Ever since Eirene showed up, Clive’s attention, the countess, and the servants have been focused on her.
There was tension in their eyes, except for Clive’s.
It was the same with Eirene.
She thought that there would be nothing scary in the world because she had died once.
She wasn’t used to the situation. It wasn’t natural.
Eirene wishes God had given her the second chance when she was younger.
She couldn’t help but resent God for bringing her back to the darkest time.
To Eirene, Clive’s gaze was the most burdensome.
He didn’t take his eyes off her and he kept smiling.
Well, he originally liked Aishe.
He had repeatedly confessed in letters.
Aishe told her that it was difficult for her to reply, and asked Eirene to write on her behalf.
She wrote a few, but most of them belonged to Eirene.
Writing letters was one of Eirene’s few pleasures.
However, she hasn’t written a letter for almost a year. They have been exchanging letters for almost three years.
She felt like she was dating him every time she read and responded to his letters.
At that time, she felt very sorry for Aishe for having such feelings for him, but her feelings disappeared once when she tried not to feel that way about him again.
When she was on good terms with Aishe, she would lay on Eirene’s bed and read Clive’s letters, calling him ‘Stupid Clive’.
I don’t know what was the reason, but I was sure Aishe liked him very much.
When Eirene asked why she called him stupid, she wouldn’t tell her.
Anyway, that stupid Clive’s blatant gaze caressed Eirene’s face.
She felt suffocated as if every strand of her hair was being stroked.
Eirene was uncomfortable sitting right next to him.
“You’ve suffered from a cold for two months, you seem to have gotten worse. You lost a lot of weight.”
“I’m better now.”
Eirene turned her head to Clive, smiled at him, and gave him an okay look.
“It’s very nice to see my fiancee face to face like this though.”
“Yes. Me too.”
Now, Eirene could feel the countess’ gaze.
She was told not to talk to him, but as soon as she entered, it annoyed her.
“Fred, come and serve the food.”
The Countess urged the butler to serve, and then she spoke to Clive.
“I prepared an elegant dinner with all my heart, but I don’t know if you will like it. It must be different from the Imperial Palace’s cuisine or the Grand Duke’s residence, so please understand it.”
“I don’t like it too elegant, even the food. Don’t worry.”
She’s trying not to burden him, but Clive’s expression was strange.
A face that she doesn’t know if it means good or bad.
The tone and expression were different just like Clive’s.
* * * * * * * * * *
The food was amazing.
Eirene felt better as soon as she took the last bite of dessert.
She had long forgotten the joy of sweetness.
She often ate good quality food when she was younger. At the end of every meal, they gave desserts that always cheered her up.
Although it has changed over time, she once had the affectionate care she received from Aishe.
Eirene needs to be healthy in order to live with Aishe.
She still couldn’t figure out why they kept her alive.
She simply thought that they had completely erased her existence, but looking at the current situation, it seemed that wasn’t the only thing.
Whether big or small, it has something to do with it.
KNOCK KNOCK
Clive knocked on the table and called for his fiancee, who was in deep thought.
Astonished Eirene dropped her fork.
Betty came over and quickly set up a new fork.
“How about a walk together after dinner? I want to be alone with you after a long time.”
Eirene, who could not answer immediately, looked at the Countess.
When she saw her shake her head slightly, she answered Clive with an embarrassed tone.
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
It was quite enjoyable to see the Countess’s expression.
She was staring at her as if she wanted to kill her.
* * * * * * * * * *
The walk was canceled.
The Countess said that Eirene’s cold had not yet completely subsided, and she had to be careful with the night air.
Clive apologized for not thinking much of her and then asked if the room would be good.
The Countess couldn’t refuse anymore and eventually permitted him.
Instead, she called Eirene separately and urged her to be careful.
Honestly, Eirene didn’t want to be alone with Clive.
She knows very little information about the relationship between Aishe and Clive.
It would have been better if they were in the middle of exchanging letters, but she hasn’t had any interaction with him for a year.
It was uncomfortable to be with him. He makes people nervous.
Eirene tried to avoid him using other excuses, but it was already too late.
She was curious about Aishe’s reaction, so she carefully went into the tea room, where Clive was waiting and sat down on the opposite chair.
“Didn’t you miss me these two months?”
“Yes, yes?”
Eirene was surprised by the friendly tone.
“We don’t exchange letters just to check how is the other is doing. I haven’t seen you in two months, so I missed you a lot.”
She forgot that these two were lovers.
Eirene could have done what an ordinary lover would have done, but she didn’t know how close they were.
However, if Clive didn’t recognize his lover, she thought it was more likely that he kept his distance.
Also, isn’t he a member of the Imperial Family?
A man, who was raised as a member of the Imperial Family would protect even if a lovely woman was by his side.
Eirene smiled and nodded slightly, wanting to play along.
“I wanted to see you too.”
Clive smiled too.
The way he looked at her was burdensome.
He took a sip of his tea, but he still didn’t take his eyes off Eirene.
They rolled their eyes at each other’s gaze, and when their eyes met, they smiled at each other.
Clive put down the cup of tea.
He got up and sat down next to her.
He smiled again naturally at Eirene, who had a bewildered expression on her face.
“I want to see you up close.”
His hand reached out and touched Eirene’s wrist.
She was surprised.
But she didn’t know how to get his hand off naturally.
His hand slowly climbed up Eirene’s arm.
She stopped breathing when she felt goosebumps.
Eirene hopes he didn’t touch her neck.
Clive’s hand, which had missed her neck as she wished, landed on the back of the sofa.
Clive’s eyes widened when Eirene turned her body toward him.
Does he know something or behave like this? Or is he good at dealing with women?
She couldn’t figure out which one it was.
Eirene decided to lure him, but on the contrary, she was being seduced.
Of course, she wasn’t shaken.
Looking at her opponent’s overwhelming physique and dangerous eyes, it seemed that she would fall first without even trying.
However, since she couldn’t waste time trying to figure it out in a state where she was neither one nor the other, Eirene decided to go for it once and for all.
After all, Clive doesn’t recognize his fiancée.
She put her teacup down and turned towards Clive.
She made up her mind, but she was nervous.
It’s ok. I learned all kinds of love tricks from books, so I’m putting it to good use.
Eirene leaned against the back of the sofa, raised her hand, touched the back of Clive’s hand, and then immediately move it away.
It was a light touch.
Watching the fine wrinkles between his brows fade and then straighten out, he turned to sit back.
I can’t possibly do more than this.
There was a big difference between the book and doing it in real life.
Eirene thought her heart was going to explode.
She could feel her cheeks trembling as she forced a smile, so she quickly drank tea.
“Do you really have a cold for two months?”
“… … Yes.”
“That’s right. There’s no way you could have lied to me.”
Eirene nodded as a sign of agreement, and Clive nodded once.
“But where’s your engagement ring?”
“I took it off while taking a bath and forgot about it.”
She had heard about Aishe’s ring, so she didn’t get nervous.
She must wear it from tomorrow to avoid suspicion.
Eirene decided to get the engagement ring before going to bed.
Clive’s gaze remained.
What is it?
She felt like an apple that had been thinly peeled with a sharp knife.
He has a tender face with evil eyes.
Clive seemed to know something, but he didn’t.
“It’s nice to be able to see your eyes.”
“I like it too.”
“Your eyes are so clear.”
A large hand came up and touched Eirene’s cheek.
“I’m not going to keep up you late, you haven’t fully recovered. Let’s rest early.”
Clive got up first and went outside. However, the Countess was standing outside.
She acted as if she was giving instructions to the servants.
But it was clear to Clive, she was listening to what was going on in the tea room.
It was obvious surveillance.
Clive had expected this when he accepted the Phineos’ invitation, but he had no idea the Countess would do it so openly.
He should have been prepared for it.
It hasn’t been like this since he arrived.
At some point, the flow of air changed and the vigilance grew stronger.
From the moment his fiancee appeared, everything was unnatural. The countess, the servants, and even the fiancee. It wasn’t natural for her to cover her face every time they went on a date under the excuse of being shy.
He was just waiting to see if she would show her face, but that must have been today.
That was the unexpected part. It seemed that it would take more time than expected to uncover this family’s secret.
Clive left the Countess standing awkwardly and went up the stairs to the room where he was staying.
Meanwhile, Eirene was able to breathe properly after Clive left.
She heard that he was leaving the next morning for the Imperial Palace.
It would be easy to get caught if I continued to act stupid.
I’d rather tell Clive that I was Eirene instead of Aishe.
She thought about how to do it. But it was risky.
To outsiders, Eirene was a member of the Phineos family, and she wondered if Clive would listen to her, that she was a victim of exploitation.
In the past, Clive didn’t trust her.
It was hard to believe him. He seemed to have hidden poison in his friendly tone.
The Countess said the life and death of the family were at stake, but who knows.
No matter how much she thought about it, she wasn’t going to reveal her identity yet.
Eirene left the tea room and went to the guest room on the second floor.
Countess Phineos and Aishe jumped up and approached her.
“What did you talk about?”
Aishe’s face was tense.
“I didn’t say anything. Did the Grand Duke feel comfortable talking to you when he was with you?”
“Sometimes he was and sometimes he wasn’t. He’s unpredictable… … . Also? Even if you don’t say anything, do something.”
“He just wanted to see you, because you were suffering a lot from a cold for two months. Oh, he also asked why I wasn’t wearing the engagement ring. I told him I took it off while I was taking a bath and forgot about it.”
Aishe turned to her mother.
“Should I even give her my engagement ring?”
The Countess closed and opened her eyes, taking it for granted, Aishe looked at her ring with tears in her eyes.
She took it off and handed it to Eirene.
Her ring was a little loose, but not enough to fall off.
Eirene asked Aishe as she looked at the ring.
“Why does Grand Duke Clive mistake me for you? He has met you in person many times.”
“That, that… … .”
Suddenly, the Countess said, instead of the muttering Aishe.
“Aishe is shy, so whenever she met the Grand Duke, she covered her face with a veil. But when I sent the portrait, I have made the mistake of sending your portrait and not Aishe’s.”
“It’s fine if mother sent the wrong portrait.”
It was an incomprehensible story. Mistakes had to be corrected.
“I was trying to do that. But the Grand Duke… … He liked you very much. It got to this point because I kept putting off telling the truth.”
It was a scam.
They deceived the Royal Family.
There was no way the Countess, who knew what would happen if things went wrong, would make such a mistake.
There was something else these two of them didn’t say.
“It is only a matter of time that Your Highness notices, I am on the way to discuss measures with your father. I have to admit my mistake.”
“Mother!”
Aishe jumped up from her chair.
“What are you going to do? If His Majesty the Emperor finds out about this …… Then we… … We are done!”
“Baby. If punishment is given, what should I do? So far, our family has contributed to the Imperial Family, so you will not be punished harshly.”
The Countess covered Ayshe’s face with her hands.
Like the word ‘baby’, she really treated her like a little baby.
“Not that! What if my engagement is canceled!”
The Countess gently stroked Aishe’s head. Clear tears flowed from Aishe’s eyes, like the blue sky I saw today.
“I don’t think so. The Grand Duke will not abandon you.”
Eirene liked the expression ‘throw away.’
I wondered how Aishe would accept the despair of being abandoned by the person she considered her entire world.
When the Countess went out with Aishe, she returned and informed Eirene that she had to deceive Clive for the time being.
* * * * * * * * * *
The morning of Clive’s departure.
The past two days have been a series of tensions for Eirene.
She didn’t have much to talk to Clive about, but she had a hard time with the eyes that followed her.
He got into the carriage, saying that he would get back in touch soon.
Eirene, who had seen him off until the carriage disappeared, had to return to the basement again.
She was going to be there for a while, so she followed them quietly.
* * * * * * * * * *
The carriage returning to the Imperial Palace stopped on its way.
Not long after his departure, Clive was still on the Phineos estate.
He got out of the carriage and took out a cigar while looking at the Phineos Mansion’s roof in the distance.
“They think I’m a fool.”
“What? A fool?”
After hearing Clive’s sudden remark, Yulik immediately spoke to himself.
“It’s not entirely wrong to say that your Highness is a fool, but… … .”
Without realizing it, he quickly shut his mouth.
“It looks like your mouth will be sewn up sooner or later.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful. Are you talking about the Phineos family? Why?”
Yulik lightly smacked his mouth with his hand.
He looked at where Clive was looking.
“Aishe is weird. Could it be that she was confined in the mansion for two months with a cold?”
“The Lady’s face looked sick. She was also very thin.”
“That’s not it.”
Clive shook his head and let out a long smoke.
“If not… … … I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Yulik kept asking what it was, but Clive was staring at one place without saying a word.
Having burned out his cigar, Clive said before getting into the carriage.
“She, the Count, and his wife are lying to me.”
“Are they lying?”
“She wasn’t sick for two months… … She was another person… … I think she met a man.”
“What! Nonsense. A lady doing that… … Maybe not. How can a gentle and shy girl… … .”
As Yulik mumbled and remained dazed, Clive closed the carriage door and gave the order to the coachman to depart.
He looked at Phineos’ mansion as he moved away and clenched his chin.
The Phineos family swore allegiance to the Imperial Family.
It was an engagement to find out how the Phineos amassed and managed their enormous wealth.
The unfathomable fortune of a family was a threat to the Imperial Family, so Clive went out on his own.
Even so, the Phineos family’s oath and continuous dedication had kept them ignorant until now, but from what they knew so far, it seemed that they weren’t the only ones they swore allegiance to.
Clive hid his purpose and acted kind towards Aishe.
And after a heartless confession, the result was an engagement.
He still had a long way to go, and he wondered how to deal with the boring girl.
But while he was staying at the mansion, he learned something interesting.
It looked like it was going to be a lot of fun in the future.
