Chapter 64
“Just because people are tied by family doesn’t mean they all care for each other or wish well for one another. You know this from the story of my parents.”
Yulien’s voice, already low, sank even further.
“But what family really is… my mother, who turned a blind eye when my father abused us, would occasionally send money after Erika and I left home. Without a single short letter. Only money.”
He glanced briefly at Erika, who was happily swinging. She seemed unaware of this story.
Selakia listened quietly, absorbing his words.
“It’s a hint of responsibility, I suppose. A paltry conscience, perhaps. Or maybe a ploy to lessen guilt.”
“……”
“I think my mother resembles Viscount Lenshi in that regard.”
“……The Viscount?”
Startled by the sudden mention, Selakia involuntarily asked. Yulien nodded, meeting her gaze deeply.
“You always wondered why I left so hastily without seeing your coming-of-age ceremony, didn’t you? It’s because Viscount Lenshi wanted it that way.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean……?”
“Apparently, he only realized late that your tutor was a man.”
Selakia froze, her mouth forming an O. She couldn’t believe Yulien’s words.
Yulien had been entering the mansion as her tutor for over four years. Could the Viscount really have been unaware, even as the servants whispered?
More importantly…
“Wasn’t it the Viscount who appointed Sir Yulien?”
“From what I heard, your household’s affairs were left entirely to the steward.”
Selakia recalled the Lenshi household steward. His greasy face had left a double-edged impression on her. When the former Viscount Lenshi was alive, he always smiled at her, but after her elder half-brother became the current Viscount, his attitude turned cold.
In truth, Selakia had rarely faced him since her parents passed.
“They said a male tutor could not be allowed if they wanted to arrange a proper match for you. The Viscount seemed to take it as his duty to care for you until your marriage.”
“I… I didn’t know that was the case.”
“When I left, the steward had probably changed. Didn’t you notice?”
“I rarely saw him. I don’t know much about the mansion’s management either.”
Selakia shook her head weakly, her expression blank with confusion. She had never suspected that the Viscount had been involved in Yulien’s departure.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“If I had told you the truth back then, would you have believed me?”
Selakia could not answer. She knew herself well enough to know that she would have doubted him, not trusted him. Perhaps she would have imagined some twisted reason for him wanting to leave her side.
“You have a tendency to dwell on your own thoughts. Perhaps now, having left that place and matured over time, you might accept a story outside your own preconceptions. That’s why I’m telling you this.”
“Does that mean… I seem better than before?”
Yulien smiled—a rare sight.
It was a smile Selakia had only seen when she had been his student and excelled in assignments or swordsmanship training.
“A person isolated in body and mind can do nothing. Even water stagnates and rots. Don’t overlook this simple truth.”
“……So, if I hadn’t changed, you wouldn’t have told me the truth at all?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation in Yulien’s answer.
“Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.”
Selakia shot him an indignant glare, but he remained unfazed.
“From afar, you cannot see a ship’s hull perfectly. But as it nears the shore, even the keel is exposed at low tide.”
“……”
“From now on, when you meet people, give them your presence and observe them closely. If possible, for a long time.”
Selakia suddenly remembered the man’s back she had glimpsed last night, half-shrouded in darkness, from afar.
She asked without thinking:
“If you observe someone for a long time… will anything change?”
“You must find the answer yourself.”
His vague reply made Selakia pout. She tried to press for a more concrete answer, but at that moment:
“Sis! Did you talk well with big brother?”
Erika suddenly leaned over the table. Her face, bright after swinging so much, sparkled with expectation.
Selakia tilted her head but answered honestly:
“Yes. I received useful guidance from Sir for the first time in a while.”
“Guidance?”
Erika sighed in exasperation, glaring at Yulien, and finished the tea in his cup.
“Ugh. It’s so frustrating. I should have known better.”
“Erika.”
Yulien spoke quietly, exchanging a glance with her. His gaze was stern; Erika’s was full of vexation.
Selakia tried to interpret their unusual exchange, but Erika let out a grand sigh and turned her head.
“Clinging to hopeless matters is foolish. Fine, I get it.”
Muttering to herself, Erika suddenly grabbed Selakia’s hand.
“Sis, we’re always here for you. Come whenever you need, got it?”
“Huh? Uh… okay.”
“Big brother will surely remain single his whole life. And I don’t care about things frowned upon in high society. Like divorce, for example…”
“Erika.”
Yulien’s unnervingly low voice cut her off. Erika shouted irritably:
“Fine, I’m going! Go!”
The next day, after Yulien and Erika left in a hurry, the large mansion felt unusually empty.
Previously, empty hallways and gardens didn’t bother her, but after just three days in the lively mansion, she had grown accustomed to its bustle.
“What is Tenus doing…?”
Selakia muttered while lying on the bed, then shook her head at her own voice.
“Of course, he’s buried in work.”
It was obvious. The council of vassals had just ended, and his workload had surely increased.
She realized she couldn’t idle away her time either. The imperial agent delivering the marriage certificate would arrive soon. The day she left the mansion was almost here.
She had to handle the problems she had left behind: Aldrich, Amy, and Magrit.
Her decision about Magrit had already been made in her mind.
But she still didn’t know what to do about Aldrich. The one she thought only harmed her was affecting the whole mansion.
Once Tenus became Duke, he would leave, but she couldn’t simply stand by, not knowing what mischief he might cause elsewhere.
“What should I do…?”
Selakia sighed. She had, at most, a month to make a decision regarding Aldrich. Could she finish in that time?
After burying herself in the covers for a while, she finally got up determined. Handling each problem one by one might bring clarity.
She decided to start with Magrit.
“Nancy, do you know where Magrit is right now?”
Nancy, quietly sewing in a corner, looked up sharply.
“Miss manages the whole mansion; she doesn’t stay in one place. Shall I find out?”
“Please.”
“Yes! I’ll be back quickly!”
Nancy left the room as swiftly as ever.
Selakia examined the sewing Nancy left on the table while waiting. The fine cloth was still the size of a palm, making it hard to tell what it would become.
“Belphona, do you know what Nancy is making? It seems too small to be clothing…”
A doll?
While Selakia pondered, Roberta suddenly asked:
“Has your tutor not come again, ma’am?”
“Eh?”
Selakia turned sharply.
Roberta gazed nostalgically out the mansion gate, her expression suspiciously wistful.
“Belphona, could it be… you’re interested in Sir Yulien?”
Roberta nodded without hesitation, and a pleased smile spread across Selakia’s face.
She had never imagined Yulien and Roberta together, but a tall, handsome pair side by side would suit each other perfectly. Even Erika, who worried about her brother’s marriage, would welcome this.
If they married, Sir Yulien would live in the Seidon Duchy? But her hopeful thought was dashed by Roberta’s next words:
“I just want to spar with him once.”
“Eh…?”
“I heard he graduated from the military academy. I’ve never faced a knight from there. Most belong to the imperial palace, so there’s no chance to meet them.”
Roberta’s green eyes sparkled with a fierce light, similar to when she had once insisted on teaching Selakia swordsmanship.
“I should have sparred yesterday no matter what. Damn it, he evaded so cleverly. That younger brother kept holding me back. Who knows when I’ll meet a military academy knight again…”
Selakia stepped back, avoiding Roberta muttering ominously. She had never suspected this direction of interest.
“Send him another invitation, ma’am. This time I won’t miss the chance, even if I have to ambush him!”
“Hmm… Nancy must have found Magrit. I should go check.”
Selakia turned away from Roberta’s keen gaze and hurried out of the room, with Roberta calling after her urgently:
“Or at least get his address, ma’am!”
