With the security detail leaving the abandoned complex behind, silence once again governed the dark avenue. Neil dismissed everyone, including those who intended to serve as his attendants. It was well known within House Bathory that the heir was incredibly distrustful and was rarely escorted or attended by any butler; he even drove his own car.
Delilah had grown accustomed to the cold. The rainwater felt soft against her damp body. She required no form of courtesy from Neil, yet it was inevitable for him to feel burdened by the situation. His clothes were also soaked, and his hair dripped over his pale face.
—Your excessive composure is surprising —he finally commented.
He took the girl's hand to help her into the car, hoping the heater would help her feel better.
What he called "composure" encompassed a very different reality. She couldn't react in any particular way when she remained ignorant of so many things. She felt nervous, but she wouldn't allow herself to show it.
Neil looked at her for a second, noticing her lack of response. He wished to see what kind of expression crossed her face, but she looked like someone to whom nothing extraordinary had happened. It was precisely this attitude that he liked—the same reason she had been chosen years ago. Lathasha also used to behave that way: moving forward through the same path of uncertainty even when she didn't know the direction. She trusted Neil to that extent, or rather, she loved him to that degree.
Even on the day the truth behind her parents' acquisition of that mansion was revealed to her, Lathasha did not dare to defy Neil. She might not be able to look at herself in the mirror or might loathe the very earth upon which her glamorous life depended, but she never despised the one who woke her from her sweet dream.
—It seems today you are going to speak even less than usual —Neil said, settling into the seat as he started the engine.
Delilah watched his every move closely. In truth, she had much to say, but she didn't have the right to do so. He should already know how limited people feel being by his side.
—I'm sorry... I have nothing to say —she responded in a low voice.
Neil smiled slightly, as if that response held a sarcastic undertone. It was as if she were interested and, at the same time, she wasn't.
—Neil Bathory offered you a public display of affection —he added, glancing at her from the corner of his eye—. Do you truly have nothing to say?
Delilah blushed, trying to hide her face. The commotion and the encounter with Liam Bathory had made her forget how hard her heart had been pounding at that moment.
—I am ignorant of too many things... I do not dare to presume.
—I have no doubts about how ignorant you are —Neil replied without altering his tone.
It wasn't that Delilah was truly uninterested, but she feared crossing the line of what was permitted. She sensed that things were deeply complicated, so questioning them felt futile.
—Things turned out advantageously thanks to you —he said after a moment—. I'm sorry for manipulating you.
—If it is Neil Bathory who decides it, there is nothing to be done. To be manipulated is a privilege.
—You don't seem to believe your own words —he murmured.
Delilah kept her gaze fixed on a single point on the dashboard. She wasn't lying; she really felt that way. She was simply bad at expressing it.
—You must remember that day, when you received the black envelope from House Astraea —Neil continued.
Of course she remembered. Not much time had passed. Back then, she could never have imagined that Andrea was following orders from the unreachable Neil.
—The Baroness of Astraea wanted to tell the Marquise that she was choosing people who had no value, calling Lathasha's intelligence into question. She offended a high noble, but from the moment Andrea arrived at the party, the person without value turned out to be someone else.
—Do you think the Baroness is mistaken and that I actually have some value? —Delilah asked cautiously.
Neil turned his face slightly toward her.
—You will have it the moment you are completely mine.
Delilah couldn't maintain her posture. Those words were too aggressive to hear.
—Our wealth is almost as great as the King's own —Neil continued after an instant— and yet, that stubborn old man is still hell-bent on obtaining that mansion.
Memories began to summon themselves from different perspectives, and now, words that previously seemed spoken at random carried an unexpected strength. The heir of Liam spoke almost to himself, reflecting on the root of everything happening at the Zehren mansion.
Ever since he was tasked with acquiring that property, he had been managing the affairs of the Marquises. While using his power and asking the King for what he wanted would have made things easier, it wasn't the way he liked to act. One could say there were few fears that haunted a Bathory, and yet, he preferred to use much more human methods. He was still far from wishing to be despicable or to give moral lessons to the scum; the world was corrupted, and a single person could never change it.
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