Chapter 45
“Ah—so boring.”
Bon said loudly, probably because he thought he was about to lose. He always overturned the board whenever he thought he was going to lose.
This time was no different.
Elysia responded as if she had expected it.
“Then let’s stop.”
It wasn’t particularly fun anyway.
As Elysia quietly got up from her seat, Pi, who had been curled up beside her, stretched out with a big yawn and followed after her.
“I still don’t get why the Duke keeps assigning you tasks,” Bon muttered, sprawling across the sofa without even cleaning up the chessboard.
Elysia didn’t answer.
She was thinking about something else.
‘If both Ariel and I don’t go, wouldn’t it be hard on Eden and Lisbeth?’
Maybe she should at least send Pi to stay with Eden.
Pi was a smart child, so she might understand if Elysia explained it to her.
But since Pi didn’t like Eden, even if she understood, she probably wouldn’t listen.
At some point, Pi had slumped into Elysia’s chair, nodding off.
Elysia gently stroked Pi’s furrowed brow as she dozed, and Pi breathed out softly, just like her name.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Bon, realizing Elysia was deliberately ignoring him, raised his voice in frustration.
She was being unusually patient today.
“Lower your voice,” she replied coolly.
“If you’re so bored, why don’t you go visit Lady Aste? Didn’t she come with you?”
“You really have no consideration. She rode all this way in a carriage, of course she’s resting.”
Then she shouldn’t have come at all.
The trains still weren’t operational, so there was no real reason to make the long trip in a carriage.
Or rather, her purpose was obvious.
She clearly came to pick a power struggle with Elysia while the Duke was away.
“Then why don’t you go rest too?”
Elysia suggested with a serene smile. She rarely smiled at others, but when she did—resembling Isabella—it was truly beautiful.
That was why Bon often found himself speechless whenever Elysia smiled.
Just like now, he paused for a moment, flustered.
Then, hastily clearing his throat, Bon replied, “I’m still young. I’ve got energy to spare.”
Young? More like childish.
Elysia couldn’t suppress a laugh at his cocky response.
Yawning, Pi buried her face in her paws again.
“So—so my sister told me to say that neither of us can come for a while! I-I already said it…”
Ariel squirmed as she delivered the message. Lisbeth, holding a food tray, nodded in understanding.
“You must be having a hard time.”
Because Lisbeth worked a physically demanding job, she was more vulnerable to mental stress.
Perhaps that’s why she didn’t think about the hardship she herself would face, and instead tried to comfort Elysia and Ariel.
Ariel turned her head and responded boldly.
“My sister’s having a much harder time than me! I’m fine!”
Lisbeth watched Ariel stumble over her words with a puzzled expression, then nodded again.
“I’ll let Eden know.”
She wouldn’t be able to sleep or bathe properly for a while again.
Lisbeth, not giving much thought to her own coming struggles, had something else weighing on her.
“Elysia feels… lacking.”
Those were the honest words of a child with limited vocabulary, but they lingered in her heart.
No one knew when Bon Aste would leave.
So Eden would have to endure each indefinite day, waiting for Elysia.
That’s what Lisbeth was worried about.
Whether Eden could endure it—emotionally—was the question.
“You really take after your mother in looks.”
Bon suddenly spoke, having been dazed by Elysia’s smile.
What he said was enough to sour her mood.
But Bon didn’t stop.
“So choose the easier path, Elysia. Don’t chase after empty dreams.”
With her noble family name and good looks, Elysia could marry into any family and be loved.
That was Bon’s belief.
And one of the main reasons he kept visiting her.
Don’t think about becoming the next Duke—just prepare for marriage.
He said it so often that she was sick of hearing about marriage.
“Bon.”
Do you even know why I’m putting myself through this hell?
Elysia called his name, clearly telling him to stop.
But Bon didn’t catch her tone and continued.
“If I were you, I’d do as I say. You should be thankful you were born a woman. Life just hands you things if you stay put.”
Bon continued to spout nonsense.
He always brought up her gender and marriage. Probably because, aside from being male, he had nothing else to offer.
Of course, being male did carry authority in this world.
That’s why he believed that, even as a collateral son, he had a better chance at inheriting the dukedom than any of the direct-line daughters.
His arrogance, however, only made him fall further behind Elysia.
Every time he looked up, she had already moved higher.
So he desperately tried to drag her down.
That’s why he constantly lectured her about how a woman should behave and think.
Naturally, Elysia rarely—if ever—took his words seriously.
Today was no exception.
His sermon dragged on endlessly, as always.
Below her, Pi yawned again.
Finishing her paperwork, Elysia finally spoke.
“If you’re so envious, why don’t you do it yourself?”
Her tone was just as careless as Bon’s hollow advice.
“Or are you already living your dream life, doing nothing and drifting along?”
“Hahaha! Elysia, no need to get so prickly! Oh—I guess you misunderstood what I meant.”
He acted like his words came from a place of concern, and Elysia had twisted them.
Her right eyebrow lifted. Unbelievable.
“I’m just saying—don’t make your life harder than it needs to be. I’m only saying this because I care.”
Bon smiled gently.
He was trying to soothe Elysia’s obviously sharp mood.
But it only made her bristle further.
“I wish I could return those words to you, Bon. But I can’t, and that’s a real shame.”
Bon’s cheek twitched.
Elysia leaned back in her chair and continued.
“You don’t do anything, yet you expect diamonds to fall from the sky.”
A dry laugh escaped her lips.
But she didn’t stop.
“Then again, maybe whining all day is its own kind of hardship.”
Her tone was light, as if soothing a child.
Bon’s lips gradually turned downward.
“Bon. Go read a book or something. Viscount Aste must be worried.”
Worried that the next heir of House Aste spends his days staring at clouds.
Elysia smiled as brightly as she could.
She knew Bon, who disliked her, had a soft spot for her smile.
That smile was closer to mockery than anything else.
“Watch your mouth, Elysia. Just because you’re cute doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate everything.”
Bon clenched his fists.
He had a violent temper and was known to slam desks or throw things when angry.
Right now, he looked like he might throw a chess piece at her.
Sensing the tension, Pi suddenly jumped up and began hissing.
Bon was even more irritated. Now even a tiny animal was baring its teeth at him.
Elysia patted Pi’s head to calm her down, but Pi wouldn’t stop growling, her tail raised high.
“In this case, Bon, you’re the one who crossed the line. Do you still not know your place?”
No matter how high you fly, you’re still beneath me.
Elysia’s chin tilted up ever so slightly. In contrast, Bon’s drew inward.
“So, they said the two of them won’t be coming for a while.”
Having completed her task, Lisbeth placed the tray down and watched Eden for a reaction.
The news jolted Eden awake—he widened his eyes in shock.
“Then, I’ll be going now.”
Lisbeth stood, sighing inwardly, and closed the door behind her.
The quiet annex was familiar to Eden.
And yet, it also felt foreign.
Because Elysia had always been there, caring for him.
The void left behind consumed him.
Swallowed by the fear of emptiness, Eden bit his nails, swallowing dryly.
Did I do something wrong?
Lisbeth had explained they had circumstances preventing them from coming, but Eden was still uneasy.
What if she was lying?
What if she’s actually angry at me and that’s why she’s not coming?
The recent emotional distance Eden had sensed from Elysia fed his insecurity.
Even if that distance was something only he had perceived.
Click, click.
The sound of him biting his nails filled the silence.
What if she found out I’m not close with Ariel? Or that I was jealous of her and the cat?
Or maybe both.
Eden’s nails wore down, and blood seeped out.
The pain in his throat was worse than the bleeding fingers—but instead of scratching his throat, he kept gnawing at his nails.
Until suddenly, he couldn’t breathe.
Only then did Eden stop biting.
“…If I wait, she’ll come.”
He murmured.
She hadn’t told him when she’d return.
So all he had left was vague hope.
“It’s not a lie. If I wait like a good boy… she’ll come.”
This time, instead of tugging at the choker squeezing his throat, Eden tightly gripped his neck.
The greater pain made him forget the lesser.
So this is how it works.
Eden, realizing something he never should’ve, slowly curled into himself.
Eyes wild, breathing ragged.
“I’m still okay.”
He kept whispering the same words, over and over again.
