Chapter 19
Uncles (2)
Elodie got pregnant eight years ago. She gave birth to a stillborn child seven years ago, and died six years ago.
If the child is seven years old, that means the Duke had an affair with Elodie while she was alive. The fact that the pregnancy overlapped with hers was even more annoying.
“Damn it. So you’re shamelessly taking in an illegitimate child as your own now? Who is the mother of that illegitimate child?”
“I’m not sure, but…”
Lennon was also maintaining his composure, but he was equally angry. He frowned and said,
“I heard that he’s going to register the child under Elodie. But there’s something strange.”
“What?”
“The woman who brought the child.”
If she brought the daughter to the Duke’s house, she was most likely her biological mother.
If she was the lady’s biological mother, she would be an adulteress. Of course, she could just be a victim. It would have been difficult for a commoner or a very low-ranking noble to refuse the Duke of Lysianthus, who was a great noble.
Of course, the Duke would never have forced a woman he didn’t want to have sex with.
But the fact that she had a child already sent a shiver down his spine.
It would not have been strange if his more scandalous private life had been revealed.
“She is a commoner… is she?”
Dylan asked, gritting his teeth. Lennon, who had heard the rumors, shook his head.
“Aria Hilton. You know her too, brother? The youngest daughter of the Baron Hilton family.”
“If it’s Hilton—wait. Are you talking about the woman who was Elodie’s maid?”
Lennon nodded.
“She brought a child. And I heard she is still staying at the Duke’s house.”
The servants of each family were bound to have some degree of connection.
In particular, the Counts of Rottweil and the Duke of Lysianthus frequently exchanged letters, so Lennon was able to know the circumstances of the Duke’s family to some extent.
Dylan asked in an unpleasant tone.
“That woman can’t be the lady’s real mother, can she? Damn it. Elodie loved her maid so much…!”
“Calm down. Nothing is certain, yet.”
Lennon patted Dylan on the shoulder and stopped his brother who seemed ready to storm into the Duke’s house at any moment.
“Let’s visit the Duke’s house tomorrow. We should hear the story first.”
“What’s there to hear? Does that change the fact that the Duke fathered an illegitimate child? At best, he’ll make excuses. Damn it.”
“That’s true, but.”
There was no way the child could be Elodie’s child.
It would be ridiculous for a baby who died immediately after birth and had a funeral to suddenly appear.
Lennon swept his bangs to calm his anxious mind. The pink hair that was the symbol of the Count’s Rottweil, tumbled in his hands.
“First, let’s go see them. We need to find out what the kid looks like and who her mother is.”
Dylan bit his lip at Lennon’s rational words. He clenched his fist and nodded stiffly.
“Okay. Let’s do as you say. But what about father? Did you tell him?”
Their father, Count Rottweil, was currently visiting the Crocus Empire as a representative of the delegation.
Lennon shook his head at his brother’s question.
“No. He doesn’t know yet.”
The Kingdom of Aleph, unlike the Empire, had not developed a culture of communication.
Unlike the Empire, where the communicator of the Empire’s genius, the great Duke Escliffe, allowed for long-distance communication, the kingdom still used traditional methods.
They hired fast couriers or sent letters one by one on horseback. There were also specially trained carrier pigeons, but those were the military’s job.
Therefore, it would take a week to contact them.
Dylan, who knew this fact, rubbed the space between his eyebrows and grumbled.
“Then when father comes back, he’ll turn the Duke’s house upside down. Of course, we’ll have to find that bastard first.”
*****
There was a crackle and the sound of a bonfire burning.
It was early spring and flowers were blooming, but the night air was still cold.
Bonita was dozing off in Aria’s arms.
Aria patted the child’s head and quietly spoke.
“Is madam okay?”
“… She’s very nervous.”
Luke, who was sitting on the couch across from me, looked uncomfortable.
“Is that why her complexion has been so pale?”
“I thought she was quite shocked.”
Aria said carefully.
“Of course, madam is very healthy for her age… I’ve been at the Duke’s house for six years. It’s been a long time.”
“Well, I guess mother won’t always be healthy… But, wait.”
Luke, who had been agreeing with Aria’s story, paused. A strange feeling as if he had been caught by something.
“Six years ago? Didn’t you quit your job right after my wife gave birth?”
“That’s right.”
Aria realized her mistake and took a deep breath.
The real Aria had given birth two months before Elodie. However, she had heard that her daughter had died less than a day earlier. This was a fact that only Elodie knew, as Aria commuted to and from the mansion instead of living there and rarely spoke to its occupants.
Later, she returned to work and helped Elodie give birth. Elodie’s daughter was also stillborn, and then.
Aria quit her job. She had only visited the Duke’s residence once since then, just before Elodie died.
That was when she heard the truth.
She didn’t know how Aria had taken Bonita away. However, she had an idea of how.
The child who had been made up was probably Aria’s real daughter. If she and her child had been switched, it would explain why Aria quit her job without warning right after Elodie’s birth.
However, there was still something that was unknown. What on earth was Aria’s motive?
Elodie thought that she and Aria were bound by a strong trust. They had grown up together since childhood. To Elodie, who had only two older brothers, Aria was as precious as a twin sister.
And it must have been the same for Aria.
… Maybe.
When on earth did she start planning something like that?
Now that the real Aria is gone, it has become a secret that will never be known.
Elodie lost her beloved daughter, husband, family, and childhood friend who she considered a sister.
Her mouth was sour.
“Aria Hilton.”
Luke’s call woke Aria from her thoughts.
“How strange. I thought you said you lost your memory before.”
“……”
“Other than that, you’ve settled into the ducal household quite well. You talked to Dalton the gatekeeper as if you knew him.”
He twisted his lips and sneered. His voice was quiet enough not to wake Bonita, who was sound asleep.
“If you’ve only lost the memory of raising Bonita, that would be a very convenient memory loss. Isn’t that right, Miss Hilton?”
Aria chose to keep her mouth shut.
It was impossible to reveal the truth. In that case, the only answer was silence.
Luke observed Aria, who was holding Bonita tightly. Her blue gaze was directed at Bonita.
Her face was pale, perhaps flustered by the unexpected question. Her hands were twitching nervously.
It was the same behavior that Elodie always did when she was nervous.
Her blue eyes were directed at Bonita. Despite her anxiety, her gaze was filled with yearning love.
That sight touched Luke’s heart.
If that gaze was a fake made of acting, Aria Hilton was a better actress than any actor in the kingdom. Or a fraud. Either way, it was extremely uncomfortable.
“Hand Bonita over to me. I’ll carry her to her room.”
“No.”
At his request, Aria hugged the sleeping child.
“I’ll… I’ll carry her.”
Bonita was quite small for a seven-year-old, but she weighed just under 20kg.
It wouldn’t be easy for a man to carry that much weight for a long time, but it wasn’t easy for an adult woman to do so. And she had to be careful not to wake the child.
“Whatever.”
His temper rose, and he grumbled, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“I wonder how long Bonita will need you.”
His tone was light, but there was a sharp edge to it. Aria gasped at the piercing question.
“Parents are absolute to a child, but that age is not long. Oh. Did I mention this last time?”
He got up from his seat. The eye level between Aria and him, which had been quite different even when they were sitting, was now distant.
“You are not my daughter’s mother. Even if she calls you that.”
He looked down at her with a fiercely cold face.
“Keep that fact in mind.”
Aria flinched. Luke felt a strange sense of satisfaction and discomfort at the same time at the expression of obvious hurt.
Why, he still did not know.
*****
It was before dawn the next day.
A carriage carrying two men departed from the Rottweil Counts’ house with great speed.
“Run as fast as you can. I don’t care if it’s rude. This is urgent.”
The coachman, who heard the first lord’s threats, drove the carriage at a crazy speed. As a result, the two arrived at the Duke of Lysianthus’s house before eight o’clock in the morning.
Dalton, the gatekeeper who was yawning, was startled when he saw the carriage running.
The silhouette of the black hunting dog, the symbol of the Counts of Rottweil, was engraved on the door, so he, who had worked at the Duke’s house for a long time, could not have missed it.
“What brings you here so early in the morning, my lords?”
“We wish to see the Duke at once. It’s urgent, so let him know we’re here.”
They had hardly visited the Duke’s house since Elodie died, but they were still the older brothers of the former Duchess. Dalton immediately informed the Duke of their visit.
The Duke, who had expected to be flustered, was very calm. Luke muttered in front of Dalton.
“You came later than I thought.”
“Huh?”
“Take them to the drawing room. I will be there right away.”
