, Lady Sandy, I still have matters to discuss with the Duke, so I’ll take my leave.”
Quickly shaking off Sandy, who was in high heels, Shelley walked toward the Duke’s bedroom in a cheerful mood.
Watching him walk away with ease, Sandy gave up the chase and sighed.
“…Why don’t you call him father?”
Shelley, who had walked some distance away, turned back. The morning sun shone through the window onto his handsome face, making his azure eyes seem even clearer in the light.
Shelley looked back at her, squinted, and said with a light laugh, “Some things are better left unsaid, don’t you think?”
“My dear sister…”
Smiling at the stunned and speechless Sandy, Shelley chuckled, turned, and walked away.
Watching Shelley’s figure disappear down the corridor, Sandy felt a chill run through her body, even though the sunlight on her was warm.
“…What was that just now?”
For a moment, she felt as if she had seen a dangerous beast hiding in the shadows, licking its claws. Remembering the cold glint that had flashed in Shelley’s eyes, she shivered.
“So he’s not as weak as he appears on the surface.”
“That’s right. A truly weak person wouldn’t survive in that circle.”
**
Knock, knock, knock.
Gently knocking on the Duke’s bedroom door, Shelley stood before it, not pushing it open.
“Cough, cough… Who is it?”
Leaning his back against the door, Shelley said respectfully, “Good morning. It’s me, Your Grace. How is your health?”
The coughing inside stopped. Duke Bell’s aged voice came from within.
“…What are you here for?”
Ignoring the harshness in the Duke’s tone, Shelley maintained his smile and said, “To care for you, of course. After all, your health has not been good.”
“By the way, I came to ask you how I should handle a certain matter.”
“Yesterday, while I was with the Temple of Justice clearing out the followers of an evil god, I encountered some annoying little dogs.”
“I accidentally slaughtered them all. I don’t know if this will have any impact on you.”
For a moment, the room fell silent. After a long while, a voice came from within.
“…Hmph! Just a pack of stray dogs! If you killed them, you killed them! You don’t need to report it to me!”
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
The smile on his face didn’t change at all. Shelley shook his head and said, “I understand. I know how to handle things in the future.”
“I have no other questions. Please rest well…”
“…When you have time, you should come out and get some sun.”
Calculating the time, Shelley felt that the situation with Elena should have reached a conclusion. So he said decisively, “Then I will take my leave, Your Grace, Duke Bell.”
“You… why won’t you call me father?”
His footsteps paused. Shelley turned back to the door, a brilliant smile on his face.
“What are you talking about? Of course I’m willing to call you father.”
“Goodbye, Father.”
“Sweet dreams.”
With that, he turned and strode away.
“Sigh…”
Inside the room, Duke Bell looked at the closed door and let out a long sigh. He lay back down, stared at the magnificent crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and slowly closed his eyes.
**
