Chapter 5

As soon as DeHeen was finished, the guards held Diana’s arms. She was forced to kneel, so her hands were covered with dirt. Diana felt a great fear at the moment. If she is handed over to the temple, she will be imprisoned, and she will not be able to avoid Ravienne again. A future where she will suffer from being trapped in an underground prison that she wanted to escape from. ‘No……’ Diana crawled desperately to hold DeHeen. “Please,” she gasped, her voice trembling as she reached out. “Don’t leave me. I need you.” Tears streamed down her face as she clutched at his arm, fear gripping her heart. The world around them blurred, fading into insignificance as she focused on him. “Stay with me,” she pleaded, her words laced with desperation. “I can’t lose you. Not now.” In that moment, all her strength was poured into that single connection, hoping for a response, a sign that he was still there. “I can’t be in the temple. Please don’t hand me over to the temple. Just kill me here. Please.” “Then I’m in trouble. There’s no advantage in killing you. It's just getting worse with the temple.” He couldn’t help but sound cold. A stranger, and besides, DeHeen wasn’t kind enough to show approval to a child who tried to attack him. ‘Wrong.’ Diana shook her head, feeling dark in her eyes. The despair was even greater because I thought this was her last chance. However, DeHeen, who was calmly turning away from Diana, stopped. “Phew.” The misfortune of the world that she couldn’t get out of was embraced by Diana. ‘What kind of life do you have?’ DeHeen gently looked down at Diana with his arms crossed. Then, all of a sudden, he took out his hand and swept away Diana’s hair, which was covering her forehead. Diana flinched and frowned with her clear pink eyes. “You….” DeHeen’s eyes shook when he saw it. He was strangely nervous when he saw Diana’s dark grayish brown hair. It was because he remembered his dead wife. But the eye color was the same. She had no resemblance to her face, but she was a child who reminded him of someone he missed. “Have you changed your mind?” Diana stared at DeHeen, who also staring at her. Diana’s eyes were very clear. There is an incredibly deep darkness, but it is pure and deep. DeHeen’s heart stood up in the eyes that were looking up at him. “Okay, I’ve decided.” DeHeen bent down deeply to meet Diana’s eye level. “Do you laugh sometimes?” “Should I laugh?” Diana, who was absent-minded, replied in embarrassment. “How old are you?” “….. I’m 12 years old.” “That’s just right.” DeHeen paused and stared at Diana. It was the first time for Diana to receive someone’s eyes so deeply. So, her face turned red without even realizing it. “You.” Diana, who was called by DeHeen, gulped. “Why don’t you be my daughter?” “Cuk.” Diana, who was nervous, coughed in surprise. It wasn’t just Diana who was surprised. Ben, who was watching the situation, shook his head urgently, saying no. “Your Grace!” “It’s no,sy Ben.” However, he had to back down at DeHeen’s words. Diana brooded on DeHeen’s words several times. But she couldn’t understand what she heard at all. “Your daughter?” “You’re right. You said you were an orphan? I want to adopt you.” Adopt? She pinched the back of her hand, but it was not a dream. Diana’s doubts about DeHeen have grown as she couldn’t figure out what was going on. “To torture me….??” “Why would I do such hard work?” “Then, you’re adopting me?” “Yes.” It was a heartless voice for anyone who wanted to adopt her as a daughter. However, it was not possible for a man as big as DeHeen to play with such a thing. “I attacked the Grand Duke?” “There was no living.” Looking at Diana’s suspicion, DeHeen said a few words. “I was about to find a child to adopt. I happened to meet you and I like you.” “Am I not dirty, an orphan?” DeHeen’s eyes wiggled when she asked if she was dirty. His fierce face turned scarier anyway. “That doesn’t matter.” DeHeen’s voice was firm. “If you agreed to be my daughter, from that moment you will be the noblest child.” ‘Noble…… me?’ In Diana’s opinion, the word that didn’t suit her the most was noble. So, when she didn’t even respond, DeHeen sighed and grabbed Diana to raise her. She was so skinny that she had a long arm in one hand. She was so light that he didn’t even feel the weight. DeHeen clicked his tongue and shook the dirt off Diana’s hand. “I don’t think you’re in a position to refuse my offer. If you refuse my offer, I’ll hand you over to the temple.” DeHeen’s voice was much warmer than it was at first, though his tone was crude. Nervous, Diana bit her lips and looked at her palms. Thanks to DeHeen’s dusting, it was clean. It was the first time that someone gave their hand to Diana. ‘Can I follow you?’ No matter how much she thought about it, the proposal to become her daughter was a proposal that Diana had nothing to lose. So, she can’t believe it anymore…. It didn’t matter if DeHeen had a different purpose in adopting her. There is no hope in the temple anyway. If she stays like this, her future will be imprisoned by Ravienne again. Diana’s eyes, which had been shaken for a while, stopped looking straight. “All right, if I could get out of here.” “Good choice.” The sunlight fell radiantly between the two. Because of that, DeHeen’s bad hair shone brightly. Diana was briefly distracted by blue waves. ‘Is this man my father….?’ When she thought so, she felt goosebumps on her back. For Diana, parents were something he could never have. But suddenly, parents appeared. And the aristocrat of the nobility, her father, is the Grand Duke? It was an absurd situation. “Your Grace, it’s time to go back. The event will begin shortly.” “Yes, I’ll go.” At Ben’s words, DeHeen came to his senses. He escaped from the clutches of people for a while, but he had to go back and fill the seats before the event began. Nevertheless, it was breaking to leave Diana, who would be his daughter. “Don’t let someone go after you finish the check-in.” DeHeentoldo Diana to wait. To look friendly, he added a rather awkward smile. However, DeHeen’s smile was scary because of his well-known reputation. It was the smile that Ben lamented would not improve even after practicing in the carriage. Diana’s face suddenly turned white when she saw the smile. DeHeen, who thought Diana was scared because of him, quickly looked serious. “Well, I’m sorry if I scared you. This is the way I smile.” “No, I’m not scared!” Diana shook her hand in a hurry. Then she added words so that he would not misunderstand. “It’s been so long since someone smiled affectionately at me… I was surprised.” Since Diana, who had always been suffering from the cold, was able to read the kindness in DeHeen’s eyes. “Sweet? Me?” No one would normally look at DeHeen and say anything sweet. Seeing his big size and cold eyes didn’t make the world sweet. He knows himself better than anyone else, so his head is full of unexpected words. So, he took a deep breath because he felt like he was losing his breath. ‘What’s wrong with my heart?’ DeHeen’s heart, which was always calm, began to beat fast. Ben, who was watching the situation from the side, became serious. He approached the hardened DeHeen and whispered to him. “Maybe she can’t see well?” “I have good eyes. I can see very well from afar!” Diana was anxious that DeHeen would change his mind. So, she shouted out loud, and she was amazed by her voice and covered his mouth. DeHeen, who saw it, burst into laughter. “Hahahaha. Look at that. My smile wasn’t wrong. The problem was the people who didn’t recognize it.” “I don’t think that’s a problem.” Ben patted his chin and whispered. Then he mumbled that if he was going to adopt a child, he would have to start with an eye exam. “I…. Then, when can I leave the temple?” asked Diana, who was looking at the two. It seemed like she would be thrown away if she left DeHeen without a definite answer. “We’re going back together at the end of the event week. I’ll send someone to get in touch with you.” Diana eagerly set a date in her mind. Five days are left before the week ends, so after five days she can leave the temple. Diana has never succeeded in leaving the temple. ‘If I get out of the temple, will I be able to escape from Ravienne?’ No, will I die? “Oh, I almost forgot the important thing. What’s your name?” Diana came to her senses and tapped her mouth. A name she has never said before. She quietly pulled out her name, which she didn’t expect someone to ask. “…. Diana.” “Yes, Diana. I’m going to pick you up soon.” Diana nodded as she looked at DeHeen. After leaving Diana, DeHeen headed straight to the office where the saint candidates were managed. As he walked, Ben, his secretary, stood beside him and expressed his worries. “Your Grace, no matter what, a child like her is a bit… A child who attacked Your Highness. What made you decide to adopt right away? “I liked the child.” It was a simple but obvious reason. Ben nodded his head in silence. “And she looked at Irene.” “Yeah. Head and eyes. I was very surprised.” “I felt my heart leaving in many ways.” “But she’s an orphan. There are a lot of kids who have better conditions for adoption.” “What’s wrong with the orphan?” DeHeen’s tone got sharper. It was not obvious, but his eyes and voice were scolding Ben’s thoughts. “Oh, that’s not what I mean…” Ben, who was speechless, made no excuse. “It’s not that kid’s fault. It’s just worse luck than others.” “You’re right. I was wrong.” There was a soft smile around Ben’s mouth when he admitted his mistake. ‘You were like this.’ DeHeen is criticized for being crazy, and laughter misunderstood him as a cruel monster, but in reality, he was different. Ben, who watched from his side every day, knew DeHeen better than anyone else. A man who has strong, unbiased, and clear-cut convictions. None of the nobles Ben knew was e straight as DeHeen. That’s why Ben has been supporting DeHeen for 10 years. “But I will look into the past of the child. It’s better to make sure.” “Do it.” DeHeen has seen countless people rolling on the battlefield. There must be a special reason why she liked DeHeen. Ben believed DeHeen’s eyes to see people. “We’re here.” “Let’s go in.” The two men entered the office without hesitation. As soon as the door was opened, the believers who recognized DeHeen jumped up and welcomed him. “I can’t believe Lord DeHeen came all the way here!” “Do you have anything to do?” The event was in full swing, so there were only a young new official and a middle-aged new official. DeHeen scurried the priests. The new officials rolled their eyes to avoid criticism. “I want to take a saint candidate.”