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chapter 59
Receiving Linette’s full attention, Sian handed over the cheese to her and quickly got up from his seat. After washing and drying the empty cup himself, he smiled.
“I’ll be going now, my love.”
“Yes, work hard. Cheese, you should greet Sian properly before he goes.”
Watching Linette hold Cheese’s front paw and shake it left and right, Sian approached her and gently embraced her. He pressed his lips briefly to her forehead before pulling away.
“I’ll come tomorrow.”
Since Sian couldn’t take pre-wedding leave, he had to rush to the royal palace. Quickly returning home to change, he led the horse tied in the neighboring stable. Just as he was about to mount, someone approached.
“Master, are you going to work?”
“Yes. How’s the thing I told you about coming along?”
“I’m looking for it now.”
The person they were trying to find wouldn’t reveal their identity openly, which made the search difficult. Seeing the man indicate it would take some time, Sian left a brief instruction.
“Find it as quickly as possible, no matter what.”
Only then would there be room to consider other matters.
“Why are you here again?”
Edgar, who hadn’t come since visiting with his colleagues, entered, drawn by some idle curiosity. Linette watched his expression carefully, wondering if he knew something about Masha.
“I came because I wanted coffee. Just make me a cup of Sepiano.”
Linette frowned slightly as she made coffee while Angela watched. To anyone who looked, they seemed to resemble each other.
“Angela, don’t be shy. That person over there is my brother.”
As Edgar’s gaze shifted toward her, Angela immediately greeted him. After meeting her cousin before, now it was her real brother, and Angela gave a slightly awkward smile.
“Ah, I’m Angela.”
“You must work under Linette. I’m Edgar. You’ll be working hard under her.”
“No, not at all. Linette is so kind and considerate. Really.”
Angela spoke with all her effort, and Edgar nodded.
“Angela, take Cheese out and let him exercise a bit.”
While Cheese would frolic around when with Linette, he would sit still the moment he touched the ground near Angela. So she only put a leash on him during walks. If he didn’t want to walk, she would drag him along.
As Angela stepped outside with leashed Cheese, Linette handed Sepiano to Edgar. Staring at the cup before him, he asked,
“Who’s that guy?”
“That guy?”
Though she immediately understood whom he meant, Linette shrugged casually. Seeing her act so naturally, Edgar drank his coffee.
“Casper mentioned there was someone whose gaze toward you was intense.”
“A guest.”
“Casper said that while observing you, the gaze seemed strangely familiar.”
At least for this, they seemed to share information.
Of course, Linette never spoke of Sian. Sian also worked at the palace, and if Edgar knew, he could imagine how Casper would react.
“That was a misunderstanding by Brother Cash. Did you come all the way here just to ask about that? Then just drink your coffee and leave.”
Relieved that Sian hadn’t arrived yet, Linette returned to her spot, observing Edgar. She wondered if Edgar had come to see Masha commuting to work.
“Linette, did you do something wrong to me? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ever since childhood, Linette had the habit of glancing at Edgar silently whenever she wanted to say something.
“What could I possibly have done wrong? We don’t live together and rarely bump into each other.”
Turning her head, Linette avoided looking at him until Edgar finished his coffee. Seeing this, he tilted his head, sensing that something was off.
“Linette, just so you know, if something’s wrong, tell me immediately. If you keep it hidden, a problem that could’ve been solved quickly might escalate.”
Linette pondered briefly at Edgar’s words over the rich coffee, then locked the door. Looking at the back of his head, she spoke,
“I met Mother…”
Click—
At Linette’s words, Edgar set his cup down a little harder, then stood up.
“Come here.”
“Huh?”
“I said, come here.”
Thinking it was nothing major and that she should just come closer, Linette walked toward him. As if questioning why he said that, Edgar embraced her. Linette only frowned slightly but did not push him away.
“You fool, why did you wait so long to tell me? You should have told me immediately. How hard it must’ve been to suffer alone.”
“I didn’t want to go home just to see you. Then Father would have found out.”
“Sigh, what’s the use of being perfect at work if you hide such things? You should’ve told me or Father right away.”
“I was afraid it would hurt to tell.”
“Since when did you start worrying about that?”
Though she was a grown adult, Edgar held and comforted Linette as a little sister, sighing internally. Even hearing that she had met Masha was shocking, but seeing Linette in person—what must that have been like?
“Tell me everything that happened that day. I have the right to know since I’m also her child.”
Linette recounted the day briefly. Edgar nodded, consoling her gently, knowing how much she must have been hurt.
“Will you tell Father?”
“Of course. He’s directly involved. Whether he searches or not is his decision, but he should know the truth.”
Nodding silently, Linette received a slight kiss on the head from Edgar before he seated her.
“Next time, tell me immediately. Don’t suffer alone. Or, is there some man you share sad or shocking news with?”
“Why is this conversation going somewhere else? Don’t ask that, just leave, fool.”
“Alright, alright, don’t push me away.”
Having captured her full attention, Edgar unlocked the door and left a greeting before heading hastily to the Fruina mansion. Kenis, still absorbed in work, noticed Edgar barging in.
“What happened…?”
“Linette met Mother.”
“…What?”
“She said Mother came to see her.”
Hearing his son’s words, Kenis stared, seemingly unable to comprehend.
“She came to Linette’s shop on the day of the thunderstorm.”
Crash—
Only then did Kenis spring up, knocking over a chair, too stunned to fix it.
“Is Linette… okay?”
For the first time, he asked about Linette’s condition rather than Masha. Edgar shook his head.
“She seemed fine, but she was so shocked at the time she hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
Hearing every detail from Edgar, Kenis bit his lip. Though he had no excuse to appear there, he had apparently tried to get closer, disguising himself as a guest, hoping to watch from afar.
Having parted at seven, it was heartbreaking that Linette still remembered her mother and clung to her.
“What will Father do now? If Mother is nearby, will he try to find her?”
Shocked just by hearing Masha’s news, Kenis exhaled deeply. Once, he would have rushed to find her himself. Now, he hesitated. After thinking for a while, he shook his head.
“She left because she disliked me. It’s not appropriate to search for her now. That’s her life… I missed her desperately at first, but now…”
She had hurt him and the children. Even if she hadn’t loved him, her betrayal during marriage was an unchangeable fact.
“Does the Countess of Florence know?”
“I don’t think Linette has told her yet.”
After her sibling ran away with her governess, Conrad had sequestered himself out of shame, unable to appear in public. That place had also suffered great shock.
“I see… sigh. Anyway, I don’t want to meet her unless she comes to me.”
To be honest, meeting her was somewhat frightening. He had no confidence to face how much she had changed in fifteen years. Also, he felt guilty for the things done to the children after Masha left.
“Still, going there just to meet your daughter… If you missed her so much, you shouldn’t have left her in the first place.”
Kenis, having washed up, drank liquor he hadn’t touched that day. Seeing him eventually collapse, Edgar shook his head.
“If you want to see her, you can just find her. No need to abuse yourself like this. Don’t worry about the children. No one would stop you from finding her.”
Edgar helped Kenis to bed, exhaling a heavy sigh while gazing at the bright moon.
When Masha left, Edgar was only eleven. Away at the knight academy, he later heard the news but never cried or expressed emotion. He simply wished she would never return. Her wounds would never fully heal, even if she came back. If the scars remained, at least they would be proof of overcoming them.
“Mother, I don’t want to meet you. I’ll come only if I hear of your passing.”
Until the rising moon began to wane, Edgar stayed by Kenis’s side, exhaling into the night air.
At lunch, there were a few guests, but afterwards, the place became deserted. Sending Angela off early, Linette received a letter.
“Father says he won’t see her until Mother comes first. So he won’t search. You should know this.”
Reading Edgar’s letter, Linette nodded. He missed Masha so desperately that he lavished affection on Esther, yet now he wouldn’t search. She let out a small breath, parting her lips slightly.
“So, he finally told Father.”
As she gave a lonely smile, someone suddenly burst in.
“Sian? Did you miss me so much you ran here?”
“I always want to have Linette by my side.”
Seeing Sian sweating, she first offered him cold water. After drinking, he handed her a piece of paper instead of a cup. Thinking it might be a love letter, she unfolded it and saw a short message with numbers.
“What is this?”
Confused, Linette asked. Sian replied,
“It’s the address where Linette’s mother lives.”
