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Chapter : 25
Raiden suddenly thought Lucy was more valuable than ever. Anna looked sad, not knowing this.
Raiden shook his head and explained,
“The butler is getting rid of untrustworthy servants. And isn’t it a secret that you’re staying here? If the butler leaves the mansion too, everyone will quickly find out you’re not there.”
Anna stayed quiet.
“Someone still needs to guard the house.”
“That’s… true,” Anna agreed.
She couldn’t argue. And Raiden was helping her even when he was so busy. She felt like she could only complain if she was truly ungrateful.
As Anna felt disappointed in herself, Raiden comforted her with a gentle voice.
“I’ll fix everything as fast as I can. So don’t worry too much.”
“Raiden, you must be so busy. I’m sorry for making it harder for you,” Anna mumbled.
Raiden smiled softly.
“Don’t say that. You’re always my first priority.”
He looked at her deeply and added,
“You know how I feel, don’t you?”
Anna looked up and saw the stormy emotions in Raiden’s gray eyes. His strong gaze made her nervous, as if he wanted an answer from her.
“Yes, I know,” Anna said quickly. Raiden’s expression relaxed.
“I’ll bring your maid right away.”
“Thank you,” Anna said, her heart melting with happiness at seeing Lucy again. Raiden stared at her, then stood up.
“You should go rest. Silla, take the young lady.”
Silla, who was now Anna’s close maid at Marcus Castle, quickly came to help. Anna stood up with her help and left the room. Just before the door closed, Anna saw Louis walking toward Raiden.
At the moment their eyes met, Louis gave Anna a meaningful smile. The door closed with a thud.
Listening to Raiden’s footsteps, Louis slowly spoke.
“First priority, huh.”
Raiden, now calm, looked over his papers and answered,
“It’s not a lie.”
Louis nodded with a faint smile.
“Everything is going better than we thought.”
Raiden leaned back and said casually,
“The attack worked well.”
“They were really scared. Well, I planned it, but I didn’t think the Count would give up so easily. He even tried to kidnap her twice!”
Raiden thought,
‘It was good I secretly put guards on her in Vestin. When I heard about the broken carriage, I felt cold inside.’
‘That crazy man. Even if she isn’t his real child, he still cared for her once.’
Louis shook his head.
“He even told the property manager about the secret passage. It’s still shocking.”
“How is he doing now?” Raiden asked.
“He’s living well in Oxborough under a new name, thanks to my help.”
Louis added proudly,
“Now that the freckled maid is coming, Anna will completely turn to you after she hears the latest news about the Count.”
“Of course,” Raiden replied firmly.
Louis stared, but Raiden just focused on his papers.
Then Louis asked suddenly,
“By the way, I think she really likes you, Marquis.”
Raiden snorted,
“It’s just attention for a toy.”
His eyes flashed dangerously as he stared at the papers.
“She’ll never see me as an equal.”
But deep down, he felt regret.
‘If she loved me like I loved her… if our childhood feelings were real…’
‘At least, when it’s all over, I hope she feels pain like I do. But that will never happen.’
Louis nodded.
“I guess you’re right… But, to someone else, it really looks real.”
Raiden didn’t reply, but his jaw tightened. He realized Louis was talking about him.
Louis asked one more thing,
“Are you really not planning to marry her?”
“No. After making it look like we’re close, I’ll take all her wealth and then leave her.”
“Even that would be very painful for a woman,” Louis said, sighing inside.
‘But that would only steal her family’s money,’ Louis thought.
‘The Evercline family is old and rich, so Anna must have a huge personal fortune.’
Louis pressed again,
“If you marry her, you could hurt her even more when you leave.”
Raiden glanced at him and replied,
“I’ll think about it.”
He thought about Anna. She had turned bright red when he kissed her hand. Her teary eyes still had the same effect as before.
It wasn’t just that. His heart beat fast, and his breath quickened, just like when they used to love each other.
‘Foolish… I feel like a dog, left behind, staring at the door waiting for its owner to come back.’
He slammed his papers on the table, stood up, and left the room without a word. Louis almost followed, but didn’t. Raiden’s face looked too miserable.
Louis sighed quietly.
Raiden kept his promise. Two days later, Lucy came to Anna at Marcus Castle. Anna had been nervously waiting at the castle gate since morning. The moment she saw Lucy get out of the carriage, she ran to her.
“Lucy!”
“My lady!”
They crashed into each other in the courtyard, hugging tightly, then holding hands and jumping with joy. The people nearby laughed or watched in surprise. But after a moment, Anna grabbed Lucy’s face and scolded her.
“Why does your face look so thin? Did you stop eating because I wasn’t there?”
Lucy had a habit of not eating when Anna was away. Anna had worried about leaving her behind. But Lucy quickly shook her head.
“No, I ate well. I just couldn’t sleep because I missed you.”
Anna felt emotional and pretended to act tough.
“But you were the one who said we had to contact Raiden right away!”
Lucy grinned.
“That’s because your safety is most important! Besides… look at you. You look amazing now. I was right, wasn’t I?”
Lucy looked at Anna’s fancy clothes with pride. Anna rolled her eyes but didn’t really mind.
“Fine. You’re always right. Happy now?”
“Yes!” Lucy giggled and hooked her arm with Anna’s. The two of them walked across the courtyard, laughing freely. Silla followed quietly behind.
“Did you hear the news, my lady?”
After unpacking in her new room, Lucy sat with Anna for tea. Even before she sat down, she started talking.
“What news?” Anna asked, pushing a plate of fruit to Lucy. Raiden had said just two days ago that nothing special was happening.
Lucy lowered her voice, as if sharing a big secret.
“The Count of Evercline has disappeared.”
Anna’s hand slipped, and her fork fell to the floor with a clang. Silla, waiting nearby, quickly replaced it.
Anna’s face went pale as she finally managed to speak.
“What did you just say?”
Lucy looked at her with sympathy.
“Butler Henry says even the guest house has been empty for a while. He thinks the Count already took everything out before the attack on you…”
