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Chapter 15
“Master, it’s done.”
Rivet’s careful touch finally came to an end.
The reflection in the mirror looked more beautiful than usual. Rivet’s skillful hands never failed to satisfy me.
“Thank you, Rivet.”
Rivet smiled brightly and bowed.
I looked at myself in the mirror once more, examining my face.
It had been a while since I last visited Grandfather. I didn’t want to show him a version of myself that seemed worse than before. If he saw me like that, it would only make him worry.
He was already unwell—I couldn’t burden him further by making him worry about me too.
After tidying my stray hairs, I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
“Let’s go.”
With Rivet and a few maids accompanying me, I boarded the carriage. After about twenty minutes, we arrived at the Duke of Graham’s estate.
A guard at the entrance recognized me and greeted me.
“My lady, …I’m sorry. That was a mistake.”
The guard, who had instinctively called me “my lady,” looked startled and quickly apologized. I gave him a small smile and nodded.
“Be more careful next time.”
“Yes, Baron Marbes. You may enter.”
It wasn’t strange for him to slip up.
I had lived here for over three years being addressed as “my lady.” For those who worked here, that title was probably more familiar.
But I could no longer allow myself to be called that. If Ains were to start seeing someone else, it would be a serious discourtesy. It was better for everyone to get used to calling me Baron Marbes from now on.
“Master, please be careful today. It’s only been a day since you woke up, so we don’t know when the aftereffects might appear.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
Just as I was about to enter, Rivet spoke with concern.
She was right—there was no knowing when the side effects might show up. Rivet and I both carried medication to ease them, but that was only for emergencies. The best option was to remain cautious.
Soon, I passed through the entrance and stepped into the garden.
I remembered carefully tending this garden for the sake of visiting guests. It had been the first task Grandfather ever entrusted to me, so even the small flowering trees lining the path had all been chosen by my own hands.
Looking around at the unchanged garden, I quietly made my way toward the mansion. Memories from the past ten years were embedded everywhere. I traced them with fresh eyes.
After walking for several minutes, I finally reached the front entrance.
“Baron Marbes!”
“Rachel!”
Rachel, who had been waiting at the entrance, spotted me and ran over.
I was glad to see her as she greeted me with a polite bow.
“Have you been well?”
“I’ve been fine. And you, Rachel?”
“Thanks to your concern, I’ve been well too. Please come in. The master is waiting for you.”
Following Rachel’s lead, I entered the mansion. As expected, Ains—the master of the estate—did not come out to greet me.
That was only natural. There was no need to create unnecessary awkwardness.
If anything, it would have been more uncomfortable if he had come out.
Pushing the thought aside, I followed Rachel up the stairs. At last, we reached Grandfather’s bedroom.
“Master, Baron Cecil Marbes has arrived.”
Knock, knock. Rachel lightly tapped on the door and announced my arrival.
“Come in.”
Soon, Grandfather’s voice granted permission.
Rachel opened the door and stepped aside so I could enter.
Inside, I saw Grandfather lying in bed. It had only been about a month since I left the estate, yet he looked far worse than before.
“Grandfather.”
As I approached and called out to him, a faint smile spread across his face.
“You’ve come, Cecil. Sit there. Your legs will hurt if you keep standing.”
The attendant caring for him placed a chair beside the bed so I could sit comfortably.
I sat down and took Grandfather’s hand. It was wrinkled and thin.
When I first held his hand and entered this estate, it had been rough and calloused from years of wielding a sword—strong and solid.
But illness and age had made it so frail.
And his face—far more gaunt than even a month ago. Only now did I understand why Dr. Watt had suggested I come see him.
Faced with this reality, tears quickly welled up in my dry eyes.
“Have you been well? You look thinner.”
“I’m the same as always. I’m more worried about you. I heard you divorced Ains and returned to the Marbes estate. Has it been difficult?”
Grandfather asked in a weak, aged voice.
“I’m fine. When we divorced, the Duke of Graham gave me a generous settlement, so I’m living comfortably without lacking anything.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Grandfather smiled gently, soft wrinkles forming around his eyes. His kind nature still remained unchanged.
“It must have been uncomfortable for you to come here. I suppose I’ve caused you worry.”
“Not at all. I should have visited more often—I’m the one who should apologize. If the Duke doesn’t mind, I’ll come by more frequently from now on.”
“Then I should speak to Ains. That wretched boy is always busy with work and rarely shows his face here—what right does he have to stop you from visiting me?”
“So he still doesn’t come often.”
Even before the divorce, Ains had been rather neglectful toward his grandfather.
Because of that, Grandfather would often call him cold-hearted, and Ains never denied it. Their relationship had been strained ever since that incident.
“He’s always been like that. He believes I’m the one who killed his father.”
“Grandfather…”
“It’s not entirely wrong. I urged my son—who was broken after losing his wife—to join a subjugation of monsters.”
Grandfather shifted his gaze to the ceiling, as if recalling the distant past.
“I thought that keeping himself busy would help him forget the pain. As you know, Alex was an unparalleled swordsman in the Empire.”
Alex Graham—Ains’s father and Grandfather’s son—had been so skilled that he served as the commander of the Imperial Royal Guard.
So it wasn’t strange that he joined the large-scale expedition to subjugate the monsters in the northern forest.
After losing his wife to illness, he had been deeply distressed. It was Grandfather who suggested he join the expedition.
Following that suggestion, he went. Everyone believed, as always, that he would return safely—Grandfather included.
But when the expedition ended, what returned to the Graham estate was not Alex himself, but his corpse and belongings.
“If I had known he would come back dead, I would never have sent him.”
Grandfather’s grip tightened around my hand. Soon, tears gathered in his eyes.
“It’s not your fault. It was an accident.”
I tried to comfort him, but he only gave a faint, hollow smile.
“Thank you for saying that, Cecil. Because of me, you must have been resented a great deal by Ains as well.”
He let out a quiet sigh.
“I wonder if I made you both unhappy by bringing you together in the first place.”
“That’s not true. At least, I was happy while I was here.”
Grandfather looked into my eyes for a long time. His gaze was filled with both guilt and concern.
“How about staying for dinner tonight? I plan to dine in the hall today as well.”
His sudden suggestion left me hesitant.
It wasn’t difficult to dine with Grandfather—but the thought of running into Ains troubled me.
Still, I soon nodded.
“Yes, I’ll stay for dinner.”
Ains rarely ate in the dining hall anyway. The chances of encountering him were low.
And even if we did meet, there was no reason for me to hide. I had already informed him yesterday that I would be visiting Grandfather, and he hadn’t objected.
I was a proper guest. There was no need to run away like a thief caught in the act.
Until evening, I stayed by Grandfather’s side, keeping him company.
Aside from a couple of hours spent walking each day, he remained in his bedroom. The only people who visited him were servants attending to his needs, so he must have been terribly lonely.
Back when I lived here, I would talk with him every day. But now that I had divorced, even that was no longer possible.
I couldn’t begin to imagine how much he must have longed for conversation.
“By the way, it was His Majesty’s birthday a few days ago. Nothing unusual happened, did it? That stubborn old man must have invited you as well.”
“Ah… that day.”
At the mention of it, I hesitated.
It hadn’t been a pleasant ball.
It was the night I truly felt the weight of my new position—no longer the Duchess of Graham, but Baron Marbes.
And the looks people gave me, the things they said…
I realized just how naïve I had been all this time.
I had been nothing more than a flower in a greenhouse. People had been kind and courteous to me only because I was the Duchess of Graham—and I had never noticed.
It wasn’t their fault.
They simply acted according to their interests. The kindness they once showed me had all been an act—and I had been too foolish to see it.
Recalling that day, I let out a bitter smile.
