Chapter 9

She was wary of Diego, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to hear his father say those things about him.

Contractual Marriage to a Dangerous Duke was written from the female lead’s first-person point of view. The events that ultimately pushed Diego to murder his father were merely a setup for him to become entangled with the lead.

Estella could still vividly recall the way the female lead repeatedly spoke of how indifferent and heartless Diego was.

Of course, the book hadn’t explained what had made him that way. Nor had it described how cold his eyes looked upon learning of his father’s constant betrayals that had continued until the very end.

“I understand why you tried to make me leave.”

With a faint smile, Diego silently removed Estella’s hands from his ears.

Estella let them drop helplessly by her thighs. She realized something at that moment, something that couldn’t have been found by reading the novel.

Hidden between the lines of the novel, perhaps this was what had pushed Diego to murder his own father.

Estella could sense that Duke Bertha’s death was imminent.

It was kill or be killed. That was the law of survival.

For Diego, betrayal was another word for home and family.

Estella felt her plans and the values she firmly believed in were muddling.

She had always sympathized with Cedric and Cecilia. She’d never felt sympathy for the male lead who survived.

“Forget what you heard,” Diego said, glancing at Estella. He didn’t look shocked.

Estella, on the other hand, seemed to be more shaken than him.

She wanted to offer some words of comfort to Diego but couldn’t think of anything to say. She couldn’t even imagine the type of thoughts that were going through the mind of someone on the verge of being murdered by his own father.

“Are you... all right, Lord Diego?”

“Is there any reason not to be?”

When emotionless, his voice felt particularly chilling.

Estella judged that this was by no means a normal reaction.

“It would be best not to mention what you just heard to anyone. Don’t even think about using this to extort money from them. You will die before you can make it out of the capital.”

Was he feeling a sense of camaraderie over a shared secret? The warning he offered even seemed rather practical.

Estella answered weakly, “I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“I’m glad you’re a wise woman.”

Diego turned away from her without hesitation. Besides sharing this secret, they really had no reason to be in the same space.

After taking five steps, he paused. He spoke without looking back at Estella.

“It would be best for you to look for a job elsewhere. If you stay here, you’ll go out of your mind.”

Estella recognized those words as his last act of mercy.

* * *

“Did you drink too much last night, Miss Margaret?”

Estella reflexively turned her head in the direction of a familiar voice. In front of her was an eight-year-old boy, not one of her fellow teachers like she had hoped.

Her efforts to escape reality weren’t very effective.

With vacant eyes, Estella set her head down on the table again. “I don’t even know what alcohol is.”

“You stink of it.”

Cedric frowned and pinched his nose.

Estella lifted her sleeve and sniffed. She had drunk a lot, so it was possible that she smelled.

She had also slept little the night before. The cold expression on Diego’s face refused to leave her head. She had sensed resignation in his anger, and that had weighed heavily in her heart.

She had to admit she had been too complacent.

This whole situation was so dreamlike that she’d almost thought the novel’s terrible ending would not come true. Part of what had mistakenly given her that belief was that her daily life with the two children was hectic yet peaceful.

Yet Duke Bertha was one step away from death.

Now that Diego had made up his mind to murder the duke, she could do nothing to stop him. She also felt that it was not something she should prevent.

The duke was also planning to get rid of Diego, so it would end with the death of one or the other regardless.

If anyone should survive that equation, she didn’t believe it should be the one who’d abused and decided to murder his own son.

I can’t put it off any longer. I have to find a way.

Although she had been thinking about running away, raising two children was a difficult task for a single woman even back home in modern times.

It was difficult to maintain a positive outlook. Unless the timing was right, she might also be accused of kidnapping.

“Whew...”

She just couldn’t see a way to save herself and the children.

After sighing deeply, Estella finally raised her eyes and stared at Cedric.

Completely unaware of a future in which he would be murdered by his half brother, Cedric was humming.

Now that she thought about it, during the dinner party, Cedric had uncharacteristically revealed his admiration for Diego.

“Master Cedric, do you like your older brother?” Estella asked in a delicate voice.

Cedric pouted at the unexpected question.

“Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”

“You said that you wanted to be just like your older brother during dinner last night.”

“I was only flattering him.”

“You seemed sincere to me.”

Cedric’s face turned red.

Pursing his lips, he said in a sassy tone, “It doesn’t matter because Diego hates me.”

“Well, the situation makes it hard for you two to get along...”

As Estella continued, Cedric’s expression darkened. Estella quickly stopped and asked another question, “Why do you like Lord Diego?”

“Diego used to be nice. But he’s scary now because of my mother,” Cedric mumbled, averting his gaze.

Surprised, Estella peered at him. She hadn’t expected to hear such an observation. Cedric hadn’t even been able to look at Diego when they’d met on the way to the training hall.

Estella had never imagined the word “nice” would be used to describe Diego. Before the duchess had made Diego stay in line, had he been nice to the children? When he was still young and had hopes for his father, had he...?

Estella stopped and shook her head.

That train of thought wasn’t helpful. It was imperative that she come up with a survival strategy. Developing conflicting feelings would do her no good.

Despite her determination, she couldn’t stop Diego’s voice from ringing in her mind.

“It would be best for you to look for a job elsewhere. If you stay here, you’ll go out of your mind.”

That was the warning Diego had given her the night before.

His tone had been blunt, but there had been concern for her hidden in that statement. He likely didn’t want her to get mixed up in the drama when he eventually got rid of the children.

But she saw there was also kindness hidden within him.

Was there a way to persuade him to not murder the children?

Perhaps he would give up on the idea if he became attached to them or realized they were not a threat.

Estella quietly sat next to Cecilia.

Trying to sound as sweet as possible, she asked, “Lady Cecilia, do you like your older brother Diego?”

“Ugh, noo.”

Cecilia puffed up her cheeks and shook her head. It seemed like she meant it. Because Cecilia was young, she had stark reactions to her likes and dislikes.

Well, it was possible she did not remember the days when Diego had still been kind.

But Cecilia, an employee’s smile for their employer isn’t always genuine either. A little sacrifice is necessary for survival, don’t you think?

People often said that a peaceful home led to good things.

For the sake of Diego’s mental health, it would be wise to reduce the number of victims that would haunt him in his dreams.

Estella decided to arrange a reconciliation between the half-siblings.

How could he kill them once he sees how cute they were?

He wouldn’t be able to unless he was a cold-blooded psychopath. And the man she knew now wasn’t a monster.