Chapter 102
I had already heard that Theodore was rewarded for his victory in the war with the Etereo territory and an absolutely jaw-dropping castle. But since I only heard it as a rumor, I wondered if it might have been exaggerated. Seeing it in person, I finally understood why people called it “jaw-dropping.” I had never seen such a massive castle, second only to Steria Castle. Arbelche Castle, built in shades of blue reminiscent of Theodore’s eyes, looked like an ice palace thanks to its lavish use of marble.
“Mom, mom… where are we?”
“Ah, well… this place is—”
Because Aria had fallen asleep in the carriage, I hadn’t explained it beforehand. Charlotte gently patted Aria’s head, which was clutching at the skirt, intending to tell her that this would soon be Arbelche Manor. Just then, beyond the dark blue iron gates of the main entrance, several servants appeared. Charlotte, just in case, adjusted Aria’s bonnet slightly and waited for the gates to open.
Today was the day we would pick out formal attire with Theodore. If it had been anyone other than him, I would have worried about exposing Aria to too many eyes and would have invited her to the manor instead. But since Theodore was someone careful enough to prevent any strange words from slipping out, I had no such concern. At the same time, I was very curious about the castle he had been granted. That was why we had come directly in the carriage.
As soon as the main gate opened, the first person we saw—as always—was Theodore. He wasn’t wearing a formal uniform, but a lighter indoor outfit, which reminded me of the times we spent together at Blanche Manor and gave a familiar feeling. Charlotte smiled, reaching to take Aria’s hand, but at that moment, Aria shook her head.
“Charlotte.”
Thinking Aria was teasing, Charlotte tried to reach again, but then a shadow fell over her face. Theodore, who had been standing across the slowly opening gates, was suddenly right in front of us. In that moment, Theodore pulled Charlotte into a tight embrace. Charlotte’s eyes went wide—but not out of surprise at being suddenly hugged.
Ever since she was a child, whenever Theodore went out to fight monsters, Charlotte would hug him tightly, wishing for his safety. So the hug itself wasn’t shocking. What startled her instead was the sheer width, rock-like firmness, and weight of his back, which she instinctively clutched. When she lightly tapped his back a couple of times, Theodore finally stepped back.
It wasn’t as if she hugged him out of sheer joy; only five days had passed since they last met. Looking up at him, wondering if he had some good news, Charlotte noticed his expression was far from happy. Even the most oblivious person would have sensed that something was wrong just by seeing Theodore in front of them.
“Theodore…?”
“……”
“What’s wrong? Is something happening?”
Charlotte, being sensitive to others’ emotions, immediately recognized what his expression meant. He was frowning, restraining himself from exploding in anger. Charlotte slowly held the hem of his clothing and looked up at him without blinking.
“Theodore, is something wrong?”
“……”
“Did something happen with the title conferment ceremony? Did Klagen oppose it? I can tell Grandfather and go back to the manor right away—”
“No.”
But his answer, calm as ever, didn’t match the serious expression he wore. The shadow that had clouded Theodore’s face disappeared, replaced by a warm, gentle smile.
“It’s nothing. I just… unconsciously hugged you because it reminded me of old times. Did it make you uncomfortable?”
“No, it wasn’t uncomfortable…”
Originally, Charlotte planned to enter the castle and continue the conversation, asking again what had happened.
‘You can tell when someone is lying.’
Charlotte paused, then smiled just like him and shook her head. If it was something he needed to hide with a lie, there was no need to press further. She simply hoped it wasn’t anything serious.
Charlotte smiled and turned her gaze slightly down and to the right. Theodore followed her gaze. There, Aria, wearing a round bonnet decorated with white lace and flowers, was quietly looking up at Theodore. Aria, patiently waiting, puffed out her cheeks and started whining the moment Theodore noticed her.
“Sorry, Aria. I didn’t see you because you’re so small.”
“I’m not small! Pick me up!”
“Well, if you ask to be picked up, I have to pick you up.”
Theodore lifted her up and patted her back, but Aria’s puffed-up cheeks didn’t deflate. So he gently lifted and set her down repeatedly to calm her. Finally, she seemed to relax a little and began to smile.
“Fun? Should I lift you higher?”
“Yes!”
Aria probably didn’t realize—or more precisely, no one except Theodore knew—that “higher” meant way up in the air. Theodore threw her up. The servants, who had been watching with their heads down since Charlotte and Aria arrived, all looked up, astonished as Aria flew like a bird.
Of course, Theodore easily caught her and held her safely, but Aria looked at him with a blank expression, as if asking, “What just happened?” Perhaps he thought it was fine, being used to battlefields full of monsters, but the others were shocked. Charlotte, having been played with this way by Ronan before, calmed down quickly, but she was startled at first. Then a voice cried out urgently from behind Theodore.
“Marquis Arbelche!”
A man was rushing over in a panic. He was dressed as a butler but looked relatively young. Suppressing a yell, he spoke in a strained voice:
“How can you throw a five-year-old girl so high…?”
“Ventana, she hasn’t even received her title yet, so calling her a marquis is—”
“Does that matter? Please be careful and bring her down safely!”
“This isn’t too high, is it?”
“If it were any other child, she would have cried and clung to her mother!”
Finally, Theodore handed Aria to Charlotte. She still looked dazed from her flight through the air. Theodore, realizing something had gone wrong, fixed her messy hair and adjusted her bonnet. Ventana, the butler, sighed heavily.
“I am Ventana, the butler serving Marquis Arbelche. It’s an honor to meet the daughters of the Blanche family. Our Marquis was trying to make Miss Aria Blanche smile, but he overestimated his strength. As his butler, I worry endlessly about how to handle his surplus strength. Please forgive us.”
“Ventana.”
“Did I say something wrong? Please come inside. Follow me, Marquis.”
It was clear Ventana was not an ordinary butler but someone with a close bond to Theodore. I appreciated that he addressed her as “Miss Aria Blanche” rather than just “Aria,” showing thoughtfulness.
“Charlotte, I thought that height would be fine.”
“Really? Aria, are you okay?”
“……”
Aria blinked and stared intently at Theodore before her eyes began to sparkle.
“Do it again, please!”
Although startled by how high she had gone, Aria clearly enjoyed the game. Charlotte laughed, and Theodore looked proudly at Ventana. Ventana narrowed his eyes, glanced between the two, and shook his head.
Aria, though appearing gentle, was unlike ordinary children. For some reason, she gave off a similar vibe to Theodore.
‘Especially her eyes… so much like Theodore’s that I thought of him instantly.’
“This is delicious!”
“Bring more of what Aria just had. If there’s a similar dessert, bring that too.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
Before the designer of the clothing arrived, Theodore decided to have a short tea break. Watching Aria’s cheeks flush as she happily ate the desserts, he even pushed more of the treats toward her. Theodore stroked her hair, wearing a deep smile.
“Already being called Marquis Arbelche?”
“I told him not to, but he keeps calling me Marquis.”
“Isn’t that okay? Just think of it as being called early.”
“What if I get elevated above Count…”
“Oh, Grandfather already mentioned that.”
Before meeting Theodore, Charlotte had conveyed a message from her grandfather.
“He said not to worry; if you get above Count, he’ll file an official complaint to the temple. He said he’ll send a letter to the High Priest immediately.”
“No one else would use their influence with the High Priest like Marquis Blanche.”
“I agree.”
But if Theodore really received a rank above marquis, Charlotte planned to add a line to her grandfather’s letter of protest. With so many noble families in the temple, Theodore could have been called Duke Arbelche rather than Marquis, but instead, he was stuck with Count, which was unacceptable.
“Right, I almost forgot to give this to you.”
“What is it?”
“We agreed on blue decorations. I prepared something. If you don’t like it, you can wear something else.”
Theodore handed over a navy jewelry box with a smooth sheen. Inside were two aquamarine hairpins wrapped in silk.
“They’re beautiful! Sparkly!”
“Really?”
Theodore placed one in Aria’s hair. It fit perfectly, as if designed just for her.
“Mm, beautiful. I’m glad.”
“Am I pretty, Mommy?”
“Yes, you’re just like Mommy—lovely and beautiful.”
Theodore gently patted Aria’s cheeks.
“Everyone will be staring at you when we enter.”
Watching this, Charlotte’s quiet smile stiffened.
“Theodore… enter?”
“Huh?”
“You want Aria to enter with you?”
“Of course, she’s your daughter.”
If Charlotte’s smile had stiffened before, now her entire face froze.
“…Theodore, sorry, but Aria won’t be entering.”
