Chapter 005
“Fortunately.”
Duke Winifred handed his overcoat to the waiter and sat down across from him. The waiter, who poured tea into a teacup for him, promptly retreated.
After a short silence, it was Viscount Ventrin who spoke first.
“Your Excellency Duke Winifred, may I ask why you summoned me to the capital?”
A few days ago, a letter had reached Viscount Ventrin. Bearing the blue bird crest—the emblem of the Duke of Winifred—it contained only a single line: Meet me at Café Liselle in ten days. No reason for the meeting, no explanation provided.
It was just one line, but the name “Duke Winifred” forced the Viscount to abandon everything he was doing and rush to the capital.
‘I am certain he called me for a significant reason.’
Ten days was exactly the distance from Lowell, the Ventrin district, to the capital. It was impossible to send a letter back to the Winifred residence to ask why or to reschedule. Thus, Viscount Ventrin had no choice but to board a carriage immediately.
“I have encountered some trouble. The letter arrived at a time when I was extremely busy.”
“Is that so.”
Despite the Viscount hinting that he was inconvenienced by the arbitrary summons, Duke Winifred’s posture remained indifferent.
“The Viscount says he was in trouble. However, I, rather, could not go to Lowell to meet you.”
He looked at Viscount Ventrin with a mocking glint in his eyes.
“Isn’t that right, Viscount Ventrin?”
“…What the Duke says is correct.”
Viscount Ventrin bit his tongue to keep his face from contorting. However, he could not stop his hands from trembling against the armrests of his chair.
“…….”
After that, there was only silence. Duke Winifred simply enjoyed his tea.
“Why on earth did you call me?”
The composure the Viscount had barely maintained began to crack. His mind felt as if it were about to explode.
From Lowell to the capital, there was nothing to do in the carriage for ten days. During that long journey, the Viscount found himself spiraling: Why did Duke Winifred call? Was it for business? To notify him that the Lowell knights were passing through? Or perhaps he wanted to buy wheat for refugees?
He had considered many reasons, but only one seemed truly probable.
‘I believe it concerns the blood relatives.’
At the end of winter, Duke Winifred had approached him, saying he was searching for Ajin’s daughter.
“…….”
There is no way she is alive.
On a midwinter day, when even adults could not survive the cold and froze to death—on that very day, I threw that little girl into the street of a slum.
Specifically, it was when Ajin and Lara’s fame was at its peak, yet the end of the war was looming and long-festering problems were erupting. The situation was so dire that nobles were reducing luxuries to set an example, while commoners struggled to find bread.
It was impossible for that child to remain alive after being discarded in a slum during such a time.
‘I dealt with the servant properly as well.’
There was only one person who saw him throw her away. Had he not deliberately chosen someone easy to handle? Therefore, it was impossible for Ajin’s child to be alive, and no one knew who had disposed of her.
Surely, that had to be the case.
“Viscount.”
Duke Winifred was staring at him.
“….!”
He had been too deep in thought. He hadn’t heard the Duke calling him.
“Yes, did you call me?”
“You look exhausted.”
The Duke continued slowly, tapping his fingers on the table.
“I called your name several times, but you seemed unable to hear me.”
“My apologies. It seems that after ten days in a carriage, the fatigue of the journey has not yet faded.”
“Is that so.”
Duke Winifred chuckled, crossing one leg over the other.
“Then, for the sake of the Viscount, I should tell you quickly why I invited you.”
“…….”
He took so much time that my patience snapped, and now he says he must tell me quickly.
“I wonder what kind of business you summoned me for.”
His fists tightened again, but Viscount Ventrin forced a smile. The man sitting before him was none other than Duke Winifred.
“The reconstruction of the Eastern Region will begin soon.”
The war that had lasted over a hundred years was over. The vast Eastern Region was now set to recover from its shrunken state and begin rebuilding. Clearly, a massive influx of money was forming in that direction. If he could tie even a thin rope to it, he would make a fortune.
He might even be able to become Count Leonid a bit faster this way.
‘Duke Winifred is the one who decides everything.’
That man was sitting before him now.
‘If it weren’t for the reconstruction of the East, I wouldn’t have to please this young man.’
He would have left immediately. No, perhaps he wouldn’t have come here in the first place.
If he had done that, he wouldn’t have felt this kind of tension again. Ten days from the Lowell region to the capital, including the time spent in the cafe facing the Duke—every second of silence was draining the Viscount’s blood.
Duke Winifred smiled, lifting one corner of his mouth slightly, as if reading the Viscount’s mind. Then, the expression was wiped clean.
“There is no specific reason. I just wanted to offer some advice.”
“Advice?”
“Yes.”
Duke Winifred stood up and placed his hands on the table.
‘What? Was he always this large?’
The Viscount had certainly felt the Duke was tall while sitting, but not like this. He looked up at the Duke and took a deep breath.
“Viscount.”
But the next words filled him with greater shock than fear.
“The legitimate successor to Count Leonid will appear soon.”
“What do you mean?”
The Viscount asked, but there was no answer. The Duke looked at him with eyes that made him wonder if the man knew everything.
Impossible. The Viscount’s throat tightened.
“I do not like foolish things.”
As Winifred signaled, the waiter ran over as if waiting and helped him into his coat.
“So, please eat in moderation.”
It was over. Winifred left, and after a moment of silence, the sound of something falling was heard. The stunned waiter passed the Duke and approached the source of the noise.
“Did you finish your business well?”
As he left the cafe, the knight waiting out front asked him. He was a man with impressively long brown hair. The Duke nodded slightly.
“But, is it alright to provoke such a person so openly?”
The brown-haired knight frowned, looking back at the cafe which was still emitting loud noises.
“He will certainly try to confirm if Lady Leonid is alive.”
“I believe so.”
“It would be better to hide the Lady’s presence until preparations are finished…”
“While we move to prepare, there will be gaps, so we must be careful.”
“Leo, I’ll leave this job to you. We will exclude investors and collaborators associated with the Viscount. Bring pressure upon him.”
The more the conflict intensified, the more the Viscount’s flaws and weaknesses would be exposed.
The knight named Leo, understanding the Duke’s intent, bowed lightly.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Winifred nodded and climbed the steps into his carriage.
* * *
“I couldn’t even sleep.”
Irina blinked as she watched the sunlight creeping in from the window.
She hadn’t been able to sleep; it was her first time attempting to rest so early. For Irina, sleep was always a luxury. Ben sold alcohol until dawn and food from early morning. Because of this, Irina could only sleep for a few hours.
Usually, wherever she laid her head, she would drift off. She never thought she would be able to sleep in such a soft bed, let alone anywhere else.
Irina sat up and pulled out the locket she had hidden under her pillow.
‘Where did the Duke click it?’
Here. When she pressed the protruding part, the lid opened with a click. There was the happy family portrait she had seen yesterday.
Irina, her lips moving silently several times, struggled to utter a word.
“…Good morning, Mother, Father.”
It was the first time she had said those words in her life. Mother and Father. She couldn’t understand why words so easy for others were so difficult for her.
However, she finally managed to say them after a long while.
“…….”
Irina looked at the picture for a moment, her mouth pressed tight, then immediately got out of bed.
Was it because it was the first day after learning about her parents and discovering her real name? Even though she hadn’t slept, her body didn’t feel heavy at all.
Irina slipped her feet into soft shoes and looked around the room.
‘Beautiful.’
Yesterday, she had been too overwhelmed to truly look around. First she thought it was Baron Barodon’s palace, then the Duke came and told her about her parents. She had heard her real name.
As a result, she was only seeing the room clearly now, a full day later. Not just the furniture, but every small detail, even the wallpaper. Even to someone who knew nothing, it was clear the items were of high quality and very impressive.
But what caught Irina’s eye was something else entirely.
‘Is that dust?’
In general, the cleaning was a mess. Should she say it was swept and cleaned quickly only in the visible areas?
There was dust between the folds of the curtains, and the windows hadn’t been cleaned properly, leaving handprints on the edges. Even on the low table, water spots remained where the surface hadn’t been wiped correctly after a wash.
Irina tilted her head as she looked at the traces that looked like they had been cleaned in a rush by someone who wasn’t good at it.
“……?”
Don’t nobles usually hire people skilled in this work to do the cleaning? Why was the state of the room so messy?
“Knock, knock.”
As she continued to explore the room, she heard a voice outside the door—the sound of a “knock” being spoken aloud. It was Delphia.
“My Lady, are you awake?”
“Oh, yes!”
Irina answered, brushing dust off her hands.
“Then I’m coming in!”
The door opened, and Delphia entered wearing a light vest.
