Chapter 31
Adrian walked beside Lettie, chatting away brightly.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen my sister invite someone over!”
“Really?”
“Yes! She almost never brings people to the mansion. I mean, she’s always been busy, but still…”
There was a faint trace of sadness in Adrian’s cheerful voice.
Lettie simply nodded without replying.
But when Adrian spoke again, her composed expression wavered slightly.
“Since my sister personally invited you, Lady, that means you must be a really good person, right?”
“A good… person? Me?”
“Yes!”
Adrian’s eyes sparkled with certainty.
Lettie already found it difficult to respond, and his bright gaze made it even harder to say anything.
When she awkwardly looked away, Adrian continued.
“My sister is a good person, so anyone she brings home must be a good person too!”
Lettie wanted to ask how that logic worked, but she stayed silent.
She had never thought of herself as a particularly good person — but she wasn’t exactly bad either. Still, she couldn’t say that out loud.
So, she simply kept quiet as Adrian’s cheerful chatter filled the air. Before long, they arrived at the tea party venue.
“I think this is the place,” Adrian said, stopping in front of a small pavilion with a domed ceiling. Lettie glanced around casually.
Even though Aileen hadn’t been there to greet her, Lettie could tell that someone had put effort into preparing the place.
Adrian walked to the center of the gazebo and waved at her.
“Come this way!”
Following his lead, Lettie sat down on one side of the round table, and Adrian immediately took the seat beside her.
He placed the books he’d been carrying on the table and smiled proudly. Lettie glanced at the covers and asked,
“Were you studying just before this?”
“Yes! I just finished my morning lessons and was walking around.”
“Is it alright not to go back?”
“It’s fine! My afternoon lessons don’t start for a while.”
“…I see.”
Lettie subtly turned her gaze away to escape his eager eyes.
Just then, the maids nearby brought tea for them — though Adrian was served fruit juice instead.
He sipped his drink and glanced at his textbooks now and then, his face showing deep thought.
Seeing that, Lettie said calmly,
“If you’re busy, you can go back.”
“N-no, it’s not that!”
Adrian shouted in panic, startling her. When Lettie looked at him quietly, he fidgeted and said,
“I was just… thinking of reviewing my lessons or preparing for the next one. But since you’re a guest, keeping you company comes first.”
I really don’t mind, Lettie thought — but she didn’t say it out loud. Instead, she said something else.
“You seem very dedicated to your studies.”
“I have to be! It’s the only way I can protect my sister.”
Her hand paused midair, the teacup trembling slightly.
Adrian, unaware of her surprise, declared proudly,
“I’m going to become someone great. I’ll rebuild our family and protect my sister. I won’t let anyone hurt her again!”
He clenched his little fists with such determination that Lettie couldn’t help but look at him quietly.
“That’s a wonderful dream,” she said softly.
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s admirable — wanting to protect someone.”
Her words were sincere.
Adrian grinned brightly at the praise, but Lettie didn’t smile back.
Because suddenly, someone’s words from long ago echoed in her mind.
“Poor Madam. She was already frail, yet she risked her life to give birth to the young lady.”
“She cherished her child more than herself. She gave her life for her daughter.”
That’s what people used to say about Lettie’s mother.
They pitied Lettie for losing her mother at birth — yet mourned the late countess even more.
Lettie had always admired her mother’s will to protect her…
But at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel guilty.
If it weren’t for me, Mother might still be alive.
Her fingertips trembled slightly. Adrian, not noticing, suddenly looked toward someone approaching from afar and smiled brightly.
“Sis!”
Lettie followed his gaze and saw Aileen hurrying toward them.
When Aileen spotted Adrian sitting next to her guest, her eyes widened.
“Adrian? What are you doing here?”
“I heard your guest arrived, so I came to keep her company!”
He looked up at Aileen with proud, expectant eyes. Aileen chuckled and patted his head.
“Thank you for being the host in my place. You’ve really grown up, Adrian.”
“Hehe…”
Adrian grinned happily under her affectionate hand.
Lettie watched the warm exchange blankly, until Aileen met her eyes.
“I’m so sorry for being late, Lady Blaise. You must have waited long.”
“Not at all. The young count kept me good company,” Lettie replied politely.
Aileen’s apologetic look didn’t fade, but she decided not to delay things further. She sat down across from Lettie and said to her brother,
“You can go now, Adrian.”
“Okay! Have a great time!”
Adrian waved enthusiastically, especially toward Lettie, before heading back to the mansion.
Lettie watched him go and murmured softly,
“You two seem very close.”
“We have to be. We’re all each other has left.”
“All that’s left…?”
Lettie turned to her, surprised, and stopped. There was a faint sadness in Aileen’s eyes.
That look — she knew it too well. It was the look of someone who had lost something precious.
“When our mother passed away, it was just the two of us,” Aileen said quietly. “I was still young then, barely old enough to care for myself, let alone him.”
She thought back to when she was sixteen — the year her mother died.
Their father had always cared more about gambling and money than his family, so he might as well have not existed.
But her mother was different — kind, warm, and devoted.
Losing her had left a hole that nothing could fill. Aileen had cried and cried, until one day, she couldn’t cry anymore. She had just sat there in silence.
She had thought she’d never smile again.
“But then, one day, Adrian came to me,” she continued. “He was only three years old back then.”
His tiny steps had carried him toward her, trying so hard to reach her — but Aileen had only wanted to be left alone.
So she turned away… and that’s when Adrian hugged her.
“He wrapped his tiny arms around me, trying his best to comfort me. And I started crying all over again. That’s when I realized…”
This little boy is grieving too.
And—
“He’s also… the part of our mother she left behind.”
Aileen turned back to Lettie. Her eyes were trembling.
Then Aileen smiled gently, as if she hadn’t just shared something painful.
“Our mother still lives within us. So if we become happy, that means she’ll be happy too.”
“Happy…” Lettie whispered.
“I’ll make sure to be happy,” Aileen said firmly, her voice filled with quiet strength.
Lettie looked up from her teacup. Aileen’s eyes glowed with determination.
“I’ll be happy together with Adrian. That’s what our mother would have wanted most.”
Aileen could see the faint confusion flicker in Lettie’s usually emotionless eyes.
Her words were not just for herself — they were meant for the woman sitting across from her.
Because Lettie’s eyes were the same as hers had been at sixteen — lost and empty.
Of course, she didn’t expect Lettie to change overnight. But at least, she could be a signpost — a reminder that happiness was still possible.
“That got a little too serious, didn’t it? Let’s talk about something lighter,” Aileen said, smiling again.
She gestured for the maids, who soon brought out trays of tea and colorful desserts.
The two women chatted about simple things — their hobbies, little interests, daily life. It finally started to feel like a proper tea party.
But even as Lettie smiled and listened, Aileen’s earlier words lingered in her mind.
***
“Take care on your way back, Lady.”
“Thank you for today, Duchess.”
Lettie’s expression had returned to calm neutrality as she stood to leave — that same doll-like composure.
Still, Aileen smiled warmly.
“Come visit again sometime.”
Lettie paused, uncertain how to respond.
Just then, a voice shouted from above.
“Please come again, Lady Blaise!”
Both women looked up — Adrian was waving his arms excitedly from the second-floor window. His tutor beside him looked helpless.
He really likes her, Aileen thought with a small laugh.
When she looked back at Lettie, she blinked in surprise — the woman’s face was faintly red, her right hand twitching slightly as if deciding whether to wave back.
But the moment their eyes met, Lettie’s expression turned cold again.
“…Then I’ll be going.”
“Alright,” Aileen replied, smiling.
She couldn’t help but think, What a cute person.
Completely unaware of Aileen’s thoughts, Lettie walked toward her carriage.
Then, a stern voice called out—
“Lettie.”
Aileen turned instinctively.
Harry — the same Marquis from before — was approaching them. He looked as though he had just come from meeting Richard.
But what surprised her more was what came next.
“Grandfather,” Lettie said.
Aileen’s eyes widened.
Grandfather?
For a moment, she stood frozen.
Harry’s gaze flicked toward her briefly, full of obvious dislike.
“What are you doing here?” he asked Lettie.
“The Duchess invited me,” she replied calmly.
“The Duchess?”
Harry turned to Aileen, his face tight with suspicion.
She laughed awkwardly, trying to collect her thoughts — and suddenly remembered Richard’s earlier words.
“It’s just… a personal matter. You’ll understand soon enough.”
Now it made sense.
So this was what he meant.
Aileen and Harry exchanged stiff looks. Meanwhile, Lettie asked politely,
“Did you just come from meeting His Grace?”
“Yes. Perfect timing. We’ll return home together.”
He sounded oddly urgent — as if he didn’t want to leave his granddaughter alone with Aileen any longer.
As the two prepared to leave, Aileen gave them a polite smile.
“Travel safely, both of you.”
Harry paused for a moment before climbing into the carriage, while Lettie gave a small nod in return — unaware of the tension between them.
Soon, the carriage rolled away.
Aileen stood by the gate, watching until it disappeared from sight.
