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Chapter 73
“You’ve really grown into such a proper adult… Somehow, it feels like we’re more childish than you now.”
“Yeah. I feel a bit ashamed for not fully understanding you before. And at the same time, I can’t help but think our youngest is truly remarkable.”
“Watching you work has made me rethink a few things too.”
“My brothers…”
A warm, emotional feeling welled up inside her—it felt like being acknowledged.
What’s going on? Have these brothers really matured? I never thought they would.
“Most importantly, it seems the rumors circulating in the marketplace are completely nonsense, so I can finally feel at ease. There’s no reason to doubt the Duke of the South anymore.”
“Exactly. Duke Helios seems like a good husband. We’ll speak well of him to Mother and Father, so our family doesn’t need to worry anymore.”
“Yeah. I saw them yesterday, hand in hand—eeek!”
Hersh quickly covered the mouth of the third brother, Elliot, before he could continue.
Benjamin’s sly attempt to change the topic didn’t go unnoticed either.
“Haha, our third brother really has no sense sometimes.”
“He still has a long way to go before maturing, brother. Ahaha!”
They all laughed, but just last night, the three brothers had witnessed something clearly:
The expression on their youngest sister Aelin’s face whenever she looked at her husband.
Even with a simple hand-in-hand gesture, her face would flush red. They exchanged silent glances.
It wasn’t childish puppy love—why would both of them turn as red as tomatoes just from holding hands?
They’re married. How could they be so giddy like they’re dating?
“Aelin, I want to ask you something.”
“Hm?”
“You may say no, but from what we saw, this marriage didn’t start with love. Am I right?”
“…….”
“But has there been a change in your feelings?”
“…I don’t think it was intentional.”
Seeing their youngest sister’s face turn pink, Hersh nodded in relief.
“Yeah, it seems so. You look happy, Aelin.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“I wasn’t sure what would happen if I rejected the Duke of the North, but that was a foolish thought. I’ll head off now.”
With a warm hug behind her, the three Edgar brothers departed—carrying the wine and cheese Aelin had packed for them.
On their way back in the carriage:
“Our Aelin… no, I mean the Duchess of the South! What a wonderful person! She even cares about the people! That’s our Aelin!”
The eldest, Hersh, kept praising his youngest sibling without pause.
“Brother, don’t you think they might have a child soon? They’re holding hands like that. Ah, thinking about it, it feels too soon to send Aelin away. Maybe we should have gone back and reinforced the Duke of the South’s discipline a bit more.”
“Don’t worry. He’s taller and bigger than you. Their affection seems solid, so a child will come in due time. Matters like this are none of our concern. After all, in a couple’s issues, aren’t we outsiders? Right, Benjamin?”
The second brother was unusually quiet.
“Oh, you’re right. Considering Aelin has to revitalize the South now—one body won’t be enough, huh, Benjamin?”
Still no response from Benjamin. Hersh and Elliot both turned to look at him.
Benjamin was lost in deep thought, wearing a serious expression as if carrying a massive worry.
Then suddenly, he shouted:
“I remember! I remember now!”
“Ah, you scared me.”
“Benjamin, what’s going on?”
It seemed like something had truly shocked him.
“What did we leave behind?”
“Ah! Floan secretly prepared something for Aelin, but we left it behind!”
At Hersh’s question, Elliot recalled what they had left.
But Benjamin began jumping wildly and shouting:
“That’s not the important part!”
“Why not?”
“That, that… that child! Pia! Pia, that child! I just remembered where I saw her! She can’t be here! The King of Portlion is going crazy searching for his daughter!”
Benjamin, as if praising his own memory, held his head and continued:
“A few years ago, about three or four years back—you all remember our trip to Portlion Kingdom, right?”
Invited by Portlion nobility, Benjamin had attended a banquet at the royal palace, where he heard about the Crown Prince Aragon.
“Was the King absent and only the Crown Prince present?”
“Yes, temporarily. The throne was vacant, and the Crown Prince was managing in the King’s stead. Normally, the kingdom follows matrilineal succession, so the princess should have inherited the throne, but she went missing. The Crown Prince is desperately searching—but hasn’t found her yet.”
Portlion was a unique kingdom with matrilineal succession.
The current throne and Crown Prince position were temporarily held by a scion of the Aragon family.
The princess had fallen in love with the Crown Prince at first sight during the banquet, married shortly after, and soon became pregnant, intending to inherit the throne.
However, the princess’s younger brother secretly staged a rebellion and attacked the palace at night.
The princess fled, separated from the Crown Prince, who also went missing for several years before suddenly returning with an army and defeating the younger brother.
The origin of the Crown Prince’s army and the whereabouts of the rebellious prince remained unknown.
No one cared about the missing princess and her unborn child amid the chaos.
But one thing was certain: the Crown Prince and King, Aragon, was desperately searching for his wife, the future queen, and their child.
Failing to find them, Aragon had no choice but to temporarily assume the throne.
“Why do you say that child is Pia? Sure, they might be around the same age. You didn’t see the princess either, and you were separated before she was born. How could the Crown Prince recognize her?”
“No, he would. She looks exactly like Aragon! And he has dark black hair too! We must go back immediately and tell Aelin!”
The eldest brother intervened:
“Let’s investigate first and confirm the truth before telling her. Then we can inform her.”
Benjamin tilted his head, slightly confused:
“Aelin cares deeply for that child. She’s spent months with her. Rather than abruptly telling her, let’s give her a chance to prepare emotionally. If it turns out to be false, we’d also have to take responsibility for our words.”
“Such deep reasoning! Agreed, brother. But… over the past couple of days, have you changed somehow?”
Among the three, the eldest, usually hot-tempered and impatient, had strangely calmed down. He seemed a bit more mature.
Portlion Kingdom, Royal Office
A man with light brown hair sat in a chair, obsessively searching for something: the missing princess.
Aragon sifted through papers containing witness reports of people resembling her and sighed.
The more he read, the less hope he had of finding his wife… and the more certain he felt of her possible death.
“Aragon, perhaps it’s time to give up.”
“Give up? You mean abandon the Portlion lineage that may still be alive?”
“No, that’s not what I mean…”
“Fidelia must still be alive somewhere.”
At that moment, one of the ministers burst into the office, panting.
“Ah, Aragon!”
“What is it?”
“A representative from the Delphium Empire has arrived. Please see this!”
The minister presented a bracelet set with gold and blue gems.
The moment he saw it, Aragon’s eyes lit up.
“This is Fidelia’s. How did it end up in the hands of a Delphium person—?”
He immediately sprang to his feet.
The bracelet matched Fidelia’s eye color and was one of the engagement gifts he had given her.
