The Ghost Duchess

CHAPTER 12 PART 1

Days passed.

Alena did nothing but followed Zilal to retrieve her dagger while the duke remained unconscious.

But all her efforts were futile. She didn't even see the dagger at all so she couldn't confirm if he truly was the one who took it.

Now here she was again, stuck in the same room where the duke was sleeping.

The moon was shining bright as Alena sat by the window, looking up absentmindedly, wondering if it ever felt lonely or tired just existing right up there, alone for eternity.

"I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for you..." she whispered, talking to the moon as if it could hear her. "...relentlessly and endlessly keep shining just to give light in all these darkness."

After a long silence, Alena sighed, the corners of her mouth turning up into a wry smile as she realized she was conversing with the moon again. This was already the second time this happened since the duke fell unconscious. Was she starting to be lonely? Was she turning into some lonely ghost or something? This must just be... boredom, right?

Trying to distract herself, Alena moved. She felt like if this keeps on, she might actually lose her mind and that was something she could never let happen!

But just as she was about to leave the room to search of Zilal once again, a sound halted her. Her attention snapped back to the duke's bed, where she noticed a subtle movement.

And then a low groan broke the silence.

Alena cautiously approached the bed, and upon seeing the duke's sweat-drenched brow, her eyes widened.

He's succumbing to a fever!

Despite the grave nature of his wound, which by all accounts should have been life-threatening, the duke had remained fever-free up until now. And that's why Alena believed that his survival was all but assured.

But right now, he looked like the fever was killing him.

Having witnessed the harrowing toll such fevers could exact on the body, with even her own brother falling victim not too long ago, Alena could recognize the signs of severe illness even without the ability to physically touch the duke.

She darted towards the door. But just as her ghostly form passed through it, she halted.

What was she doing? Was she genuinely on the verge of seeking help for the duke?

Her hands clenched into fists. The sight of his face a while ago must've just reminded her of her brother's, therefore driving her to take immediate action, knowing that he needed to be attended to or else he could die.

It's true that initially, Alena did not like how it all ended up like this. She wanted to be the one to take his life, not someone else. But it was she who made everything turn out this way. She was still the one who indirectly put the duke in this state.

If the duke were to die now, the responsibility would lie squarely with her. This would mean she had indeed been the one to end his life, fulfilling her objective, even though not in the way she had originally intended.

Alena turned to face the duke's bed once again, her expression steely. This was it... She would simply stand here and wait until the duke finally took his final breath.