CHAPTE 25………………………………………..
Looking more closely, Arsen realized the old man wasn’t looking at him but staring off into the distance.
Normally, when you talk to someone, you make eye contact — yet even when Arsen spoke to him, the old man didn’t look his way.
No — more precisely, it seemed like he couldn’t.
Then, the old man’s lips moved.
“But… you’re not alone, are you?”
At his words, Evelina flinched in surprise.
She hadn’t made a sound — yet somehow he knew she was there.
Evelina quickly bowed her head.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Evelina Lotzfeld.”
“Ah, pleased to meet you. I’m Alec, the owner of this workshop.”
Alec chuckled heartily and gently rubbed his eyes.
“As you can see, my eyes were injured, so I can hardly see these days.”
“Oh… that must have been hard for you.”
“At first it was frightening and inconvenient, but I’ve grown used to it over the years.”
He turned toward Arsen.
“Shall I prepare it with your usual quill pen?”
“No. Today it’s a gift — for the father of the woman who will soon be my wife.”
“Ah, you’re getting married? Congratulations!”
Alec laughed heartily, and Evelina’s cheeks turned red.
No matter how many times she heard the word wife, it still felt strange.
Alec went into the back and soon returned carrying a wide, flat box.
“Please, have a seat.”
Evelina and Arsen carefully sat down.
The old wooden chair creaked as Alec set the box on the table — his movements smooth and practiced despite his poor eyesight.
Inside the box were several elegant quill pens.
“They’re humble work, but all handmade by me. Please, choose whichever you like.”
“Wow… they’re beautiful.”
Evelina couldn’t help but whisper in awe as she examined them closely.
After looking over each one, she chose the most exquisite quill among them.
“I’ll take this one. Could you wrap it together with some ink?”
“Of course. One moment.”
Alec skillfully wrapped the quill and ink.
He tried to give them as a wedding gift for free, but Evelina firmly refused — insisting on paying before leaving the shop.
She held the wrapped box to her chest, smiling proudly.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. It’s so pretty. I’m sure my father will love it.”
“I’m certain he will — even more so if he hears it was made at Akellin’s workshop.”
“Thank you for coming with me, Arsen.”
When Evelina smiled brightly, Arsen smiled back.
“Are you heading straight to your family’s estate?”
“Ah, yes. But… I’ll go to my father alone.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
Evelina nodded quickly, worried she might have offended him.
“It’s just that… my father might feel uncomfortable around you. Because of your status.”
She glanced at Arsen nervously — but he didn’t look offended.
He smiled softly and nodded.
“You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. As expected, Evelina — always so perceptive.”
“It’s nothing like that…”
Since he couldn’t let her go entirely alone, the carriage carried them partway toward the duke’s residence.
After a while, the carriage slowed to a stop. Arsen leaned forward and placed a brief kiss on her forehead.
“Then, take care.”
“Yes, Arsen.”
He hesitated a moment, then stepped down.
He wanted to go with her — but he couldn’t act like a child and insist.
The truth was, he desperately wanted to — but he swallowed the urge.
He stood there motionless, watching the carriage disappear into the distance.
Evelina fidgeted with the box in her lap, her nerves tightening.
Inside, neatly wrapped, were the quill and ink she had bought earlier.
Will Father like them…?
He had never been affectionate, but he was still her blood.
As the carriage neared the estate, Evelina took a deep breath.
Her palms were damp, so she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe them.
Just as she tucked it back away, the carriage slowed to a stop.
The door opened, and with the knight’s help, Evelina stepped down.
No one had come to greet her — but she told herself they must simply be busy.
Father was always buried in paperwork, after all.
She looked around as she walked.
Nothing had changed.
The mansion was quiet — unusually quiet, even for a place that was never lively.
Her eyes darted around as she made her way deeper inside.
“Where could Father be…?”
She murmured softly, heading for the study.
She had sent a letter announcing her visit, so normally someone should have been waiting — but she figured it wasn’t necessary to stand on ceremony with her own family.
Strangely, she didn’t encounter a single person on her way there.
Evelina tilted her head, puzzled, until she finally stopped in front of the study door.
She knew the mansion’s layout well — but she had rarely come down here, not since the day she’d been told of her arranged marriage.
She checked that the box in her hands was still secure, took a deep breath, and knocked.
A sharp voice answered from within.
“Come in.”
Evelina hesitated, then slowly opened the door.
The study looked exactly as it had that day.
The duke looked up from his papers, his expression hard.
Evelina offered a small smile — but he only frowned deeper.
He didn’t rise, nor did he greet her. He simply lowered his head again and continued writing, ignoring her completely.
Her lips trembled. She bit them to keep steady and forced a polite smile.
“Father, have you been well?”
“Who’s your father?”
“…What?”
Evelina blinked in confusion.
His words were so unexpected she didn’t know how to respond.
“F–Father…?”
“I was relieved not to see you for once, and yet here you are again. Don’t tell me you were kicked out of the Grand Duke’s estate?”
“What? No, of course not! I— I sent a letter saying I would visit today. Didn’t you receive it?”
“A letter?”
The duke paused for a moment, then said indifferently:
“Ah, yes. One arrived with a name I didn’t care to see — so I threw it away without opening it.”
“You… threw it away?”
“Yes. I did.”
It had been a long letter — three full pages.
To think he hadn’t even opened it — Evelina felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
“Why? Why would you do that? I’m your daughter. How could you throw away a letter from your own child?”
Tears welled up as she spoke, but the duke only looked at her with cold disdain.
“My daughter? Who told you that?”
“Father…”
“Did you really think I ever saw you as my child?”
“I…”
Evelina opened her mouth several times but couldn’t say a word.
She had never been able to call his coldness unfair — she had accepted it, thinking he must have his reasons.
He had always seemed to dislike her, but she believed there must still be some sliver of affection left.
Her hands trembled. The thread barely holding her together felt ready to snap.
Still, she forced a smile and stepped closer.
“I… I brought you a gift, Father. A quill and ink from Akellin’s workshop. Please, try them.”
She placed the box on his desk.
The duke glanced at it briefly, then picked it up.
For a moment, hope flickered in her eyes — but it was short-lived.
Without hesitation, he dropped the gift into the trash bin.
Evelina froze, staring at it in disbelief.
He clicked his tongue.
“Such nonsense. Do you really think I’d use something touched by you? Filthy and repulsive — how dare you bring it here?”
Evelina bowed her head, clutching her dress tightly.
She tried to hold back the tears, but they spilled anyway, tracing down her cheeks.
The duke saw her crying — but he neither apologized nor comforted her.
He simply continued working, as if she didn’t exist.
Evelina swallowed her sobs and whispered:
“Father…”
“…”
“Have you truly… never once thought of me as your daughter?”
Her voice faltered.
The duke finally set his pen down and looked at her — for the first time since she’d entered.
Then, with no hesitation, he replied:
“That’s right.”
“…!”
“I have never once thought of you as my daughter. From the moment you were born with those red eyes, you were no child of mine. That you’re only realizing it now — should I call that stupidity or ignorance?”
He clicked his tongue again.
“To think I lived under the same roof as you for twenty years disgusts me. You should be grateful I didn’t destroy those eyes of yours when I had the chance.”
“…”
“Don’t ever come back. There is no place for you here — not even a speck.”
His cold words made her stagger backward.
He muttered to himself:
“If I had known you’d be born with red eyes, I would have erased you long ago.”
Evelina gasped.
There was no mistaking it — he meant every word.
His eyes held no warmth, no trace of fatherly affection.
Until this moment, she had never heard him outright deny her existence.
That faint thread of family she’d clung to all this time — it shattered completely.
She could barely stay on her feet as she fled the study without even saying goodbye.
Her stomach churned, nausea rising in her throat.
And through her tear-blurred vision — she saw someone standing there.
