CHAPTER~16
“Th-that can’t be!
It’s definitely not because of Mela, so don’t be too upset.
If Mela cries, Auntie gets sad.”
I didn’t know how much of the conversation Mela had overheard, but she kept asking with a guilty face if it was her fault, and my heart throbbed sharply for a moment.
I hurried over and pulled Mela into my arms, patting her back gently.
“Then… did you get on bad terms with that handsome Black Duke because of Mela?
It’s not because of Mela, right?”
“No.
That man and I were never on good terms to begin with, so it’s fine.”
“……Really?”
I must have answered too honestly without realizing it.
Mela sniffled and tilted her head, confused.
Seeing that, Hubert finally couldn’t hold back and threw out a blunt remark.
“You’re being very honest with a child, my Lady.”
I forced myself to ignore him, cleared my throat, and tried to fix the situation.
“Ahem!
What Auntie means is… um…
It’s something Mela doesn’t need to worry about, haha.
Okay?”
“Hmmm, but Mela thinks the Duke really likes Auntie Evelyn……”
“What?!”
Her next words shocked me so much that I ended up shouting right in front of Mela.
“Eek!”
Mela flinched and quickly covered both her ears.
“Mela, I’m sorry!”
I apologized repeatedly and patted her back to calm her down.
Truthfully, I was the one who needed calming.
Because what Mela said genuinely startled me.
Of course, children can sometimes see things adults overlook, but still—this didn’t make any sense.
I knew it was just a child’s innocent misunderstanding since she didn’t know the real story between Frezen Decart and me, but it naturally made me suspicious.
Suspicion that Frezen might have secretly said something to Mela.
Judging by how he’s been acting lately, Frezen was entirely capable of that.
Otherwise, why would Mela keep mentioning him?
“Anyway, the Duke and I are absolutely not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of!
So don’t misunderstand, okay, Mela?”
But strangely, Mela didn’t back down like she usually did.
Maybe that’s why her stubbornly pursed lips looked especially annoying today.
“But still, Mela is right!
The Duke was super worried about Auntie.
Doesn’t that mean the Duke likes Auntie?”
“Well, even if he doesn’t……”
How could I clear up her misunderstanding without ruining her innocence?
It felt like we had already gone too far for that.
“The truth is, I already know!
The Duke and Auntie Evelyn used to date!”
……She already knew?
When did she find that out?
Caught off guard by her shocking claim, I couldn’t even control my expression.
“Ahaha…
How did our Mela find that out?”
“Well, the butler grandpa told me.
And the maids too!”
Useless people, every single one of them.
I shot a glare at Hubert, who only shrugged shamelessly.
“It’s a butler’s duty to teach children about the world early, my Lady.
But don’t worry.
I didn’t tell her you two got married and divorced.”
“You just did, Hubert.”
“…Ah.”
I really can’t live like this.
Still, thinking positively, maybe it was better this way.
Since Mela understood the general relationship between Frezen and me now, she wouldn’t run to him calling him ‘Daddy!’ again.
Of course, since we’re bound by our deal, we can’t sever ties completely, but at the very least, I planned to make sure Mela never encountered him again.
If she ever misunderstood again and started calling him her biological father, my sanity would explode on the spot.
“Sigh…
Anyway, Mela, how is your pain?
Do you feel a bit better?”
Wanting to ease my tangled thoughts, I quickly changed the subject.
Considering she had been bedridden for days, the fact that she made it this far meant she was much better.
Mela nodded and answered with a much livelier voice.
“Yeah, thanks to Auntie and the maids taking care of me.
But the right side of my neck stings a little.”
“Your neck?
Let me see.”
At her words, I immediately examined her neck.
The red spots that had looked like a rash were lighter now but hadn’t fully disappeared.
“Auntie… do you think I’ll get better?
My head feels dizzy……”
“Don’t worry, Mela.
Auntie will make you all better.”
Hearing that, I regretted even for a moment suspecting her.
‘If she has this much mana, it means she can control it to an extent.
Her body… perhaps even her illness.’
Ridiculous.
That couldn’t be true.
No one would do that intentionally just because they had a lot of mana.
Thankfully, I managed to obtain some Andra fruit, even if just a little.
With that, I had to hurry and develop a cure.
First, remove the toxicity.
I was growing anxious, wanting to heal Mela as soon as possible, when her voice interrupted my thoughts.
“But Auntie, then… does that mean you and the Duke won’t fall in love again?
Like before?”
“……H-huh?”
Mela blinked her big eyes innocently as she asked.
Just when I thought I had successfully changed the subject, it circled right back, making my head throb.
“The butler grandpa said Auntie and the Duke were childhood friends.
If you were friends and even got married, doesn’t that mean you were really close?”
Ugh, those pure, innocent child eyes.
Too clear and upright for me to shatter with adult truths.
“I like the Black Duke…
I mean, the Duke……”
“Why?”
I genuinely wanted to know what she saw in that stubborn, cold, gruff Frezen Decart.
“Well, because the Duke is handsome!”
Her answer was so straightforward that I was left speechless.
Don’t tell me that time when she suddenly called him “Daddy!” was because of that preference?
Though I suppose children sometimes latch onto people that way.
Mela continued cheerfully, oblivious to my inner turmoil.
“And he seems super rich!
Auntie Evelyn, why don’t we just live with the Duke?
Then the Leella family wouldn’t be broke anymore!”
“What?
Absolutely not!
Over my dead body—”
Hubert, of course, chose that moment to butt in with an irritating tone.
“Shall I fetch some dirt then, my Lady?”
I shot daggers at him with my eyes before turning back to Mela.
“And also……”
Mela hiccupped and her shoulders trembled as if she were about to cry again.
After fidgeting with her chubby fingers, she cautiously looked up at me.
“The Duke promised me… that he would protect Auntie……”
“……”
Hearing that, I couldn’t say anything at all.
* * *
Time passed, and before I knew it, night had come.
“……”
Everyone was asleep, but for some reason, I couldn’t sleep at all, so I was finishing the rest of my work in the office.
“Ugh, finally done.”
I liked the scratching sound the quill made each time I wrote.
Once I finished signing everything, I stretched, rolling my stiff neck.
‘The Duke promised he would protect Auntie……’
Maybe it was the quiet atmosphere, but Mela’s words echoed in my ears again.
It was nothing special, yet my heart felt like it was sinking.
‘Even if I can’t make you smile, I can protect you all my life, Evelyn.’
He had said that back then too.
A bitter memory flickered in my mind.
I forcibly shut my eyes to push the thoughts away.
“As if he ever protected anything.”
* * *
“My Lady, letters have arrived.
Quite a few this time.”
I had tried to nap for a moment, but ended up dozing off in the chair.
My whole body was stiff and sore everywhere.
As I stretched to wake myself, Hubert walked over with the letters.
“Thanks, Hubert.”
Just as he said, there were a lot of letters.
Well, four.
But for a family whose connections were basically nonexistent, this was extraordinary.
I checked them one by one until I paused at a letter with an unfamiliar seal.
I had seen this somewhere before…
But no matter how much I tried to recall it, it wouldn’t come to mind.
Hubert, who had approached at some point, spoke up.
“Ah, this seal.
Isn’t it from a noble family, my Lady?”
“That’s what I thought too.
But I still can’t remember.
Well, I’ll know once I open it.”
Thinking nothing of it, I opened the seal and began reading slowly.
[To the honorable Countess Leella.
I imagine this sudden letter must surprise you.
It may be presumptuous of me to write such a thing.
But my heart refuses to calm, and so I had no choice but to write carefully.
The truth is…
I fell in love with you at first sight when you were still Lady Leella.
Your beautiful golden hair shining like sunlight, and your gentle smile even brighter than that.
A humble man like myself knows he has no right to approach you, but I wished at least to convey my sincerity.
Even a single line in reply……
Or if you would grant me a single meeting, it would be the greatest honor of my life.]
“No way……”
After reading to the very last period, I finally understood.
This wasn’t a normal letter.
It was…
A love letter.
