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Chapter 11
In the Libre Empire, it wasn’t common for a woman to inherit her family title instead of a man—but it wasn’t unheard of either.
If there were no sons in the direct line, if a daughter proved more capable than her brothers, or if a son had serious health or mental issues that made him unfit to succeed, then a daughter could become the head of the family.
Of course, achieving that wasn’t easy. A woman had to overcome the old-fashioned beliefs of her father’s generation while proving herself both in managing the family’s affairs and navigating high society. Only after earning recognition both inside and outside the household could she hope to inherit.
Still, it wasn’t impossible. Throughout history, there had even been several female heads of noble houses who had restored their families to greatness.
“So Aunt had once been chosen as the next family head…”
I had always known she was extraordinary, but she was even more remarkable than I had imagined.
I stared at her with wide eyes.
“So… did you give up becoming the head of the family in order to marry Uncle?”
If what Aunt said was true, then she should have been the current head of House Mason.
…Yet the title of Margrave Mason belonged to my father, while Aunt remained in the capital as the Marchioness of Wellington.
Knowing Aunt’s bold and cold-headed personality, I couldn’t imagine she had simply been pushed aside by Father.
At the same time, she didn’t strike me as the kind of romantic woman who would abandon such a position for love.
Sensing my confusion, Aunt smiled crookedly.
“Yes… that’s what everyone believes. They all think I came to the capital because I married.”
She looked off into the distance as she spoke, her tone carrying hidden meaning.
Could it be…
She hadn’t come to the capital for love—
She had come because someone had stolen her rightful place?
And if that were true…
How had Father become the family head?
Seeing the silent question in my eyes, Aunt chuckled.
“Don’t look at me like that. Even though I saw through your father’s intentions long ago, there was a reason I never told you.”
“…A reason? Mine?”
How was any of this my fault?
As I stared at her in disbelief, she nodded with a gentle smile.
“Yes. When you first came here, all you ever did was watch your father’s reactions. It was obvious you desperately wanted his attention. In that situation, how could I tell you not to be manipulated by him? You would never have listened.”
“…Was I really like that?”
Her words stopped my thoughts in their tracks.
Then…
In my previous life…
Was that why Aunt had remained silent back then as well?
“Anyone could see it,” she continued. “If I had tried to warn you, you would only have avoided me and believed your father instead. So I kept quiet. But yesterday I heard that you finally stood up to him. I thought perhaps now you’d at least listen instead of running away.”
She shrugged lightly.
“Young people always want to do exactly what they’re told not to do.”
The smile she gave me was somehow different from the ones I’d seen before.
As I quietly studied her expression, she reached over and gently patted my shoulder.
“This isn’t the place for such a long conversation. Let’s go join the men first. I don’t know what your father will do next, so you’ll need connections of your own.”
“In that regard, Duke Fontaine will be a very useful card to have.”
She added the last part casually before starting to walk away.
Although she said it so lightly, my head was spinning.
Father had stolen Aunt’s rightful position.
He had never intended to pass the family to me, regardless of whether I married the Crown Prince.
And now…
I suddenly needed connections?
I’d only used Asiard as a convenient excuse to avoid him, but somehow I’d ended up learning far more than I ever expected.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Lost in thought, I had remained standing where I was until Aunt called out again.
I looked blankly at her waiting figure before finally coming back to my senses.
What’s important is that Aunt has decided to help me.
She had once been considered worthy of becoming the next family head.
Surely I could learn far more from her than from the father who had completely neglected me.
With that thought, I finally forced my frozen feet to move.
“I’m coming, Aunt.”
“Good. That’s the right decision.”
She smiled broadly as I approached.
Then the two of us walked side by side toward our destination.
* * *
“I thought you only knew the basic rules!”
“Haha, you’re too kind. Playing against someone so skilled made me far more nervous than usual. I simply got lucky.”
“Duke, games are much like life. One must think several moves ahead, stay completely focused, and still smile as though nothing is happening. It seems you’ve already mastered that attitude. I must admit you’ve bested me.”
Despite the cheerful laughter around the table, Asiard was slowly burning up inside.
He had gone to considerable lengths to learn Othello after hearing it was the Marquess of Wellington’s only hobby, but his limited skill was gradually being exposed.
More importantly…
The person he had come to see still hadn’t appeared.
He had believed the rumors that the Marquess and his wife always welcomed guests together.
Naturally, he had assumed Eloise—who adored her uncle—would also appear.
Perhaps that assumption had been mistaken.
Maintaining the polite smile he wore while speaking with the Marquess, Asiard glanced once more toward the door.
Please… let her walk through that door.
If she does… perhaps I’ll finally be able to sleep peacefully tonight.
“You seem worried about Lady Eloise.”
“…Pardon?”
“You’ve been looking at the door this entire time.”
“Oh… have I? My apologies.”
“No apology needed.” The Marquess laughed warmly. “Compared to an old man like me, it’s only natural your eyes would be drawn to a flower in full bloom like my niece.”
The Marquess of Wellington truly was as kind-hearted as ever.
Watching the middle-aged noble laugh so openly, Asiard smiled faintly.
He had wanted to meet this man again.
The man who had always encouraged Eloise whenever she struggled to fit into high society.
The man everyone described as gentle.
The model of a good husband.
The model of a good man.
Having grown up without a father beneath the strict hand of his grandfather, Asiard had always admired someone like him.
Yet…
The warmth in the Marquess’s eyes disappeared in an instant.
“However, Duke…”
His gaze sharpened.
“Winning that child’s heart won’t be easy.”
“And persuading her father… will be even harder.”
Eloise’s father.
Asiard quietly met the Marquess’s piercing gaze before smiling faintly.
“…That sounds less like advice… and more like a warning. Am I mistaken?”
“Perhaps it’s merely an old man’s needless concern.” He smiled again. “I never had children of my own, so after seeing my niece again after so many years… she feels almost like my own daughter.”
A man warning someone about the girl’s own father…
That wasn’t exactly ordinary.
But Asiard had already considered countless possibilities.
Without asking further questions, he simply nodded.
“I’ll remember your words.”
“Thank you. I have a feeling you and I will be seeing each other quite often from now on.”
“I’m sure we will. I’ll treasure your sincere advice.”
“Haha… now you’re making me embarrassed.”
Though he laughed, the Marquess’s eyes drifted back toward the door.
Was he waiting for his wife?
There was a quiet longing in his expression.
Looking at him, Asiard couldn’t help thinking that the Marquess and Eloise resembled each other.
Eloise sometimes wore that same lonely look.
Even during the brief conversations they’d shared, he had often caught that expression.
Who had she been longing for?
It was a question he had never asked while he still had the chance.
Now…
There was no one left to answer.
A dull ache rose in his chest, but once again he forced himself to suppress it.
Breaking the silence, he spoke.
“This may be an impertinent question, Marquess.”
“Please, go ahead.”
A thought had suddenly crossed his mind.
What if…
What if Eloise hadn’t been born into House Mason?
What if this gentle, warm-hearted Marquess and his steadfast wife had been her parents instead?
Smiling softly, Asiard continued.
“I couldn’t help noticing…”
“Lady Eloise resembles you quite a bit.”
“…Eloise resembles me?”
The Marquess’s eyes widened in complete surprise.
His reaction was so unexpected that Asiard himself was taken aback.
Among everyone surrounding Eloise, only the Marquess possessed that same warm and gentle disposition.
They hadn’t spent much time together, so it wasn’t likely she’d consciously learned from him.
And yet…
She had somehow inherited his very nature.
Considering how deeply he cherished his only niece, Asiard had assumed the Marquess must have noticed it too.
Instead, the older man froze before bursting into laughter.
He looked delighted.
And somehow…
Still astonished.
“You’ve never thought about it?”
“Well…” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “When I say I cherish her like my own daughter, I truly mean it. But after my marriage, I only saw her once or twice. The truth is… I don’t know her nearly as well as I’d like.”
“I see.”
“I’ve tried my best to make sure she can relax while she’s staying here. Still… I never expected to hear something like that.”
The Marquess laughed happily.
“I thought you were only good at games, Duke. It turns out you’re quite skilled with flattering words too.”
“I’m not flattering you. I’m only saying what I honestly observed.”
“Haha. I warned you to be careful around Count Mason, yet now it feels as though you’re trying to win me over instead.”
“That’s only your imagination, Marquess.”
The two men laughed together.
If nothing else, Asiard was certain of one thing.
The Marquess genuinely liked him.
And that was all he had wanted from the beginning.
Count Mason had never mattered.
The count belonged to the Crown Prince.
The person who truly mattered to Eloise…
Was the man sitting in front of him.
Among all the adults in her life, the only ones Eloise had truly loved were her late nanny, her mother…
…and her uncle, the Marquess of Wellington.
If he won over the people who mattered to her—
Everyone else…
Didn’t concern him in the slightest.
As Asiard smiled in quiet satisfaction—
The door finally opened.
“Is the game still not over?”
The face he had been waiting for all evening finally appeared.
* * *
“I have a feeling we’re interrupting something.”
“I was thinking the same. It almost feels like we’re intruding on the younger generation.”
Aunt and Uncle exchanged knowing whispers while deliberately glancing between Asiard and me.
Loud enough for everyone to hear.
Pretending not to notice, I turned my attention toward the finished Othello board.
“How do you play this, Uncle?”
I tried changing the subject.
But—
“Ask Duke Fontaine to teach you. He’s better at it than I am.”
“Ah… but, Uncle…”
“He hasn’t stopped looking at you.”
With a playful wink, Uncle gestured toward Asiard standing beside me.
He had been staring at me with desperate eyes the entire time.
Seriously… why is he doing this so openly in front of everyone?
Suppressing the urge to glare at him, I forced an awkward smile toward Uncle.
At this rate, even the most oblivious person would realize how he felt about me.
“Oh… I’m sorry, my lady. I was distracted for a moment…”
Even his response came too late.
As though he truly couldn’t think about anything except me.
…He’s not usually someone who wears his emotions so openly.
Feeling my face grow hot, I quickly turned away, hoping to escape his gaze.
It didn’t help.
Even without looking at him, I could still feel those unwavering eyes following me.
Seeing my obvious embarrassment, Uncle tried steering the conversation back to Othello.
But even while answering him, Asiard never once took his eyes off me.
It was as if…
He wanted to make absolutely certain—
Right in front of my aunt and uncle—
That everyone knew he was interested in me.
Honestly… he’s making this unbearably awkward.
