Chapter 9
By the time the carriage reached the Wellington Marquis’s estate from the Imperial Palace, my aunt’s fit of laughter had finally died away.
The silence that followed was almost unbearable.
Just as I parted my lips, unable to endure it any longer, the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the mansion.
Truthfully, I wanted to ask my aunt so many more questions.
But even if I had traveled back in time, my personality hadn’t changed overnight.
Satisfied that I had already spoken far more than I normally would have, I stepped out of the carriage.
“Be wary of your father. He’s far more unfathomable than you think.”
Even after returning to my room and changing into more comfortable clothes, my aunt’s cryptic warning echoed endlessly in my mind.
Every time I received one of her letters in the North, I had always wondered…
She was Father’s younger sister.
Did she truly feel not even the slightest affection for him?
It was the simplest question imaginable.
Yet also the most fundamental.
In my previous life, all she had ever done was tell me that if Father returned to the North first, I was welcome to remain at the estate for as long as I wished.
She never made time to spend with me.
Nor did she ever seem particularly interested in me.
Yet neither did she spend much time with Father.
More than anything, she had always seemed like someone impossible to understand.
But now…
Perhaps that wasn’t true after all.
My aunt had never been someone who talked much with anyone besides my uncle.
So why had she changed?
Was it because I was acting differently than I had in my previous life?
Her warning lingered stubbornly in the corner of my thoughts.
So did the strangely satisfied expression she’d worn before we parted.
While I sat quietly lost in thought…
A knock came at the door.
“Eloise. May I come in?”
“Ah, yes. Please come in.”
My uncle’s gentle voice sounded from the other side.
I hurried over and opened the door for him.
“I hope I’m not disturbing your rest.”
“Not at all.”
Smiling warmly, my uncle pushed a small serving trolley into the room.
“What is all this, Uncle?”
“I thought it might help you relax.”
On the trolley sat a rich pot of black tea…
Along with the sweet cakes I loved.
The thoughtfulness alone was touching.
But the fact that he had personally pushed the trolley all the way here himself…
That was even more astonishing.
He was the Marquis of an entire nation.
Yet he had gone this far for the sake of a niece who would only be staying a few days.
I couldn’t help smiling.
“Thank you, Uncle. I was just about to call Jenna. Please, come in.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t too late.”
He truly was…
Such a considerate person.
The complete opposite of my inscrutable aunt.
Even in my previous life…
I had always felt more comfortable around my uncle than my aunt.
He had always welcomed me with the same warmth.
If anyone could truly be said to have helped me…
It wasn’t my aunt.
It was him.
Watching the man who hadn’t changed at all…
I quietly hid a bitter smile.
“So…”
He placed a teacup before me.
“Are you feeling any better?”
I nodded.
“I’ve been fine ever since you appeared earlier. Thank you so much for saving me.”
“I didn’t really do anything.”
He scratched his cheek with an embarrassed laugh.
“I only exchanged a few words with His Highness.”
He was so humble…
And strangely adorable.
No wonder Aunt loved him.
I smiled.
“You have no idea how relieved I was. It was fortunate everyone showed up when they did. Otherwise…”
“I might have been in real trouble.”
“Hm? Ah… hahaha… yes. The timing really was perfect. Everyone just happened to…”
The moment I casually mentioned the crowd…
My uncle let out an awkward laugh.
Then hurriedly raised his teacup and took several quick sips.
The sight felt oddly familiar.
I didn’t know every detail about my uncle.
But there was one thing I knew for certain.
He was terrible at lying.
Watching him deliberately avoid my eyes…
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
“Uncle.”
“Y-Yes? What is it, Eloise?”
As soon as I called him, he smiled brightly and looked directly at me.
That gentle expression…
That willingness to listen to anything I wanted to say…
It was so warm that I almost laughed despite the seriousness of what I intended to ask.
When I smiled…
He smiled back.
For a brief moment, it felt as though the room itself had grown warmer.
Until I finally spoke.
“About what happened at the party…”
“The timing was far too perfect.”
“…Huh?”
The smile slowly disappeared from my uncle’s face.
Seeing his reaction…
My suspicion suddenly turned into certainty.
“You and Aunt asked Duke Fontaine to help, didn’t you?”
“…What?”
“I saw the two of you exchanging glances.”
“So I wondered…”
“If that’s really what happened… then I should properly thank him too.”
As I spoke with complete sincerity…
My uncle stammered helplessly.
At first, I had assumed I was imagining things.
But after hearing my aunt speak…
Everything finally fit together.
Whether Aunt had approached Asierad first…
Or Asierad had offered first…
He had undoubtedly played a role in resolving the situation so peacefully.
If he had stepped forward himself…
The Crown Prince’s hostility would only have grown stronger.
So instead…
He had placed my uncle at the front.
While he and my aunt quietly gathered witnesses behind the scenes.
The Crown Prince had disappeared.
Something seemed to be happening in the garden.
With just a few carefully chosen words…
People could easily be guided toward the commotion.
If it was Aunt and Asierad…
That would have been effortless.
And once the Crown Prince lost his temper…
All those witnesses would see everything.
The situation would immediately come to an end.
That had probably been their plan.
I quietly lifted my teacup while watching my uncle struggle for words.
He truly couldn’t lie.
“E-Eloise… about that…”
“It’s alright, Uncle.”
“You can tell me honestly.”
If Asierad really had helped me…
Then I’d simply write him a letter of thanks.
Whether a single letter would ever be enough…
I wasn’t sure.
But still…
“Well…”
“The truth is…”
Just as I was wondering how to express my gratitude without seeing Asierad in person…
My uncle finally spoke with an awkward smile.
“He immediately offered to help us.”
Ah.
So I was right.
Aunt had noticed.
And Asierad had cooperated.
Among everyone present, excluding the Imperial Family…
His status was the highest.
It truly had been the best solution.
“So…”
“As a way of thanking him…”
Somehow…
It didn’t sound like he was finished.
My uncle continued hesitating before finally blurting it out.
“We’ve invited Duke Fontaine to dinner tomorrow evening.”
“When he visited the estate before, we never properly welcomed him.”
“I thought you might feel uncomfortable…”
“But he helped you.”
“So… perhaps we could all thank him together.”
…
That was more than enough to make my head ring.
✦ ✦ ✦
No matter how I thought about it…
None of this made any sense.
From last night until now…
That single thought had occupied my mind.
Today…
Asierad was coming.
And this time…
He had agreed of his own accord.
“We told him we’d gladly help him however we could to repay his kindness.”
“But he said there was no need… and simply suggested we have dinner together next time.”
“Since both your aunt and I happened to be free tomorrow evening…”
Even in my previous life…
My uncle had been one of the very few people who genuinely cared about Asierad.
Not merely because he was his nephew-in-law.
He sincerely admired him as a person.
He was always happy to meet him.
Even Asierad—
Who divided everyone into either useful people or people to avoid—
Had genuinely enjoyed spending time with my uncle.
Watching the two of them together had always made me smile.
…But that happened after we were married.
The current Asierad shouldn’t have any reason to be like that.
At this point in time…
He avoided people whenever possible.
Even our peaceful conversation on the terrace had been incredibly unusual.
Yet somehow…
He had been the one to suggest having dinner together.
I simply couldn’t understand it.
“He agreed immediately.”
“Such a polite young man.”
“He’s remarkably pleasant to talk to.”
Those words from my uncle surprised me even more.
Before marriage…
Asierad had indeed been considered the Empire’s most desirable bachelor.
But that reputation came entirely from his handsome appearance…
His title as Duke…
And his immense wealth.
The Asierad I remembered before marriage rarely spoke.
Avoided people.
Always wore a cold expression.
My uncle’s description didn’t fit him at all.
I had only expected myself to change after returning to the past.
So why…
Did it feel as though Asierad had changed too?
Lost in thought…
I watched the approaching carriage, glowing crimson beneath the setting sun.
Why had he come all the way here?
What was he thinking?
After I had rejected him so thoroughly…
Why would he willingly set foot here again?
My thoughts scattered the instant he stepped out of the carriage.
I drew in a sharp breath.
“The weather is cold.”
“You should have stayed inside.”
A gentle smile.
An endlessly kind voice.
His neatly combed hair.
His immaculate clothes.
Unlike the simple attire he usually preferred…
Today’s outer coat was adorned with elegant decorations.
Just one glance made it obvious how much effort he’d put into his appearance.
He had dressed far more carefully than usual.
The current Asierad…
Was dangerously handsome.
“…A guest was coming.”
“Of course I had to come welcome you.”
“Aunt and Uncle are still finishing their preparations.”
“So I came first.”
“Is that so?”
“Then I’m the fortunate one.”
Why was even his smile so dazzling?
For just a brief moment…
His bright appearance left me completely speechless.
I forced the corners of my lips upward.
Then turned away.
“This way, please.”
“They should be ready by now.”
This version of Asierad…
Was dangerous.
Whenever he deliberately looked this charming in my previous life…
I inevitably ended up granting whatever favor he asked.
After all…
How many people could possibly refuse the request of someone they loved…
When that person smiled at them so beautifully?
Determined not to fall for him again…
I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead as I led the way.
I still didn’t know why he had come.
Nor what he intended.
For now…
The only thing that mattered…
Was getting through this dinner.
Silently…
I continued walking.
Had he remained silent as well…
We probably would have reached the dining room without incident.
Then—
His low voice echoed beside my ear.
Soft.
Quiet.
And filled with unmistakable longing.
“I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable…”
“But I truly wanted to see you just one more time.”
