Chapter 50
“Someone actually dared to spread such a filthy rumor in my castle.”
The Duke decided to find out who was responsible.
Once he found them, he would make them deeply regret what they had done.
“What about Eleanor?”
“She went to the glass greenhouse, Lady,” came the reply.
“I see.”
Although he had shown little interest when the subject first came up, internally, Matthias was curious.
Just as he was about to head back to his room, he changed his mind and decided to go to the greenhouse.
Chirrr, chirrr.
The expensive birds Cornelia had procured sang clearly.
Matthias looked around, searching for Eleanor.
As he went deeper in, he sensed someone’s presence.
But it wasn’t just one person—it was three.
A maid with her?
Matthias thought the rumors among the maids were false.
If she were meeting a man at the Duke’s castle, it would be him. No one else.
So when he saw her standing alone with a man who was clearly not a servant, all his thoughts froze.
Who is he?
It was a man Matthias had never seen before.
Tall, with red hair, and looking quite young.
And he seemed surprisingly friendly.
The man whispered something to Eleanor, and she smiled warmly in return.
The woman who normally gave Matthias only cold smiles…
“……”
Matthias’s heart beat faster than usual.
If his sister Charlotte was like a glamorous rose, Eleanor was a soft, blooming cherry blossom.
Come to think of it, Eleanor had always been popular in the countryside.
Too popular, even someone foolish like James had had impure thoughts about her.
So the rumors about her meeting men at night… were true?
He had naturally assumed it was nonsense, but now, his feelings wavered.
Matthias wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation.
But strangely, even though they weren’t far, he couldn’t hear a word.
Meanwhile, the man took Eleanor’s hand.
She didn’t pull away. She stayed still.
Matthias’s eyebrows furrowed.
When I caught her in the carriage before, she was so startled…
Why wasn’t she resisting this man’s hand now?
Snap.
A branch Matthias had been holding broke.
The sound made the pair, lost in their own world, notice him.
Matthias smiled faintly.
“Mommy. What are you doing here?”
He strode toward them without hesitation.
“Duke.”
Eleanor trembled.
She looked like someone caught doing something forbidden.
Why was she so afraid?
With a crooked smile, Matthias spoke casually.
“I was heading back to my room after the banquet, but I heard you went to the greenhouse.”
“……You were looking for me?”
“Cornelia told me. She said she was disappointed you didn’t appear at the banquet. So I told her that you were avoiding attention with the baby, that’s why you didn’t attend.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“But it seems you had another purpose.”
He deliberately called her “mommy.”
He wanted her to know: she had a baby, so forget any foolish thoughts.
Yet, contrary to Matthias’s suspicion, the man seemed unconcerned.
The man, still grinning mischievously, suddenly extended his hand toward Matthias.
“You must be Duke Hilliard. Nice to meet you.”
Matthias raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t know you.”
“You don’t really need to.”
“What?”
“I got lost while attending the banquet.”
Eleanor, startled, jumped in.
“I was showing him the way out because he wandered… and ended up here.”
“Is that so?”
Matthias sneered silently.
They had been talking closely and laughing, yet she lied slyly.
He tilted his head.
Holding hands so intimately?
“Well… that’s because he seems uneasy if I don’t hold his hand,” the man offered an odd explanation.
He even grabbed Matthias’s hand to demonstrate.
“See, like this.”
“Are you insane? Let go at once!”
“Oh? What’s this?”
At that moment, the man’s yellow eyes stretched in amusement.
“Interesting, there’s more here.”
Matthias swatted the man’s hand away.
What kind of person was this?
He was blatantly rude to the Duke.
No, more than rude—he seemed insane.
Matthias turned to Eleanor.
“Mommy, why meet a man, and why this one of all people?”
“The way back to the banquet hall is that way,” Eleanor said urgently, pointing to the exit.
“Now that you know the way, please leave.”
“So you’re asking for—”
“You mean, to help him find the way out? Any servant you see outside the greenhouse could do that.”
Eleanor pushed the man away.
She looked desperate.
The man smiled slyly, shrugged, and turned around.
“Alright. See you next time.”
“Wait.”
Matthias tried to stop him.
But Eleanor grabbed his arm.
“Weren’t you here to see me?”
Her grip was weak, but Matthias felt frozen, unable to move.
In that moment, the man vanished from sight.
Eleanor released Matthias’s arm.
“……”
“……”
“Who was that?”
Eleanor pursed her lips.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”
For someone she claims she doesn’t know, he seemed quite intimate.
“He was just being polite to a stranger,” Eleanor explained.
“Ha, ‘just polite.’”
Did this woman think Matthias was a fool?
He was certain she knew the man, and she had deliberately sent him away moments ago.
He couldn’t believe how casually she lied, even after being caught holding a stranger’s hand.
“Right now, the Duke’s residence is open to outsiders because of the swordsmanship tournament. But that doesn’t mean you can bring just any man here.”
Matthias crossed his arms, frowning.
“What did you talk about with him? Did you ask for help escaping since you’re trapped here?”
“What are you talking about? No, I didn’t.”
“Mommy, do you know the rumors going around the castle?”
“Rumors…?”
“They say you meet a different man every night.”
Eleanor’s eyes widened.
Matthias couldn’t tell if she was surprised at the fact or at being caught having a secret meeting.
He felt an inexplicable irritation.
The image of Eleanor laughing warmly with the unknown man replayed in his mind over and over.
Finally, a bitter remark slipped out.
“So the rumor wasn’t false.”
He sneered.
“Even though I’m the master of the Duke’s residence, I was the last to know.”
“Duke… that’s not true.”
“Not true? I saw it myself. Have you always been sneaking around like this? Did you need a baby’s father who would unconditionally help you?”
He already knew she never left her room at night.
The castle had eyes everywhere, always watching Eleanor.
Yet, he still scolded her—angry at her lies.
He wished she had nothing to hide from him.
If she told the truth now, he could understand everything…
“But what does that have to do with you, Duke?”
Eleanor, as always, refused to act according to Matthias’s expectations.
