The First Letter (74)

“S-stop… I was wrong.”

Mulling over her humiliation, Senior Delphine muttered those words. It must have taken tremendous courage for her to say them.

Even so, I was not satisfied, and I continued to frown slightly. Reading my expression, Senior Delphine grew even more frantic.

“T-today’s incident was my mistake. And I’ll let what happened afterward pass without consequence…”

Her voice was steeped in deep humiliation. She bit down hard on her lips. If she kept biting them, blood seemed liable to seep out. Even the faltering ends of her words were tinged with faint moisture.

Her body trembled as she dwelled on her disgrace. The current situation seemed more agonizing to her than the fear of facing death.

It was the downfall of a proud noble lady.

As I watched the pitiful sight, a long sigh finally escaped my lips.

“……I see. That’s a relief.”

Senior Delphine gave no answer. Only her faintly trembling shoulders revealed the heart of the wounded lioness...