Chapter 39
With a triumphant smile, I subtly offered a solution to Ailen’s ambitious plan.
“To fall deeply in love, there’s nothing better than a fateful meeting, right?”
“Y-Yes, I suppose so.”
Ailen, who had understood me perfectly, immediately stood up and bid farewell.
“It’s getting late, so I’ll be heading back now.”
“I’ll have the carriage brought around for you, Lady Ailen.”
“Thank you, Duchess.”
“Oh, and don’t forget, there’s the dress fitting in two weeks. Be sure to attend.”
“Yes, I’ll see you on fitting day.”
With her hopes high, she cheerfully ran out like a child. Soon, the sound of a horse’s whinny followed, and the carriage left the Duke’s residence.
As I stood by the window, watching the carriage disappear, a contented smile unconsciously formed on my face.
‘Without lifting a finger, I’ve made it happen.’
I had already asked around for potential suitors for Susan. Though they all declined, claiming it would be too difficult, they would undoubtedly keep it in mind: that Susan was desperate to marry.
That’s why I included her in Stefan’s suggestion. It was clear that Susan, who couldn’t resist a new dress, would call Ailen to her side.
‘Ailen will surely come, hoping to pick up the crumbs.’
In her past life, Ailen had been dismissed by Susan, yet she steadfastly stayed by her side. I suspect she was more interested in the Duke’s wealth than Susan herself.
If she showed even the slightest possibility of affection, there was a high chance that Susan, thirsty for romance, would attach herself to someone from her surroundings.
“Do you know when a husband gets most possessive?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s when another man shows interest in his woman.”
“But everyone knows we’ve already sworn vows in front of others.”
“Other people’s rice cakes always seem bigger. And when a worthless man dares to eye the Duchess, it will cause a huge problem.”
I had learned how to shake Stefan up from overhearing Dorothy’s words. Stefan, who had offered to tailor a dress to win my favor, never imagined he would feel such intense jealousy over a mere tailor.
‘Sorry, Stefan. But I had to make you show your jealous side to Susan.’
How excited Susan must have been to see her brother-in-law, who was usually as cold as winter’s frost, getting jealous because of the unrefined sister-in-law’s seduction skills.
Now that he had fallen in love, he would see how little he cared for anything else, and that would make Susan all the more eager. She’d want to experience love before the year was over.
‘Elliot Eden, the Earl, right?’
It was a name I’d never heard before. I felt uneasy not knowing anything about him, but there was also the possibility that he could turn out to be a good match.
Even Lady Cotta, who had never been involved with me in my past life, had become one of the most important people to me now.
‘Lord Cotta said he’s well-connected, so I should ask her about this. I need to know about Elliot Eden.’
I hoped the Earl would be a good person. While my plan was to get rid of Susan as quickly as possible, I didn’t wish for her to be unhappy.
***
In a pitch-black bedroom with no candles lit, two red embers flickered on the bed beneath the canopy curtains.
‘It’s not jealousy. It’s just possessiveness…’
Stefan, who had been denying his feelings for Rachel, now realized that what he felt was something very similar.
‘Yes, I felt this way when I lost you, too.’
Stefan had lost his father at the tender age of seven, and for a moment, it felt as though he had lost everything. Fortunately, it was Rob—the father of Finn and Bell, who had saved him from self-destruction.
Rob was a vassal and a friend of the late Duke Edmond, and had volunteered to become Stefan’s loyal subordinate and uncle. He also wished that his sons would protect him just as he had.
Stefan, too, had only loved Rob and his sons, who were not related by blood, but their bond was deeper and stronger than that of any family.
The event that shook their relationship occurred when Stefan was fourteen. The news came that Bell, who was twelve, had drowned in the sea.
“Bell was like a dolphin. How could someone like that fall into the sea and die? This doesn’t make sense!”
When Stefan heard the news of Bell’s death, he rushed straight to Rob’s house. Rob, who had lost his son, was soaked in sorrow.
“Uncle, this is a lie, right? Bell, who had lived by the sea all his life, couldn’t have drowned. This is impossible.”
“…Duke, calm down. Bell has not died.”
What followed in Rob’s story was more cruel than Stefan could have imagined. Someone had tried to drown the twelve-year-old boy in the sea, simply because he had been loved by Stefan.
The truth, which Stefan had buried deep in his heart because he didn’t want to believe it, now rose to the surface. He understood that if he hesitated out of sentiment, even more people would be hurt.
“Rob, you are my uncle and vassal, but first and foremost, you are a father who must protect Finn and Bell.”
“…Duke.”
“As you said, it’s better for Bell to be reported as dead.”
“…”
He gazed at Stefan with sad eyes as he changed his tone of voice, all of a sudden, as a fourteen-year-old boy. Yet, he remained silent, listening to the order his lord had given.
“Rob, take all the funds from the Edmond Trading Company, and take Finn and Bell out of the Merwin Empire immediately. Three years from now, send two Finns back to me.”
“…”
“Bell must be called Finn in the Merwin Empire for the time being. Do you understand?”
Rob nodded gravely. Although he was worried about Stefan having to endure alone for three years, he couldn’t bear to leave his sons standing on the edge of a cliff any longer.
That day, Rob disappeared with his sons, like the wind, branded as an embezzler of Edmond’s trading company.
Three years later, Finn returned to the Merwin Empire. And during his interview for a clerk position at the Bayton Guild, he reunited with Stefan. Having abandoned his father’s surname, he introduced himself as Finn Brighton.
“Finn Brighton, take good care of the accessory shop.”
“I will do my best, Duke Edmond.”
No one in the Merwin Empire knew that Finn Brighton was Rob’s son. They also didn’t realize that there were two people named Finn Brighton.
From then on, Stefan always took Bell aboard the merchant ship. It was his way of keeping him safely by his side, the one who had almost lost his life because of him, the one who had to abandon his own name for him.
‘It’s already been seven years since they returned. I promised that I’d call Bell by his real name in ten years…’
Stefan, still lying in bed, gave a bitter smile. He then mulled over what Finn had said.
“Give the Duchess some leeway.”
“Leeway?”
“If the Duchess is being blocked by Dowager and Miss Susan, then that means they are not on her side.”
“….”
“So, just take your time and wait.”
Giving someone leeway and waiting patiently was something Stefan was confident in. However, very few people had shown such consistent behavior toward him over the years.
‘I wonder if Rachel will be different?’
Stefan, who had placed Rachel on the judgment table he had created, closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He reached the conclusion that there was no need to spend the night in trivial worries, because over countless days, he would come to know that she was truly his.
***
“My dear sister, Rachel,
Thanks to your concerns, we are doing well. We’ve put out all the urgent fires, and we’ve even found a fencing teacher for Remington. You no longer need to worry about us.
I will make sure to find a suitable match for Miss Susan. There may be no one in Courtney who fits, but I’ll try my best.
I’m happy we can communicate through the mail now. However, please don’t use other mail systems. It would be great if you could send your letters regularly. I’ll contact you through that system from now on.
Ah! And the Duke’s assistant has come to the barony to help me with matters regarding the trading company, as I’m not very skilled at it. Please pass on my thanks to him for me.
Your brother, Leopold Burke.”
Sure enough, the next afternoon, the Marchioness visited the Duke’s residence. She had personally brought me a message tube containing Leopold’s letter.
I thanked Dorothy and immediately read my brother’s reply right there, so she could also get an idea of its content.
Then, after following my usual routine, I was left alone in my bedroom. The letter from Leopold was still in my hands.
I read and reread the long-awaited response from my brother. The problem was the last sentence, which left me feeling uneasy.
‘Why did Stefan send an assistant to Leopold?’
