Chapter 15
“Let’s do this one question at a time—one answer in exchange for one question.”
I folded my arms and lifted my chin.
“Very well, Lady Laria. What would you like to know?”
“I want to know about the late duchess.”
In the original novel, there wasn’t much detailed description of Duke Icard’s wife. Since Duke Icard was the hidden antagonist and, ultimately, a supporting character, the background explanations were hardly generous. All I knew was that she died after giving birth to Evan.
There were nothing but hints that there was some deeper story, but I never got to read the side stories…
“You mean Lady Matilda Larilash Icard.”
Sven scratched his chin.
“She entered into a political marriage with Duke Icard when she was young, just like you, Lady Laria. But she was such a warm and bright person that their relationship was extremely good.”
“Really?”
Was Duke Icard even capable of getting along well with someone?
I tilted my head skeptically.
“Lady Matilda herself was truly lovely. Kind-hearted and gentle by nature. The sort of person everyone couldn’t help but like.”
Sven continued,
“She especially loved Duke Icard’s sense of humor, so it’s said that laughter never left the ducal residence.”
I let out a solemn sigh. That much, I had to acknowledge.
True love. Real, genuine love.
It was even more intense than Seymour and Elanie’s.
“At the time, it’s said that Duke Icard handled only the bare minimum of state affairs and spent most of his time happily with his wife.”
I tilted my head again. I simply couldn’t picture Duke Icard’s face while spending a blissful time with his wife.
He’s always expressionless and blunt…
For some reason, my chest felt a little heavy.
“His obsession was rather severe. If his wife wasn’t around, he grew restless. He always needed Lady Matilda within his sight, wanted to do everything together, and absolutely despised her meeting other men…”
“…Hmm?”
“There was an incident where Lady Matilda once went into town alone with Rudva of the Blue Uniform, who was the vice-captain of the knights at the time. I heard Duke Icard raged for days afterward.”
“Rudva of the Blue Uniform?”
“It’s a nickname. He always wore a blue uniform. The Icard knights’ blue uniform is rather unattractive, so no one wears it—but he alone insisted on it.”
“Ah. Why would anyone have such strange aesthetic taste?”
“Some say… it was because Lady Matilda’s eyes were blue. But who knows. In any case, Duke Icard apparently threatened to gouge Rudva’s eyes out.”
That level of obsession and jealousy was no joke.
Had Lady Matilda truly been happy? That was something I’d need to hear from her side.
“Well, there were many people who liked Lady Matilda. I can understand it.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
“She was physically weak to begin with, but after becoming pregnant with Young Lord Evan, her condition deteriorated severely.”
“Oh—she had poor health?”
“That’s why the Duke was constantly on edge throughout her pregnancy. In the end, she passed away during childbirth.”
Suddenly, I wondered whether hearing this story would only deepen Evan’s wounds.
Or maybe he already knows all of this… more than enough.
“You should be careful too, Lady Laria.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because Lord Evan resembles the Duke in every way.”
“Hm.”
He really did look exactly like him. But it seemed Sven meant more than just appearances.
“He’ll be extremely affectionate—but if things ever go wrong between you, there’s no telling how far his eyes might roll back. It’ll probably be beyond imagination.”
But… in the original story, Evan was completely indifferent no matter what his wife did.
I blinked and fell into thought.
Even after his first wife died and his second wife cheated on him, Evan suffered no emotional blow at all.
Sure, he was cute now—but affectionate? And losing control? It didn’t seem likely.
“Most people speculate that the Duke sent his son off to the academy because… he resembled the Duke too much. There wasn’t a single thing about him that resembled Lady Matilda, so it must have been difficult for the Duke to grow attached.”
Beyond that, Sven shared more information about Lady Matilda, but nothing particularly noteworthy stood out.
In the end, it all concluded with the same sentiment: Lady Matilda was a warm, good person who comforted others’ wounds.
“Then, Lady Laria, it’s time for you to take one of my questions.”
“Alright.”
Sven’s question was completely unexpected.
“What do you think of Duke Icard?”
“……”
I paused to think. Should I casually say, ‘He’s a good person!’ or tell the truth?
Sven was a capable leader of the Dark Guild. Even setting money aside, he was someone who would be invaluable to have on my side. So I chose my words carefully.
“I think he’s a man with the potential to one day even shake the imperial family.”
Sven stared straight at me. Perhaps that single sentence was enough, because he didn’t ask any follow-up questions. And honestly, the implications of that statement were immense.
Looks like I gave the right answer.
At the very least, Sven wouldn’t think of me as a clueless brat the next time we met.
“I think I should get going now.”
Not even an hour had passed, but this seemed like a good place to stop for today.
I held out my hand.
“Alright then—ten gold coins.”
I hadn’t forgotten.
Honestly, I was half-expecting him to say, ‘But I promised you a hundred gold—please take this again,’ and hand back the check I’d returned earlier, and I planned to accept it after a token protest.
But Sven merely laughed heartily and counted out ten gold coins, which left me a little disappointed.
“See you next time.”
“Don’t forget the personal physician.”
I emphasized it one more time before quickly leaving the café.
“Did you buy everything?”
I had been waiting with my arms folded in front of the dessert shop. When I saw Lisa and the guards rushing back, each holding a piece of ganache, I beamed.
“Wow, thank you.”
I handed each of them a single flower from the shop across the street.
“You worked hard standing in line for so long. This is a gift.”
They accepted the flowers with slightly bewildered expressions. There was no particular meaning behind the gift—I simply felt happy when I saw pretty, well-tended flowers and wanted to share that feeling.
But why are they reacting like this?
Strangely, everyone stared at the flowers with similarly complicated expressions.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like flowers?”
“No—no, not at all. Thank you, Lady Laria.”
“Then let’s head back.”
“But Lady Laria.”
Lisa glanced at the bag in my hand.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, this?”
I hugged the bag close and grinned.
“It’s a secret.”
In truth, the shop name was clearly printed on the bag, but I wanted the dramatic effect.
And just like that, our short outing in the city came to an end. Going back and immediately having tea sounded perfect.
Everything about the excursion was satisfying—except for the rather unexpected realization that Sven, the Dark Guild Master, seemed more interested in me than I had thought.
