Chapter 32
“What on earth is she planning…?”
“Planning?”
Lettie tilted her head when she heard Harry mutter.
He shook his head and asked her instead, “It’s nothing. But tell me, Lettie — what did you talk about with the Duchess?”
He could tell that Aileen hadn’t known Lettie was his granddaughter. But still — one could never be too sure.
Lettie thought for a moment before replying.
“Just… simple things. Our hobbies, favorite kinds of music — small talk like that.”
“…That’s all?”
“Yes.”
She purposely left out the part about Aileen talking about her late mother and happiness. It didn’t feel like something she should share, not even with her grandfather.
But Aileen’s words still echoed in her mind.
“I’ll make sure to be happy — together with Adrian. That’s what Mother would want most.”
What Mother would want most.
Lettie also remembered what people used to say about her own mother — how much she had loved her daughter, how she had risked her life to give birth to her.
Before the tea party, Lettie had always thought of her mother as someone who died because of her. But now, her thoughts had shifted slightly.
Just that small change made her once cold heart feel… a little warmer.
“…Grandfather.”
“What is it?”
“The Duchess and her little brother — they seem like good people.”
Harry’s eyes widened slightly, his red irises flickering.
Lettie, gazing out the window, didn’t notice. Her face remained expressionless, but her words struck him deeply.
What kind of conversation did they have?
Lettie had never spoken kindly about anyone before. She had always been quiet, suppressing her emotions.
And now she was saying she liked the Walker siblings.
Of all people… those two?
Lettie was Harry’s granddaughter — his only daughter’s child.
He had adored his daughter deeply, and because of that, he cherished Lettie as well.
After losing his daughter, Harry had only one wish: for his granddaughter to grow up healthy.
That wish had only been half fulfilled. Physically, Lettie was fine. But emotionally — she was not.
Her father, Count Blaise, had distanced himself from her after losing his wife. Harry had despised him for it, yet he couldn’t entirely blame him.
Every time the man looked at his daughter, he was reminded of the wife he’d lost — just as Harry was reminded of his own daughter whenever he looked at Lettie.
So, in the end, Lettie grew up without love. It wasn’t surprising she became the way she was — cold, expressionless, and detached.
Unable to watch her suffer, Harry eventually brought her to live with him and did his best to shower her with affection.
But Lettie never smiled. Not once.
Even now, as an adult, she hadn’t changed.
And yet…
She opened her heart to those two?
Harry frowned. That wasn’t good.
He wanted Richard to become emperor one day, and the Walker siblings were an obstacle to that goal.
As Marquis Frederick, he saw them as political threats.
But as a grandfather — as the man who wanted his granddaughter’s happiness — he couldn’t bring himself to interfere.
He was torn between two sides of himself.
Finally, he made up his mind.
I’ll wait and see.
He didn’t yet know how the Walker siblings would influence Lettie — whether for better or worse.
So for now, he would watch quietly.
He could decide later.
***
“You’re really mean, Richard.”
Aileen pouted, her lips forming an adorable frown. Richard, on the other hand, just laughed softly.
Tonight was their scheduled night to share the same bedroom — and the first thing Aileen did when she entered was complain.
It was about Lady Blaise — Lettie.
When Richard chuckled, Aileen’s pout deepened.
“If I’d known Lady Blaise was Marquis Frederick’s granddaughter, I would’ve prepared myself mentally!”
“If I’d told you that before you invited her, you would’ve felt uncomfortable, wouldn’t you?” he replied easily.
“Well… maybe. But still!”
She had no comeback to that.
He was right — if she’d known in advance, she probably would’ve been nervous and stiff the entire time.
Even so, she couldn’t shake off her uneasy feeling. After a moment of sulking, she sighed.
“Fine. Let’s call it a harmless lie… or silence, I guess.”
“Thank you,” Richard said lightly.
Aileen smirked. They were surprisingly good at teasing each other like this.
Richard undid the ribbon tying his hair, letting it fall around his shoulders as he approached the bed.
Aileen lay down as well. She had grown used to this arrangement by now.
As she waited for him to turn off the light, a sudden thought made her laugh softly.
Richard paused. “What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, just something silly. Since you didn’t tell me about Lady Blaise, I started imagining all sorts of things.”
“All sorts of things?”
“Yes.”
Richard reached for the lamp switch — but froze when she spoke again.
“I wondered if you and Lady Blaise were ex-lovers or something.”
“…What?”
He turned around sharply, completely caught off guard.
Aileen saw his face and immediately realized that wasn’t the case — and for some reason, she felt a little relieved.
“Well, you don’t usually act uncomfortable around anyone,” she said, grinning. “So I thought maybe you two dated, or maybe you confessed to her and got rejected.”
“That’s quite the… imagination.”
“I know, right? Silly but kind of believable too.”
“Believable?” he repeated, raising a brow.
“Well, it’s not that strange. Almost everyone falls in love at least once — even if it’s just a crush.”
Richard found himself staring at her. Feeling his gaze, Aileen turned her head toward him. His expression was unreadable when he asked,
“Have you ever liked someone before, Aileen?”
“Of course.”
His heart dropped instantly.
He pressed his hand against his chest, as if trying to steady it, while Aileen smiled faintly at the memory.
“He was a wonderful man — a real gentleman. Polite, kind, handsome… He was so perfect that I honestly thought he might be a prince.”
Richard’s expression darkened. But then her next words made him blink.
“But it was a one-sided love that could never happen.”
“Why not?” he asked quietly.
“Because he was my cousin.”
For a moment, Richard just stared — then coughed awkwardly, suppressing the laugh that threatened to escape.
“Ahem. That’s… unfortunate.”
“Right? If he hadn’t been my cousin, I would’ve snatched him up right away.”
Richard flinched slightly at her teasing tone, and she giggled.
“I’m joking. If that had actually happened, I wouldn’t have met you — or found a way to pay off my debts. I like my life now.”
“I… see. That’s good.”
He said the words, but his expression didn’t match them at all.
Because deep down, Richard knew the truth — he was starting to fall for her.
Every time he saw her smile, his chest tightened. Every time she laughed, the world seemed brighter.
But what hurt was knowing that her feelings weren’t the same.
To her, he was just a partner — a contractual husband. Someone to talk to, to work with, to rely on. But not… someone she loved.
And that realization left him torn.
Should he hold on to these feelings… or let them go?
He didn’t know yet.
For now… I’ll just watch and wait.
He believed he could control his emotions. He always had before.
If things worked out, good.
If not, then that was that.
It might hurt, but he’d endure it.
He truly believed that.
***
The weather had grown noticeably warmer.
The garden was full of sunlight — flowers blooming, colors vibrant, air fresh and calm.
Aileen sat among them, enjoying a quiet afternoon tea.
“So peaceful,” she murmured.
And it really was. Compared to the crumbling Walker estate she used to live in, this felt like paradise.
Her body felt relaxed — but her mind was weighed down by two worries.
“Don’t worry, Aileen. I’ll make sure the young count’s lessons aren’t too harsh.”
“That’s right, Sis! You don’t need to worry — I can handle anything!”
She couldn’t help but worry whenever Richard and Adrian studied together. She had even tried to sit in on their lessons, but both of them always refused.
Richard she could understand — but Adrian? That was unexpected.
So, instead of hovering over them, she came to the garden. But the more peaceful things felt, the heavier her heart became.
Will everything really be okay?
Lately, she had been thinking about something — what would happen a year later, when the contract ended.
That was her second worry.
She was steadily paying off her debt with the magic stones, and Adrian was learning how to manage the family estate from Richard.
On the surface, everything seemed fine.
But one year later… things might not be.
She needed a new house to live in with Adrian — and more importantly, she needed power. Wealth, influence — something to stand on her own.
Money might be the easier one to secure, she thought.
As long as she worked with Richard, she could produce high-grade mana stones — enough to earn a fortune.
The problem was, she only had one year left with him.
Which meant she had to earn as much as possible before then — enough to live independently after leaving Olden.
But even high-grade stones had their limits. Money eventually runs out.
She needed something more — something that would last.
