Chapter 26: The Duke of Winchester’s Visit
It was a sudden, rainy afternoon.
The Empress had sent a letter to the Winchester Ducal Estate.
Duke Winchester was troubled by the contents—it stated that the Empress wished to meet Estelle.
Although framed as a request, it was more of a command, urging them to enter the palace and visit the Empress’s quarters immediately.
She likely intended to pressure them into finalizing Estelle’s engagement to the Crown Prince.
With the Emperor unconscious, the Empress’s power had grown even stronger, making it difficult to refuse her.
She was a venomous woman. It was clear that facing her wouldn’t be easy for Estelle.
Even when the Crown Prince himself had visited, Estelle had remained firm in her refusal, showing no intention of proceeding with the engagement.
The Duke wanted to understand her reasoning.
At first, she had been enamored with the Crown Prince, eagerly dressing up whenever she went to see him. But now, she was adamant about rejecting the engagement.
Had something happened?
He had investigated the matter after Estelle questioned why he hadn’t looked into it earlier.
The only notable incident was that the Crown Prince had arrived slightly late, making Estelle wait as she usually did.
If that was all, then what was the issue?
Unable to grasp her thoughts, he had been having a headache when he received another urgent report—Estelle had collapsed.
She had lost consciousness shortly after returning home, drenched from the rain.
Her fever was alarmingly high.
Lucas had been making a racket, pestering the doctor to do something, so the Duke had him thrown out.
The physician diagnosed that Estelle had fainted due to exhaustion, worsened by being exposed to the rain while already in a weakened state from not eating properly.
“The daughter of the Winchester family, suffering from malnutrition?”
Her frail body, burning with fever as she muttered deliriously, was a pitiful sight.
When he placed a hand on her forehead, she stirred and whispered in her sleep.
She pleaded for him not to leave.
Begged him to stay a little longer.
Asked him not to abandon her.
Those words made it impossible for him to pull away.
“I won’t leave. I’ll stay here.”
Only after hearing his promise did Estelle release his sleeve and drift back to sleep.
—
“She said she would be a good child…”
What kind of dream was she having that made her murmur such painful words in her sleep?
Her plea—‘don’t abandon me’—made his chest ache.
“I never said I would abandon you. So… those words weren’t meant for me. But why does it feel like they are?”
The Duke stared at Estelle’s fever-flushed face.
It was the first time he had seen her sleep so peacefully.
Lying still like this, she looked just like ‘her’.
Her round forehead, the faint dimple at the corner of her lips—even the barely visible birthmark above her ear.
“I knew she resembled Alicia, but I didn’t realize just how much.”
Melody, aside from her pink eyes, bore no resemblance to Alicia.
Which made sense—there was no blood connection between them.
“But Estelle… She inherited everything, except for the eye color.”
The day Estelle had returned from the Aslan Marquisate, she had been wearing a pale yellow dress—the same color Alicia had loved.
For a fleeting moment, he had felt as if his wife had returned to him.
“I never noticed before… I was always seeing her with her head lowered.”
His firstborn, Rahelrn, was his spitting image, while his second son, Lucas, took after Alicia so closely it was almost uncanny.
At one point, Alicia had voiced a simple wish:
“Next time, I want to have a child who resembles both of us equally.”
And Estelle had fulfilled that wish—his silver hair, combined with Alicia’s delicate features.
He smiled faintly.
But then, the sound of heavy rain striking the window caught his attention.
The downpour showed no sign of letting up.
“I thought it was just a light rain, but the weather is being unpredictable.”
The endless patter of raindrops was oddly irritating.
He rose to close the curtains—then paused.
The fabric was old. The patterns were plain, the color a dull, dark gray.
Melody, on the other hand, loved changing her curtains every few months.
She often asked which color to choose, whether she should pick floral patterns or butterfly designs.
For some reason, realizing this left an unsettling feeling in his chest.
It wasn’t just the curtains.
Everything in Estelle’s room was old. At best, one could call it simple and modest, but it was hardly suitable for a young lady of noble status.
“I never imposed restrictions on her… and it’s not as if the allowance she receives for maintaining her dignity is small.”
Even the jewelry in the box on her vanity was plain. Her dresses were all similarly understated.
“Since she’s changing rooms anyway, I should have the western chamber properly furnished.”
Perhaps increasing her allowance for accessories and dresses would help.
—
“Your Grace, may I enter?”
“Come in.”
The butler knocked and stepped inside.
“How is Lady Estelle?”
“She’s asleep. The physician said she simply needs rest. Ah, bring the paperwork from my office here.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
As he recalled something, the Duke added,
“By the way, double Estelle’s allowance.”
The butler hesitated before replying,
“…Your Grace, Lady Estelle has never spent her full allowance. In fact, she barely uses even half of it. Do you still wish to increase it?”
The unexpected answer caught him off guard.
Considering the state of her room, it made sense she hadn’t spent much… but to think she hadn’t even used half of what she was allocated?
Melody, on the other hand, frequently spent her full allowance and often asked for more with a playful pout.
The contrast between them was striking.
“…Keep the allowance as it is, but summon a jeweler to the estate. The cost of whatever she selects will not be deducted from her allowance.”
“Yes, Your Grace. I will ensure they bring only the finest quality pieces.”
He realized that merely increasing her allowance wouldn’t change anything—she wouldn’t use it anyway.
“It’s better to simply gift her a few jewels.”
Her coming-of-age ceremony was soon.
“When the jeweler arrives, guide her in choosing pieces appropriate for the ceremony.”
Judging by the jewelry she owned, he doubted she would show much interest even when presented with new options.
The butler, however, smiled.
“I’m sure Lady Estelle will be pleased to know you arranged this, Your Grace.”
“…Will she?”
Lately, Estelle had changed noticeably.
She no longer welcomed his attention.
She had stopped calling him ‘Father’ and now addressed him as ‘Your Grace’.
She had told him outright—she had no one she wanted to impress anymore, so she no longer saw the need to act as she once had.
‘It’s not just me. Her attitude toward Melody and Lucas isn’t the same as before either.’
In the past, even when she wasn’t at fault, she had always shrunk away in fear.
Now, she didn’t.
“Lady Estelle must simply be exhausted from preparing for her coming-of-age ceremony. I believe she will be happy, Your Grace.”
The butler tried to reassure him.
“Yes… Perhaps she’s just tense because of the upcoming ceremony.”*
In Valderman, the coming-of-age ceremony was a significant event, even more so than a debutante ball.
It was natural to feel burdened by the preparations.
“Who would be a suitable chaperone…? Ah, Aunt Vanessa should do.”
Having an experienced, older relative by her side might ease her worries.
“Contact Countess Ezeff. Invite her to stay at the Winchester estate as Estelle’s chaperone.”
“I will send a carriage to escort her shortly, Your Grace.”
“Good.”
He couldn’t deny that he had neglected Estelle in the past.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can’t do better from now on.’
As he watched Estelle stir slightly in her sleep, his gaze landed on a sapphire necklace sitting on her bedside table.
“…Why is this out instead of in her jewelry box?”
“Lord Lucas placed it there. Lady Estelle was clutching it when she collapsed.”
The Duke picked up the necklace, his fingers grazing the smooth surface of the sapphire.
Then, he turned it over.
—
“To my Estie,
—Michael.”
—
“…Estie?”
The butler blinked before speaking cautiously.
“‘Estie’ is Lady Estelle’s childhood nickname… and ‘Michael’—isn’t that the name of the Second Prince?”
The butler’s words were correct.
Due to imperial law regarding name reverence, in the entire Valderman Empire, there was only one ‘Michael’—the Second Prince.
“Why does Estelle have this necklace? What is her relationship with Prince Michael?”
Although he possessed golden eyes, which allowed him to inherit the imperial name, Michael was still an illegitimate child.
A ‘half-blood’ royal.
The Duke would never allow such a man to be involved with Estelle.
