Chapter 82
“Are you going out somewhere?”
“Yes.”
I was wearing an outdoor dress since I planned to meet him and then go straight to see Teus.
Even though I hadn’t said where I was going, his faintly smiling lips stiffened as if he had already guessed. He might have given me permission to maintain a friendship with Teus, but it was certainly not something that pleased him.
Since there was something I had wanted to ask him anyway, I naturally shifted the topic.
“I’d like to look up some records about inherited titles from the past. How can I do that?”
“If it’s something from the last two or three years, it’s easy to find. But if it’s from further back, it’ll take time.”
“Wouldn’t there still be records in the Imperial Archives?”
“What exactly is it you want to know?”
Though his gaze on me was calm as usual, there was a weight of unspoken meaning behind it.
Tirzen had heard me at the villa, when I questioned Rikay, the former butler, about my adoptive father. He must have realized I had doubts about my foster parents, yet until now he hadn’t asked a single thing.
Whether that was indifference or consideration, I wasn’t sure. But since I was certain he would always be on my side, I decided to tell him everything within reason.
“My foster parents appeared, claiming to be my uncle and aunt, after my real parents had passed away.”
“What you want to know is whether the succession of the title was legitimate? Or whether the current Duke and Duchess of Mares are truly who they say they are?”
“Both. If my foster father isn’t actually my uncle, there must be flaws in the documents.”
I believed that just finding the succession papers would go a long way toward uncovering my foster father’s true identity.
If I could find out which noble had verified the papers back then and ask about the situation at the time, things might become clearer.
But contrary to my expectations, Tirzen shook his head.
“It won’t be that simple. Succession of a title is far too important to have been handled carelessly.”
“Are you saying my suspicions are wrong?”
When I lowered my head, Tirzen lifted my chin with his hand.
A trace of betrayal flickered in my heart, and I shut my eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze.
“Someone bold enough to steal the Mares Duchy wouldn’t have left a single document unchecked. He would have fabricated everything with painstaking precision.”
His calm explanation made me open my eyes again. I was met by a tender gaze, touched with a faint smile.
“…Do you believe me?”
“If you’re suspicious, then you must have a reason.”
“It could be I’m doubting with no grounds at all.”
“You wouldn’t doubt if you didn’t have at least a feeling about it.”
There wasn’t a hint of falsehood in his eyes. The thought that I was being given unconditional, boundless trust brought a sudden swell of emotion to my chest.
“I’ll look into who handled the documents at the time. It’s an old matter, so it may take a while.”
“Thank you.”
The gratitude, relief, and deep stirring I felt were too big to be put into words.
I wanted to embrace him and say thank you, but with a large book clutched to my chest, I couldn’t.
So instead, I stepped closer, book still in my arms, and rested my face against his chest.
“Ellicia…?”
“I can’t tell you how glad and reassured I am that you believe me, that you’re on my side.”
His chest rose deeply once, and then his arms wrapped around me. Enfolded in his embrace, it felt as if there was nothing in the world to fear.
Until now, I had been struggling alone to dig into my foster father’s past records, my heart sinking into despair again and again.
But his words—his belief in me—felt like salvation.
It was like stumbling through darkness, unable to see a step ahead, grasping blindly at nothing—only to suddenly glimpse a ray of light.
When I arrived at Count Drac’s estate, the household was in a bustle—understandable, since the merchant caravan was set to depart the next day.
A servant soon guided me into the parlor, but Teus did not appear right away.
Only after a long wait did he finally enter, looking utterly haggard.
I leapt to my feet and rushed over, placing a hand on his forehead.
“Look at your face! Are you sick? You don’t seem to have a fever.”
“I’m not sick.”
Teus brushed my hand from his forehead, but then caught it and held it.
He looked both ill and on the verge of tears, his expression so sorrowful it frightened me.
“You really aren’t sick? You haven’t caught some incurable disease, have you?”
“No. It wasn’t a sickness—just exhaustion. I’m fine now.”
His denial made me relax at last, easing the tension in my shoulders. If he wasn’t unwell, then perhaps something had happened in his household.
“Nothing has happened to Count Drac, has it?”
Instead of answering, Teus stared at me, then suddenly spoke something unexpected.
“I read the article that said you’re marrying Grand Duke Verato.”
“What? You found out about my marriage from a news article?”
“…I came home early that day.”
Since I hadn’t noticed when he had left after the dance with Tirzen—because of the chaos that followed—I nodded at his reply.
“So when did marriage talks with the Grand Duke start?”
“It’s been a while. There are circumstances I can’t explain.”
Even if Teus knew the truth, I couldn’t reveal it. Our contract was a secret only between Tirzen and me.
“Do you love Grand Duke Verato?”
“What? Why are you asking me that?”
The unexpected question made me bristle defensively. Even if we were close friends, my feelings for Tirzen were not something Teus should pry into.
Besides, I hadn’t truly thought about what my feelings for Tirzen were, which made me all the more unsettled.
He was stern yet kind, cold yet gentle. He had no selfish greed, and though reserved, his heart was warm.
Though he still intimidated me at times, being with him made me feel safer than with anyone else in the world.
Every morning I found myself waiting for his visit, and when he smiled, I couldn’t help but smile too.
‘Could this be love?’
It felt as if my heart, which I had always avoided looking into, was suddenly forced open. Like someone barging uninvited into a private room, it made me deeply uncomfortable.
And since Teus knew me as well as I knew him, he noticed my unease at once.
“Sorry… I just worry about you.”
“I can handle things. Don’t worry.”
“You know as well as I do—people say the Grand Duke has a cold nature. Some even claim his heart is made of stone. I’m afraid you’ll suffer.”
His sincere, gentle concern softened the sharp edges of my defensiveness. I wanted to ease his worries, even if I couldn’t tell him everything.
“Tirzen isn’t as cold as people think. If you get close to him, you’ll see for yourself.”
“…I see.”
Even so, the heavy gloom on his face did not lift.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong? You’re not hiding something from me, are you?”
“I asked you here because I’ll be away with the caravan for a while. I wanted you to wait for me, not to do anything reckless while I’m gone.”
“You promised not to do anything dangerous. And honestly, you don’t look well. Maybe you should skip this trip?”
“I’ll be fine. There are things I need to settle, so it’s better if I go.”
He didn’t tell me what those things were.
I felt helpless, not knowing what weighed so heavily on him, what filled him with such sorrow.
“Ellicia.”
“Yes.”
“We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“Of course we are. Why ask something so obvious?”
“Even after you’re married… we’ll still be friends, right?”
“We’ll always be friends. If a change in circumstances ended that, it wouldn’t be true friendship.”
“Then that’s enough. By the time I return, everything will be fine.”
I didn’t fully understand what he meant, but seeing the steadfast look in his eyes, I chose to believe him.
Just as I couldn’t tell him everything, he had things he couldn’t share with me. So I didn’t press him, only wished for his safe return.
Shiton’s attitude toward Gustao now held none of the friendliness it once had.
“How dare you show your face to me after letting things come to this?”
Leaning deep into his chair, Shiton regarded Gustao as if he were an insect. A man who couldn’t even manage his own task had no right to expect mercy.
“Ellicia becoming officially linked with Tirzen is hardly my fault, is it?”
“It happened because you failed to hold on to Lady Mares.”
“If you cut off investment now, what am I supposed to do? I already have so many plans in motion. If you reconsider, I assure you the profits will be enough to satisfy you.”
“The only way you’ll ever receive my backing is if you marry Lady Mares. Do that, and I’ll even arrange trade with foreign nations for you.”
Sitting with legs crossed and a smug air of generosity, Shiton spoke as though granting a great favor. But for Gustao, it was an impossible demand.
He could only grit his teeth as the ambitious future he had envisioned crumbled before him. The man across from him was a great noble with both money and power.
After the meeting, as Gustao walked out into the corridor, he ran into Delina.
Her eyes narrowed at the sight of him, and then she smirked with a sneer.
“What’s the palace trash doing in our house?”
The maid beside her looked as though she might faint, covering her mouth with her hand. No matter how highborn a duke’s daughter was, there were things one simply shouldn’t say.
She held her breath, expecting an explosion—but Gustao only glared at Delina, who had insulted him.
“Don’t be scared. He’s nothing but a useless half-man anyway.”
The maid, catching her meaning, nodded quickly.
Unable to stand up to Delina, yet too proud to argue with a servant, Gustao hastily left the Shiton Ducal estate.
