“Renee!”
Edwin’s cheerful voice rang out, breaking the silence. I opened my eyes slightly and found Raynan staring at me.
His gaze briefly revealed a hint of irritation before he leaned in closer.
As I shut my eyes again, I felt his forehead press gently against mine.
“Just as I thought. Your fever is gone,” Raynan said calmly, pulling back.
“We’ll come back a little later…” Amelia’s cautious voice trailed off, and I turned my head toward her.
The movement felt oddly awkward, almost creaky.
Amelia looked a bit flustered, while Edwin blinked up at me, clearly clueless about the situation.
“No, come in,” Raynan said.
At his words, Edwin approached me eagerly.
“Renee, you’re feeling better now, right? Father just said your fever’s gone!”
“Oh… yes. After resting, I feel fine now.”
“That’s a relief!”
“Even after etiquette lessons…” Raynan muttered in a low tone, his gaze settling on Edwin.
Realizing the attention was on him, Edwin flinched and grabbed my hand.
It reminded me of a similar moment before. This had been the catalyst for Edwin’s etiquette lessons, in addition to his swordsmanship training.
With Raynan’s sharp eyes still on him, Edwin inched closer to my side, gripping my hand as if silently pleading for help.
“What did you do today?” I asked, hoping to shift the focus. Raynan’s gaze finally left Edwin. Relieved, Edwin’s face lit up as he looked up at me.
“We went boating on the lake and had some delicious food!”
He seemed to have had a wonderful day, eagerly ticking off activities on his fingers and sharing them with a bright smile.
It seemed like he had spent the entire day by the lake. Judging by how animated he was, his time with Amelia and Chase must have been thoroughly enjoyable.
“And I painted, too!”
“By the lake? Wow, that must’ve been so much fun. I bet your painting is amazing!”
“Yeah! And Amelia is so good at painting, too!”
“Really?”
“She’s like a professional artist!”
I glanced at Amelia, wondering if there was anything she couldn’t do.
She was deep in conversation with Raynan, both of them looking unusually serious.
Was something wrong?
“Amelia even taught me how to paint! She said she’d teach me more whenever we have time.”
“Did she?”
The heavy atmosphere between Raynan and Amelia was starting to weigh on me, but Edwin’s cheerful voice quickly scattered my concerns.
“Next time, let’s try fishing! They said there are plenty of fish in the lake, so we can do it!”
Edwin’s excitement about the future brought an uncontrollable smile to my face.
“Edwin, I’d love to see the painting you made today.”
“Oh… I left it in my room…”
“Shall we go get it together?”
Raynan and Amelia didn’t seem to object. While they briefly glanced in our direction as we prepared to leave, neither showed any intention of stopping us.
Perhaps it would be easier for them to continue their discussion with Edwin and me out of the room.
As soon as we stepped out, someone quietly followed behind us.
I turned and recognized the knight. His face was familiar since I had seen him often in the estate, but his presence felt slightly unusual.
Then again, I usually moved around with Raynan or Amelia, so it made sense for someone to accompany us.
“Where’s Chase?”
“Oh, well… He said something came up and left in the middle of the day.”
“Did he?”
The sudden departure didn’t seem like a typical occurrence, not even to Edwin.
“Do you think he ran off because he didn’t want to paint?”
Edwin puffed out his cheeks, diving into a serious thought.
“Maybe I should’ve said it wasn’t just about painting from the start.”
“No, I don’t think so. Chase seemed a bit shy, but he didn’t look like he hated painting.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He always worked so diligently, didn’t he?”
“Now that you mention it, he did seem very focused.”
“Exactly. It sounds like he really did have something urgent to take care of.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Edwin’s mood quickly lifted as he beamed.
“Spending time with Amelia was fun, but I think it would’ve been even better if we’d all been together.”
“That’s too bad.”
“It’s okay. Father said we could come again next time.”
“Did he really?”
“Yeah. He said he felt sad that you were sick today, so he promised we’d visit again and have lots of fun.”
“I see.”
It really seemed like their relationship had grown closer. To think they were now having such conversations without me knowing.
More than anything, it felt like Raynan had gone out of his way to comfort Edwin.
Their bond was beginning to resemble that of a typical father and son, which was reassuring to see. It also made Edwin more confident and cheerful than before.
“Next time, I want to paint with you, Renee, and go fishing, too!”
“Let’s definitely do that next time. And we can think of even more fun things to try together.”
“Okay!”
****
As Renee and Edwin left the room, Raynan and Amelia’s gazes naturally followed them.
Amelia, who had been fondly watching the backs of the two close companions, quickly returned to a serious expression when she heard Raynan’s voice.
“So Marvin is unwell now?”
“Yes. Chase went to confirm it with Carlson.”
“So, it was poison after all.”
“Yes.”
“They probably didn’t mean to kill him. Well, Schneider’s way is always to use whatever he can to the fullest.”
“Still, there’s no telling when their tactics might change.”
“True. That’s why we came back from vacation. It’s best to announce the engagement as soon as we return. More importantly, if Marvin’s in that state…”
“I’m not certain, but it seems likely that the drinks were swapped for some reason.”
“Isn’t that strange? They must have been watching Renee to ensure she consumed it.”
“Considering that a poisoning incident here would severely limit the suspects, they must have been extra cautious in their planning.”
“Well, it’s all out in the open now. At least Renee is unharmed.”
While staying with Chase, Marvin’s peculiar and unnatural behavior had been noticed multiple times. That’s why they brought him along on vacation and had been keeping a close eye on him.
Their mistake was approaching Renee in such a brief window, but fortunately, Renee remained safe.
No, more than that, Renee hadn’t even guessed that any threat had existed.
“If Renee is completely unaware of the situation…”
“It seems like another one of their absurd schemes.”
“Yes, probably…”
“It’s strange how, at times, that sort of thing works out in her favor.”
“Thankfully so.”
“Right. Still, she should be a little more cautious around people. I’ll make sure she understands that.”
“Understood.”
Amelia’s face softened as she recalled Renee’s habit of overreacting to small things or coming up with unexpected ideas that made people laugh.
Raynan seemed to share her thoughts. His usually stern expression eased slightly.
Although, it didn’t take long for his serious demeanor to return.
“So, how is Marvin’s condition?”
“He’s suffering from high fever and pain, but his life isn’t in danger.”
“I see.”
“However, he’s insisting on going to a nearby village for treatment.”
Raynan gave a cold smile at Amelia’s words.
“He must be frustrated, unable to admit he was poisoned.”
Amelia responded in a similarly sarcastic tone after hearing Raynan’s scornful words.
“Probably. What should we do?”
“He’s my servant. We can’t just abandon him in a nearby village. Carlson is here, so tell him it’s unnecessary.”
“Understood.”
Though it seemed like he was showing concern for Marvin, his intent was entirely different.
Separating Marvin would only make it easier for Schneider or whoever was behind him to contact Marvin directly.
“Marvin won’t recover anytime soon. He won’t die, but…”
“That’s true.”
The implication was clear: delay Marvin’s recovery as much as possible without endangering his life. Amelia nodded in agreement with Raynan’s stance.
“Keep a close watch when we return. Eventually, he’ll contact someone.”
“Yes.”
Marvin might lay low for a while due to the failure of his plans, but sooner or later, he would move again.
No matter how cautious he tried to be, the suspicion surrounding him made it impossible to avoid scrutiny.
“Keep an eye on Renee as well. With Marvin in that state, someone else might make a move.”
“Yes.”
Amelia hid her thoughts behind a composed expression.
Raynan had survived countless brushes with death throughout his life. While his older brother’s presence may have drawn attention away from him in his youth, that didn’t mean he had been free from danger.
Trusting others was akin to courting death for someone in his position.
Amelia often felt pity for Raynan, unable to trust others and left to endure a life as cold and barren as his.
He didn’t want Edwin to inherit the same fierce and brutal life he had. At least, he seemed to spare Edwin from such hardships.
‘Perhaps Edwin is even better suited for this role than the Duke himself.’
Raynan, with his unyielding and cold demeanor, was admirable in his own right. But Edwin had a different approach.
Behind his bright smile, he hid his sharp wit and cunning.
Renee still doted on him, thinking of him as just a child, but Edwin was undoubtedly a member of the Loerian family.
Moreover, as the firstborn of the previous Duke, Edwin would have succeeded the title directly if not for the accident.
Edwin would undoubtedly take over Raynan’s position someday. While his approach would differ greatly from Raynan’s, he was sure to become a powerful Duke in his own right.
Perhaps Edwin might even excel beyond Raynan.
Amelia recalled her conversation with Edwin by the lake.
