IGBD 42

Chapter 42

“Your Grace, they say the Blue Diamond has been secured.”

Derek, the aide, reported with a bright face.

“Really?”

Even Yuan, whose expression rarely revealed emotion, couldn’t help but show a trace of joy at that moment.

He had waited so long to obtain the Blue Diamond. The fact that it was acquired at such a timely moment—perhaps it was the child inside Serret’s womb who had brought this good fortune.

With a faint smile, Yuan slipped the sapphire wedding ring from his finger.

“They say it’s coming from the Ake Continent, so it should take about a week to arrive.”

Yuan was about to answer Derek when the door opened and Serret’s maid entered.

“My lady has gone into labor.”

“Labor?”

Yuan rose from his seat with a tense face. At last, the child was about to be born.

He hurried out of the office.

Left behind on the desk was the sapphire wedding ring—no longer needed.

Two weeks later, Yuan held in his hand a finely crafted Blue Diamond ring. Staring at it with his usual blank face, he let out a hollow laugh.

“It’s time to attend the funeral now, Your Grace. You must go.”

Derek urged in a subdued tone.

“Of course. It’s my wife’s funeral.”

Yuan rose from his seat, expression flat. Though he stood, his feet felt unwilling to move.

For a moment, he looked around the office so familiar to him. These past few days had been a haze—likely because he hadn’t slept properly.

Would he be able to rest once the funeral ended? That thought followed him as he left the office.

The funeral, held at the duchy’s cathedral, was heavy with grief. Baron Innohater collapsed in sorrow, causing a brief commotion.

Even during that uproar, Yuan’s face remained unchanged as he gazed at Serret, lying in the glass coffin.

A foolish woman. Yuan still couldn’t tell what effect her death had left on him.

When the time came for the final farewell, Yuan stepped closer.

Serret’s face, surrounded by flowers, was pale. Even seeing her laid in the coffin, it still didn’t feel real.

She had always been like furniture in the house. And what was one missing piece of furniture? Life should go on much the same…

Surely, he would continue living. That was what it meant to be Yuan Frechtuster.

From his pocket, Yuan took out the Blue Diamond ring. Slowly, he slipped it onto Serret’s fourth finger.

The ring fit her hand perfectly.

Night had fallen. In the darkness of the room, Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Serret as she slept.

He had dreamed of her lying in a coffin, and before he knew it, he had rushed here in a frenzy. The dense sorrow the dream brought was unlike anything he had ever felt—helplessness, despair.

Breaking into his fiancée’s room uninvited, he only calmed once he confirmed she was still breathing. Naturally, he should have left immediately after… but he couldn’t.

And so, he sat there, secretly watching her sleep.

Serret stirred and then, seemingly awakened, flinched as she sat up.

“Wh—who’s there… Yuan?”

Recognizing him in the darkness, Serret called his name in surprise.

Without a word, Yuan pulled her into his arms. The small, warm body against him made him feel alive again.

“Yuan, what are you doing?”

Serret wriggled, trying to break free from his grasp.

“Just a moment. Just for a moment, Serret.”

Holding her tighter, Yuan spoke in a low voice.

He only wanted a little more time like this—to be reassured that Serret truly existed in this world.

“Your Grace.”

Serret struggled, but Yuan wouldn’t release her easily.

At last, perhaps resigned, she relaxed in his arms and asked softly,

“Did something happen?”

That tone pierced him. For some reason, grief welled inside him, and his hand on her back pressed harder.

How could a mere dream shake him so? Yuan himself couldn’t understand. What was a dream, after all?

Only after a long time did Yuan finally let her go.

“I had a dream.”

His voice was heavy.

“A dream? Was it another one where I died?”

She seemed to remember what he had told her once before, during the carriage ride.

“Yes.”

In the dark, Yuan groped for her hand and held it. Feeling the warmth of her small hand made his lips twitch faintly upward.

“Curious again, are you? Wondering if I wish for your death?”

“…”

“Or did you come running tonight intending to kill me yourself?”

At her chilly words, Yuan sighed.

“Don’t act like you’re a woman who wishes to die at my hand.”

“Who in this world wants to die?”

Serret’s voice was harsher than her words, as she pulled her hand away.

When her warmth left his hand, anxiety surged inside Yuan. That anxiety twisted, stirring instead a desire for her.

He wanted to bite her neck, leave marks, press his body against hers—prove she was his woman.

“Serret.”

Suppressing that urge, Yuan called her name.

“No matter how close we are to marriage, it’s improper to visit my room at night, Your Grace.”

She scolded him.

Yuan’s behavior—so shaken over a dream—seemed absurd to her. Could he really be so unmoored by something so trivial? Or was he pretending?

“To be honest, it feels like you’re mocking me.”

Just like in the carriage—was he here to toy with her again? The Yuan Frechtuster she knew would never act like this over a dream.

“Mocking you?”

The word from her lips made Yuan’s brow twitch. In truth, it was Serret who mocked him—if she knew what had truly driven him here, she wouldn’t say such things.

“A dream is just a dream.”

“Just a dream.”

Yuan echoed her words.

Yes, a dream was just a dream. An empty illusion that vanished upon waking. So why was he so shaken?

“But when I dream of your death, I suffer.”

His quiet voice continued.

Even after waking, the lingering pain wouldn’t fade. It was strange—like a child, unable to distinguish dream from reality, unable to control his emotions. So unlike himself.

“This isn’t like you, Duke Frechtuster.”

“I know.”

Yuan knew better than anyone that this behavior did not suit him.

“Don’t torment yourself over my death in a dream.”

You don’t deserve it. How disgusting.

Serret looked at him with cold eyes.

Grieving over the death of the woman you plan to kill after she bears your child? Even a stray dog would laugh. She sneered inwardly.

Perhaps he was just acting, trying to reassure her, trying to seem human to keep her from running away. But she wouldn’t be fooled.

Yuan gave a powerless smile and slowly rose to his feet.

“Sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep.”

“Yes.”

Her curt reply followed him as he left the room.

Staring at her closed door, Yuan wondered. Was this reality? Or was the world where Serret had died the true reality, and this merely a dream?

It felt like walking through a dense fog.

Serret sipped a thick cup of cocoa and let out a sigh.

She was thinking of Yuan from the night before. When he had come to her room, he had looked strangely vulnerable. She had never seen him like that.

She had once wondered if there was anything in the world that could frighten Yuan Frechtuster—he always seemed so strong.

But last night, he had seemed like a completely different man.

“Why does he keep dreaming of me dying? It’s unsettling.”

Serret frowned.

Did he want her dead that badly? Or was it because he was angry that she had humiliated Lydia yesterday? What a twisted kind of love.

As she grumbled inwardly, a knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

At her word, Hannah entered.

“My lady, have you finished breakfast?”

“Yes, I did.”

Hannah approached, glancing at the tray on the tea table. Seeing the salad and biscuits all gone, she smiled with satisfaction.

Setting her cup down, Serret dabbed her lips with a napkin and rose from her seat.

“Well done, my lady.”

“Today will be very busy.”

She had no time to waste brooding over the man who had killed her.

There was much to do—an important outing in the morning, and in the afternoon, she would meet her father arriving from Morsely.

“Hannah, get me ready to go out.”

“Already? But the viscount won’t arrive until afternoon.”

“I have somewhere else to go first.”

“Where?”

“I’ll stop by Eve’s house, then go for lunch.”

Serret smiled brightly.

Once prepared, Serret headed with Hannah to Eve’s home. Eve greeted them warmly.

Her small, modest house was bustling with children. With so many younger siblings, Eve was constantly occupied.

The noisy children ran about shouting, leaving Serret drained.

“Da-da.”

As Eve asked her to wait a moment, Serret stood in the living room. Just then, Eve’s youngest sibling toddled over and tugged at her skirt.

Serret noticed the baby and smiled. Kneeling, she met the child’s eyes.

The sight of the little one brought to mind the child she had never seen.

She had never even glimpsed its face, but she had carried it for ten months. That alone was enough to make her love it deeply.

Surely, her child would have smiled just as angelically. Its toddling steps would have been so adorable.

My child. The baby whose name I’ll never know.

Tears welled in Serret’s eyes.