Chapter 106
Just before entering the grand banquet hall, Eshe spent a long moment rubbing the back of his neck. He brushed the spot where scales had sprouted when the curse manifested, lost in thought, until he felt his sleeve being tugged and looked down. Aria, waiting to enter alongside him, was gazing up at him with her small hands clutching his sleeve tightly. Wondering if she was nervous, Eshe gently stroked her head.
“My heart is pounding.”
“Pounding?”
A smile spread across Eshe’s lips. It was understandable. The grand banquet hall, where the title conferment ceremony would take place, was large enough to accommodate countless nobles. Even to an adult man, it seemed spacious; to a child like Aria, it must have appeared like a massive palace. Aria, holding Eshe’s hand as he stroked her head, playfully tugged his sleeve. But when voices from inside the hall reached them, she paused for a moment.
Aria glanced toward the banquet hall and pointed with her finger.
“Are there a lot of people in there?”
“I’d imagine so.”
“Are they all nobles? Is the Emperor there? And the High Priest?”
“Yes. Emperor and Empress sent their congratulations through proclamations, but the High Priest is attending the ceremony to confer titles.”
Upon hearing “a lot,” Aria hesitated briefly before speaking slowly.
“Duke…”
“Yes?”
“What if people dislike Aria?”
“Aria, why would you say that?”
Eshe asked, surprised. Aria hesitated before replying.
“It’s okay if people dislike me, but what if they hate Mom because of me?”
“Aria, why would anyone dislike you? That can’t happen.”
“But Aria isn’t really Mom’s daughter.”
Eshe was momentarily speechless. He never imagined Aria would be thinking like that. Of course, since Aria wasn’t Charlotte’s biological daughter, they had occasionally discussed potential issues that could arise—but usually when Aria wasn’t around. He assumed she wouldn’t understand even if she heard it.
That was a foolish assumption. Children often have sharper instincts than adults, and Aria was clever even compared to other children her age. He had overlooked that.
Eshe immediately knelt on one knee to meet Aria’s gaze. Holding her tiny hands firmly, he spoke in a quiet but resolute voice.
“Aria. You are Charlotte’s daughter. It doesn’t matter whether you share her blood or not.”
Aria blinked and looked up at him.
“Some people might dislike you. But there will be more who love you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You are as lovable as Charlotte, so wherever you go, people will love you.”
Eshe couldn’t guarantee that Aria’s life as Aria Blanche would always be free of hardship. Some days she would cry, some days she would be hurt, and, like little Charlotte, she might hide in her blankets and refuse to come out. But there would be far more days of love and happiness. Aria’s charm, warmth, and affection toward everyone would draw love toward her.
Even if it didn’t, it didn’t matter. Eshe spoke with more certainty than ever.
“Even if someone dislikes you, or hates Charlotte, I promise I will protect you.”
Eshe’s words gave Aria courage, and her previously slumped shoulders began to straighten. Her bright blue eyes sparkled, and a flush spread across her cheeks. She held out her pinky.
“Promise!”
“Yes, promise.”
When Eshe linked his pinky with hers, Aria beamed. She already resembled Charlotte a great deal, but somehow she seemed to be becoming even more like her. Perhaps it was because she had been living with Charlotte. At that moment, the Marquess of Blanche, who had stepped away briefly, returned and stood at the grand hall’s main entrance.
“Where have you been?”
“I went to meet the High Priest. There was something to convey. Was Theodore and Charlotte’s turn last?”
“Yes.”
“Then we should enter first to set the tone.”
Eshe nodded in agreement.
“Aria, come here.”
“I can walk on my own!”
“I know. But it’s better if I carry you now.”
There was no better way to show that Aria had been recognized as a member of the Blanche family. The Marquess picked up the hesitant Aria. Moments later, the doors at the main entrance opened, and a steward loudly announced.
“Presenting the Marquess of the Blanche family and Miss Aria Blanche, and the Lord of Nostri, Duke Balian. Enter!”
At that moment, every attendee at the title conferment ceremony turned their gaze toward the entrance. All eyes were on Aria, whose appearance had been rumored for so long.
“Aria? That ‘Aria’ is here? Charlotte Blanche’s daughter?”
“She said she’d come, and she really did. But where is Miss Blanche? Why did only the daughter come first?”
“Maybe she was too shy?”
“Nonsense. If she were shy, she wouldn’t have sent her daughter at all! I’m curious if they look alike. I wonder when she’ll show up.”
The nobles murmured, and upon seeing Aria in the Marquess of Blanche’s arms, everyone was astonished.
“The Marquess is carrying Miss Aria.”
“Oh my, he’s entering while holding the child himself.”
“Does this mean the Marquess has accepted her as a family member? Would that make Aria his great-granddaughter?”
“Even if she’s a granddaughter by adoption, she’s a child of unknown origin entering a prestigious family. Did the Marquess not oppose this?”
Opinions were divided regarding the Marquess carrying Aria. Meanwhile, young ladies and noblewomen paid more attention to Duke Balian, who had entered with them, than to the Marquess and Aria.
“My, the Duke of Balian, who has never shown himself while secluded in the snowy mountains, is here too.”
Since becoming Duke of Balian, he had never appeared in society. Rumors alone had spread about him, so his appearance caused even more commotion. As Eshe glanced from Aria to the nobles, appreciative voices erupted in various corners. Eshe’s striking appearance particularly drew the attention of young ladies and noblewomen with marriageable daughters.
“Oh my, oh my. He’s as handsome as an ice sculpture.”
“His features are so fine. To think he lived in seclusion in the snowy mountains… what a waste.”
“I heard the Duke of Balian is still unmarried. Could that be true?”
“All families with daughters will be eyeing him, no doubt.”
“But how can they live in the north, it’s so cold!”
“Does it matter? You’d see that face for life.”
As Eshe crossed the banquet hall, an overwhelming number of women’s eyes followed him. Observing this, the Marquess of Blanche chuckled softly.
“Eshe, you’re very popular.”
“Very burdensome, indeed.”
“Still, now that you’re here, find a partner. It’s time for you to start a family.”
Family. Eshe paused briefly and shook his head.
“I could find a partner, yes. But would they fully accept me?”
“……”
“And if we had children, the curse might be passed down. That would be cruel to both the child and their mother.”
Though he answered simply, the meaning behind his words was heavy. Eshe had grown up loved by his family, yet he also feared them. As long as Leopold’s curse existed, that fear would never vanish.
“So even if I had someone I loved…”
The moment he uttered “someone I loved,” Charlotte’s image flashed briefly in his mind before fading.
“I don’t think I’ll ever express my heart to anyone.”
The Marquess of Blanche looked at Eshe with pity. He wished there were a way to break the curse, but since it was cast directly by Leopold, not even Silvert could undo it. The Marquess muttered a rough curse under his breath. At that moment, Aria tugged on the Marquess’s sleeve.
“Grandpa.”
Her single word brought a moment of silence to the hall. Even among grandparents and grandchildren, titles were often formalized. Yet Aria, with no blood relation, called the Marquess “Grandpa” so familiarly. Had he allowed it?
“I want to eat that.”
“Don’t you get tired of dessert if you eat it every day?”
“Uuuuuh.”
“She’s so spoiled, just like Charlotte.”
“I remember saying the same thing when Charlotte was little.”
“Did I?”
While the nobles were stirred, the Marquess of Blanche calmly patted Aria’s back and approached the table full of desserts. He picked up a cookie with jam and fed it to her.
“Here. Eat.”
“Aria, eat this too.”
As the Marquess and Duke Balian cherished and cared for Aria, public opinion toward her began to shift. Until now, people assumed that even with the Emperor’s approval recognizing Aria as Charlotte’s daughter, she would never receive the Blanche surname. But seeing the Marquess treat her like his own granddaughter, people began to realize:
“Aria really has become a member of the Blanche family.”
With that realization, the quick-witted nobles tried to correct themselves, praising Aria instead.
“The Marquess really cares for her.”
“It doesn’t seem like he accepted her reluctantly.”
“Actually, it’s understandable why Miss Blanche adopted Aria. She’s the daughter of the late Ronan, isn’t she? Consider Lord Arbelche, who is receiving a title today. Though Ronan didn’t adopt him as a son, he raised him, and he became a hero! So it makes sense that a daughter follows her father’s footsteps.”
“True. Ronan did the same! Miss Blanche resembles not only his appearance but also his character.”
“So let’s stop saying things like, ‘A child of unknown origin has tarnished the family’s honor.’ That child might become as remarkable as Lord Arbelche.”
The Marquess of Blanche smiled as he listened to those who had criticized Aria now praising her. Though the admiration was somewhat superficial, no one would dare mistreat Aria.
At that moment, the main entrance opened once again.
“Presenting the Empire’s hero, Lord Theodore Arbelche, and the daughter of the Blanche family, Miss Charlotte Blanche!”
The protagonists of the day, Theodore and his partner Charlotte, had appeared.
