WCMBI - Chapter 209: Just Illusions (Patreon)

"After her departure, no one had attended to the place, and initially, frustration welled up within him. Yet, upon reflection, he found relief in the fact that no one had interfered, for her touch lingered on, preserving the remnants of her presence.

In his heart, he longed to immediately seek solace within the secluded abode once he grasped the truth of her location. However, fear held him back from doing so, as to confirm the very place she stayed would entail confronting the full weight of his transgressions.

Ian remained motionless amidst the chaos of the desolated rose garden. Though a refreshing spring breeze passed by, he stood as if petrified, akin to a statue frozen in time.

Within his mind, only one thought revolved ceaselessly – the untouched space, where her touch remained indelibly imprinted.

The desecration of this place meant.

He gazed sorrowfully at the disheveled rose garden. It was evident that it hadn't been neatly tended by a skilled gardener; rather, it appeared as if someone had indiscriminately torn and ravaged the blooms. Some were brutally uprooted, revealing the bare earth beneath.

No matter how much the staff may have acted on their own accord in her absence, Ian knew that if they had realized he was the one who personally prepared this garden, they would never have dared to do such a thing.

Struggling to deny the truth, Ian found himself forced to acknowledge that the culprit behind this desolation was Melissa. Was she in such agony to have trampled upon a garden I myself had carefully tended?

The ruined rose garden now seemed to echo Melissa's very essence, and Ian felt a profound sadness. Why had he only just discovered this now?

"Mel."

Ian stood there, calling her name endlessly before finally staggering back. Entering the vacant and desolate annex, he ascended the stairs aimlessly, yet hesitated as he reached the bedroom door.

An illusion crept into his mind, deluding him into thinking that upon opening this door, his beloved Omega would come running to him. Yet, he knew full well that it wasn't reality, and that realization inflicted unbearable pain upon him.

Unable to muster the courage to explore the empty bedroom alone, Ian leaned against the door and sank down, feeling lost and helpless.

"Mel, my Omega..."

Uttering her name weakly, as if speaking to no one in particular, Ian continued speaking.

"Now, I believe I can understand your heart. The absence of your presence beside me has become too difficult to bear."

Amidst his blurred vision, he caught sight of Melissa's figure. Ian willingly extended his arms to embrace her, even though he knew it was a mere figment.

For an instant, he felt a faint trace of her delicate Omega pheromones tickling his nostrils, only to vanish as swiftly as it had come. Yet, he could sense and breathe in nothing.

A profound emptiness surged from the tips of his toes, gradually engulfing him like a quagmire. Instead of struggling, he held his breath in utter stillness.

If only in vain, he wished to see Melissa again. As his focus drifted away, the golden hue in his eyes receded, swallowed by the darkness beneath his ebony eyelids."

* * *

Since that day, Ian developed a peculiar habit. Though he would retire to his own bed when drifting off to sleep, upon awakening, he would find himself in the hallway leading to Melissa's former chambers. Perplexingly, he had no recollection of having moved there of his own volition.

As the early morning light cast its gentle glow upon just a handful of ignited lamps, Henry, the knight, hastened to the guest cottage where Melissa once resided. Gazing at Ian, who lay as though felled in the corridor, he issued a command to the attendants.

"Carefully, transport him back."

"Certainly."

Ever since Ian acquired this new quirk, Henry made it a ritual to restore him to the Duke's bedroom before he woke up.

On the day Ian first exhibited these somnambulistic symptoms, Henry could not help but observe his master's countenance. The visage, crestfallen and desolate as if the world had crumbled beneath, bore a desolation that bordered on the apocalyptic.

Fearing his master might attempt self-harm again, Henry resolved to keep the truth concealed.

While watching the carriage bearing Ian depart, the memory of Melissa's words resurfaced once more. "This place is teeming with things that shield the Duke's eyes and ears." Reluctantly, he acknowledged that he, too, was part of those things. Realizing that the Duke and the Lady might someday return to their former selves, Henry belatedly trailed after the carriage, following the knight.