Chapter 177: Chapter 28. The Lesser of Evils

«Meet me tomorrow at the usual place.»

When Adelina Cassius read these lines, her hands holding the envelope trembled. Her brother wanted to see her. And the girl knew in advance that this was not good.

It was the middle of the night. It was dark at Cassius's mansion, too. The girl sat at the table in their shared bedroom and did not know what to do. Her thoughts were jumbled together.

A door creaked behind her.

Frightened, Adeline immediately crumpled the letter and hid it in a drawer. And just in time. The next minute Raymond came up to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

— Why aren't you asleep? It is late.

The girl felt her excitement.

— It's nothing… I just couldn't sleep.

The man sighed.

— In your situation, you should take better care of yourself. Don't overdo it.

— Mm-hmm.

Adelina smiled weakly, after which the duke picked her up in his arms and carried her to bed himself. Covered her with a blanket and then lay down next to her.

— Sleep.

She grinned.

— Yes, Your Grace.

In all her life Adelina was one of the few people Raymond spoke to informally. Even his own parents were addressed as «you.» All the more so since their deaths, all he did was order his subordinates around. It became a consequence of that that sometimes in his dialogues slipped phrases similar to an order. The girl herself had long since become accustomed to it.

Today, as usual, Raymond worked hard, and therefore fell asleep next to her quite quickly. Adelina looked at her husband's sleeping face and touched his hand.

Who knew that after all this time, their relationship would turn out this way?

Now the girl was in the middle of her pregnancy. That meant a baby would be born very soon. Their baby. Previously the lady had never thought: that she would be so anxious before this event.

Their relationship began suddenly and continued rapidly. Eventually the girl became the Duchess of Cassius and now lived on the estate as a legitimate wife.

For a moment — even thoughts of her brother's assignment receded into the background. After all, Adeline had never been happier before. Duke Cassius was not the man she had imagined him to be.

The man didn't demand anything from her or ask about her family. He simply didn't care about her background. The only thing he wanted was for his wife to be happy by his side. No one had ever treated Adelina so unselfishly. Not even her brother.

Together they had spent almost a year in a happy relationship, and now they were expecting their firstborn. Sometimes it seemed to her that all this was not real and she was just dreaming. But that made it even more difficult to wake up.

Meanwhile…

Henry Ashford continued to write from time to time and wondered how things were going. Adelina knew his patience was running out. But she still did not give him any results.

On this basis, Adelina was getting more and more nervous every day. What would happen when the baby was born? Would her brother hate her and give her up?

At least half of that task she had already accomplished.

The girl touched her neck-where the mark of the Bloody Camellia was located. Raymond had put it there shortly before their wedding.

Now it was just a matter of breaking the man's heart. Then, according to her brother, he would die instantly. But Adelina could not decide on this last step.

After all, unexpectedly, she realized… that she really fell in love with him.

As she got to know him better, the girl realized that Duke Cassius was different from his public image. The man did not look like a villain who was about to destroy the world.

And so she wondered more and more: did the man really deserve to die? Why did my brother want it so badly?

At any rate, at tomorrow's meeting, Adeline was going to try to change his mind. Was it possible that her brother would change his mind about his decision? The girl hoped so much.

The Duchess sighed heavily and fell asleep soundly, too.

***

The next day Adelina was going to meet Henry Ashford. She was going there alone, not taking any men with her.

It was winter on the northern frontier, as usual, and it lasted almost the whole year-except for a few months. The girl had already grown accustomed to the local cold climate.

Duke Cassius was surprised when his consort suddenly scurried off somewhere after breakfast. As an answer to this she said:

— I seldom go out after my pregnancy… I want to take a walk in the city.

— Shall I come with you? — Raymond immediately volunteered.

— You don't have to,» she shook her head. «You have a lot of work to do… I want to be alone for a while.

— Work isn't that important,» he objected. «I can cancel my plans for tonight.

— You don't have to. I told you I can manage by myself.

— But…! — He stammered, «Then I'll send people with you!

Adelina again refused and the Duke had to accept. It would be no exaggeration to say that he was worried about his wife. A hard frost is not good for a woman in her condition. Especially since she wants to go alone… seaʀᴄh thё Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

But still the man also respected her decision and let her go. The girl dressed warmly and went outside. She put on several layers on purpose so that her brother would not notice her belly.

The coachman drove her to the northern capital, where, under the pretext of going to the store, the girl disappeared unnoticed into an alley. Then she found and boarded another carriage.

Henry Ashford was waiting for her there. You could tell by one look that he was very angry.

— Let me ask you, how are you, little sister?

Adelina felt guilty.

— I…

— Why do I ask, though? Brother's words do not mean anything to you.

She looked up frightened.

— No! It's not like that!

— Ha…» He chuckled, «Or do you think that if you marry Cassius, you can get rid of me now?

Adelina was speechless for a moment, for she had never expected her brother to begin the dialogue with that.

— Brother, I never thought so! — she sobbed.

Excuses like that didn't work on him one bit. Henry was furious.

— So why the hell is the bastard still alive?! — yelled Ashford.

Adeline trembled, but found the courage to say something:

— Brother… Why do you want it so badly? It seems to me that Raymond Cassius is not so bad…

But the man wouldn't listen to her.

— Silence. So you're on his side now?

— No…!

— Think about it,» said Henry, «I picked you up off the street, raised you, and treated you like my own sister. And now you've traded me in for some bastard?

— Brother,» Adelina tears came to her eyes, «Don't say that. You're the closest thing I have to family.

— If Cassius doesn't die in the next six months… You can stop calling me brother.

The girl let out a sob.

— I… I understand.

***

Adelina's contractions began quite suddenly. Two weeks before her due date — which the physician had set for her. In the morning, the girl felt a tugging pain in her lower abdomen and knew it was time.

Duke Cassius summoned a physician immediately. He himself had never been so worried in his life.

He took his wife to their shared bedroom and laid her on the bed. Then he administered all the first aid he knew. The drive to the local hospital was too long, so I had to make do with what I had.

Adelina lay there in pain. Raymond couldn't bear to see her like that.

— Be patient,» he asked, holding her hand. «The Healer will be here soon!

The girl nodded weakly. She could hardly find the strength to speak.

The labor was really hard. At times it seemed to Adelina that she would not make it, and the healer did not come. Was it possible that he had had an accident because of a snowstorm?

All the while, the duke was by her side. The servants also hauled water in basins and helped in any way they could. Eventually the girl gave birth after all.

Tiredly reclining on the bed, the first couple of minutes could not open her eyes. Then the joyful voice of her husband reached her:

— Adelina, we have a girl!

— Really? — She answered hoarsely.

— See for yourself!

The baby had already undergone the first procedures and was wrapped in a diaper. The man pulled back the edge of it so that his wife could see the face of the newborn. Adelina involuntarily grinned.

From the moment he was born, this child was a replica of Raymond Cassius. Even the cold expression on his face was hereditary. In short, nothing in common with Adelina.

— All right,» the duchess nodded weakly, «Take care of her.

— But…!

— I am tired. I want to rest.

The girl did look quite exhausted. But the man still hesitated: he did not want to leave his wife alone after giving birth. In the end he decided to take care of the baby first and then return to his wife.

— I'll be back soon,» Raymond promised, «Then get some sleep…

— Uh-huh.

As soon as the door closed behind him and the chambers became quiet — Adeline sighed. Today had actually been the happiest day of her life. And so a tear involuntarily rolled down her face.

She hoped that Raymond would take good care of their daughter. At least he should.

Alone, the girl pulled a knife — which she had prepared in advance — from the bedside table. She knew from the beginning that such a day would come.

Before sending her on the mission, her brother had taught her a few self-defense techniques just in case. Simply put, Adelina knew how to handle a weapon. So she could inflict a wound in such a way that no one would ever know.

At first glance, it would look like death from blood loss during childbirth. Even her husband would not know that she had actually committed suicide…

The lady smiled through her tears. It was a choice she had never been able to make.

Adeline couldn't kill her husband, but she also couldn't betray her brother-the one who had raised her and given her the life she could only dream of. Both were precious to her.

Being between two fires was truly unbearable.

So there was only one way out.

Of two evils the girl decided to choose the lesser. The only thing she regretted was her newborn daughter. Because of her selfish act, the girl would be forced to grow up without a mother.

«Rachel, forgive me if you can.»

The next second Adeline stabbed herself.