108.

Jonas and Roxy, the Norton twins, had always been inseparable. At one point, when people thought of the Nortons of the North, the first image that came to mind was of the ethereal twins with their reddish-blond hair and fairy-like presence.

When the young lady of Norton, known as the “Forest Fairy,” reached marriageable age, every eligible man in the empire sent her marriage proposals.

But marrying the bright and beautiful Roxy Norton was no simple task.

Roxy was the most beloved figure in Norton, and her marriage was a matter of utmost importance to its people. They took over two years of careful scrutiny, employing every ounce of their meticulousness and fervor, to find a suitable match.

Ironically, the man who eventually married Roxy was none other than Sir Ayno McFoy, infamously nicknamed “the rogue of the West.”

What made this outcome even more surprising was that Jonas, her twin brother, had spearheaded the entire effort to find Roxy’s husband. To this day, the story remains a topic of amused gossip.

Of course, Jonas had never intended for Ayno to become Roxy’s husband.

Jonas found no man good enough for his sister. Ayno, with his sharp features, fiery temper, and insufferable arrogance, had been promptly dismissed from the pool of potential suitors.

But things took an unexpected turn when Ayno McFoy visited Norton for a joint training exercise between the knights of the northwest and the north. No one could have predicted that a brief encounter would spark a mutual attraction between Ayno and Roxy.

Had Jonas foreseen this, he would never have insisted on holding the joint training in the north during the debate over locations, no matter how much it hurt his pride.

Roxy and Ayno came together as if it were fate.

Ultimately, it wasn’t Jonas’s decision to make. When Roxy declared her love for Ayno, Jonas had no say in the matter. Unfortunately, he had always been powerless against his sister.

When the two were finally married, it was a day of celebration for the McFoys and mourning for the Nortons. To Jonas, every member of the McFoy family seemed barbaric, and Ayno, in particular, was little more than a thief in his eyes.

Despite this, the child Roxy left behind—her son, Archie—was precious beyond words.

Roxy, the twin Jonas considered an extension of himself, had passed away less than two years into her marriage, swept up in a devastating tragedy that claimed too many lives for her remains to be recovered. It was a loss that brought tears of blood.

Archie, her only legacy, was naturally cherished by Jonas.

Though physical distance had driven a wedge between them, causing Archie to treat him as a distant relative, Jonas’s love for his nephew was no less profound than Aisa’s. He, too, was an uncle who would give anything for the child.

“As McFoy said in her letter, the older he gets, the more he resembles Roxy.”

Jonas stared intently at Archie, seated beside him. It had been three years since their last meeting. Children grew so quickly, and Archie had changed so much in that time.

With his reddish-blond hair inherited from Roxy, Archie looked more and more like her, with Ayno’s traits fading into the background. Jonas, seeing his nephew again after so long, had shed unbidden tears.

Archie’s resemblance to Roxy also meant he resembled Jonas. The two sitting side by side could easily be mistaken for father and son.

Guests milling about the banquet hall would pause when they passed the duo, struck by their uncanny resemblance, and approach them out of curiosity.

While Jonas felt a sense of pride, Archie found it mortifying.

“Where are Aunt and Uncle? Why aren’t they here yet? Are they doing… that morning routine of theirs again?”

As Archie mechanically returned polite greetings, he glanced around awkwardly, trying to distract himself.

This birthday banquet, like every other adult-centered event, was utterly dull. To make matters worse, his nostalgic uncle kept staring at him with sentimental eyes.

“Thanks to him, I can’t even play with Uncle-in-law or Von.”

Even calling for Mrs. Seymour to escape his uncle’s clingy gaze had its limits.

“Adults love me too much.”

The popular child sighed quietly. He found himself hoping the sun would set quickly so his aunt would tell him it was time for children to retire.

Finally, a herald announced their arrival.

“The McFoy Head and her consort are entering!”

Just as Archie’s patience was about to give out, he sprang to his feet at the call, peering between the gathering guests to catch a glimpse.

Through the sea of shoulders, he spotted Aisa descending the staircase in a crimson dress.

“Wow.”

Archie often found his aunt temperamental and immature. Sometimes, during their arguments, he couldn’t fathom how such a petty person could be both the McFoy head and the leader of the Romdak Merchant Guild.

Yet, there was no denying that when she appeared in formal attire, she embodied the grandeur of a high noble. At moments like this, she truly seemed like the McFoy Head.

Of course, Archie thought, it was unfortunate that she was so small. But despite her petite stature, she exuded an aura that commanded respect.

As he watched her with a growing sense of pride for being part of the same family, something struck him as unusual.

“Why does Aunt feel different today?”

Then he realized. Aisa wasn’t alone. Norma, who seemed to carry his own aura of light, stood beside her.

“With Uncle next to her, she does look smaller. Should I tell her? No, she’d hate that. Better keep it to myself.”

Archie decided to be considerate. But the other guests were having similar thoughts. Watching the couple descend the staircase, they murmured:

“Now that you mention it, McFoy does have a small frame, doesn’t she?”

Such straightforward observations would undoubtedly enrage Aisa if she overheard them.

As the couple reached the final step, the atmosphere shifted. The guests sharpened their gazes, looking for any hint of intrigue in the couple’s relationship.

At first glance, Aisa appeared the same as ever. Her modest summer dress, her perpetually neutral expression, and her dismissive nods to polite greetings were no different from before.

Yet there was an undeniable change. The man beside her seemed to soften the chill she carried. With his radiant presence lighting up the room, the guests felt an odd sense of ease, as though they could meet her gaze without flinching.

“Look at that. Sir Diazi—or rather, Sir McFoy—just look at the way he gazes at her. Maybe their love match isn’t just a rumor.”

Guests who observed the couple up close reached a consensus:

“The prickly witch of the West and the noble knight truly are in love!”

Even Jonas, who had been unable to attend their wedding due to estate troubles, found himself reconsidering.

“So it wasn’t just a political marriage after all. Maybe those romantic rumors weren’t entirely baseless.”

He stood frozen, mouth slightly agape, as the couple approached.

A few days ago, when the McFoy couple personally came to the drawbridge to welcome him, Jonas felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort and pressure.

He had assumed it was due to physical and mental exhaustion from the long carriage ride. But now, standing in the brightly lit banquet hall, he finally understood the true nature of those feelings.

The discomfort, surprisingly, stemmed from Aisa. Jonas found himself unable to look away from her face.

‘She carries herself with such composure, almost indifferent, yet there’s a subtle air of pride and excitement about her expression.’

“…Ayno.”

Unconsciously, Jonas furrowed his brow as the name of the scoundrel who had stolen Roxy from him over a decade ago came to mind. To Jonas, the expression on Aisa’s face right now was identical to the one Ayno wore whenever he was with Roxy.

Jonas had many reasons to dislike Ayno. One of them was how Ayno always tried to maintain a calm demeanor around Roxy, even though it was obvious how much he adored her. To Jonas, that composed facade was nothing more than an act of arrogance.

Of course, Jonas also knew that if Ayno had openly fawned over Roxy without restraint, it would have annoyed him just as much. Back then, he had hated Ayno for simply breathing in the same space as Roxy.

‘To think I’d see that face again. It’s like Ayno has come back to life.’

Jonas had always known that Aisa and Ayno resembled each other, but he hadn’t expected their similarities to extend to expressions like this.

Naturally, his feelings toward Ayno had softened over the years. The man had long passed away, and Jonas no longer held any grudges against him. However, that didn’t change his irritation at seeing that same look on Aisa.

“Norton Head.”

Aisa and Norma stopped a few steps away from Jonas, snapping him out of his daze. Aisa called out to him, extending her gloved hand.

Jonas instinctively swallowed dryly as he looked at her outstretched hand. Forcing a smile, he composed his expression as best as he could. With as much grace as he could muster, he lightly held her hand, bowed, and pressed his lips to the back of it.

The moment his lips touched her hand, Jonas felt an overwhelming gaze fixate on him like a dagger aimed at his head. He had anticipated this, but the suffocating sense of being watched by a predator left him breaking into a cold sweat.

‘The pressure wasn’t my imagination after all.’

As Jonas awkwardly lifted his head, he was met with the sight of Norma. His lips were curled into a bright smile, but his eyes were cold and devoid of humor.

‘So, why is this beautiful man so wary of me?’

The source of the pressure was none other than Norma, who was escorting Aisa. Unable to withstand the intensity of Norma’s gaze, Jonas subtly averted his eyes.

The chilling look Jonas had felt back at the drawbridge wasn’t just his imagination. The angelic-faced man occasionally directed piercing glares at Jonas, and this was one of those moments.