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Chapter 9
“Greetings. I am Carlos of the House of Pianus. I have come to escort the Countess of Mjombeck and the young ladies.”
The black eagle emblem of the House of Pianus engraved upon the pure white carriage shone dazzlingly under the sunlight. Standing in front of the carriage was a boy with a youthful face.
“Countess of Mjombeck?”
“Yes.”
It’s really true. We’ve finally reclaimed Mjombeck at last.
Roselyne felt her heart swell with a blend of excitement and overwhelming emotion.
“Hello, I’m Irene!”
Surprised that a boy close to her age had come to greet them, Irene welcomed him warmly in return. But Ludiana remained frozen in place, her mouth slightly agape, unable to utter a single word.
Carlos came in person!
She had expected him to still be staying with the House of Pianus, but she had never dreamed he would come out to greet them himself.
The boy who, in her past life, would later become the sole heir of the House of Pianus and swallow up even the title of the family that had abandoned him.
In her past life, the first time she had actually seen him in person was, paradoxically, on the day she received her death sentence. She remembered the warmth of the gentle eyes that had looked upon her back then.
That memory had served as her greatest driving force to live through this second life, and the strength to carve out her own path.
The person who gave me the courage to live a new life.
His storm-gray blue eyes, bathed in sunlight, subtly shifted in color, and his gleaming golden hair made his appearance stand out all the more.
In particular, the gentle smile that contrasted with his sharp facial features caught her eye.
As Ludiana kept staring at him blankly, Irene nudged her in the side and whispered.
“Sister, isn’t Sir Carlos really handsome?”
Snapped back to her senses by Irene’s giggling, Ludiana tried awkwardly to hide her flustered expression.
“Hello, I am Ludiana Mjombeck.”
Carlos’s smile—far more mature and gentlemanly than expected for his age—turned toward her.
“His Grace requested that I deliver his apologies for being unable to come in person.”
“It’s alright! Right, Mother? Wow! Look at the carriage!”
Irene blurted out endless exclamations, hopping up and down in excitement.
“Shall we depart, then?”
With a playful smile, Carlos extended his hand to Irene with an elegant gesture.
Just then, Rupert, who had been helping the coachman transfer their luggage, approached them. Tears welled up in his eyes, glistening.
“My Lady, young ladies… I suppose it is true what they say about getting tearful as one gets older.”
He subtly lifted his gloved hand to wipe the corners of his eyes.
“May the blessings of the God of the Sun and Moon always be with you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Rupert. May the God of the Sun and Moon bless you as well.”
After conveying their gratitude, the three women climbed into the carriage under Carlos’s guidance.
“They left already?”
Hearing the news that Roselyne and her two daughters had packed their bags and left early in the morning, Jonas’s face filled with deep suspicion.
He had expected her to leave soon, but to think she had found a new residence in a single day?
“Yes. They left in a carriage from the House of Pianus.”
“Pianus?”
The moment that name dropped, Jonas’s brow furrowed deeply.
“They left in a Pianus carriage?”
“Yes.”
“…So that is why she was so bold.”
Gritaking his teeth, Jonas gripped the pen in his hand so tightly it looked ready to snap.
He had no intention of holding onto Roselyne anyway. She was no longer of any use to him, and his daughters were likewise worth less than his business rights. He had already laid out plans to take Rhea as his official wife in the near future.
But Pianus? That name brought back memories of the letter he had received from Duke Allen Pianus just a few days ago.
“Where is the letter that came from Pianus?”
“Lady Roselyne took it with her.”
“What?!”
A flash of rage flared in Jonas’s eyes—not out of jealousy, but from a purely primal sense of possessiveness.
The rage born from having something he had once stolen taken back from him.
“Damn it!”
Snap.
Unable to withstand his forceful grip, the pen snapped, splashing ink across his palm.
Looking down at the broken nib, he threw it onto the floor and muttered to Rupert.
“Clean this up.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
To him, Roselyne was no different from that broken pen—something used, discarded, and left behind. Pianus had merely picked up what he had thrown onto the floor.
Imagining Duke Allen Pianus happily taking in what he had thrown away made Jonas’s rage subside just a little.
“It seems Lady Mjombeck is very tired.”
Looking at Irene, who was barely keeping herself upright and nodding off against Roselyne, Carlos let out a light laugh. Though he was a boy of barely thirteen, his demeanor was already surprisingly mature.
Ludiana, too, fought off her sleepiness and looked out the window.
The Pianus estate, located in the Capital, was situated on the exact opposite side from Nurnbern. As the carriage cut straight through the heart of the Capital, she was able to take in sights she had never once seen in her childhood.
“A woman must remain at home like a flower arranged in a vase.”
After Roselyne passed away, Ludiana had been subjected to harsh etiquette training by Rhea, during which her spirit and voice had been gradually broken.
Her appearance, which grew to resemble her mother more and more as she aged, became the target of Rhea’s constant compulsion and threats.
She had to hear countless times that she should merely sit quietly like a flower in a vase.
At that memory, a bitter smile curved on the edge of Ludiana’s lips.
A flower arranged in a vase is destined to wither and die in the end. A shadow of firm resolve swept through her eyes.
“We have arrived!”
Along with the sound of the reins, the carriage came to a gentle halt. Carlos hurriedly stepped down and extended his hand to assist them.
“Allow me to take your hand.”
“Oh my, how very sweet of you.”
At his politeness, the corners of Roselyne’s lips curved upward. Ludiana felt her heart flutter as well as she accepted his assistance.
I’m merely being escorted… why am I so nervous?
She let out a low sigh so he wouldn’t notice.
Stepping outside, a long red carpet stretched out before them, flanked by the estate’s servants lined up neatly on both sides.
Ludiana’s eyes widened in astonishment, and Roselyne hesitated in her steps from surprise as well.
“Wow! Sister! Everyone is waiting for us!!”
Only Irene was purely delighted by such grand hospitality.
“Yes. His Grace is waiting as well—please step toward the reception room.”
Carlos, who was tall for his age, guided them with practiced ease.
That morning, at the Pianus Estate—
Allen had woken up early in the morning, pacing restless back and forth across his room. Watching him, Carlos’s face was filled with utter disbelief.
Just then, a knock sounded at the study door.
Knock, knock.
“My Lord, a letter has arrived from Nurnbern.”
“Bring it here.”
Reading through the letter, Allen’s face initially glowed with excitement before stiffening into a rigid mask. Seeing this, Carlos tilted his head in curiosity.
“What does it say?”
“She asks that I send a servant to pick them up.”
“Pardon? Were you planning to go yourself?”
With a mocking tone unsuited for his young age, Carlos laughed in amazement. Seeing Allen act like this was a first for him, and a astonishing sight.
“…Go in my place.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I can hardly send a mere servant to escort Roselyne. Hurry now! I must prepare as well.”
“Prepare?”
Allen pushed the giggling boy out of the room.
“…I must dress appropriately in formal attire.”
As he issued orders to the butler, servants and maids soon began bustling back and forth.
When the Duke, who usually had no interest whatsoever in adornments, suddenly began paying attention to his appearance, a wave of anticipation spread among the servants.
Allen even agonized over whether a sapphire brooch or an amethyst brooch would suit him better.
“Are you really that happy?”
Peeking through the crack in the study door, Carlos couldn’t hold back his laughter at the sight.
Allen Pianus—the sole Duke of the East.
A noble who practiced noblesse oblige, willingly giving up his wealth for the people. A man loved by all women, yet who kept no one by his side. That was the Allen Carlos knew.
Though he had been taken in from an orphanage as a child and raised under Allen’s care, he had never once seen the Duke act like this either.
“Ahem, ahem! You hurry and prepare as well. Roselyne’s eldest daughter is the same age as you, so be sure to treat her kindly.”
“Yes, yes, understood.”
Carlos grumbled in a blunt tone as he took his leave.
In the end, aren’t all women the same?
He couldn’t understand Allen’s reaction.
Carlos himself had been born an illegitimate child of a Western noble. His mother died early, and his father abandoned him.
Left an orphan, he wandered until he drifted to the East. There, thanks to Pianus’s charitable work for orphans, his talent for swordsmanship was discovered, and Allen had taken him in ever since.
Thus, in terms of status, he was merely a commoner.
However, because the House of Pianus was revered by the people of the East, Carlos was also treated with high regard.
Even the nobles, believing Allen might adopt him as his son someday, tried their best to curry favor with him.
“Sir Carlos, your suit is prepared.”
A servant greeted him respectfully.
“Thank you.”
Though his upbringing could have made him arrogant, Carlos always treated others with kindness and respect. Because he could never tarnish the name of the man who had saved him, Allen Pianus.
