Chapter 279: The Promise Of The Devil

Lydia sat on her bed.

She was exhausted.

Everything that had happened the night before had kept her awake. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind went back to it.

Lydia sighed and looked around her room.

She knew she needed to rest.

Her body was tired, and she had barely slept.

But no matter how much she tried, she was not sleepy at all.

She lay down.

Then she sat up again.

She turned toward the window.

Then her eyes returned to the door.

She stared at it for a long moment.

Maybe deep down, she was waiting for Ivan.

She did not want to admit it, but perhaps she had been hoping he would come.

Maybe he would knock.

Maybe he would walk into her room.

Maybe he would simply come to see her.

But the door remained closed.

Ivan did not come.

Lydia’s expression slowly fell.

She looked away from the door and sighed again.

Why was she even waiting for him?

She had already decided that she would tell him about the baby.

She should be thinking about that instead.

She should be preparing herself for tonight.

But her mind kept going back to him.

Lydia lowered her eyes.

She was still thinking when a knock suddenly came on the door.

Her heart jumped.

Lydia immediately stood up.

For one brief moment, she did not even think.

She simply assumed it was Ivan.

She rushed toward the door and opened it.

But the moment she saw who was standing outside, her smile vanished.

It wasn’t Ivan.

It was Damir.

Lydia stared at him.

The disappointment on her face was impossible to hide.

Damir noticed it, but he did not comment.

"Your Highness."

Lydia quickly composed herself.

"Damir."

He bowed slightly.

Lydia stepped aside.

"Come in."

She returned to her bed while Damir followed her inside.

Her thoughts were still somewhere else.

She had been waiting for Ivan.

And once again, he had not come.

---

Ivan sat in his study.

Irina sat across from him.

Ivan looked at her quietly.

"Take a seat."

Irina obeyed.

For a while, she said nothing.

She simply sat there, looking around Ivan’s study.

The silence between them lasted for several moments.

Ivan waited.

He knew Irina had something important to say.

Finally, she spoke.

"I have never regretted it."

Ivan looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Irina turned her attention to him.

"Hiding the truth from Lydia."

Ivan’s expression became serious.

"Making her believe you had abandoned her."

She spoke calmly, but there was a clear weight behind her words.

"I know what I did was wrong."

Ivan remained silent.

Irina continued.

"She will probably never forgive me when the truth comes out."

She paused.

"If it ever does."

Ivan’s eyes lowered slightly.

Irina looked at him.

"But I don’t regret it."

Ivan looked back at her.

Irina took a slow breath.

"You see, I swore to protect Lydia no matter what."

Her voice became softer.

"Especially after she lost her parents and lost everything."

She had made that decision long ago.

Whatever happened, she would protect Lydia.

Even if Lydia hated her for the choices she made.

Even if the truth hurt her when she eventually learned it.

Irina believed she had done what she thought was necessary.

"I always hated the fact that she got married to you."

Ivan’s face remained still.

"And right now, I hate it even more."

Her words were direct.

Ivan knew why.

Irina looked at him seriously.

"Just last night, she almost died again."

Ivan said nothing.

"How much more does she need to suffer because of you?"

The question stayed between them.

Ivan could not answer it.

Irina’s eyes showed how deeply Lydia’s suffering affected her.

"No matter how cold she acts, she’s still Lydia."

She paused.

"At the end of the day, she’ll get hurt."

Ivan looked down.

He knew that Irina was right.

That was what made her words hurt so much.

Lydia could act cold.

She could pretend she did not care.

She could push him away.

But none of that changed the fact that she was still Lydia.

The same woman he had loved.

The same woman he had hurt.

Irina looked at him.

"I would appreciate it if Your Highness would let her go."

Ivan slowly raised his eyes.

Irina’s voice trembled slightly.

"I can’t watch that child endure more suffering."

The words were painful.

But Irina meant them.

She was not asking because she hated Ivan.

She was asking because she cared about Lydia.

She had watched Lydia suffer enough.

She did not want to watch it happen again.

"If you truly care about her," Irina said quietly, "then let her go."

Ivan stared at her.

He understood what she was saying.

He understood why she was saying it.

And deep down, he knew Irina was right about one thing.

Lydia had suffered because of him.

But how could he let her go?

He couldn’t.

He did not want to.

The thought of Lydia leaving him again was something he could not accept.

He had already lost her once.

He had spent years living with that loss.

And now that she was finally beside him again, he could not simply turn away and let her disappear from his life.

He had promised her.

Last night, while she was in his arms, she had asked him not to leave her.

He had promised.

He had told her that he would never abandon her again.

How could he now let her go?

Ivan lowered his eyes.

"I can’t."

Irina looked at him.

Ivan’s voice was quiet.

"I can’t let her go."

He knew what Irina wanted.

He knew why she believed it was the right thing.

But his heart refused to accept it.

He did not want freedom from Lydia.

He did not want a life without her.

He wanted her.

Even if she hated him.

Even if she could not forgive him.

Even if he had to spend the rest of his life trying to make up for what he had done.

He wanted the chance to stay beside her.

He wanted the chance to protect her.

Most of all, he wanted to keep the promise he had made to her.

He had promised he would not let her go.

And he meant it.