Duke Billeter's mansion was surprisingly larger than the Zehren house, and the number of people offering a welcome also exceeded in quantity any noble house Delilah had visited in the past. She had never heard a word about the place to which she had been taken. Neil had dressed her in a fine dark gown, and yet, she found it difficult to strike a proper pose before the high-ranking figure they were visiting.
Not even in her most absurd nightmares did she believe destiny was capable of turning coincidences into such brazen jokes. In her current situation, setting foot inside the Billeter house was the same as stepping toward the gates of hell… barefoot.
The Duke was an elegant, fair-haired man of advanced age. Currently, he actively served the King: an inspiring noble of great prestige, visibly superior to any other aristocrats Delilah had met before. However, the weight of his title held far less influence over her than the fact of knowing his kinship to Eilith Billeter. This was the magical forest from which the blonde fairy descended. A vast place from which Delilah felt she could not escape, no matter how much she desired it.
While she waited in the dining room, her gaze met the costly and magnificent family paintings adorning the walls. Among them, Eilith's face stood out with almost painful clarity. Before that portrait, Delilah felt minuscule. The young noblewoman's beauty radiated confidence through her genuine smile. The painter who had captured her image on that canvas seemed to have replicated reality without any margin for error.
No one in that world could overshadow Eilith. Anyone harboring a negative thought about her ought to reconsider their way of living. And yet… the knowledge of power is useless when faced with feelings. Delilah sighed, trying to restrain herself.
The confidential matter between Andrea and the Duke took little more than half an hour. During that time, the negative emotions she had tried to suppress began to gain strength. With her chest tightened by a silent pain, she was unable to touch anything she was offered. The fear of letting her feelings reflect on her face persisted within her, so she frequently hid her expression behind her long black hair.
—Are you alright?
Andrea finally appeared. Seeing her like this, he could intuit many things. That vulnerable and restless figure awakened in him an uncomfortable sense of worry. However, his unease vanished when the cautious girl looked up and offered him something only he could see. A glimmer of relief lit up her eyes. Even if only for that brief instant, Andrea deeply appreciated that his presence could mean so much to her.
Liam Bathory's youngest son observed the hall around them. Dinner was being served, and the Duke had just entered the dining room. He wanted to take advantage of the closeness that had been created between him and Delilah to ask something that had been on his mind for some time.
—Delilah… do you like my brother Neil?
Andrea knew that this place was not suitable for starting such a conversation. But he decided to defy his surroundings. He wanted to hear a clear answer. Delilah did not immediately grasp the depth of the question. From her perspective, the answer seemed obvious. Of course she liked him. However, things were not that simple. The seriousness in Andrea's green eyes made her uncomfortable, forcing her to quickly review certain memories.
—You must never fall in love with my older brother.
When he spoke a second time, Delilah re-examined those words within her memory. She raised her face to meet the confused expression of the young Bathory. Then, something unexpected happened. An uncontrollable gesture formed on her lips. It seemed she was on the verge of laughing.
—I could not fall in love with Neil… where did you get that from?
Andrea looked surprised. And also embarrassed. He even had to observe her more closely to make sure she was truly smiling.
—I am worried that you might be affected because of those two —he finally said—. The Marquise and my older brother.
Delilah slowly regained her breath, and her smile faded. She had a vague idea about the relationship between Neil and the Marquise, but at that moment, her suspicions grew stronger. It seemed to go beyond what would normally be considered a personal relationship.
—I must apologize for this misunderstanding.
At that moment, the Duke took his place at the table and naturally demanded the attention of everyone present. Even so, Andrea did not want to leave the conversation unfinished. The truth he sought had nothing to do with the fragility she had been showing lately, so he returned to the same point.
—Though I feel more at peace… I wonder why you haven't fallen in love with my brother.
His own ideas contradicted each other. Delilah could not entirely follow the thread of his thoughts. She shouldn't fall in love… yet at the same time, he seemed to want to know why she hadn't. Certainly, Andrea was not choosing his words well.
—Loving someone is truly painful.
Delilah responded with unexpected sincerity. In that sentence, she gathered something that could soothe Andrea's heart and, at the same time, momentarily relieve the weight pressing on her chest. But Neil's younger brother only understood the first meaning of her words. And he naively convinced himself that if her sadness had nothing to do with Neil… then, whatever her suffering was, he could solve it.
♠♠♠♠♠♠