The Male Lead isn't Following the Script!
Chapter 62: Get Away from Her

Chapter 62: Get Away from Her

"His beloved wife is dying! He is drifting apart from his child just like how you did. I couldn’t save Mother, but I have to chance to help them before they turn into us."

Adeline’s words hung in the air like a dagger. Her father, stared at her in stunned silence, unable to respond immediately.

She had never spoken to him like that before, the pain in her voice struck him deeper than he had expected. She was only a child, he thought. He didn’t expect that she remembered everything.

He wished to forget the mistakes of his past, but he couldn’t just ignore them. His children remember it, they couldn’t just forget it. He had to come face to face with this issue and not avoid it.

"I- I’m sorry Adeline." His voice softened, and he slumped into the chair.

No matter how hard he tried to push it down, the memories resurfaced. His late wife, the one he had loved so deeply, yet had failed to save.

He had poured himself into his work, into the affairs of the Empire, all the while drifting further and further from the family that had once been his world.

The guilt gnawed at him, a weight he had carried for so many years. He hadn’t just lost his wife, he lost himself.

But now, hearing his daughter’s words... "I couldn’t save Mother." He didn’t know what more to feel guilty of, abandoning his children or making his daughter feel she couldn’t save her mother...

It wasn’t her fault... He could never blame her... He failed as a father.

Benedict’s father was in danger of becoming what he had become—a man who let his family slip away, too blinded by pride and sorrow to reach out.

He had failed to protect his own family, and now she was asking for the chance to prevent someone else from enduring the same fate.

The Marquess turned back to his daughter, the weight of his past actions visible in his eyes. "You’re right," he said, his voice quieter, almost resigned.

He sighed deeply, the resistance in him breaking. "You can go."

"Dad-"

"But, I will be coming with you."

Adeline looked at him in surprise, one minute he was completely against the idea of her going the next he was joining her.

"They are on lockdown, aren’t they? You probably need me to get in."

A smile quickly blossomed on her face. With her father’s influence, she did not have to worry about getting into trouble. He would vouch for her abilities and also ask the Northern Duke to keep this matter a secret.

She released a sigh of relief. Things were going in the right direction, finally.

Adeline didn’t know about the deal between the Northern Duke and Edward, if she had known she would’ve done this a long time ago.

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The air was thick with tension as Edward arrived at the Northern Duchy. He was joined by two elderly priests who served as his chaperone.

The once proud and imposing estate now carried a heavy sense of gloom, the life it once held slowly withered as the Duchess lay on her deathbed.

Anna had been carefully observing the situation since Edward had set for in the estate. She learnt that he would be left alone here... The Duke must have paid a hefty price for this arrangement. She narrowed her eyes.

He was just a child, the same age as Benedict... She could manipulate him into doing her will, right?

The priests stood a few paces behind Edward, their expressions cold and unreadable. They were here for one thing only, the Holy Sword of Rolfe, an ancient relic held by the Northern Duchy for centuries.

The Northern Duke rose from his seat as Edward approached. Though he was the Duke, he had to treat the representatives of the Holy Temple as people with equal standing.

He wasn’t blind to the game being played here. He knew well enough that this was no selfless act on Edward’s part, nor the Temple’s. But what choice did he have? His beloved wife was slipping away, and this was the only thread of hope left.

Edward followed the Duke as he guided him to the room where the Duchess lay. The two priests were ’forced’ to stay in the outer halls by the knights.

"If this does not work..." The Duke said, his voice hoarse but resolute. He didn’t finish the sentence but the message was clear.

Edward bowed his head, feigning a tone of sympathy he replied. "I understand, Your Grace,"

He didn’t care for the Duchess or the Duke’s threats. In truth, he wasn’t even sure if his abilities could prolong her life.

He could stretch time, keep her body functioning for longer than it should, but bring her back to the woman she once was? That was beyond him.

He was here to simply perform his role.

Once they were there, the Duke’s hand reached for the doorknob. He took a deep breath as his grip tightened. Upon opening the door they witnessed her frail form hidden beneath layers of blankets.

Before Edward could take a step into the room, a figure came dashing towards them.

"Father! Who is this?"

Benedict decided to visit his mother, it had been a while. But what he saw worried him, his father... Why was he here? Because of Anna’s words, his distrust towards his father only kept increasing.

His father didn’t believe him... The only people he told were Adeline and Anna, his father would not hear his explanation. Servants he never interacted with testified against him, he never felt so alone in his own home before.

He wanted his mother... His mother would hold him close and tell him she loved him.

For the first time, he felt rage towards his father... Stay away from my mother...

This man was looking for prospective wives to replace his mother... Benedict assumed that he was being ignored by his father because of his search for a new wife. New wife... Possibly new children.

No matter how well he would behave, his father would not care. He made peace with this. His father’s image dropped so low in his mind that Benedict thought his father had come to ’put an end’ to his mother’s coma, once and for all.

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