Chapter 32
It had felt a bit chilly since dawn.
When she opened her eyes in the morning, a drizzling rain was falling.
Erica, who was sensitive to the cold, kept sniffing and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders.
Her hair was fluffier than usual.
Even though Joanna had done her best to comb it, it seemed impossible to manage on a day like this.
Now, the girl left her room without hesitation.
The reason was quite trivial.
It was because the servants had been the first to reach out to young Erica.
In truth, the only reason they were able to muster the courage to reach out first was likely due to Erica’s shabby appearance—something that could hardly be considered odd given the contrast to the wealth accumulated by her father, Marquis Blanche.
Her meager luggage, lack of a proper guardian, and her cautious demeanor as she constantly gauged the adults’ moods—all of these made Erica seem like a pitiful child, stirring a sense of sympathy among the adults.
So the servants of the Grand Duke’s household set aside all the tangled interests between the Blanche and Acliff families and focused solely on Erica as an individual.
Thanks to that, Erica realized that the servants’ previous aloofness wasn’t because they disliked her.
Once she understood that, her heart opened up easily—because she had always been eager to give affection.
Of course, she still acted cautiously, but compared to the beginning, she had brightened up a lot.
Whenever her cheerful laughter rang through the halls of the Grand Duke’s mansion, it brought smiles to the servants’ faces.
Although Sebastian was of a similar age, he had always been a precocious child, and thus quite far removed from this kind of liveliness.
In any case—
Erica quickly captured the hearts of everyone at the Acliff mansion.
Despite having only been there a few days, she memorized the names and faces of the servants and even made personalized cards for them. It was a level of devotion that melted their hearts.
Sniffling, Erica hurried down to the first floor.
“Is the morning roll call over?”
Turning her head this way and that as she searched for Vincent, she soon couldn’t spot him and naturally turned in a familiar direction.
“At this hour, Vincent should be…”
Then, her eyes lit up near the back door of the mansion.
Just as she expected!
Her golden eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Vincent!”
The young butler, having just finished the morning meeting, was heading toward the greenhouse.
Erica ran toward him with her short legs, tap tap tap tap—.
“Young Madam?”
Hearing her voice, Vincent stopped walking and turned toward her.
But Erica didn’t stop running.
Even though her breath was caught in her throat, she couldn’t slow down for fear of missing him.
Finally reaching his side, Erica grabbed his sleeve tightly.
Warm breaths poured from her small lips.
“Young Madam, you’re awake? Good morning.”
“Mhm. Good morning to you, too.”
Erica smiled sweetly and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
With eyes full of expectation, she looked up at the butler.
“Ahem.”
Feeling slightly burdened by that gaze, Vincent avoided her eyes.
He knew Sebastian called Erica a chick.
And after hearing it enough, he thought the nickname fit rather well.
So, did Erica now truly think of herself as a chick?
Starting a few days ago, Erica had been following Vincent and Lady Alma around, trying to gather information about Felix.
“Vincent, I have a question. Do you have a moment?”
Vincent gave a stiff smile and nodded.
After all, Erica was Sebastian’s wife, and therefore someone he was duty-bound to serve.
“Of course. Please ask, Young Madam.”
“Thank you. I know you’re busy, so I won’t take much of your time. I just wanted to know… What does His Grace the Duke like?”
“His Grace? Hmm…”
The usually straightforward Vincent hesitated, looking troubled.
He had long since memorized his master’s preferences.
But the issue was whether he should share that information with Erica.
He hadn’t yet figured out Felix’s intentions regarding the girl.
So he couldn’t answer her innocent question easily.
Considering Felix’s current state, Vincent had to tread even more carefully.
He wanted nothing more than to sigh deeply and rub his face with his hands.
‘What are His Grace’s true intentions toward the Young Madam?’
Surely the mighty Duke of Acliff wouldn’t antagonize a mere ten-year-old girl.
But it was hard to be too optimistic.
After all, Erica was the daughter of the Blanche family, an enemy of House Acliff by blood. There was no reason for Felix to be friendly toward her.
Even though Felix had agreed to meet her, the lack of a concrete plan showed his reluctance.
Even though the only thing he’d had for breakfast was a bitter cup of coffee, Vincent felt like his chest was tightening.
He sincerely wished Erica would ask about anything other than Felix.
Sensing Vincent’s silence as hesitation, Erica quickly shifted her question.
“If it’s hard to answer, I can ask something else. Then, what does His Grace dislike?”
“Ah… Things he dislikes…”
Vincent trailed off again and swallowed hard.
The golden eyes looking up at him were sparkling even more brightly than before.
Unable to meet her gaze, he looked away, weighed down by guilt.
The truth was, Felix disliked so many things that listing them all would be impossible.
Unaware of Vincent’s inner turmoil, Erica began chattering about her plan with a flushed face.
“I want to give him flowers when we meet for the first time. But I was worried… What if he has a pollen allergy or something?”
There hadn’t even been a fixed meeting yet, but she wanted to prepare in advance.
That’s when—
“He neither likes nor dislikes flowers. But I suppose… receiving them would be pleasant. I’ve never gotten any before.”
“…?”
“Hello, Young Madam.”
Erica turned around.
There, eyes the same red as Sebastian’s curved gently as they gazed at her.
She instinctively knew who he was.
“Are… are you perhaps…?”
The man who had greeted her nodded crisply and lifted the corners of his mouth in a cool smile.
“Yes, you’re right. I’m Felix Acliff. Sebastian’s father.”
Startled, Erica quickly straightened her posture.
She hadn’t expected to meet him like this and couldn’t hide her flustered expression.
But she took a deep breath, calmed herself, and bowed properly.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Erica Acliff.”
Truthfully, Erica hesitated a little inside.
She’d debated whether to use the Blanche name.
But since she had married Sebastian, she decided using Acliff was more appropriate.
Fortunately, it seemed to be the right call.
She glanced up at Felix and saw him smiling gently.
“It’s quite natural, the way you used our family name.”
“Th-Thank you.”
Erica replied stiffly, unable to completely hide her nerves.
“Well, we can’t talk out here. Shall we go somewhere else?”
Though he phrased it as a question, it wasn’t really a choice for Erica.
Felix turned first.
Only then could Erica get a proper look at him.
Long black hair down to his shoulder blades, tall stature—
And he was leaning on a cane.
Though he didn’t seem to be in visible pain, she wondered if something was wrong with his body.
“What are you doing, not following?”
When Erica didn’t move, Felix looked back and gestured for her to come.
“Ah, yes! I’m coming.”
Erica hurriedly regained her composure and followed him.
The two of them headed toward the greenhouse.
Unlike the damp and humid outdoors, it was warm inside.
Thanks to Vincent, a simple tea set was soon prepared before them.
Felix took a refined sip of tea and placed his cup on the saucer before asking:
“I’ve heard you were quite eager to meet me.”
“Ah, yes.”
Erica nodded, her body still a bit tense.
“Since I’ll be living here from now on… I wanted to properly greet you.”
“Haha. You didn’t have to go that far.”
Felix smiled.
The distance in that smile made Erica flinch slightly.
‘Was I being too much after all…?’
Felix glanced at her with amusement before letting out a light snort and saying—
“It’s a little unfortunate that I’m the one who had to approach you first, but…”
