Chapter 45
“She outright asked me today if I had any intention of meeting her son.”
From the very moment Empress Rosaria showed an interest in Rodelia, Alperen had been on edge.
When he dug into Rodelia’s background, he’d found nothing unusual. Too clean.
Her life story was filled with nothing but good deeds—which only made her seem more suspicious.
Now, Alperen discreetly searched for traces of Cesare without letting Rodelia notice.
Through detection magic, he discovered the truth: Cesare had touched her waist and her hand as he pleased.
Fury flared instantly, and before he knew it, he’d burned the handkerchief. It had been reflex, not calculation.
“I showed her such an ugly side of myself…”
His eyes fell on the pile of ashes.
Perhaps it was because he’d never truly wanted anything before.
But when it came to Rodelia, he often lost his composure.
She was the first person he’d ever longed for—and he was prepared to do anything to win her heart.
“Welcome back, sir.”
Isaac greeted him first when he returned.
Several of the servants who had been working in the annex were already back at the main mansion, thanks to Rodelia’s advice.
“They’re your people, aren’t they? Don’t treat them like strangers. They’ve always been loyal to you.”
She’d figured out his strained relationship with his household staff in a single day and hadn’t hesitated to scold him.
Isaac, normally so reserved, had already begun to fall for her reliability and warmth.
Alperen, who had long known her charms, felt both pleased and… unwilling to share her with anyone.
As he looked around, he noticed the mansion seemed different.
Sensing his unspoken question, Isaac explained,
“Lady Rodelia changed the curtains and decorations today.”
“I see.”
“She made some recommendations, and when we asked her to choose according to her taste, the results were wonderful.”
A home decorated with Rodelia’s preferences.
Every time he stepped inside, he would think of her. That thought made his chest feel warm.
As Alperen smiled faintly, Sophia seized the moment.
“Um, Your Grace, Lady Rodelia asked if she might visit the annex.”
“The annex?”
“She said she wished to be of comfort to the former Duke. That she wanted to sit by his side. Truly, she has such a kind heart.”
Sophia added the compliment deliberately, watching his reaction carefully. She knew how sensitive he was about his father.
But, unexpectedly, his reply was simple and firm.
“If Deli wishes it, there’s no place in this estate she cannot go.”
Sophia saw the proud little lift of his shoulders, as if he had been praised, and felt certain.
“Thank goodness. If he’d married Princess Nanael instead, Sir Daven would have been furious.”
Daven, injured at the worst possible time and trapped in his coma, hadn’t been able to protect his son. Instead, he had only dragged him down.
As long as Alperen had kept that engagement with Nanael, the Ainruk family had seemed doomed.
The pressure from the imperial family, using holy water as an excuse, had only grown heavier, and Nanael herself had been unbearably arrogant.
That was why every servant in the household now welcomed Rodelia’s presence wholeheartedly.
“I’ll deliver the message,” Sophia said, bowing.
Even after she left, Alperen wandered the halls slowly, savoring the joy of finding Rodelia’s touch lingering everywhere.
* * *
“He said yes?”
“Yes. The Duke said there is nowhere in this estate that Lady Rodelia cannot go.”
Hmm. Did that mean he trusted me that much?
Honestly, I hadn’t expected permission to visit the former Duke. In the original story, Alperen had been extremely sensitive about his father.
“Well, then I should bring a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Could you fetch me gardening shears and a basket? I noticed the greenhouse flowers were blooming beautifully.”
“Ah, yes. Right away.”
Once she understood, Sophia hurried off and returned with the items.
The greenhouse was filled with vibrant flowers. Unlike the neglected corners of the estate, this place was perfectly maintained.
“Did someone look after this specially?” I asked.
“The late Duchess loved gardening. She created this greenhouse herself.”
That explained the expert design.
I had loved plants since I was young, so I recognized right away that someone had continued caring for them even after her death.
“Did the former Duke have a favorite flower?”
“He loved lilies most of all.”
“Perfect. There they are.”
I arranged a bouquet with lilies, baby’s breath, and miniature roses, then carried it to the annex.
The former Duke wasn’t what I expected.
He didn’t look sickly or frail. Just as though he was in a deep sleep.
Around him, holy water and enchanted stones rotated gently, maintaining his suspended state.
“They say he was struck by the mana core of a corrupted ice dragon. His time was frozen. His heart should’ve stopped long ago, but Lord Alperen sustains him with magic.”
“And that artifact…?”
It was covered in complex formulas, clearly Alperen’s work.
“Yes. Only Lord Alperen can maintain it.”
My breath caught.
So he had been casting nonstop, for over six years, to keep his father alive.
“Using magic for that long… It must be wearing down his body.”
“We’ve begged him to stop, but he won’t listen.”
I finally understood.
The servants’ heavy expressions weren’t only because of the Duke’s illness.
They were also worried sick about Alperen, who was slowly destroying himself.
“They say the holy water helps lessen the burden on his body, but…”
Sophia glanced at me and trailed off.
I finished her thought for her.
“But now that he’s broken off the engagement with Princess Nanael, that’s become harder, hasn’t it?”
Her bitter smile was all the confirmation I needed.
Holy water was controlled by the imperial family.
The more Alperen relied on it, the more vital his ties to the palace became.
And I had been the one to upset that balance.
“I had no idea… I kept telling him to break off the engagement, never realizing what it meant.”
I’d only thought: the former Duke would soon pass away, and I didn’t want Alperen dragged down or killed by Nanael.
But the truth was far more complicated.
“Is there really no way?”
“Not none… but close to impossible.”
Sophia sighed.
“Holy water only purifies corruption—it cannot melt the dragon’s ice. The only thing that might work is the ‘Tears of the Fairy King.’ But… when was the last time anyone even saw a spirit?”
Spirits were legendary even among magical creatures.
Traces of them might be found, but no one had ever tamed or contracted one in living memory.
“That must be why the Duke throws himself into his work. Ethan mentioned some sort of experiment, but…”
“Experiment?”
“I don’t know the details. Only that it’s been slow going. I fear his body will give out before he finds success.”
Sophia looked at the sleeping Duke with weary resentment.
“If only…”
But she left the words hanging.
I didn’t respond.
I knew exactly what she had wanted to say.
Perhaps it was better that the former Duke couldn’t hear or see any of this—better that he was spared the suffocating sadness.
I placed the bouquet gently at his bedside.
The more I learned, the more pitiful this father and son seemed.
“If only there were something I could do to help…”
