Chapter 103 – A Honest Confession
It was an honest confession.
“I know I shouldn’t say this. But really… I don’t like it.”
She wasn’t even a real wife, just a contract wife. Yet here she was, saying unreasonable things like, “I’m jealous” or “Don’t go.” How ridiculous it must have sounded.
But Estelle truly didn’t want Lennox to have anything to do with Vera.
Not Lennox, not Glecia, not even little Duren.
She knew it was all selfishness.
Such a low and shameful feeling.
‘Normally, I would never have said it out loud. I wouldn’t have even shown it.’
But because Lennox had taken her side, she could be honest.
She looked at him with desperate eyes.
“Tia, I…”
Lennox barely managed to look away from her big, sparkling eyes.
Her small hand clutched his sleeve and was trembling slightly.
He shouldn’t feel this way, but…
He wanted to laugh, to smile. His chest tingled strangely.
For the first time in his life, he was feeling something completely new.
Estelle…
“You mean you were jealous because of me?”
“I’m sorry.”
She was so adorable, it was almost unbearable.
He wanted to brush his fingers against her flushed eyes.
The feelings were so unfamiliar that even he was confused.
“…Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Estelle tried to pull her hand away.
“No, no. I can’t do that.”
He caught her hand quickly.
What he meant was: I want to remember this moment forever.
But Estelle misunderstood. She thought it meant: It’s too late to take it back now.
Her face turned pale.
“I promise not to return to the palace. From now on, I won’t even speak with Vera Bellonsa.”
“No, I wasn’t asking for such a big promise.”
“But I want to.”
“….”
“I never liked handling her case anyway. Now I have the perfect excuse to stop.”
Lennox studied her carefully.
When Estelle had said she confronted Vera, he was worried that Vera might have harmed her.
He saw no visible injuries, but clearly something had happened—she had even used her magic.
“Tia, if you want something done about Vera, leave it to me. You mustn’t strain your body.”
“….”
“Besides, Vera Bellonsa probably wouldn’t even be scared of dark magic.”
“Vera was terrified. She ran away from the house.”
Estelle looked puzzled.
“Why would you think she wouldn’t be afraid of dark magic?”
Because in his previous life, Vera had the power to purify dark magic.
Lennox almost revealed too much but caught himself.
“Because she was part of your family. I thought she might have seen such things before.”
But Vera Bellonsa, afraid of magic? That didn’t match.
In his past life, Lennox had been interested in her because of her special ability.
She had supposedly gained it later in life.
He had wanted to learn how she got it, so his sister might gain the same and recover.
He had searched for mandrakes, approached Vera, tried many things… but everything ended badly.
The mandrake had been stolen, Vera had been a disaster, and his sister had never recovered.
But now Estelle had changed everything.
“Vera and I were never close. Before she went abroad, we hardly even talked.”
“So, you were worse than strangers?”
“You could put it that way.”
Lennox remembered how Vera once told him in the past life:
“This is my sister’s keepsake. My sister’s body was cremated, so there’s no grave. But I keep her necklace as a precious memento.”
The thought made him uneasy.
“If you were to die one day… would you leave anything to Vera Bellonsa?”
“Me? No.”
Estelle answered firmly. Even without knowing the “original story,” she would never have left anything.
“But why do you ask?”
“I just wanted to know how bad your relationship was. Good. If you ever leave something behind, don’t give it to her. Keep donating or sponsoring like you do now.”
“You hated it when I donated.”
“I only hated the useless people who swarmed around you. And honestly, you weren’t even good at singing.”
Then he jokingly sang the silly song he once heard.
“Eyes that shine like starlight, so bright the sun hides away…”
The lyrics were nonsense, the pitch was off—
But somehow, with his voice and handsome looks, it was charming.
“That’s the worst. The sun doesn’t ‘hide.’ It rises in the east and sets in the west, always.”
Estelle laughed at his silly attempt.
That smile—Lennox had longed for it.
Even if his plans had all failed in the past, seeing her smile like this made it worth everything.
He could sing badly forever if it made her happy.
“Aah.”
As Estelle tried to hide her laugh, she suddenly noticed—he was still holding her hand tightly.
Startled, she pulled away and changed the subject.
“The food I brought was pointless, wasn’t it?”
“No, I’ll eat it now.”
He opened the basket. Inside were delicious sandwiches.
He offered one to her first.
“I already had some while making them. Please, eat.”
“…You made these yourself?”
“Yes.”
Lennox felt his ears burn red.
“Then today is my birthday.”
“What? It’s your birthday?”
“No, I mean, a symbolic birthday. Because today is the most special day.”
After all—Estelle was his wife.
How could this wonderful person be his wife?
He wanted to treasure the sandwiches forever, simply because they were made by her.
Meanwhile, at the Palace
Vera sat in the interrogation room, her hands tied. The door opened and a knight entered.
“Sir knight, when will Duke Winteren return?”
Lennox had been questioning her but suddenly left, as if something urgent had come up. Now a stranger appeared.
“He will not be coming back.”
“Why not?”
“His wife came for him.”
“…My sister?”
“Yes. He went home with her. So, for now, let’s move you elsewhere.”
The knight forced Vera to stand.
“How long will I be locked up?”
“If you tell the full truth, you’ll be released.”
“I’ve already told the truth.”
“But you’re avoiding details about how you harmed Mathias Bellonsa.”
“That’s for the doctor to figure out.”
“….”
“Don’t tell me—the doctor suspects it wasn’t me?”
The knight froze slightly but kept his composure.
After her confession, Vera’s home had been searched, but nothing suspicious was found.
Her luggage from studying abroad was also simple and ordinary.
“Hmph.”
When he didn’t reply, Vera pouted.
They moved her to the underground prison.
“Oh, by the way, how is my brother?”
She asked casually.
The knight hesitated, then answered:
“Lord Mathias is being looked after by the Tower Master.”
“What? The Tower Master?”
“Yes. He’s the best healer, so don’t worry.”
“Wait, what? The Tower Master wouldn’t normally involve himself in something like this!”
For the first time, Vera’s calm attitude broke. She was clearly shaken.
