Chapter 271: The Mask And The Moon

Lydia immediately pulled away from Damir’s embrace.

"No."

Damir looked at her.

"Lydia..."

"No," she repeated, wiping the tears from her face. "I can’t."

His expression softened.

"Then at least think about it."

"There is nothing to think about."

She shook her head.

"I can’t leave him."

Damir was quiet for a moment.

"I can’t marry you."

He looked at her with sadness.

"Why?"

Lydia lowered her eyes.

Damir stepped closer, but he did not touch her this time.

"Why are you still holding on to someone who hurt you like that?"

Lydia said nothing.

She continued wiping her tears, hoping they would stop.

They didn’t.

Damir watched her.

"You don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to."

Lydia remained silent.

"But I think I already know."

He took a slow breath.

"You still love him, don’t you?"

Lydia’s fingers stopped.

She did not look at him.

Damir gave a small, sad smile.

"I don’t understand."

His voice was quiet.

"How can you still love a man who abandoned you?"

Lydia’s eyes filled with tears again.

She hated that question.

Not because she did not know the answer.

But because she knew it too well.

She still loved Ivan.

Even after everything.

Even after the years of pain.

Even after telling herself countless times that she wanted revenge.

She still loved him.

And that was the part of herself she had been trying hardest to escape.

Lydia finally looked at Damir.

"I wish to be alone."

Damir looked at her.

"Lydia, please."

"Please leave."

"I know this is hard."

He tried to keep his voice gentle.

"I know it’s difficult for you. You don’t have to decide everything tonight. Just think about what I said."

Lydia shook her head.

"I already told you."

She looked away.

"It’s Your Highness."

Damir’s expression fell slightly.

"Lydia..."

"Please leave."

There was no anger in her voice this time.

Only exhaustion.

Damir understood.

He nodded slowly.

"All right."

He took a step back.

"But please think about it."

Lydia said nothing.

Damir turned and walked away.

She watched him disappear down the path.

As soon as he was gone, Lydia returned to her seat.

She sat down heavily.

Her hands trembled as she wiped her face.

She did not know what she was feeling anymore.

Just a moment ago she was with Ivan.

She wanted to tell him about their child.

That was all.

But now everything felt confusing.

Damir had just asked her to marry him.

A man who had known her since childhood.

A man who had always been kind to her.

A man who believed he could give her a better life.

And she had refused him without hesitation.

Why?

Because she loved Ivan.

The answer was so simple, yet it hurt.

Lydia covered her face with both hands.

A quiet sob escaped her.

She did not want to cry anymore.

She was tired of crying.

She had cried too many times because of Ivan.

Yet even now, when someone offered her a different life, her heart still went back to him.

She slowly lowered her hands.

"I don’t understand myself anymore."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

She closed her eyes.

For a moment, she simply sat there.

Then she heard footsteps.

Lydia did not bother looking up.

She assumed Damir had returned.

"I said I wanted to be alone, Damir."

The footsteps continued.

Lydia frowned.

There was no answer.

She listened more carefully.

There was more than one person.

Her eyes opened.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

Two men stood a short distance away.

They were both dressed in black.

Lydia immediately stood.

"Who are you?"

Neither man answered.

Her heart began to race.

She took a step back.

"Why are you here?"

Still nothing.

One of the men suddenly moved toward her.

Lydia tried to step away, but he grabbed her hands.

"Let go of me!"

She struggled.

"What are you doing?"

The second man quickly moved behind her.

Lydia tried to scream, but before she could, he covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

She struggled harder.

Her heart pounded.

She tried to pull away.

But within seconds, her body became weak.

Her vision began to blur.

The last thing she saw was the dark shape of the two men standing over her.

Then everything went black.

---

Ivan continued walking through the maze.

His steps were slow.

His mind was full of thoughts he could not control.

He had always known Lydia deserved better than him.

He had known it from the very beginning.

From the moment he first met her, he had wondered how someone like her could ever choose someone like him.

She had been warm.

Kind.

Bright.

She had made him feel things he had never expected to feel.

And what had he done with that warmth?

He had destroyed it.

He had hurt her.

He had abandoned her.

He had left her alone when she needed him most.

Now, years later, she was still carrying the pain he had caused.

Ivan stopped walking.

He looked down at the glass of water in his hand.

His fingers tightened around it.

He had been so foolish.

Even hearing Damir ask Lydia to marry him had hurt.

For a brief moment, something inside him had twisted.

But he had no right to feel jealous.

None.

How could he be jealous when he was the reason Lydia was unhappy?

He had no right to keep her from finding happiness somewhere else.

If Damir could make her smile again, then perhaps that was what Lydia needed.

Someone kind.

Someone good.

Someone who would not destroy everything he touched.

Damir was a doctor.

He travelled around the world.

He could give Lydia a life filled with new places and new experiences.

Lydia had once dreamed of travelling.

She could still have that life with Damir.

She could keep her dreams.

She could be happy.

And maybe that was more important than Ivan’s selfish desire to keep her.

Ivan slowly closed his eyes.

The thought hurt more than he wanted to admit.

But he believed it was the right thing to do.

Lydia had already suffered enough.

He did not want to be the reason she suffered again.

He looked at the glass of water.

Then he remembered why he had come outside in the first place.

He had wanted to give it to her.

She had been crying earlier.

He had thought she might need it.

Ivan looked back toward the path.

Perhaps he should at least give it to her before leaving.

He turned around.

His steps became faster.

He walked back through the maze until he reached the place where he had last seen Lydia and Damir.

But Lydia was gone.

Ivan stopped.

He looked around.

There was no sign of her.

His first thought was that she had become tired of waiting for him and left with Damir.

Perhaps that was for the best.

Maybe she had decided to talk to him.

Maybe they had gone back to the ballroom together.

Ivan lowered his eyes.

He was about to turn around when something caught his attention.

Something black lay on the ground.

He walked closer.

His expression changed.

It was Lydia’s mask.

The beautiful black feathered mask she had been carrying earlier.

Ivan stared at it.

He slowly bent down and picked it up.

His fingers touched the feathers.

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Lydia would not simply leave her mask behind.

At least, he did not think she would.

He looked around the quiet path.

"Lydia?"

There was no answer.

Ivan’s heart began to beat faster.

Maybe he was overreacting.

Maybe she had dropped it.

Maybe she had simply forgotten it.

He tried to convince himself of that.

But something inside him refused to believe it.

He looked at the mask again.

Only a short while ago, Lydia had been sitting here.

Damir had been with her.

And now both of them were gone.

Ivan slowly straightened.

The uneasy feeling in his chest grew stronger.

"Lydia?"

This time, his voice was louder.

Still nothing.