Chapter 65
After the commotion in the middle of the night, Oldenga fell quiet.
The servants, who were usually chatterboxes, kept their mouths firmly shut for the past few days. It was because they knew that, due to their mistake, there had been conflict between the master and his wife.
Because of that, no one dared to speak carelessly anywhere in the mansion. Especially when Rihardt or Aileen passed by, they would lower their heads with their lips tightly sealed.
Even so, as people who had worked there for a long time, they could sense the mansion’s unusual atmosphere without having to hear it from anyone else.
The mood between the master and mistress had been strange lately.
It wasn’t bad. Rather, the sharp, edgy aura that had clung to Rihardt had disappeared after that night.
Instead, a peculiar atmosphere—neither good nor bad—surrounded them.
Aileen felt it as well. Since it concerned her and Rihardt, there was no way she wouldn’t notice.
Rihardt behaved as he always had. He was just a bit gentler, and he looked at her with deeper eyes.
On the other hand, Aileen felt awkward around this Rihardt. Ever since hearing his confession that night, she could no longer treat him the way she used to. Perhaps she might never be able to return to how things were before.
“Sister, are you okay?”
When she lifted her head, Adrian was peering at her with worried eyes.
Come to think of it, she had been helping Adrian with his homework.
Aileen smiled as if it were nothing and replied,
“Of course. I’m fine.”
“…You didn’t hear the question I just asked, did you?”
“Huh? You asked if I was okay?”
“The question before that.”
Aileen asked with a flustered expression,
“What did you ask?”
Adrian’s face puffed out in a sulk. Only then did Aileen realize that she had been completely lost in thought for quite a while.
“Sorry. I guess I was thinking about something else.”
“Is it because of His Grace?”
At the blunt question, Aileen flinched.
As she stammered, Adrian rested his chin on the desk.
“When the two of you talked alone that night, His Grace said he didn’t want a divorce, right?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s obvious. His Grace likes you, Sister.”
Adrian’s words overlapped with Rihardt’s confession in her mind.
Aileen’s face flushed slightly. She turned her head a little to avoid being noticed by Adrian, but it was already too late.
Adrian felt conflicted. The situation he had been worried about had come to pass.
In the end, that man had come to like his sister. And now, even Aileen had begun to harbor feelings for that man.
But unlike before, he didn’t entirely dislike this situation.
Over the course of a year, Adrian had seen and learned quite a lot in his own way. Among those things, the biggest was related to Rihardt.
Rihardt wasn’t as bad a person as he had thought. Especially when it came to matters involving Aileen or himself, he would step in personally.
Adrian sincerely wanted Aileen’s happiness. And Aileen, when she was with Rihardt, always looked happy.
Of course, he still didn’t like Rihardt. But if it meant his sister would be happy, he was willing to give a little.
Just like now.
“Sister, I’m okay with His Grace.”
“Huh?”
“If His Grace stays by your side, I think I’d feel at ease. It’s fine if you keep living here too.”
Ah—Adrian let out a small exclamation, then spoke firmly.
“Of course, you can’t let him completely take you away from me. If I see even a hint of that, I’ll take you and leave right away.”
Apparently pleased with what he had said, Adrian wore a proud expression.
Aileen sat there blankly, looking at her younger brother.
❧ ❧ ❧
When Adrian went to his afternoon class, Aileen went outside. She wandered the garden aimlessly.
Rihardt’s confession and Adrian’s words echoed alternately in her mind.
“I want Aileen.”
“If His Grace stays by your side, I think I’d feel at ease. It’s fine if you keep living here too.”
What the two of them were saying carried the same meaning.
There was no need to divorce. They could continue living as they were now.
When she fully accepted that thought, there was only one thing that came to Aileen’s mind.
She stopped walking and muttered to herself,
“Is this a dream?”
If someone else had heard it, they might have found it absurd, but Aileen was sincere.
For the past few days, she had felt as though she were dreaming. And it made sense—she was happy.
The happiness came crashing over her like a tsunami, to the point that she couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality. If it were a dream, she felt like waking up would hurt too much. So she had deliberately denied it.
But she didn’t want to deny it anymore. Staying like this felt like a waste of time.
“Aileen.”
At that moment, she heard Rihardt’s voice and turned around. He was slowly approaching along the path she had walked.
With every step he took, Aileen felt her own heartbeat.
‘I can’t deny it anymore.’
Until now, Aileen had thought of Rihardt as a friend. More precisely, she had wrapped him up as a friend.
Because she thought she shouldn’t fall in love. She believed that the end of their relationship was already set as divorce.
So even when he looked at her so affectionately, even when her heart raced because of him, she forcibly denied the doubts and feelings that welled up inside her.
But now, she didn’t have to anymore.
“Aileen?”
Rihardt, who had come right up to her, called her name.
Startled out of her thoughts, Aileen jerked her head up.
“Y-Yes?”
“Are you unwell? Your face is red.”
“Well, that is…”
She wanted to say it was because of him, but Aileen shook her head.
If she was going to respond to his feelings, she wanted to do it in a more serious atmosphere. So she awkwardly smiled it off.
“It’s nothing.”
For a moment, a shadow crossed Rihardt’s face. But it quickly disappeared.
“I see.”
“Why are you outside, Rihardt?”
“I was taking a break from work and saw you alone outside. So I came out.”
“Because of me?”
“Yes.”
At his firm answer, Aileen lost her words. And she could feel it.
This person really cares about me.
The realization struck her anew, and Aileen felt a tickling sensation in her chest.
After hesitating for a moment, she turned her body slightly to the side. It was a gesture telling him to walk beside her.
“Would you like to walk together for a bit? There’s something I want to talk to you about, Rihardt.”
“Of course.”
Rihardt quickly took her side. The two of them walked slowly through the garden.
It was Aileen who spoke first.
“Rihardt, why do you… I mean…”
“Why I like you?”
“…Yes. You’re very straightforward.”
As Aileen added that with a flushed face, Rihardt let out a small laugh.
“Because I don’t want to hide it anymore. And as for why I like you, Aileen—I don’t know myself.”
“What?”
“I just came to like you. At some point, every expression and action of yours caught my eye. Now, I can’t take my eyes off you even for a moment.”
After thinking for a bit, he added in a small voice,
‘“Seeped in” would be the right way to put it.’
“Seeped in…”
It was a phrase she could relate to.
Because at some point, Rihardt had seeped into her heart as well.
A gentle smile formed on Aileen’s face. As the atmosphere grew comfortable, Rihardt smiled too.
“Aileen, then will you answer me now?”
“Answer…?”
Aileen asked back without realizing it.
Seeing her startled, Rihardt spoke hurriedly.
“Not an answer to my confession. I’d like you to answer whether you will continue this marital bond with me going forward. I was too agitated back then to hear your intentions.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, I have no intention of letting you go.”
When Aileen looked at him in surprise, Rihardt gave a slightly bitter smile.
“Others may not see it that way, but I know that I’m selfish. I’m the kind of person who wants to hold on to what I truly desire until the very end. That’s why I have no intention of letting you go.”
“Then does my answer even matter?”
“It does. Depending on your answer, Aileen, my resolve will change.”
At the absurd-sounding words, Aileen let out a hollow laugh.
Then she answered right away. It was an answer that needed no deliberation.
“I don’t want to divorce you either, Rihardt.”
“You’ve made a good decision.”
“And…”
At the unfinished words, Rihardt tilted his head. Meanwhile, Aileen alone was serious.
In truth, what came next was the most important part. It was the words with which she would respond to his feelings.
And they were also the words that would announce the beginning of a new relationship.
After hesitating briefly, Aileen lifted her head resolutely. Then she looked straight into Rihardt’s eyes and said,
“I…”
“Wah!”
At that moment, a scream rang out, and something fell from a tree.
Startled, Aileen looked up. A person was falling toward her.
“Aileen!”
Just before the impact, Rihardt pulled her toward him. With the recoil, Aileen ended up in his arms.
Thud!
There was a loud noise, but Aileen couldn’t bring herself to look that way. Near her ear, she heard a heart pounding loudly—she didn’t know whose it was.
“Are you alright?”
Aileen snapped her head up. Rihardt’s worried eyes were fixed on her.
Only then did Aileen come to her senses, and her face flushed bright red. She quickly slipped out of his arms.
Physical contact after confirming each other’s feelings was bad for her heart.
“I-I’m sorry!”
And with that, Aileen ran away—without looking back.
Rihardt stared blankly at her retreating figure. At that moment, Heinell, who had fallen from the tree, pushed himself up.
“Ugh… What kind of misfortune is this, falling like this while sleeping… Huh? Duke, why are you just standing there?”
Rihardt couldn’t answer his question.
He simply stood there, frozen like stone.
