TDATD⋆♱✮

LXXXVl

☆ ★ ✮ ★𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊☆ ★ ✮ ★
ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 86

Upon learning about the shady deal between the Emperor and Derrick, and suspecting he might be scheming to use his sister, he couldn’t help but be filled with questions.

‘Was the Duke of Vaisil truly suffering from memory loss?’

Mental issues like amnesia can easily be faked if someone chooses to act. Although Judith had received a diagnosis from a doctor confirming her husband’s memory loss, only Derrick truly knew the reality. If Derrick was pretending to have amnesia with the intent to harm his sister, it had to be stopped at any cost.

The problem was, there was no way to distinguish if it was an act or not unless the sister who observed him closely found out.

So, on the day of the consecration ceremony, Vincen asked calmly when Derrick was away for a moment.

“Your husband, is it true that he lost his memory?”

Judith showed a puzzled expression, not understanding why he was asking.

“It’s true. Just as I mentioned before, he doesn’t remember anything from the past.”

Since she, who had observed him closely, gave such a definite answer, Vincen couldn’t raise any further doubts. Thus, he found himself in a position where he couldn’t completely dispel his suspicion nor act rashly.

Surrounded by uncertainty, Vincen was quite surprised to see his sister and her husband at the banquet. Derrick naturally had his arm around Judith’s waist, and she didn’t resist his touch. Moreover, the way they occasionally whispered secrets to each other exuded a tender atmosphere that hadn’t been seen before, almost like a couple deeply in love.

Furthermore, the Duke captivated everyone’s attention by carrying his sister out of the hall.

“Judith would have hated something like that.”

Having attended banquets with his sister before, he knew well that Judith couldn’t stand being the center of attention. Seeing her quietly nestled in the arms of the Duke who had acted that way felt very unfamiliar.

“Maybe I really don’t know her that well.”

Never having a heart-to-heart conversation with his sister, Vincen had always made decisions based on assumptions. That childhood habit hadn’t changed even as he became an adult.

In the end, he concluded that while he could step in whenever Judith needed him, it was best to stay silent when she didn’t. For the sake of maintaining the distance between siblings that had been kept all along, and also for her happiness.

And then, an irreversible incident occurred.

Knock, knock.

Vincen cautiously knocked on the closed bedroom door. No response came from inside. He hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

“Judith.”

Sunlight filtered warmly into the bedroom, but a subtle chill lingered. The quiet room showed no signs of occupancy. He didn’t need to look around further and approached the bed.

Judith’s face, hidden by the canopy, was dimmed deeply. Even with Vincen’s arrival, her eyes remained fixed on the view outside the window.

Placing the tray on the bedside table, Vincen pulled a chair and sat down in front of her.