FWTR Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Marquis of Aslan saw it clearly.
Estelle Winchester.

The moment that name came out of his daughter’s mouth, he caught the smile that appeared on Michael’s lips.

Until just moments ago, Michael had seemed displeased.

The Marquis, who had served him for a long time, couldn’t understand why someone so indifferent to everything was behaving this way now.

‘Why on earth did he suddenly decide to host a masquerade? And why invite Lady Estelle Winchester?’

Michael avoided crowded places and rarely attended banquets, even at the royal palace.

‘Could it be… he arranged all of this just to meet the young lady? But why?’

There was no notable connection between Michael and the Lady of Winchester.

‘They’ve probably never even met before. Why, then?’

Even if there was a reason, it must be due to some significant political motive to meet her.

“Your Highness, are you acquainted with Lady Winchester?”

The Marquis couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked cautiously.

“I don’t feel like telling you.”

“Your Highness!”

But Michael shed his smile and left the room.

The Marquis sighed, only to notice Olivia, whose cheeks were flushed, standing by the door.

‘You still haven’t given up on him, have you, Olivia? Even though His Highness has never once looked your way.’

For a very long time, Olivia had followed Michael. At first, he thought it was simply because she was an only child and saw him as an older brother.

But when she reached marriageable age and still devoted herself entirely to him, he realized the truth: Olivia harbored feelings for Michael as a man.

He didn’t see her feelings as something bad.

As someone destined to inherit the title of Marquis of Aslan, Olivia’s loyalty to Michael was a fortunate thing.

But as her father, he couldn’t help but wish she didn’t feel this way about the cold and unfeeling Michael.

The conflicting emotions left a bitter taste in his mouth.

—

‘I’m exhausted.’

Estelle felt utterly drained as she sat in the carriage on the way back. She had spent the entire ride listening to Liliana’s disparaging comments.

“Welcome back, my ladies.”

As they entered the mansion, the butler greeted them with a respectful bow.

“Lady Estelle, the door repairs have been completed.”

“…Already?”

Estelle hid her surprise at the butler’s words.

‘It’s usually at the bottom of the priority list and doesn’t get fixed until the next day.’

Something seemed different, as if things were being handled more quickly than usual.

“Oh! It’s almost time for tea with Father!”

Melody clapped her hands together and smiled brightly.

“Would you like to join us, Sister?”

“…I’ll pass. I’m tired from going out.”

“I thought you’d like it.”

Melody pouted, her disappointment evident.

In the past, Estelle would have been grateful for Melody’s efforts to give her opportunities to spend time with their father.

‘But now…’

Knowing her true intentions, everything felt different.

Melody likely felt a sense of superiority over Estelle, who wouldn’t even receive an invitation from the Duke of Winchester without her.

And when Estelle had accepted Melody’s invitation in the past to join their tea time, the Duke had made his displeasure clear.

He had looked directly at Estelle as he commented that the tea tasted bad before leaving the table first.

The sting of that memory, the envy and shame she’d felt toward Melody as he left—it all came rushing back, leaving her chest tight.

“Lady Estelle, the Duke has requested that you join him for dinner.”

The butler’s announcement caught Estelle off guard.

“Did he not know that the young lady doesn’t usually eat breakfast with him?”

When Estelle didn’t respond, the butler continued, implying that her presence at dinner was expected.

“What does that mean? Did Father really invite Sister to breakfast? And now dinner too?”

Melody interjected, disbelief in her voice.

“And Sister didn’t go?”

The butler nodded, and Melody bit her lip, looking bewildered.

‘This is getting interesting.’

Estelle had been planning to decline.

Both the Duke, who suddenly invited her twice, and herself, who rejected him—neither made sense.

But then she saw Melody’s confused expression, as if she couldn’t understand the change in her father’s attitude toward Estelle.

Is she uneasy because the Duke’s behavior toward me has shifted?
She found it intriguing and wanted to see how things unfolded.

“I’ll join for dinner.”

“Understood. I’ll inform the Duke of your decision.”

“I’ll head upstairs now. Melody, you’ll be late for tea time. Go on ahead.”

As Estelle began ascending the stairs, she paused and glanced at Melody, who was still standing frozen in place.

“Alright, Sister. I’ll see you at dinner later.”

Melody forced a playful response and a fake smile, which Estelle found amusing.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the Duke of Winchester’s sudden change in behavior.

Why is he acting like this?

He was a man who hadn’t cared at all when she died in her previous life. In fact, he had ordered the investigation to cease when suspicions of murder arose, concerned only about how it might affect Melody.

Even if I returned with my memories, that shouldn’t have changed him so suddenly.

Was he trying to persuade her into getting engaged to Leonov?

There are only two ways to avoid an engagement to Leonov.
Join a convent, or get engaged to someone else.

The first option is out of the question, and as for the second… there’s no suitable candidate.

A suitable candidate…

The image of the man who had caught her when she stumbled flashed through her mind.

Have I gone mad? Why did I suddenly think of him…?

As the thought of him crossed her mind, a headache struck. Clutching her head, Estelle entered her room.

Come to think of it, I owe him for helping me. Will I ever see him again?

For some reason, the thought left her feeling regretful.

“What are you thinking about, my lady?”

At that moment, Anna appeared behind her and called out.

“…Who gave you permission to come in?”

Feeling flustered as if her thoughts about the man had been discovered, her tone turned sharp.

“I-I’m sorry. I knocked several times, but there was no response, so I thought something might have happened.”

Anna immediately shrank back, shoulders drooping in defeat.

I overreacted.

Waving her hand dismissively, Estelle gestured for Anna to speak.

“A letter has arrived from the Marquis of Garnet…”

“The Marquis of Gannet?”

The letter bore the seal of the Gannet family, and the sender was none other than Liliana Gannet.

Opening the letter with a paper knife, Estelle read its contents. It was an invitation encouraging her to join the sorority, along with an invitation to a tea party at the Gannet estate a week later. The letter ended with words of thanks.

She must think highly of me.

The fact that Liliana was recommending her for sorority membership was unexpected.

What had initially been an attempt to resolve a chaotic situation had turned into an unexpected gain.

It made sense, though—Liliana’s sorority was an exclusive group that one couldn’t join without an invitation.

If I remember correctly, this sorority once invested in a mining project that unearthed blue diamonds, earning each member a considerable profit.

While Estelle received a regular allowance as a duchess to maintain her status, that money came from the Duke of Winchester. She needed personal funds that weren’t subject to his control or scrutiny.

“Reply that I’ll attend.”

In the past, she hadn’t gotten close to Liliana because of Melody.

She had always looked down on her for belittling Melody as a commoner.

Now that I’ve distanced myself from Melody, so many opportunities are opening up.

Her schedule was starting to fill up.

In addition to preparations for her coming-of-age ceremony, she now had the tea party and the masquerade ball at the Marquis of Aslan’s estate.

So much is changing.

She used to have no ambition. She thought she’d simply marry Leonov when the time came.

Because of that, she had focused on perfecting her etiquette to become an ideal crown princess and cared far too much about others’ opinions.

But there was no need to live by others’ expectations or spend her life depending on someone else.

I want to live without constantly worrying about others’ opinions.

It was a positive change. Different actions would lead to different results.

Even if it took time, no matter how long it took, Estelle intended to repay everything she had endured.

But first… the tea party is Liliana’s invitation. Who knows how others will react?

To prepare for any possible situations, she gathered information about the sorority.

The first princess, who’s currently studying abroad, and Olivia Aslan, who sent me the masquerade invitation, are both members of this sorority.

Before she realized it, evening had arrived.

…I guess I should head to the dining hall. The Duke, Melody, and Lucas will all be there.

The thought of facing three people she didn’t want to see made her stomach churn.

After taking some digestive medicine to calm herself, Estelle made her way downstairs.

At the bottom of the staircase, Lucas was pacing anxiously, glancing around.

Why isn’t he going to the dining hall? What’s he doing here?

The sight of him was irritating, so she ignored him and walked past without a word.

“Hey!”

“….”

“Wait, Estelle…”

She stopped at the sound of his urgent voice as he called out to her.

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