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Chapter 9
The Imperial Palace wasn’t far from the Wellington estate.
By the time Aunt’s uncontrollable laughter had finally died down and I found the silence inside the carriage too unbearable to endure, we had already arrived at the mansion.
I wanted to ask her so many more questions.
But returning to the past hadn’t changed my personality overnight.
I simply settled for the fact that I’d spoken more than I usually did and stepped out of the carriage.
“Be wary of your father. He is far more difficult to understand than you realize.”
Even after changing into more comfortable clothes in my room, Aunt’s cryptic parting words kept echoing in my mind.
I’d always wondered this whenever I received her letters in the North.
She was Father’s younger sister…
Yet did she truly have no affection for him at all?
It was such a simple question, yet one I’d never been able to answer.
In my previous life, all she’d ever said was that if Father returned to the North, I was welcome to stay at the estate for as long as I wished.
She’d never spent extra time with me.
Never shown any particular interest in me.
But neither had she spent much time with Father.
In the end, I’d simply concluded she was an impossible person to read.
Yet now…
I wasn’t so sure anymore.
Originally, Aunt rarely spoke to anyone besides Uncle.
Could the reason she seemed different now…
…be because I had begun acting differently from my previous life?
Her warning about Father refused to leave my mind.
Neither did the strangely satisfied look she’d worn as she said it.
While I sat lost in thought…
Someone knocked on my door.
“Eloise. May I come in?”
“Ah, yes. Please come in.”
Uncle’s gentle voice sounded from outside.
I hurried over and opened the door.
“I hope I’m not disturbing your rest.”
“Not at all.”
Smiling warmly, Uncle pushed a serving trolley into the room.
“What’s this, Uncle?”
“I thought it might help you relax.”
On the trolley sat my favorite sweet cake alongside a pot of richly brewed black tea.
The thoughtful gesture alone was touching.
But the fact that a marquis had personally wheeled it all the way here for a niece who would only be staying a short while…
That was remarkable.
I couldn’t help smiling.
“Thank you, Uncle. I was just thinking about asking Jenna to bring me some tea. Please, come in.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t too late.”
He really…
was such a considerate person.
The complete opposite of Aunt, whose thoughts were impossible to read.
Even in my previous life, I’d always found Uncle much easier to be around.
He had always been this kind.
Always this warm.
If anyone had truly helped me back then…
It wasn’t Aunt.
It was Uncle.
Looking at the man who hadn’t changed at all, I quietly hid a bittersweet smile.
“So?”
“Are you feeling a little better now?”
He set a teacup down in front of me.
I nodded.
“I’ve been fine ever since you appeared earlier.”
“Thank you so much for helping me.”
“I hardly did anything.”
“I merely exchanged a few words with His Highness.”
He laughed sheepishly and scratched his cheek.
He was so humble…
And honestly, rather adorable.
No wonder Aunt cared for him so much.
I smiled.
“You have no idea how relieved I was.”
“It was lucky everyone else showed up when they did. Otherwise, things could’ve become very serious.”
“Hm?”
“Ah… haha…”
“That’s true.”
“They all happened to arrive just in time…”
The moment I casually mentioned it…
Uncle let out an awkward laugh before hurriedly lifting his teacup and taking a sip.
When I looked at him, he immediately avoided my eyes.
For some reason…
It felt strangely familiar.
I didn’t know Uncle particularly well.
But there was one thing I did know.
He was terrible at lying.
Watching him avert his gaze just like earlier, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Uncle.”
“Y-Yes?”
“What is it, Eloise?”
He smiled brightly, inviting me to ask whatever was on my mind.
His kindness was so natural that I almost laughed despite the serious question I wanted to ask.
When I smiled, he smiled back.
A warm silence settled between us.
Until I finally spoke.
“About what happened at the party…”
“The timing was just too perfect.”
“…Hm?”
The smile gradually disappeared from Uncle’s face.
Seeing that expression…
I suddenly became certain.
“Was that… something you and Aunt asked Duke Fontaine to do?”
“…Eh?”
“I thought I saw the two of you exchanging signals earlier.”
“So I wondered…”
“If that’s true, then I should properly thank him as well.”
The more seriously I spoke…
The more flustered Uncle became.
At first, I’d dismissed it as my imagination.
But after talking with Aunt…
Everything began fitting together.
Whether Aunt had approached Asiard first…
Or Asiard had volunteered…
His influence had clearly played a part in resolving the situation so smoothly.
If he had stepped in personally, the Crown Prince might’ve become even more hostile.
So instead…
He put Uncle at the front.
Meanwhile, he and Aunt quietly gathered people behind the scenes.
“The Crown Prince seems to have disappeared.”
“Something’s happening in the garden.”
With people like Aunt and Asiard…
Leading curious guests toward the garden wouldn’t have been difficult at all.
Then, if the Crown Prince lost his temper…
Everyone would witness it.
The situation would naturally come to an end.
That must’ve been their plan.
I quietly lifted my teacup while Uncle continued fumbling for words.
He truly…
couldn’t lie.
“W-Well…”
“Eloise…”
“The thing is…”
“It’s all right, Uncle.”
“You can tell me honestly.”
If Asiard had really helped me…
Then I’d simply write him a letter of thanks.
Whether a single letter was enough repayment was another matter.
But still…
“Well…”
“The truth is…”
Just as I was wondering how to thank Asiard without meeting him face to face…
Uncle finally spoke.
“He immediately agreed to help us.”
Ah.
Just as I thought.
Aunt had noticed the situation…
And Asiard had cooperated.
Among everyone there—aside from the imperial family—
Asiard held the highest rank.
It really had been the best solution.
“So…”
“To thank him…”
But Uncle still hadn’t finished.
He hesitated again before continuing.
“We invited Duke Fontaine to dinner tomorrow evening.”
“The last time he visited the estate, I don’t think we properly welcomed him.”
“I did wonder if that might make you uncomfortable.”
“But he helped you.”
“So I thought… perhaps we could all thank him together.”
That sentence hit me like a hammer to the head.
* * *
No matter how I thought about it…
None of this made any sense.
Since last night…
Only one thought had occupied my mind.
Today…
Asiard was coming.
And not because he’d been pressured.
Because he’d wanted to.
“I told him we’d gladly repay the favor however we could.”
“But he said there was no need for that. He simply suggested we share a meal together sometime. Since both your aunt and I happened to be free tomorrow evening…”
Even in my previous life…
Uncle had been one of the very few people who genuinely understood Asiard’s circumstances and treated him sincerely.
Not simply because he was his nephew-in-law.
Uncle had always said Asiard was a wonderful man in his own right.
He’d genuinely enjoyed spending time with him.
Even Asiard—
A man who divided the world into people to use and people to avoid—
had enjoyed meeting Uncle.
Watching the two of them together had always made me smile.
…But that only happened after we were married.
It shouldn’t be happening now.
At this point in time…
Asiard had avoided people whenever possible.
He rarely even spoke.
The relaxed conversation we’d shared on the terrace had already been extraordinary.
So why…
Why had he been the one to suggest dinner?
It made no sense.
“He accepted so readily.”
“Such a polite young man. He speaks remarkably well.”
Those words from Uncle surprised me even more.
Before our marriage…
Asiard had certainly been considered the Empire’s most desirable bachelor.
But that reputation came from his handsome appearance…
His title as Duke…
And his enormous wealth.
Not because he was sociable.
Back then, he disliked interacting with people.
He spoke very little.
His expression was almost always cold.
None of Uncle’s descriptions matched the Asiard I knew.
I’d thought I was the only one who’d changed.
So why did it feel…
…as though Asiard had changed as well?
Bathed in the crimson glow of sunset, I watched a carriage slowly approach.
Why did he come all the way here?
What was he thinking?
After I rejected him so thoroughly…
Why would he willingly return?
My thoughts scattered the moment he stepped out of the carriage.
I unconsciously drew in a breath.
“You shouldn’t be standing outside.”
“The weather is rather cold.”
A gentle smile.
A voice filled with endless kindness.
His neatly combed hair.
His immaculate clothes.
Unlike the simple outfits he usually preferred…
Today’s coat was decorated with elegant ornaments.
It was obvious how much effort he’d put into his appearance.
He’d dressed up.
Far more than usual.
The Asiard standing before me…
was dangerously handsome.
“…A guest is arriving.”
“Of course I had to come greet him.”
“Aunt and Uncle are still getting ready, so I came out first.”
“I see.”
“Then that is fortunate for me.”
And then…
He smiled.
Why did that smile make him seem so radiant?
For just a moment…
Only a brief moment…
My mind went completely blank.
Forcing a smile of my own, I turned away.
“This way, please.”
“They should be ready by now.”
An Asiard who looked like this…
was dangerous.
Whenever he’d deliberately dressed up in the past…
I’d never once managed to refuse anything he asked of me.
After all…
How many people could say no to someone they loved when he smiled at them with such a beautiful face?
Determined not to be charmed again, I walked ahead without taking my eyes off the path.
I still didn’t know why he’d come.
Nor what he was thinking.
For now…
The important thing was simply getting through this evening.
Keeping my mouth shut, I silently led him inside.
If he hadn’t spoken…
Perhaps we would’ve reached the dining room without incident.
But then…
“I’m sorry if my visit has inconvenienced you.”
“But I truly wanted to see you again.”
His quiet voice…
Soft enough to brush against my ears…
Carried a longing that made my heart ache.
