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Chapter 49
“Auntie never kept secrets from me. But now she has one. Auntie respected my secrets, and I know I shouldn’t be like this, but…”
Fei clutched at her wrinkled clothes.
“I was curious about the secret Auntie made.”
Her head drooped low.
“…Sowwy.”
Fei had always wanted to come along whenever I went out. But whenever I went to see Mikael, I had to gently tell her no.
Because it simply wasn’t a place for a child.
‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never really kept a secret from her before.’
I looked at Fei, who seemed ready to bury her head in the ground from guilt, and stood up.
Then I handed her a small box of desserts.
“I bought this for you, Fei. Sweets make you feel better, right?”
“Auntie?”
“Of course, sneaking after me was wrong. But since you apologized first, I’ll let it slide this time.”
Fei blinked slowly and accepted the box I offered.
“But how did you follow me?”
“I turned into my divine beast form—made myself teeny-tiny—and hid under the driver’s seat!”
“That’s dangerous… Don’t ever do that again.”
My heart nearly dropped—not because she’d followed me, but because she’d hidden somewhere so risky.
“Okay! I won’t sneak after you next time.”
We hooked pinkies and made a promise. Then I took Fei’s hand—this time really heading back to the mansion.
“But Auntie, how did you meet Mikael?”
“Well… I was out shopping for your present, and we just happened to cross paths. After that, we’ve been helping each other out.”
My conscience, long buried, clawed its way out of the grave and screamed at me for lying to a child.
But how could I tell her the whole story about Mikael?
I shoved that conscience right back underground.
“Hmm. You shouldn’t trust strange men you meet on the street. They could be dangerous.”
He is dangerous, actually.
I averted my gaze.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Shall we go now?”
Fei followed me for a few steps and then suddenly froze.
“Huh? Uncle?”
Uncle? I instinctively turned toward where she was looking—and there stood Lucas.
“Lucas, how did you get here?”
Don’t tell me he followed us too?
“There’s a rat in the mansion. Thought there might be more outside it.”
“…There’s one here too?”
My whole body went cold.
In K-romance novels, “rat” usually means a spy or assassin.
“There isn’t.”
I let out a genuine sigh of relief.
If someone had come after Fei…
With no combat ability, I wouldn’t have been able to do a thing.
Fei might’ve been able to protect herself since she’s a divine beast, but I would’ve just been baggage.
The thought alone made my head spin.
“Scared?”
The duke’s eyes drifted to my clenched fist.
“…A little.”
The idea that I could become a burden to Fei scared me.
No—terrified me.
“I won’t let a single rat slip in again.”
He took my hand, gently prying open my fist before enclosing it in his large palm.
What—why is he holding my hand?
“Lucas…?”
The sudden gesture froze me; all I could manage was his name.
“Don’t worry.”
Heat rushed to my face.
And my heart—pounding like it was about to explode—felt so loud I worried he’d hear it.
I bit my lip to hide my flustered breath.
My eyes darted to Fei—her tail was wagging softly.
Wait… is that tail shaped like a heart?
Before I could be sure, it vanished with a pop.
After returning home, I sat fiddling with my still-damp hair.
Was I overthinking his actions—or did he really mean something by them?
As memories of Lucas kept replaying in my head, my hands fidgeted restlessly before I finally stood.
‘This isn’t like me, just sitting here worrying.’
If nothing else, I’d just ask and find out what he meant.
I knocked on his door, but the room was silent.
I’d only come to check just in case, so I turned to head toward his office.
The closer I got, the more my nerves tingled all over.
What if I embarrassed myself for no reason?
That thought made me stop mid-step.
But only for a moment.
I’d made up my mind—I needed to see it through.
“Lucas, may I come in?”
The door opened—and out stepped Gregor.
“My apologies, Madam, but His Grace is not inside at the moment.”
“Huh? Then where is he…?”
I blinked in confusion. I’d already checked his room.
“He stepped out for a while.”
“Oh…”
A sigh slipped out before I could stop it.
I’d finally gathered the courage to come—only to go home like this.
“If I may ask, what was the reason for your visit? I can relay it to His Grace.”
Then it hit me.
Why do I have to ask Lucas directly, anyway?
I could ask the person closest to him instead.
Since “A Secret Night” was written from Laila’s point of view, my favorite character—the aide Gregor—didn’t get as much screen time.
But one thing the story always emphasized about him: sharp, capable, and perceptive.
So he must have emotional intelligence too, right?
Suddenly, a halo seemed to glow behind his head.
“No, it’s fine. Since I’m here anyway, I wanted to talk to you, Gregor.”
“Me, Madam?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard you’re quite capable—and quick to pick up on things.”
“Hmm-hmm. Is that so?”
He coughed shyly, though he clearly enjoyed the compliment; his shoulders even straightened a little.
“I hesitate to brag, but I did once catch Baron Meron embezzling after spotting inconsistencies in his accounts, and I’ve unmasked lying administrators just by reading their faces.”
His cheeks flushed pink. Then he laughed awkwardly.
“That’s impressive. You have every right to be proud. That’s why I came to ask for your help.”
“I would be honored to assist in any way I can.”
He smiled softly, signaling that he was ready to listen.
“Well…”
The words tangled on my tongue.
I thought it would be easier to talk since it wasn’t Lucas himself—but it wasn’t.
“Someone I know came to me for advice. But I’m… not great with this kind of thing.”
Pretending it was a friend’s problem—how pathetic.
I bit my lip, mortified.
“There’s someone who really disliked my… friend. Whenever my friend tried to approach, that person would act like they didn’t even exist or show open hostility.”
“Acting like someone doesn’t exist—that’s extreme.”
“Right? I thought so too. But lately, they’ve been acting strange.”
“Strange, how?”
“Well… they started tucking her hair behind her ear, putting a finger to her lips, checking if she’s hurt… and even holding her hand, asking if she’s scared.”
“Hmm.”
“Yeah. I just can’t tell what he means by that. What do you think?”
Gregor rested his chin on his hand, eyes lowering thoughtfully.
“Are the two of them close?”
“They see each other every day.”
“Colleagues?”
“…Something like that. They share the same goal.”
I couldn’t exactly say “we’re married,” or it’d be too obvious who I was talking about.
“I see.”
He nodded, eyes sharpening as if he’d already found the answer.
I clenched my fists, waiting for him to speak.
“That man probably doesn’t mean anything special by it.”
“Nothing special? But he even tucked her hair behind her ear while she was pretending to sleep!”
I mimed the gesture, brushing my hair back behind my ear.
Why would someone act like that toward someone pretending to sleep?
“He probably realized she was faking it and was telling her to stop the act.”
“Really…?”
I had closed my eyes mid-conversation so he wouldn’t ask about the nightmare.
It must’ve been obvious I was pretending.
“Then why did he ask if she was scared—and hold her hand?”
“Asking if she’s scared is something anyone could do. As for holding her hand… that’s the curious part.”
My throat went dry as I waited for him to continue.
“Perhaps his goal would’ve been hindered otherwise—so he did it to keep that from happening.”
…Goal.
We’d agreed to act as husband and wife for Fei’s sake—and to maintain a good image for the child.
That was also in front of Fei.
So he held my hand… because of that?
“I see. I’ll tell my friend that—it makes sense. Thank you, Gregor. You were a big help.”
“If I could be of assistance to Madam, that’s all the joy I need.”
I stood to leave but couldn’t quite make myself step away.
I’d called Lucas my “colleague,” and Gregor had answered accordingly.
But if he’d known it was really about Lucas—would he have said the same thing?
The lingering doubt made me turn back.
“Lucas came to where Fei and I were today. Was it because he was worried?
