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Chapter : 33
Fabatia panted heavily for a long while, even after roughly tearing the letter apart.
The contents of the letter Eani had sent kept flashing in her mind.
“For such and such reasons, I have decided to get engaged to Harth, but since we are a bit busy, I think you, the two adults, will need to help a lot~.”
“Engaged?! Engaged—?! Who does she think she is!”
Nonsense!
She had been the one to prevent their marriage before—!
Someone like Eani Nasel could never become a member of the Saint Duke household.
‘I would never, ever allow it…!’
But a small thread of reason lingering in her mind brought her back to reality.
Naturally, she remembered the postscript at the bottom of Eani’s letter.
“P.S.! I can already imagine you hopping up in outrage, saying, ‘Who dares decide an engagement!’ every time you hear the news~. But please remember—whether it’s me arranging an engagement with Harth, or if you oppose it, revealing the ‘treasures’ you entrusted to me to the world—it’s my decision~.”
That damn “treasure”!
Just thinking of the magic stones made her throat tighten.
Even though she had tried to eliminate her weakness by swallowing the ones that had fallen to the ground, the trauma of being toyed with by Eani Nasel lingered.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Fabatia beat her chest with her fists and ground her teeth.
“Madam, are you alright?”
Her stewardess at the Saint Duke household, seeing her in such a state, spoke up.
“She truly doesn’t know her place. There’s a limit to greed—how could she possibly aim for the noble Saint Duke household at her level?”
“……”
“Someone so lowly wasn’t even suitable for the young duke to associate with. She has neither the dignity nor pride of a noble.”
Using her skill of picking out only the words Fabatia wanted to hear, the stewardess had risen to this position.
Naturally, she did not miss the chance this time either, whispering what her mistress most wanted to hear.
“Of course, I know you would never permit such an engagement,”
“…Call them.”
“Eh?”
The stewardess blinked at her mistress’s sudden command, and Fabatia, puffing up her chest, shouted:
“Immediately summon the designers to create the engagement dresses—NOW!”
Harth was happy.
And therefore, anxious.
He had naturally expected strong opposition when informing the Duke and Duchess of the engagement, but their approval had come too easily.
Even more, they agreed to hold the engagement ceremony on Tadibna Island, as Eani suggested, without complaint.
And to top it off, they said they would handle all the preparations themselves and told him to just relax on the island in the meantime.
Above all…
—Harth~. Come over here~.
Much of this was thanks to Eani staying with him all day.
She smiled brightly and showed him around Tadibna Island.
Along the way, they discovered sea caves that were hard for ordinary people to find and identified several diving spots where they could see turtle-like sea creatures.
Eani had installed magical safety measures so that they could visit freely whenever they liked—big and sturdy enough to accommodate many people at once.
—Harth is really the best!
Whenever she praised him like this, Harth felt as if he were flying.
Had there ever been a day in his life so free and joyful?
Not once, he swore.
That was why he felt uneasy.
‘The engagement was almost forced by me.’
He was grateful and touched that Eani had bravely suggested marriage first.
But if, after marriage, she regained her memories and rejected him, he knew he could never handle it.
‘So cowardly, I tried to hide behind the name of “engagement.”’
He didn’t want to reject her marriage proposal but was too afraid to confirm it.
So Harth had decided to take full responsibility for the engagement ceremony himself.
All Eani needed to do was enjoy the sea and smile brightly…
—Harth~. Mother and Father will handle everything, so enjoy this rare chance to relax~.
Mother and father were really going to handle the preparations?
Even granting permission alone seemed suspicious enough.
Despite his doubts, he couldn’t refuse Eani’s hand as she invited him to stroll along the beach.
Days passed quickly, with Harth following Eani everywhere.
“Hey! Move that over here!”
“Align the tables properly!”
“The decorations go here! The statues too!”
The island buzzed with people cleaning, decorating, and preparing every corner of the villa.
Watching the villa become more magnificent, Harth shook his head slightly.
‘It seems this dreamy vacation is over.’
“Move without making a single mistake! Only esteemed guests, whom you won’t even see often, will attend this engagement!”
“Yes, madam!”
Surprisingly, the one leading the effort at the front was his mother, Fabatia.
Harth walked slowly toward her after entering the lobby.
“Is all this really necessary?”
At that question, Fabatia quickly turned her head.
Her eyes were hollow, as if she hadn’t slept for days and had been overworked like a subordinate tormented by her boss.
She had rushed to the island two days prior and devoted herself entirely to decorating the villa, and now looked utterly exhausted.
“You left early this morning—where have you been until now?!”
“I went out to sea for a bit.”
“Sea? While I’m suffering like this, you go to the sea instead of helping?!”
Fabatia’s cry was met with Harth’s cold reply.
“And why should I help you?”
“What?!”
“You taught me that ‘members of the Saint Duke household must never beg for help.’ So please, do not beg for assistance for something you yourself have volunteered to take responsibility for.”
“Eeek!”
Fabatia, left speechless, glared at Harth while trembling.
How could he be so heartless and cold to the mother who gave birth to him!
She ground her teeth in frustration but quickly composed herself.
Showing discord with the heir in front of the staff would only harm her own position.
“So… why did you go to the sea?”
Changing the topic, Harth’s expression softened slightly.
“I went with Eani to explore new diving points, focusing on areas with beautiful coral.”
Hearing this, Fabatia scoffed out of habit.
“Hah! You’ve made a perfect sightseeing course just as she wanted!”
‘Sightseeing?’
No wonder.
Whenever they found scenic or interesting spots, he had carefully marked them on the map and checked the safety devices.
‘She was creating tourist spots on the island.’
So his role had been to scout for the sightseeing course?
Being entrusted with such an important task made him feel trusted, and a small smile appeared on his face.
Harth awkwardly covered his mouth, thinking, ‘So this is what it feels like to let a smile slip….’
He didn’t want to relax in front of Fabatia, but it was impossible to stop the smile from creeping out.
Seeing him like this, Fabatia thumped her chest in frustration.
“Completely oblivious to being used! So naive, so naive!”
Even someone who had always lived arrogantly like her had developed this habit after meeting Eani.
Harth, having suppressed his laugh for a moment, looked at her with indifferent eyes.
“How far do you intend to go in decorating the villa? I thought the lobby decorations were finished yesterday, yet you touch them again. It’s inefficient.”
“Eeek!”
Fabatia trembled in anger at Harth’s warning. Then she pointed sharply at one corner of the lobby.
“Take that complaint to your woman!”
At that moment, Eani approached lightly from inside the lobby.
“Harth~. How was the shower facility on the beach? Did you like it~?”
Harth nodded enthusiastically at her question.
Eani’s round, emerald eyes sparkled as she looked at Fabatia.
“Oh, Mother. You decorated the lobby nicely as I requested. But now that I look….”
“What is it now?! I did exactly as you wanted!”
“I think the first version was the best~.”
“What… what?!”
“So please change it back~.”
Eani said this with a bright smile.
Fabatia could no longer contain herself and slammed the fan she was holding onto the floor.
“Harth, look at her! She keeps nagging to overturn what’s already done! What?! The first version was the best?! She’s trying to drive me crazy, isn’t she!”
“Eani.”
Harth approached Eani with a serious face.
At that moment, a small hope flashed in Fabatia’s eyes—that her son would take her side.
Of course! Which son would just watch his mother get bullied by a woman like that?!
But unfortunately, hope often dies quickly.
“You’ve worked hard decorating the engagement hall since early morning.”
Saying this, Harth naturally embraced Eani.
“You didn’t need to work this hard.”
Eani leaned against him naturally, smiling softly.
“No, Harth. It’s our engagement, so I should try a little harder~.”
Seeing the sweet couple, Fabatia’s expression twisted in frustration.
“Eeek! My heart! It feels like it’s going to burst!”
Harth watched her and thought for a moment.
—Unable to even do something like this properly! And you call yourself my son?!
In her childhood, this was someone who always looked down on her and bullied her.
Seeing him powerless in front of Eani…
‘What… is this? I feel like a blocked-up pressure has been released?’
It was the first time in his life that he had felt such a relief.
