Chapter 68
A relationship between the commander of the royal knights and a viscountess wasn’t exactly a common one.
By the time we realized it, the carriage had arrived at Viscount Harold’s estate.
As I stepped down from the carriage with Aaron’s escort, Viscountess Harold herself was already waiting outside.
“Welcome.”
“I didn’t give any notice—I didn’t expect you to be waiting.”
“I make it a habit to keep an eye on the outside.”
Perhaps because this was her own home, her face looked far more relaxed than when I saw her at the royal palace or the Duke of Cloud’s estate.
“Let’s go inside.”
After telling Aaron to wait outside, I followed the viscountess into the reception room.
This was, after all, the place where Gemma had been born and raised.
It feels unfamiliar.
Which was only natural, really.
“I don’t even know how long it’s been since you last came here.”
“It’s been so long I can barely remember.”
“You didn’t come even once this year.”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly. It was mostly a guess.
If Gemma had visited the Harold estate often, the viscountess wouldn’t have had to come all the way to the ducal residence herself.
And the only time Marie had asked whether I’d visit the Harold estate was on Erika’s birthday.
“Was it when you were eight? You threw such a tantrum, asking me to tie your hair for you.”
“I don’t want to hear about the past.”
Seeing her act just like any other mother unsettled me.
So now she’s trying emotional appeals?
I hadn’t come here to listen to nostalgic stories between Viscountess Harold and Gemma.
There were things that needed to be questioned.
“Let’s skip the small talk and get to the point.”
“You’re quite impatient.”
She smiled faintly and gestured for me to sit at the table.
I took out the menu from my pocket and slid it across the table. Written on it were the words: ‘Cloud Brewery.’
The viscountess’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“You know what this is, don’t you?”
She took a sip of tea, closing and opening her eyes slowly as if trying to steady herself.
“It’s an ordinary menu.”
The fact that she didn’t immediately acknowledge it suggested she didn’t see what Gemma had uncovered as a serious threat.
After all, Gemma had always been a daughter like a doll in the palm of her hand.
“Would you read it aloud?”
“‘Cloud Brewery,’ it says.”
“And you know better than I do where this menu came from.”
Her grip tightened around the menu.
“So now you’re even digging into my businesses?”
“Yes. I’ve always wondered what you were doing with the seal I secretly took.”
Her lips hardened into a sharp line.
“Thanks to your poorly run little venture, Cloud’s reputation has suffered.”
“That was the whole point of marrying you to the Duke of Cloud.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
“Am I some kind of merchandise?”
I felt sorry for Gemma, treated like an object being sold with conditions.
She probably didn’t even realize she was being treated this way.
“What’s so surprising?”
“Using someone’s name without consent and treating your daughter like property—neither is something to be proud of.”
“If I told you we even signed a contract, you’d look utterly shocked.”
A contract?
I searched my memory. Why did the image of Martin signing a contract suddenly come to mind?
Then that meant—
Are you saying Martin and Gemma had a contract marriage?
And that it was orchestrated by Viscountess Harold?
I had to stay calm. This woman wanted to see me crumble.
I can’t waver.
Under the table, I clenched my dress so tightly my palms were damp with sweat.
Why didn’t Martin tell me?
Did he not have the chance? Or did he not tell me because I never asked?
And why hadn’t I asked?
Because I was afraid.
Afraid that what we had would go back to how it used to be.
“You look lost in thought.”
So what if I was?
From the beginning, Martin and Gemma’s relationship hadn’t seemed built on love.
A contract marriage almost felt more natural.
But now, it was different.
“So what if it was?”
Viscountess Harold set down her teacup and looked straight at me.
“Do you really think the Duke of Cloud could ever love you?”
“You seem very sure.”
“…!”
“My husband loves me.”
I blurted it out. A crack finally appeared in her composure.
Having controlled her daughter her entire life, she couldn’t accept Gemma stepping outside her cage.
“Viscountess, do you know this?”
Her brow furrowed, clearly bracing herself.
“The contract you coerced Martin Cloud into signing can be annulled at any time.”
“What did you say?”
“Because even without that contract, we’re married.”
I couldn’t deny how close Martin and I had become.
When I was with him, it almost felt like we were a real couple.
The way I kept letting myself hope proved that.
The teacup in her hand trembled violently.
“So don’t delude yourself into thinking you can control me like a puppet just because of some marriage contract.”
“How dare you—!”
The moment I shattered the only familial cage that had bound Gemma, her eyes flashed dangerously.
I instinctively clenched my fists, sensing the faint killing intent in that brief instant.
The three diamond rings Marie had slipped onto my fingers glittered.
“You haven’t forgotten this is my house, have you?”
Viscountess Harold abruptly rose and stormed toward me.
Her eyes looked as though she’d completely lost her reason.
“Viscountess…?”
I stood and backed away, instantly regretting not bringing Aaron inside.
[This is how you fight, you know.]
[You’ll be able to subdue most lunatics just fine.]
Marie’s voice echoed in my head.
I’d thought it was underhanded at the time—was it foresight instead?
As the viscountess drew closer, I quickly grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it away.
Crash—!
After the teacups shattered, Aaron and the estate’s servants rushed in, and the chaos was swiftly brought under control.
Aaron immediately checked my face, scanning me for injuries.
“I’m fine.”
When his eyes landed on the shattered cups on the floor, his expression hardened.
He moved toward the viscountess, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.
Her gaze had already returned to its usual calm, as though nothing had happened.
Realizing she’d revealed too much of herself, she wouldn’t dare lay hands on me now.
“I’ll be leaving for today.”
She’d already shown an ugly side after losing control.
It wasn’t until we reached the carriage that my legs gave out.
If Aaron hadn’t caught me, I might have collapsed.
“Thank you, Aaron.”
“No. I was careless.”
“You stayed out because I told you to.”
Even so, he kept his head bowed for quite some time.
“Oh—there’s something I want to talk to you about. When we get back to the estate, would you walk with me for a bit?”
After carefully observing me, Aaron nodded slightly, as if realizing I had something important to say.
I need to be careful.
Viscountess Harold’s flashing eyes surfaced in my mind again.
Once I finished talking with Aaron, I resolved to go straight to Martin.
* * *
I entered the ducal garden with Aaron.
Beyond the garden, the knights of the estate were training vigorously in the practice grounds.
The sound of swords cutting through the air seemed to strike Aaron especially hard.
Perhaps because of the sunlight, his brow tightened slightly.
“Are you comfortable living here?”
“Everyone’s been very kind. There’s nothing uncomfortable.”
A lie.
Aaron lied to me without changing his expression.
Hadn’t Erika hinted at it before?
[The other knights seem to think they only got in because of me.]
If even Erika had heard about it, then Aaron must have been treated even more blatantly.
The warm sunlight had grown hot. Watching the knights sweat under the blazing sun, Aaron deliberately turned his gaze away.
Though he’d entered because Martin had noticed him, being labeled a ‘parachute hire’ must have made it hard to fit in.
“So… are you still getting along well with Erika?”
Was that too direct?
I wanted to know how he felt.
With a marriage proposal already on the table for Erika, I needed to know whether Aaron could stand by her side as her fiancé.
If she’d gone so far as to kiss him, her feelings were clearly deep.
If Aaron didn’t feel the same, I was prepared to say something.
To tell him never to toy with my lady’s heart.
But—
“Other than you, my lady, there’s no one who treats me without distance.”
Aaron clearly understood Erika’s feelings for him.
I remembered when I’d first met Aaron. I never imagined our paths would intertwine like this.
“As long as I can, I want to protect Erika’s smile.”
“…!”
I’d long thought Erika would be happy with Aaron.
But at that moment—
“She’s my angel, my lady.”
I realized that for Aaron, too, happiness might only exist with Erika.
Sunlight glinted off his hair.
His eyes shone brightly with life.
I pictured the two of them dancing together in the royal garden.
They really were a perfect match.
I’d never seen Erika smile so happily before.
And Aaron, glowing as he spoke of her, was the same.
They both looked like people in love.
Maybe I can help a little.
Until now, I’d been so focused on changing the original story that I hadn’t truly looked around me.
I’d been missing the most important thing.
Wanting happiness for the people I cherish.
“Thank you for saying that, Aaron.”
As if realizing something, he quickly changed the subject.
“Ah—what was it you wanted to ask me?”
“There’s something I’ve been wondering.”
