Chapter 39
Maybe this is better. I don’t want to see Alperen drowning in regrets over his father.
Summer had grown up under a gambling, drunken father, protecting her younger siblings. Naturally, her image of a father figure was never good.
So when she heard Alperen’s story, she projected her own circumstances onto him and labeled the former Duke of Ainruk as nothing more than a villain.
But… was the former Duke really only a villain?
Humans aren’t flat, one-dimensional beings. They’re complex.
His methods of discipline may not have been right, but at their root was paternal love.
He had wanted to raise Alperen strong in order to protect him.
Being the head of a powerful family meant enemies on all sides. Allies could turn to enemies overnight, and enemies could become allies the next day. In that treacherous world of politics, the Duke had given his son a sword so that he would not be helplessly wounded.
Of course, he could never have foreseen that his harsh discipline would end up shackling his son instead.
Coming into the Ainruk estate filled me with complicated thoughts.
Even in the original story, I had wondered: why did someone as thorough as Alperen die so easily from Nanael’s poison?
Could it be that Alperen punished himself?
Maybe I was overthinking, but it always seemed like, at critical moments, he chose the path that hurt himself most. That thought made me uneasy.
I sat quietly in the reception room until Alperen returned—pushing a tea trolley himself.
He was dressed impeccably, like he was attending a banquet. And yet, here he was, acting like his own butler.
“Where’s the maid?”
I started to rise automatically, but he gently pressed down on my shoulder.
“I wanted us to be alone.”
He glanced toward the door. From behind the curtain, something slipped away with a whoosh.
I thought I even heard a faint ‘Ow!’ but maybe that was just my imagination.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen a single servant since we arrived.
How could such a large mansion feel so empty? Surely they weren’t all hiding from their master.
Alperen set the tray on the table and poured the tea with practiced ease.
Before I could even compliment his skill, he sat down right beside me.
“You’re sitting there?”
With such a wide sofa, why was he sticking so close?
He smiled calmly.
“Yes. This is where I like it.”
“Really?”
I edged away slightly. He followed immediately.
“To be precise, I like being next to you.”
Why was he being so direct today?
My face heated as I quickly looked away and changed the subject.
“Anyway, I’ve known you for so long, but this is my first time here. For a first date, to bring me to your house of all places… is that really okay? Isn’t this too private a space?”
“This is the safest place.”
I didn’t need to ask safe from who.
Just yesterday and today, Adrian had already tried to pry us apart like King Kong tearing chains.
Before flaunting our relationship to society, we first had to avoid Ferris family eyes and ears.
Maybe that was why Alperen had brought me here—to share things we couldn’t say elsewhere.
At least, that was what I assumed.
“And… you’re the one I wanted to invite first.”
“Me?”
“You’re the person I trust most. And now… you’re mine.”
Mine.
Why did just those two words make my heart pound like crazy?
It was only a fake relationship. But the way he acted so genuinely blurred the line between acting and truth.
“Ahaha, well, I am a safe choice! Still, being your first guest here is an honor. If I’d known, I would’ve brought a gift.”
“You are the gift.”
Ahh! This man!
My face went red as a tomato.
All because of Alperen, looking at me with honey dripping from his eyes.
Just by wearing a ring, it felt like I had suddenly monopolized all of his affection.
I took a sip of tea to cool off, but right then someone knocked on the door.
Alperen’s expression tightened faintly.
“Come in.”
A strict-looking man with a monocle entered. From his clothes, he seemed to be the head butler.
Catching his breath, he wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and bowed.
“Forgive me for being late. I wasn’t told a guest would be visiting. I am Isaac, the chief butler of the Ainruk estate.”
He looked like he’d rushed here.
But wasn’t it strange? Shouldn’t the head butler know his master’s every movement? Especially in a ducal house as prestigious as Ainruk?
Alperen’s voice was cold as he dismissed him.
“This is an unofficial visit. Don’t concern yourself.”
“But, my lord—”
“Tend to my father instead. If anything happens while no one is watching, won’t people say I neglected him?”
His sharp tone was completely different from the warmth he’d shown me.
It fit what I remembered from the original story—he was especially sensitive about his father.
Isaac bowed deeply, crestfallen.
“My apologies. I’ll leave at once.”
Seeing his hunched shoulders as he turned away, I couldn’t hold back.
“Wait!”
Isaac flinched, then looked back at me.
“Do you require something of me, my lady?”
His eyes suddenly shone with hope, like a grandfather eager to please his granddaughter.
Judging by his age, he must have served Alperen since childhood.
But Alperen treated him with such coldness… no wonder the atmosphere here felt so lifeless.
Actually, I’d already noticed something.
For such a grand mansion, the signs of everyday upkeep were strangely lacking.
That meant there weren’t enough servants assigned to handle daily work.
Alperen serving tea himself—maybe it wasn’t just because he wanted to. Maybe there was no maid to do it.
And the tea tasted oddly rough, as if the leaves for guests hadn’t been stored properly.
Clearly, the staff weren’t being used for household service.
Most likely, they were all gathered where the former Duke lay.
Summer, as a fallen noblewoman, wouldn’t have noticed such details—but I had.
I’d grown up as a high noble, watching and learning.
Especially from my mother, who had always been meticulous about managing servants.
From my experience, the Ainruk estate was a mess.
With no mistress for years, the staff had focused only on surface appearances while the inner workings fell apart.
The former Duke had famously refused to remarry after his wife passed, so the head maid and butler had shouldered the responsibilities instead.
But with no lady of the house, the estate had fallen behind society’s standards.
Outwardly still a ducal house, inwardly a hollow shell.
And from what Alperen had said, it was likely he had ordered most of the staff to tend to his father instead, leaving the household nearly empty.
That explained why no servants ever appeared in the original story either.
It was essentially: “I’ll handle things myself. You all just look after my father.”
To lazy servants, it would’ve been paradise. But to loyal ones, it was the same as being told, “You’re not needed.”
I met Isaac’s eyes. He looked truly worried for Alperen.
Seeing Alperen draw such harsh lines even with those loyal to him, I couldn’t stay silent.
“Would it be possible to bring us another tea?”
“Pardon?”
Startled, Isaac tasted the tea himself. He gasped.
“This—! These are the leaves the maids drink from, not the ones reserved for guests. My apologies, I’ll fetch the proper tea immediately.”
He gestured, and a maid hurried in to clear away the cups and teapot.
And in that moment, I understood.
These people wanted to do better.
They just didn’t know how.
