CHAPTER 77………………………
“Huff, huff.”
Lloyd, who had chased after Aslan as he tried to dash out, lifted the boy up.
Ayla, arriving a step later and breathing hard, flung her arms wide to block the doorway.
“W–wait! What’s going on!”
Dangling in the air, Aslan cried out in protest. Ayla squeezed her eyes shut and shouted:
“No! If your mother finds out, she’ll definitely be disappointed! She’ll be disappointed that we lied!”
No way… it seemed Ayla also knew that Id was the Grand Duke.
She had thought Ayla was her dearest friend, yet Ayla had hidden such a secret!
Aslan shot her a betrayed look. Ayla hurried to explain:
“I only found out recently! When I came here!”
“When you came here? So not that long ago?”
“Yeah. And it’s not like we plan to keep it a secret forever. When the time comes, it’ll be revealed. So, please, just wait for now.”
“Ayla’s right, Aslan. If there’s anything you want, I’ll do it for you. Just… please, keep it a secret from the Princess for now.”
On Lloyd’s face, too, the same fear Ayla had was plain to see.
It looked as if he might burst into tears at the slightest nudge.
It was strange.
The Id Menthe Aslan knew had always been a strong, dependable adult.
Tall and broad-shouldered, the very man Aslan had once asked to teach him how to grow big.
Id Menthe and Lloyd Eckhart were the same person, yet the man holding him now looked small and fragile.
It felt like he could knock him down with ease if he wanted.
Aslan subconsciously knew why.
“Uncle really likes my mom.”
He imagined—
If he had ever told a lie out of unavoidable circumstances, and if it were the kind of lie his mother would hate, then he would never want her to find out for the rest of his life.
“Come to think of it, Mom probably wouldn’t like hearing about this.”
The only one who stood to gain from Lloyd’s secret being revealed was himself, since he wanted to tie ‘Id’ to Minerva.
But Minerva was someone who thought and worried too much.
Aslan let his body relax and droop in Lloyd’s arms.
“Fine, I won’t say anything……”
Both Lloyd and Ayla instantly brightened.
But at the same time, a pang of guilt hit him, as if he’d made them uneasy for nothing.
Just as Lloyd was gently setting Aslan down—
“But! On one condition!”
The moment he slipped free, Aslan bolted for the window.
Before anyone could react, he was already standing precariously on the window frame.
The strong night wind blew through the wide-open window, making it seem like he could topple out at any moment.
Something felt very wrong to Lloyd.
“A–Aslan?”
This was the boy who’d survived falling from a chandelier unscathed.
If he really wanted to, he could jump down and escape right now.
“Aslan, come down first, and then—”
“Marry my mom.”
“…What?”
Lloyd and Ayla froze mid-step, having just started forward to coax him down.
Arms folded, Aslan smirked down at them like a villain.
“I’ll keep your secret until you’re ready. But in return, you have to marry my mom!”
“That’s a great idea, Aslan!”
“That’s absurd!”
Ayla and Lloyd’s opposite reactions rang out at once.
Reflecting Ayla’s feelings, Aslan narrowed his eyes at Lloyd in reproach.
“My mom needs someone really strong on her side right now. Weren’t you going to help?”
“It’s not that! I was just thinking of helping in another way—”
“No. My mom already has a plan. And the plan she wants is marriage, isn’t it?”
Though he hadn’t understood every complicated word, Aslan had overheard enough to know Minerva’s aim was marriage with the Grand Duke.
But Lloyd still wanted to hide his true identity, so he had no intention of accepting Minerva’s proposal.
“But now that I’ve caught him—no chance!”
If it was for Mom, he’d do anything!
Ayla’s eyes urged Lloyd silently—this was an unexpected ally for a contract marriage! Lloyd, meanwhile, racked his brains for some way to keep hold of Aslan.
But Aslan wasn’t someone to underestimate.
He could see it all written on their faces.
“Say you’ll do it right now. And tell Mom by tonight. If not, I’ll run straight to her and spill everything! You know how fast I am, right?”
Faced with Aslan’s fierce ultimatum, Lloyd had no choice.
At last, Aslan smirked like a sly cat, satisfied he could finally do something to help Minerva.
Mom, I’ve got a present coming your way!
That night, just as Minerva was about to go to sleep after putting out all the lights, a letter arrived from the Grand Duke.
Already decided?
Such quick replies usually meant either a passionate yes or a sharp rejection.
It can’t be a rejection… can it?
With a nervous heart, Minerva relit a candle.
The paper knife sliced open the envelope.
Unfolding the neatly folded letter, she found tidy handwriting.
Her eyes fell on the final line first, and she widened them before reading from start to finish carefully. Then, without meaning to, she murmured:
“…I didn’t think it would go this smoothly.”
She hadn’t even played the extra card she’d hidden away—yet here was this result.
Aslan, sharp-eared, caught her muttering from the bed and quickly clambered onto her back.
“What is it, Mom? Something good?”
Though he already knew the letter’s contents, he wagged his backside as if he hadn’t a clue.
“Mm, I suppose you could say that. At the very least, there’s hope now.”
“I wanna see too!”
Tracing the letters with his finger, Aslan frowned deeply.
Minerva thought it was because the writing was vague and hard to understand, and stifled a laugh.
“Aslan, what if you ended up with a father? How would you feel?”
“A dad?”
There was only one reason Minerva would bring that up now.
Lloyd had kept his promise!
Heart pounding, Aslan tested the waters.
“Is he rich?”
“Very.”
“Handsome?”
“Possibly?”
His head tilted.
“Strong?”
“Maybe?”
“Reliable?”
“Not sure.”
“Pfft, what kind of answer is that.”
Aslan puffed his cheeks.
It seemed certain now that Lloyd had sent the letter, since Minerva looked pleased.
But aside from the part about wealth, none of her answers fit Lloyd at all.
“Ah, right—Mom still doesn’t know Uncle Id is the Grand Duke!”
Of course she wouldn’t know his face or personality!
Feeling proud for helping his mother, Aslan couldn’t hide his grin.
“As long as you like him, Mom, I’ll like him too.”
Minerva’s expression softened, tinged with guilt.
There was no need to feel sorry—he’d even threatened Lloyd to make him marry her!
Not knowing any of this, Minerva placed the letter on her bedside table.
Leaning back against the bed, she felt Aslan snuggle into her arm.
“Then… want to meet your soon-to-be stepfather properly? The five of us.”
“The five of us?”
Aslan tilted his head, trying to count.
Ah—Lloyd, his stand-in, Ayla, Mom, and himself. That made five.
“Yeah, okay!”
He nodded vigorously, so hard that the candle flame wavered.
In the flickering light, the final line of the letter swayed in shadow:
[Please clear your schedule for tomorrow.]
Tomorrow—his mom and Lloyd were really going to get married!
Aslan looked out at the great round moon and bounced in excitement.
That same hour, across a dark plain lit by the hanging moon, a carriage rolled quietly along.
It made no clatter, no shaking—utterly still.
Inside, with only a single lamp lit, two middle-aged figures sat facing each other.
The elderly butler spoke:
“Lady Priscilla. Are you sure it’s alright not to send word to His Grace, the Grand Duke?”
“Even if I did, would that child welcome me?”
The mint-haired old woman closed her eyes and furrowed one brow. Butler Sebastian fell silent.
He feared he’d spoiled her mood with a needless question, but she only looked irritated for a moment before speaking again, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“Ayla and the Princess are together in one place. I can’t pass up the chance to see such familiar faces.”
Why else would they be hurrying through the night in a carriage?
With a cheerful air, Priscilla raised her pipe.
She didn’t light it—it was just habit.
“And I expect the scene I’ve long wanted will be waiting for me there.”
The Princess desired restoration, and Lloyd had agreed to help her.
The simplest political union was marriage.
Priscilla’s wrinkled lips curled into a sly grin.
