As Philome slowly blinked her eyes, the conversation continued.
“Actually, the Duke has been unconscious for two days.”
“Is that really true?”
“Fortunately, his condition isn’t bad. He’s just unable to wake up due to severe bleeding….And the Miss? Is she okay?”
Sebastian’s voice carried an unmistakable affection and concern as he asked.
Philome was shocked.
She knew that both Sebastian and Madonna hadn’t been very welcoming at first, but she could tell over time that they had grown fond of her. She felt a faint affection in their gazes.
However, Sebastian’s voice mentioning Kaien’s mistress was on a different level altogether.
“At least he has calmed down. The Miss is also very worried about the Duke. Given how rarely they meet, and with what happened last time…”
“Just wait a little longer.”
“How much longer are we supposed to wait, Sebastian? It’s already been five years since she’s been at the villa—five years.”
Five years and two months.
Philome compared those two periods.
The difference was so vast it was almost embarrassing to compare.
“I know. I know better than anyone. I hope the Miss regains her rightful place soon. But it’s not the right time yet.”
“Is it… because of that woman? The Duke’s fiancée?”
“Bear. Watch your words.”
“…Does she oppose the Miss? What does that woman have to do with this…?”
“Bear!”
A scream-like shout echoed from behind Philome. She recognized the voice belonged to Madonna but didn’t bother turning her head.
At the sound of his name being called, the man quickly turned his gaze, and in an instant, his eyes met Philome’s.
Realizing that Philome was the “woman” he had mentioned, his face went pale.
Sebastian, noticing something unusual, also turned his head and spotted Philome.
“Ah, Miss.”
Sebastian approached Philome, flustered.
Philome, without saying a word, shifted her gaze from Bear to Sebastian.
Madonna, standing next to Sebastian, did not add any unnecessary comments.
“…I will explain.”
Philome briefly lowered her eyes before raising them again.
“No.”
Sebastian, taken aback by her refusal, opened his mouth, but Philome spoke faster.
“I need to hear it directly from the Duke.”
The moment she became certain that the “Miss” they were talking about was Kaien’s mistress, she made her decision.
She had no intention of hiding or sneaking away anyway. It was only a matter of time before they realized she had overheard their conversation.
Although she had learned about the mistress through their discussion, she didn’t want to hear the details from them.
That was something she wanted to hear directly from Kaien.
And she wanted to ask him.
What was the kiss in the carriage about? What did it mean?
“Until then, you all don’t say a word. Please take care of your guest.”
Having finished speaking, Philome turned her body without waiting for a response.
The next day, Philome followed her usual schedule.
She woke up at a similar time as the day before, had breakfast, checked the spirit scrolls sent by Harnen, and then had lunch. Since it was a day without Madonna’s lessons, she headed straight to the garden with Sophia.
Although she didn’t mention anything, it seemed Sophia had noticed something was off since she quietly followed her, unlike usual.
Philome looked up at the clear sky.
‘What will happen to me?’
And why hadn’t Kaien taken the mistress who bore his child as his wife?
‘Could it be that I’ve possessed a character from another novel? Is the mistress the real heroine?’
Was she merely a part of the moment when the male lead realized his feelings for the female lead?
There must be a valid reason for not taking that mistress as his wife.
Transcendents usually need a suitable partner. Given the necessary physical contact with the suitable partner, not marrying them often drew negative attention from society.
So, the reason Kaien didn’t welcome the mistress as his wife was simple.
‘Because she’s not a suitable partner.’
He couldn’t have contact with a suitable partner while being married, so he was probably waiting for someone to enter into a contract marriage.
‘Could it be that…?’
Philome recalled what Kaien had said.
‘I promised myself that there would be no marriage in my life.’
That was something he said when they first met.
It felt as if all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
Since the person he loved wasn’t a suitable partner, he couldn’t take her as a wife. So, he might have decided not to marry at all.
“Ha.”
Philome let out a hollow laugh.
Suddenly stopping and looking up at the sky while laughing to herself made Sophia glance at her with a worried expression.
“Haha…”
Philome laughed weakly.
“Right, that must be it.”
Knowing the reason made her feel somewhat at ease.
However, separate from that comfort, a sharp sting was clearly felt.
Philome tried not to acknowledge that this pain stemmed from betrayal.
Philome tried to ignore it and breathed slowly.
‘How uncomfortable must it have been?’
The person who had inevitably proposed the contract for the sake of public perception was the suitable partner. It must have been quite awkward.
Just then, as she was lost in thought,
“Miss!”
Sebastian rushed into the garden.
The moment Philome met Sebastian’s gaze, she instantly understood what he wanted to say.
“The Duke has awakened.”
At those words, Philome closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled.
Then, after opening her eyes, she turned her body.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Kaien opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the familiar ceiling.
As he propped himself up and pulled on the loose shirt, he felt a dull pain in his abdomen, which made him face reality belatedly.
He had lost consciousness while in contact with Philome.
Recalling that, Kaien immediately asked the flustered Sebastian, who had rushed in.
“Where is Philome?”
Strangely, Sebastian flinched before answering.
“She is in the mansion.”
Hearing that Philome was in the same mansion caused Kaien’s unsteady heart to quickly regain its calm. He slipped his arm into the shirt that was lying next to him and said.
“Where is Philome? I’ll go to her.”
“Um, Duke. I have something to tell you.”
Seeing Sebastian’s dark expression, Kaien felt anxious and hurriedly asked, “Has something happened to Philome?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that… She found out about the Miss’s existence.”
The hand that was quickly buttoning his shirt froze in place.
Kaien, who had stiffened, remained silent for a long moment before asking, “…Please explain in detail what happened.”
“It was my mistake. Bear came to the mansion, and at that time…”
Sebastian conveyed only the objective facts, recounting everything Philome had said without omission.
“…I’ll explain it well, so bring Philome to me.”
Sebastian bowed deeply and then left the room.
As Kaien finished buttoning his shirt, he pondered how to open the conversation.
However, there wasn’t much time left for him. Before long, the door opened, and Philome entered the bedroom alone.
The room was slightly dim because the lights were off and the curtains were drawn.
Philome approached Kaien, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, lightly greeted him, and then sat down on the chair beside the bed.
She smiled brightly.
“It’s been a while.”
“…Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the lady.”
Sebastian had explained the situation and mentioned that he hadn’t woken up for three days. It was the first time he had not seen her face for so long.
Kaien licked his dry lips.
“So, first, what I want to say to you is… I’m sorry.”
“……”
“I never intended to deceive you from the beginning. I planned to tell you when the time was right.”
“And when was that time?”
“……”
Kaien looked at Philome.
She was still smiling.
But to Kaien, that smile seemed even more frozen than a blank expression.
“…Alright. To be honest, I never intended to say anything at all.”
Kaien was the dominant party in every relationship. Therefore, he felt no need to consider the feelings or thoughts of the other person.
“I was just going to notify you.”
“I see.”
“That’s what I thought until I met you.”
😭😭 jdjxidnsif
Thanks for the translation!