Soon after, the Duke woke up.
He passed out from exhaustion and didn't even realize what he had done, making the tutor uncomfortable.
He raised his head, and a calming feeling filled his head and chest.
He had always blamed himself for not being there, for not being able to save his wife when he saved everyone else, but today, she told him it was not his fault.
She gave words that made the burden he had been carrying for seven years feel meaningless.
And then, she scolded him to take care of the child better.
'I didn't expect it,' he thought, gripping the sheets. 'Bellanora, you care for this child that much, and I... I always hated him.'
His shoulders quaked, not in tears but in remorse. He felt he had done something horrible, and only now, when he replayed the words from his dead wife, did he realize he had been punishing the child unfairly.
