Chapter 102
Yulia was able to leave the mansion in a relatively light mood—even though she knew Cayente would worry—because she had intended to go out and meet him anyway. That morning she had wondered why Cayente hadn’t mentioned that the twins would be coming, but it turned out the two had come to the Empire without telling him at all.
After abruptly leaving to study abroad four years ago, they had only visited the duchy once or twice a year. Wanting them to see Cayente quickly, and also to show them how much Laroche had changed since then, Yulia headed out with the two of them.
Of course, even in this situation, Cayente wouldn’t tell her to stay home. And because Cayente was affectionate toward his family, he would surely be pleased to see his younger siblings. Besides, it felt wrong to keep them cooped up at home when this was their first time returning to the Empire in eight years.
But when they arrived at the office, the employees informed them that the duke was out. Since he rarely mentioned anything aside from whether he’d be late or not, Yulia had never imagined he would be leaving the office during work hours.
To admit it now, Yulia hadn’t even known Cayente had been troubled by matters involving the trade company until after the kidnapping incident.
“Please take a seat, madam. Ladies, you as well. I’ll go down and prepare some tea.”
Since they were already out, and since she felt they should see Cayente before going anywhere else, Yulia decided to wait with the twins. Isabel sat with flawless posture, quietly sipping the tea Lucy brought her. Aila, on the other hand, was the complete opposite—wandering around the room, inspecting every corner of the office, with no sign of wanting to sit down anytime soon.
The sight reminded Yulia of the past—of little Isabel, who would sit peacefully in the shade of a tree, relaxing quietly no matter who ran around her. She couldn’t help but laugh at the memory.
“Why are you laughing?”
She hadn’t tried to hide her smile, but it wasn’t as if she had laughed loudly enough to be rude. Still, Isabel, sitting across from her, narrowed her eyes sharply, immediately bristling. Yulia was nowhere close to getting used to these reactions from Isabel. She couldn’t frown back, so she forced a smile that twitched slightly.
“I was just… remembering the old days.”
Had Isabel also changed because of that incident, like Cayente?
Remembering Isabel’s demand that Yulia speak formally, Yulia corrected herself belatedly and observed Isabel carefully. The Cluga siblings—including Cayente—took after their mother, Maria: pale skin, black hair, and gray eyes.
Only Isabel was different—she had inherited the former count’s eye color, a shade that leaned more toward violet, adding a mystical air to her already refined features. If she had to choose whose looks matched her taste more, it would certainly be Isabel’s. Unlike Aila, who would splash around in the water like a boy with her calves exposed, Isabel had always had a calm, composed air that Yulia found endearing since childhood.
“That was years ago, yet you still remember that?”
If she remembered correctly, Isabel had been quite fond of her back then. Had that been nothing but Yulia’s own delusion? Isabel scoffed and asked the question with clear disdain. Yulia felt hurt, but couldn’t bring herself to ask why Isabel was speaking that way. Her forced smile grew stiff.
Aila ended up speaking on her behalf.
“Why are you talking like that? I remember playing with Yuli— I mean, with Yulia too.”
“I told you to address her properly.”
“Ugh, why! Can’t we just speak informally? Yulia looks uncomfortable, and so am I.”
“As a member of the Cluga family, at least maintain some dignity. How long are you going to act like a child?”
While arguing with Aila, Isabel turned her last words toward Yulia. Isabel’s unusually strong resentment—directed only at Yulia—was something Yulia still couldn’t understand.
If both twins had turned against her, she probably wouldn’t have been able to breathe properly… At least Aila was still the same as before. How odd that two people who experienced the exact same event turned out so differently.
“Yuli—… Yulia. I’m hungry. Can we go eat now? You said you don’t even know when Brother’s coming back.”
While Yulia held back a sigh, Aila squirmed restlessly, rubbing her stomach as if staying seated was pure torture. And she wasn’t wrong—they had no idea when Cayente would return. Yulia herself wasn’t full from the tea either, so she stood up with a smile.
“Alright. Since we’re already out, let’s go find something tasty.”
“Great!”
Taking the twins somewhere should be fine… right?
Cayente surely wouldn’t panic just because the three of them went out together. Standing up, Yulia smoothed the wrinkles from her dress and spoke to Isabel, who was rising much more slowly. Meanwhile, Aila was already halfway out the door.
“Is there anything you want to eat? There are lots of good places nearby.”
“No.”
Even though speaking formally felt unbearably awkward, she tried her best. Still, Isabel didn’t even meet her eyes as she walked toward the door. Yulia suddenly wondered how she had ever survived the early days when Cayente used to act like this. Seeing Isabel turn away so coldly—a retreating back distancing itself from her—made her chest ache terribly.
Aila, saying the journey here had tired her out, insisted she wanted something hearty. So Yulia chose a restaurant known for roasting meat seasoned with rosemary and pepper, cooked in large chunks until soft and juicy.
Aila devoured nearly half a slab the size of an adult’s forearm. Isabel, however, ate only two small pieces—barely the size of a child’s palm—and stopped. Seeing Aila eat so well reassured Yulia that nothing terrible had happened on their way here, but Isabel’s behavior worried her too much to ignore.
“People were right when they said you have to try coffee when you come to the Empire! It really wasn’t an exaggeration!”
Even later, at the coffeehouse, Isabel was the same. While Aila excitedly sipped her drink, marveling at its aroma and taste, Isabel kept her back straight and raised the cup without the slightest hint of enjoyment or displeasure. Yulia had to tread as carefully as she did the first time she reunited with Cayente.
Maybe she should stop by the candy shop she visited with Lucy last time… did Isabel like sweets?
She couldn’t enjoy her meal or her coffee at all, too busy wondering what she could do to soften Isabel’s stiff expression. But she remembered—it was Aila who liked sweets, wasn’t it? Yulia was still agonizing about where to take them when a familiar carriage raced past, kicking up dust as it stopped right in front of the coffeehouse.
Where on earth were they rushing to? No—maybe their destination was here. Almost instantly, the carriage slowed, then came to a complete stop. Before it even fully settled, the door flew open, and Cayente leapt out.
Yulia nearly yelped—he could hurt himself moving like that. But what shocked her more was Cayente’s expression.
“Yuri!”
For a moment, she wondered if she had somehow turned into a mirage—if she were an illusion about to vanish. Cayente was running toward her so desperately that it seemed he might collapse. His face was twisted with fear, longing, and frantic urgency—so much that even closing the distance a little seemed agonizing for him.
Driven by that incomprehensible desperation, he reached her, pulled her into his arms with all his strength, and held her tightly.
“Brother…”
He was trembling again—just like that time at the warehouse at Welton Port, when Yulia had thought about dying.
No, this was worse. At least back then, once she was in his arms, he had gradually calmed. This time, he didn’t. Even with Yulia in his embrace, Cayente was panicking as if she were dead before his eyes.
He must have known from the servants’ regular reports that she’d left the house, but she had never imagined he would be this terrified.
Yulia, startled and guilt-ridden, wrapped her arms around him tightly. Watching with a dumbfounded expression, Isabel clicked her tongue.
“Brother, do you not see us? You didn’t even invite us to your wedding, and now all you see is this woman?”
Yulia flushed in embarrassment—hugging so deeply in the middle of a crowded street wasn’t ideal. But this woman? That stung. Still, she didn’t react. Cayente mattered more than her pride right now.
She held him, waiting for him to calm down. Gradually, the breath brushing her hair grew steadier. Only then did Cayente finally speak—still holding her tightly.
And his first words to the younger siblings he hadn’t seen in years were… surprisingly cold.
“What are you doing here.”
It was a tone that clashed sharply with the way he was cradling Yulia.
