ITHTJ 19

Chapter : 19

Somehow Suspicious People (4)

‘I shouldn’t get swept up by such shallow flattery.’

Ever since being adopted into the Grand Duke’s household, he had rarely received sincere praise.
The former Grand Duke, Cesare, had been a strict man.

“If you are to inherit my position, you must become perfect, Eclipse.”

Until the moment of his death, he had been obsessed with turning Eclipse—who was born a commoner—into a proper successor.
Perhaps because of that, Cesare never once spoke kindly to him, claiming it would only weaken Eclipse’s resolve.

“You cannot become my successor by being pleased with achievements of that level. Try harder.”

And since the former Grand Duke was like that, the former Grand Duchess, Aileen, was no different.
Even Silbern, his closest aide, was not the type to flatter others. Lynette was the same.

‘I can’t let myself be shaken by sweet talk. It’s probably just a ploy to test my feelings.’

Considering how unused he was to praise, it was almost inevitable that he would be momentarily dazzled by Elsie’s flattery.

He was reproaching himself when—

“Your Grace, the Saintess has come to see you.”

Silbern delivered the news in a low voice.

Eclipse let out a faint sigh and nodded.
Moments later, Lynette appeared, practically bouncing in with a bright, beaming face.

“What are you doing? Are you busy?”

“No. I was just taking a short break.”

“Really? Then I came at the perfect time.”

She was smiling ear to ear, as if something delighted her greatly.
He couldn’t let his younger sister see him looking dispirited.

Eclipse forced a smile.

“You look happy, Lynette.”

“Yeah! Today’s magic class was so much fun. Ah, I can’t wait for Thursday to come.”

“Was it really that enjoyable?”

“Of course! Holy magic is just boring and not fun at all, but magic class is entertaining—starting with how the teacher teases us.”

“……Lynette.”

“Oh.”

She shrugged her shoulders with an awkward expression.

“I messed up again. Um, well… okay. Holy magic is fairly worth learning too. The priests’ nagging is annoying, but I guess you get used to it if you hear it often enough.”

Watching Lynette chatter away on the reception sofa, Eclipse pondered.

Just what was it about Elsie that she liked so much?

‘I should warn her not to get too emotionally attached to a Bloomhire…’

But seeing Lynette so happy made his heart soften for no good reason.

Eclipse sat down across from her.
As if she had been waiting for it, a question flew at him.

“By the way, Brother. What do you think about the teacher?”

Eclipse met Lynette’s gaze as she stared at him intently.

What was the intent behind this question?

‘By “teacher”… she must mean Elsie Bloomhire.’

Feigning ignorance, Eclipse asked back,

“You have no less than eight teachers, Lynette. You’ll have to tell me which one you mean.”

“Who else? Obviously Elsie.”

Lynette wrinkled her nose and muttered curtly, as if dissatisfied with his response.

“You know exactly who I mean. Anyway.”

She leaned her upper body forward and spoke in a whisper.

“What do you think? Hm?”

“……”

“Be honest.”

How was he supposed to answer such a vague question?

His deliberation didn’t last long.

“She’s more capable than she looks.”

“Eh.”

Lynette clicked her tongue lightly and shook her head.

“That’s cliché. Rejected.”

What kind of creative answer was she expecting?

Eclipse furrowed his brow slightly and crossed his arms.

“Say something else. Something softer and gentler. For example—yes—how you felt when you saw Elsie’s appearance. Something like that. Okay?”

Soft and gentle?

Whatever that was, it clearly didn’t suit him at all.

‘Not cliché, soft and gentle, and based on her outward appearance…’

Still, he had to answer—whether or not it was what Lynette wanted to hear.

Eclipse lowered his eyelids and traced his thoughts back.

“First of all.”

“First of all?”

“She’s small.”

Seen up close, Elsie was a very small woman.
Her frame was so slender that it seemed like she might topple over if poked lightly with a fingertip.
Her skin was pale, and her round eyes gave her the impression of a small herbivorous animal.

‘Is her small stature due to something innate? Perhaps for the same reason as mine.’

A childhood memory surfaced.

What had he been like when he lived scraping by on dirt floors?
Surviving on porridge made from wild grass or bread mixed with stones meant poor nutrition, and as a result, he had been noticeably smaller than his peers.

But after entering the Grand Duke’s estate, he grew rapidly by the day.
Before he knew it, he had grown larger than Aileen, and in the blink of an eye, he surpassed even the former Grand Duke.

‘If it weren’t for my sister and the former Grand Duke, I would look very different now.’

Come to think of it, Stella’s memorial day was approaching.
He had been so busy lately that he had nearly forgotten.

No matter how busy he was, he should never forget the memorial days of his sister and the former Grand Duke…

‘I almost forgot.’

As he silently reflected, Lynette asked in a probing tone,

“Isn’t there anything else?”

Her face clearly said, That can’t be all, right?

Eclipse knew well that no matter what he said, he would not meet the expectations of his one and only sister.

‘What kind of answer does she want, anyway?’

Lynette, full of curiosity, sometimes asked the strangest questions.
Each time, Eclipse would agonize for nights on end just to give her a sincere answer.

But this question—he truly had no idea.

Even if an answer existed, it was not something he could say now.

“Well, aside from that, I’m not sure.”

“Just one more word. Hm? Just one word.”

“…Hmm.”

A woman who hid her true intentions beneath a small, round appearance.
A person all the more enigmatic because he didn’t know which direction those intentions were aimed.

That was how Eclipse viewed Elsie.

“……”

After a brief pause, he organized his thoughts and spoke calmly.

“She’s very… small. And round.”

That was as far as Eclipse could go.
He stripped away every personal thought swirling in his head and conveyed only the most objective information.

Hearing his answer, Lynette asked incredulously,

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t it feel like you skipped over a lot?”

Eclipse nodded silently.

Lynette let out a deep sigh.

“Small and tiny mean the same thing to begin with. And yes, Elsie is round, but that’s something anyone could say—not just you.”

She leaned her body back and muttered under her breath, sounding disappointed.

“I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

“…Honestly. You’ve gotten so boring from working too much. You weren’t like this before—”

After a brief silence, Lynette’s shoulders drooped.

“No. Come to think of it, you’ve always been the same. I guess I just forgot for a moment.”

“…….”

“Like I always say, you think too much. And you never tell anyone what you’re thinking—not Silbern, your butler, not even me, your family.”

“…….”

“To be honest, I wish you’d open up to me a little more. Sometimes it’s really frustrating.”

But Eclipse did not open his mouth.

More precisely, he couldn’t.

‘I don’t want to burden Lynette, at least.’

Eclipse understood his own position well.

Even if he bore the name of Ledeir for now, one day he was destined to step down from that place.
He was nothing more than a tool to pave the way until Lynette ascended the throne safely.

Getting close to someone like him would bring Lynette no benefit.
On the contrary, it would only invite scrutiny and criticism from others.

‘I’m sorry, Lynette.’

That was why he had no choice but to remain silent.

It was fine if Lynette hated him.
His existence was merely a cornerstone for her future.

“……”

After a long silence, Lynette suddenly stood up and muttered in a sulky voice,

“I’ll get going now. You must be busy—sorry for interrupting.”

With that, Lynette left the office.

Eclipse watched her retreating figure in silence.