Chapter 53
I deliberately spun around in a circle.
But unexpectedly, Grandpa’s face stiffened.
I thought he’d say the usual things—
that it suited me, that it was pretty, ask if I bought it last time.
So his reaction caught me off guard.
But he wasn’t frowning, nor did he seem displeased.
It was more like—
“He suddenly looks… really serious?”
That made it even stranger.
He was the type who would say yes or no directly if he didn’t like something.
“Grandpa?”
“Oh— Ah, yes.”
Only then did Grandpa react, clearing his throat with a loud ahem!
“It suits you well. Did you do your own hair?”
“Yes. I bought the ribbon last time, so I tried it out.”
“…It goes well with your clothes.”
“Right?— Oh! I should get going. It’s already this late!”
The carriage was coming soon. If I missed it, my plan to leave work early would completely fall apart!
“I’m leaving, Grandpa. Make sure you eat lunch!”
“…Alright.”
Grandpa waved as he always did, telling me to have a safe day.
But somehow, he looked weaker than usual.
‘Is something wrong?’
I wanted to ask, but there wasn’t enough time.
With no choice, I left the house, glancing back several times.
‘He’ll be okay… right?’
It bothered me.
Today, I should finish work quickly and come home early.
* * *
While Amelia was on her way to work, Wiestons sat at the dining table with an extremely grave expression.
‘This is bad.’
If Felix saw what she was wearing today, he would absolutely lose his mind.
She looked unbelievably cute and pretty—her clothes and hairstyle were a perfect match.
“Haaaa…”
He should have secretly followed her.
‘No, that would be even worse.’
If it were that brat Felix, he would start visiting the guild every single day just to see Amelia.
There’s a saying that once someone like him falls, he falls hard.
And Amelia was essentially his first love—there was no way he wouldn’t show up at the guild regularly.
If Wiestons secretly followed and the sharp-eyed brat happened to notice him?
That would be a disaster.
‘I’m prepared to deal with him noticing I’m alive…’
But the real problem was Amelia.
He still hadn’t told the child who he really was—
and that weighed heavily on him.
He hadn’t expected things to turn out like this.
He never intended to stick around this long.
‘She’ll be shocked.’
Shocked would be an understatement.
Honestly, she’d have every right to feel betrayed.
She might even get scared and avoid him.
‘That can’t happen…’
Wiestons knew very well—
What position the current Kazlyden held.
What kind of reputation he had.
How people looked at him.
Who didn’t know that the loser of the battle for the throne now lived like a king in the underworld?
He, the former head of the family, knew better than anyone how infamous Kazlyden was.
He had cultivated that fearsome image on purpose, walking a path without mercy.
He felt no guilt or regret.
It was what he had to do to survive.
But after meeting Amelia, for the first time in his life, he felt fear.
Fear that she would run away once she knew who he truly was.
Fear that she wouldn’t treat him warmly like before…
‘This is troublesome.’
The best solution would be to leave quietly without revealing his identity.
‘But that’s impossible now.’
Amelia already belonged to Raymond.
If Gilbert doted on her this much, she was certainly competent—
so when Wiestons returned, they would likely introduce her to him.
Then it would only be a matter of time before she found out!
‘…Fine.’
Given the situation, he had no choice.
‘I should be the one to tell her.’
It would be far better than her learning it through someone else.
‘Besides, I won’t be able to stay here much longer anyway.’
He had dismissed his attendants after drilling them thoroughly to keep quiet,
but he could feel the encirclement slowly tightening.
He didn’t have much time left.
Wiestons swallowed hard.
‘I need to choose a day.’
For the child’s sake, he couldn’t hide anymore.
* * *
“Huuu—”
I climbed the stairs while munching on a freshly baked croissant from Vincent, Raymond Guild’s best pâtissier.
‘I still can’t stop thinking about it.’
Grandpa had never acted like that before, which made it even stranger.
Or maybe he had some worry he couldn’t tell me about?
‘I have no idea…’
I just hoped it wasn’t something serious.
‘I should buy his favorite jam and meat on the way home.’
If I had known, I would’ve asked more about what he liked.
All I knew were his food preferences.
He didn’t seem to like dressing up, and his clothes were always plain shirts and comfortable pants.
I had no idea what else he liked.
‘Maybe a handkerchief?’
A simple, clean design would be nice, right?
Everyone needs handkerchiefs, after all.
‘Not bad.’
The idea felt good, so I decided to visit a salon tomorrow.
I had plenty of money now—
if I was going to give him a gift, I wanted it to be the best.
“Oh! Lady Amelia!”
“Advisor!”
When I reached the 6th floor, I spotted Meital and waved happily.
He approached and bowed his head.
“What’s the matter?”
“Hmm?”
“Your complexion looks really good today.”
He always looked exhausted, but today he seemed unusually cheerful.
Maybe he finally got some sleep?
‘He was overworked lately…’
I remembered him holding back tears while saying he had tons of work but couldn’t explain the details.
“Oh, I slept really well last night. It’s been ages since I got that much rest.”
“Your worries got resolved?”
“Yes. I think everything will be settled cleanly now. Ahh, I finally feel alive.”
Meital grinned brightly.
Seeing that lifted my mood as well,
so I found myself smiling too.
Then Meital suddenly widened his eyes.
“But your outfit looks amazing today!”
“Right?!”
I beamed and looked down at my clothes as Meital gave me a thumbs-up.
His enthusiastic reaction made me feel even better, and I thanked him cheerfully.
And that’s when—
‘Huh?’
Someone was standing behind him.
Meital’s large frame had been blocking the view.
Sensing my gaze, Meital turned around.
“Oh, this one seemed pretty capable, so I’m taking him to Lord Gilbert.
The young marquess was there too.”
“If you say ‘this one,’ do you mean…”
