Chapter 73
A deep blue gaze poured onto Eugenia without a single blink.
She felt as though the deep sea was swallowing her whole.
‘Why is this man here?’
Eugenia repeatedly closed and opened her eyelids slowly. Every time, Enrique stood still in front of her, but she couldn’t grasp the reality of the situation.
It felt as if time and space had stopped, and the only thing moving was her heart, pounding loudly and echoing throughout her body.
She never expected to meet someone like him in such a place.
Her shock went beyond mere surprise, and her mind became foggy, unable to think clearly.
Her mouth was dry, and her voice wouldn’t come out.
Eugenia and Enrique just stared at each other for a long time.
‘This is confusing.’
What kind of situation is this?
Her head couldn’t catch up with what was happening.
Though she couldn’t focus, she still tried to think.
The Duke of Herace, the head of the household, Enrique.
But suddenly, everything clicked together.
Her pupils gradually widened.
‘So, Enrique is the Duke of Herace?’
Is this what it feels like to be struck by lightning?
Eugenia flinched in surprise.
‘This man is the Duke of Herace…?’
Her lips felt dry.
She quickly lowered her gaze and, with her hands politely clasped together, corrected her address.
“Oh, Master.”
At that moment, Enrique furrowed his brow.
For some reason, the unfamiliar title created a distance between them, and an unpleasant feeling seeped in.
His lips pressed together, and his jaw slightly protruded.
But before Eugenia could see it, he swiftly turned his body and stepped back a pace.
He then sat down on the higher seat of the sofa and gestured toward the empty space with his chin.
“Sit down. We have much to discuss.”
But Eugenia hesitated.
She couldn’t move from the spot, and she mumbled in reply.
“Ah… I’m fine.”
“I told you to sit.”
His tone was firm.
“…Yes.”
Eugenia flinched and, after a moment, cautiously sat diagonally from Enrique, watching his every move.
‘This is so awkward.’
What should she say?
Should she mention that she didn’t expect to see him here?
Or express surprise that he is the Duke of Herace?
‘Ah! Maybe I should ask about his well-being first?’
Should she say, “I’m glad to see you well”?
Or maybe, “I hope you’ve been sleeping well lately?”
‘What’s the best way to approach this?’
As Eugenia pondered over how to speak naturally, Enrique unexpectedly spoke first.
“I met with my mother and then called for you, Eugenia. You brought the children, and they are said to be my cousins.”
He skipped over pleasantries like asking how she had been, diving straight into the topic, which felt very much like something Enrique would do.
And strangely enough, it made it easier for Eugenia to speak as well.
“…Yes.”
Eugenia nodded obediently.
Now there was no need to hide anything, so she freely explained.
“Joshua and Selmia are not my siblings. They are the children of the Kerayton Marquis family, whom I served. Since there was no one to care for them in the Duchy, I brought them here.”
Her posture stiffened as she spoke, but Enrique’s posture was quite different from hers.
“You don’t need to ask how I brought them here. I did it myself.”
He sank into the sofa, raised a hand to rub his eyebrow, and muttered with his eyes closed.
“Now everything makes sense. The children you claimed were kidnapped are actually the missing heirs of the Kerayton Marquis.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. But after the Marquis and his wife passed, I had no choice but to protect the children.”
“You took care of them through a dangerous journey and brought them here, knowing how perilous it was. That’s something even blood relatives would struggle to do. Did the Marquis and his wife, before their disappearance, ask you to look after the twins?”
Eugenia quietly shook her head.
“No. They didn’t…”
In fact, she hadn’t expected to become their guardian either.
A brief silence followed, and Eugenia, who had been biting her lip, began fiddling with her fingers as she nervously tried to speak again.
“Master.”
Enrique’s brow furrowed once more.
Everyone working here called him that, and up until now, he hadn’t minded. Yet now…
‘Why does it bother me so much?’
Even Enrique couldn’t pinpoint why it bothered him.
As he wrestled with his thoughts, Eugenia continued.
“Please. Let the children… no, the young lady and young master, stay here. They are so young, and they have suffered so much. Even if it’s just until they grow old enough to care for themselves, please…”
Swallowing dryly, Eugenia spoke in a soft, pleading voice.
“Please, be their protector.”
Her voice trembled like a fragile flame, weak and unsteady.
A deep sigh escaped from Enrique’s lips.
“A protector?”
But instead of responding to her plea, Enrique’s next words were completely unexpected.
“Do you know what a coming-of-age ceremony is?”
“The one happening right now?”
Enrique slowly nodded, his head moving up and down.
Eugenia, uncertain, answered hesitantly.
“It’s an event where we gather with collateral relatives to foster bonds… Isn’t it?”
He casually crossed one leg over the other, clasped his hands around his knee, and spoke softly.
“You don’t know, then.”
Eugenia felt a bit embarrassed.
She lowered her flushed face, glancing downward, and asked in a small voice.
“I’ll remember it if you explain it to me.”
“The coming-of-age ceremony,” Enrique began, his voice steady as he explained.
“It’s a gathering of collateral relatives where they meet to showcase their talents and qualities to choose the next heir of the Duke of Herace.”
“…What?”
Eugenia blinked, tilting her head in confusion.
It didn’t seem like the usual kind of event.
She cleared her throat and, making sure her voice didn’t waver, asked,
“Your…”
“Can we drop the title?”
Enrique, unable to tolerate it for more than three times, cut off Eugenia’s words with irritation.
She stared at him with wide eyes, completely lost as to why Enrique was upset.
“Hmm? But I’m a servant of Herace, and you’re…”
“Enough.”
With a frustrated look, Enrique clicked his tongue and raised a hand toward her.
“Just like before.”
He suddenly loosened the button at his neck, making his collar slack.
The thick vein on his neck caught Eugenia’s eye, and, without meaning to, she lowered her head again.
It felt like she had seen something she shouldn’t have, and her face burned.
Then Enrique’s voice sounded again.
“Call me by my name.”
“Ah…”
After swallowing the saliva that had gathered in her mouth, she looked up at him and asked.
“Enrique?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
She nodded obediently, cleared her throat, and asked,
“Why, if you’re still young, are you choosing one of the collateral relatives as the heir?”
Noble families, especially high-ranking ones, were obsessed with bloodlines.
Their desire to maintain honor, tradition, and enormous wealth by securing heirs was beyond imagination.
‘But a collateral relative?’
Eugenia found it hard to understand.
But Enrique didn’t seem inclined to answer that question.
And Eugenia realized that the unspoken message was likely, ‘You don’t need to know.’
She didn’t ask again, but she did feel a slight unease, and her shoulders drooped.
Leaning slowly on the armrest of the sofa, Enrique continued, speaking in a low voice.
“The collateral relatives all agreed to my method of selecting the heir through talent evaluation. And the children here all dream of becoming the next Duke of Herace.”
Eugenia nodded silently to show she was listening.
But Enrique’s tone suddenly changed.
“But if I accept Joshua and Selmia, it would mean new candidates are emerging. Do you think those greedy people will just sit idly by?”
“…!”
“They’ll try to harm the children or pressure me. In other words, the two children you brought here might threaten my authority as the head of the Herace family and the peace of this house.”
Enrique, who had been leaning back, now sat up straight, his upper body leaning forward toward Eugenia.
His low, cold voice and piercing blue eyes were a clear warning to her.
Yet for some reason…
‘I’m not scared.’
She didn’t feel any fear or threat.
‘It’s like he’s testing me.’
So Eugenia boldly stared straight into Enrique’s eyes, not backing down.
Though she couldn’t understand why he was trying to intimidate her…
‘Ah.’
Then it dawned on her.
Enrique wasn’t trying to scare her. He was, in fact, worried about them.
‘He’s concerned that our hearts might get hurt.’
When she thought of it that way, everything made sense.
If she decided to stay and care for the children, he would accept them. But if she became afraid and decided to leave with the children, Enrique would support that too.
‘Then, there’s no need to fall into that trap.’
Eugenia took a deep breath, her small body shaking as she did.
‘We can’t live separately.’
That wasn’t what she or the children wanted.
‘Joshua and Selmia are foreigners here. They need to grow up under the protection of someone with power.’
There’s a clear difference between inside and outside the walls, especially when it comes to providing security.
With her thoughts made up, she spoke clearly.
“But you won’t leave them like that.”
Enrique raised an eyebrow and turned toward her.
His blue eyes pierced her, like an arrow released from a bow.
But Eugenia didn’t shrink away.
“You won’t leave them like that, will you?”
