IFLDMHF | Chapter 93

Episode 93

Honestly, if I hadn’t known they were family, I would have thought they were complete strangers.

More than anything!

‘Objectively speaking, most of them do fall into the category of handsome men, but…’

To be honest, they couldn’t even begin to compare to Euclid’s celestial beauty.

So, I naturally assumed that Euclid must have taken after his mother.

However, it was actually Euclid’s nephews who resembled their mother’s side more.

‘This is unexpected.’

Euclid’s sister-in-law, who was said to be strong-willed enough to resist Count Biers’ tyranny by raiding the merchant group and distributing goods to the estate’s residents, had a surprisingly delicate and frail appearance—contrary to my expectations.

If I hadn’t known her circumstances, I would have thought she was a noble lady from the count’s family.

It was instantly clear where Dior’s gentle, innocent face had come from.

As well as Marianne’s charming features and intelligent, sharp gaze.

Of course, both Dior and Marianne had inherited the deep teal eye color from Euclid’s older brother.

And as for Euclid’s mother, whom I had expected to be an incredibly breathtaking beauty…

‘Mother, I apologize.’

I truly mean no offense, but the former Duchess, while elegant and graceful, had such a faint presence that the portrait barely captured a tenth of the beauty I had imagined.

Even upon closer examination, there was not a single resemblance between her and Euclid’s features, which seemed almost otherworldly.

No matter how hard I searched, I could only confirm one shocking fact—Euclid’s extraordinary appearance was not inherited.

‘I thought these rare and precious genes could be preserved…’

And perhaps, that could have made the world a slightly more enjoyable and peaceful place.

But as expected, such divine beauty must be as rare as winning the lottery.

Since I had been secretly looking forward to a child who resembled Euclid, I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

Of course, no matter what kind of face a child born between Euclid and me had, I would naturally find them absolutely adorable and beautiful…

‘But what if they don’t take after Euclid at all and only inherit my face?’

I felt an odd sense of unease, as the Basilian family’s genes seemed particularly dominant.

Of course, this was a matter far into the future…

Perhaps it might never happen at all…

Unlike before, I found myself lacking confidence and let out a bitter laugh as I turned back to the portrait.

And in my heart, I sincerely expressed my gratitude to my unseen mother-in-law.

‘Mother, thank you so much for giving birth to my favorite person. I will make sure Euclid is happy. Ah, and thank you as well, Father!’

I nearly forgot to thank him—the sharp-featured former Duke—so my gaze lingered on him a little longer.

“Everyone who knows understands that the Emperor secretly dislikes the North. He can’t openly oppress it, but he treats it as if it doesn’t exist, secretly hoping for its downfall. Even five years ago…”

Anne hesitated to finish her sentence while glancing at me, and her unfinished words lingered in my mind.

Even back then, it had been a detail that unsettled me.

However, at the time, I had just learned about the strained relationship between the House of Rudion and the Imperial Family, and I was too preoccupied with the Black and Gold issues to delve deeper.

But as I planned for independence and repeatedly replayed that conversation in my mind, I couldn’t shake a growing suspicion.

Five years ago was the year Euclid ascended to the dukedom.

By now, I had said it countless times, but in the original work, Euclid’s presence was as insignificant as dust, so there was no detailed mention of what had happened to him back then.

It was simply stated that the former Duke of Rudion and the young duke had met with an accident in the capital—not in the North—and that Euclid had to travel there himself to collect their bodies and receive his title.

However, now that I understood the relationship between the Imperial Family and the House of Rudion, I had a vague yet undeniable feeling—despite the lack of concrete evidence.

‘Perhaps… the Emperor was involved in their deaths.’

I briefly considered probing Anne for more information, but I hesitated.

All I wanted was independence, but if this turned into a matter of revenge…

Could I truly handle it? The thought felt overwhelming.

In the original story, Richard succeeded in killing the Emperor as revenge, but in the end, Evgenia was imprisoned. That made it all the more discouraging.

But.

“Duke.”

For Euclid, I had no fear.

I stared at him intently and spoke.

“Your family has such kind faces.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. They truly seem like wonderful people. It’s a shame I never got to meet them in person.”

Euclid, who had been gazing at the portraits with a faint smile, flinched and turned his head toward me.

I didn’t even blink, watching his face carefully, wondering if he harbored any suspicions about the past accident or the Emperor.

However, Euclid merely observed me in silence before slowly nodding.

“My wife is right. They truly were wonderful people.”

“……”

“If they had met you, I’m sure they would have liked you.”

His golden eyes held nothing but pure sorrow and longing for his family, who had left the world too soon.

I couldn’t tell whether he truly had no suspicions about the accident or if he was simply much better at lying than I had thought.

But I sincerely hoped that Euclid didn’t know anything.

Just as he had been unaware of the children’s suffering.

Just as he hadn’t known that his brother had dealings with Count Biers.

I wished that Euclid’s heart carried no wounds or grudges.

So instead of asking him about what exactly happened five years ago…

“But, Duke, is there no portrait of you from when you were younger?”

…I changed the subject.

It wasn’t entirely random.

As soon as I learned about this place, I had been looking forward to seeing a childhood portrait of Euclid.

And, naturally, hearing stories about his younger days.

But in the family portrait that Euclid’s brother had painted when he was around Dior’s age, Euclid wasn’t there.

The adjacent portrait, which seemed to have been painted when Euclid inherited the title, looked nearly identical to his current self.

“Are you asking about my portrait?”

When I nodded, Euclid blinked, as if he hadn’t expected me to be interested in his childhood portrait.

He slowly turned his gaze back to the family painting.

“At the time, I was too young and lacked the patience for it.”

“Patience?”

“Yes. It wasn’t easy to sit still until the portrait was completed.”

I had never seen anyone as calm and composed as Euclid, so had he been a mischievous child?

I looked at him with curiosity, and he lifted the corners of his lips in a gentle smile.

“And by the time I had enough patience, the House of Rudion was no longer in a position to afford such things.”

“Ah…”

So in the end, there was nothing in this world that could show me Euclid’s childhood?

I had held onto a faint hope that, despite their financial struggles, the renowned family of magic might have possessed an artifact capable of recording moving images, as often depicted in the original story…

But after hearing the butler mention how they couldn’t even afford magic stones, I quickly abandoned that hope. Still, I hadn’t expected there to be no childhood portraits either, which left me feeling disappointed.

Since there was no portrait, I also missed the natural chance to ask about his childhood, leaving me with nothing but regret.

Just then—

“Daddy…”

I saw Marianne and Dior holding hands tightly, their eyes brimming with tears.

Their gaze was fixed on Euclid’s brother, who appeared to be their age—or even younger—in the family portrait.

A sudden memory flashed through my mind—how the children had cried while resenting their father for his dealings with Count Biers. My heart ached.

These children had suffered so much. Now that Count Biers had received his punishment, this moment must have been particularly emotional for them.

I wondered what thoughts were running through their minds…

“Daddy, they said our hard times are over and our happiness is beginning!”

…Huh?