Chapter 24
I had been using my recovery as an excuse to delay having tea with him.
‘It feels burdensome, but I can’t avoid it forever.’
Now that the orphanage director and staff were gone, I was the adult who knew the most about Amelia. As her guardian, he would naturally want to ask me about her life.
‘Maybe he also just wants to say thank you again.’
He had already thanked me plenty, but maybe it still didn’t feel like enough for him.
Besides, he would be leaving soon. It was better to talk now so that there wouldn’t be any regrets later.
“Well, I guess I should go see him.”
I stepped out of my room to find Amelia and Claude.
Halfway down the hallway, I ran into Gillian.
“……”
I wasn’t particularly happy to see him, and my expression must have shown it.
Gillian mostly stayed on the second floor, so it was unusual for him to come all the way up to the third floor where my room was.
‘Why is he here?’
This was just uncomfortable.
Still, I couldn’t completely ignore him, so I gave him a slight nod as a greeting and tried to walk past.
“Are you feeling better?”
I stopped at the unexpected question.
“…Are you talking to me?”
I pointed at myself with my index finger, confused.
Gilbert Gillian was actually speaking to me first?
“Unless there’s someone else here besides you.”
“Well, yes, but… this is the first time you’ve ever spoken to me first.”
“Oh.”
Gillian awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, as if just realizing that.
“I heard you collapsed for three days.”
“Yes. I must have pushed myself too hard.”
“You should move around more regularly.”
“……”
Was he picking a fight with me?
Did he really come all the way up to the third floor just to say that?
I could feel the veins in my forehead twitching at his annoyingly calm expression.
“Are you acquainted with the Marquis of Agris?”
“Huh?”
“I asked if you are close with Marquis Agris.”
Gillian’s question was hard to read.
“I wouldn’t say we’re close…”
How should I answer this?
We didn’t have any real connection, but I also couldn’t just explain everything about Amelia.
“We just happened to meet.”
“Just happened to?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
He looked like he was about to ask more questions, so I beat him to it.
“Well…”
Gillian hesitated for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully, then finally spoke.
“You seemed different.”
“I did?”
“Yes. It’s not easy to risk your own health for someone else.”
That was true.
It wasn’t something just anyone could do—rushing to save a person with no blood relation.
And I had even picked up a shovel and dug. No ordinary noblewoman would even imagine doing something like that.
“So I wondered if you might have feelings for the Marquis. If you did, it would make sense.”
“Feelings? No way!”
I practically jumped in place, like a fish flopping out of water.
“You know Amelia used to stay at an orphanage I support, right?”
“Yes.”
“The Marquis came to the duchy after reading a letter I sent. That’s when the landslide happened. I moved because I thought it might be my fault that he got caught in it.”
“I see.”
“Yes. Really.”
I looked straight into his eyes, with no hint of deception.
After a moment, he nodded as if he understood.
“I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Well, now you know.”
Since Amelia was returning to the Marquis family anyway, this would come out sooner or later.
‘Besides, Amelia finally reunited with her uncle. She wouldn’t be happy if I became his lover.’
All the kids I had met so far were jealous types. Even Lucian had been like that—he had thrown a fit, thinking I was abandoning him when I first visited the orphanage.
Even Edwin, the quiet and kind one, got jealous when Lucian started liking Amelia.
‘She just found her only family. If she thinks he has a lover, she might get upset.’
Besides, I was just a guest in the duke’s house, a noble only in name. There was no way Amelia would be happy about me being with her uncle.
‘…Not that I’m actually his lover.’
It was ridiculous to worry about something that wasn’t even happening.
‘But this is Amelia we’re talking about! She basically controls Lucian’s future!’
So I had to make sure not to do anything that would upset her.
Just as I strengthened my resolve, I met Gillian’s gaze.
“You’re still here?”
“I almost forgot to say the most important thing.”
“The most important thing?”
I thought he was just here to question my relationship with Claude. Did he have more to say?
Before I could even tilt my head in curiosity, he spoke.
“The Duke will be returning soon.”
As soon as I finished talking to Gillian, I rushed to Lucian’s room.
“Luciaaan!”
“Auntie! You shouldn’t be running around! You might collapse again!”
“That’s not important right now. Hurry up and get dressed.”
I went straight to the door leading to his dressing room.
“Why? Where are we going?”
“The orphanage.”
“The orphanage?”
Lucian slowly got up from his seat, looking confused.
“Why?”
“Edwin and the other kids are there. We should go see them.”
The Duke originally had no plans to visit his territory anytime soon.
But Claude Agris’s arrival had changed that.
A noble guest was staying at the duchy, so the Duke decided to make an appearance out of courtesy.
That showed how important Claude Agris’s position was in the Empire.
I was surprised at first, but then I came up with a great plan.
I would bring Edwin to the mansion under the excuse that he was Lucian’s friend.
To avoid suspicion, I’d bring a few more kids along too.
He was a commoner, which might be a problem, but if I framed it as a way to help Lucian’s social skills and pointed out that the kids were close to Amelia, the Duke wouldn’t refuse.
Then, as the Duke moved around the mansion as usual, he would inevitably run into Edwin.
A boy who not only resembled him but also had the same red eyes as his former lover.
After that, everything would fall into place.
In the original story, the Duke had immediately recognized Edwin as his son.
So, all I had to do was make sure Edwin appeared in front of the Duke at just the right moment.
More than anything, I was worried about Edwin being alone since I had taken Amelia away.
“So hurry up and get dressed. If you don’t want me to help, call the nanny.”
“Ughhh.”
I was in a hurry, but Lucian, not understanding my urgency, just shook his head and flopped back onto the sofa.
“What are you doing? Get up already.”
“Do we really have to go?”
“Oh wow, look at you.”
I put my hands on my hips.
“You used to beg me to go there every day.”
“That’s because Amelia was there.”
Lucian pointed to where he was lying.
“But now Amelia is here, isn’t she?”
“You…”
I stared at Lucian in disbelief.
“So you mean to say that the only reason you followed me to the orphanage was because of Amelia?”
Now that Amelia was home, he didn’t feel the need to go out?
“It’s not just that…! Of course, I worried about you too!”
Lucian quickly tried to explain, glancing at me nervously, but it was too late.
They say love makes people blind—he’s just a kid, and already!
“Lucian, so all that talk about playing with your friends was a lie? You said you wanted to share chocolate cookies with Edwin and play peekaboo with Cherry.”
“That wasn’t a lie…”
Lucian awkwardly scratched his cheek.
If this was the old him, he would’ve laughed and shouted, “Of course it was a lie! You’re so silly, Auntie!” But since he looked genuinely troubled, maybe he really had enjoyed playing with them.
At least it seemed like he had started to understand the ideas of friendship and trust, which was a relief…
“But still, I like being alone with Amelia more than playing with my friends.”
“…Sigh.”
This was going to be a problem.
