Chapter 64
The tragic heroine, but not sad at all!
Before they knew it, the last day of the cultural festival had arrived.
The ball at Riod Academy was as splendid as an imperial royal banquet.
The ceiling was so high it seemed endless, adorned with chandeliers decorated with gold and crystal that emitted brilliant light.
The walls were draped with curtains made of expensive imperial silk, and fresh floral arrangements added an elegant atmosphere throughout.
Eila, escorted by Felix, entered the ballroom and couldn’t help but admire the dazzling sight.
‘It looks even more magnificent than last year. Well, this year the royal family is attending after all.’
As she looked around, Eila soon spotted Peony approaching her.
It seemed Peony had immediately abandoned her own partner and hurried straight to her.
“Eila, you’re really, really beautiful!”
“Thank you, Peony. You look beautiful too.”
Peony’s red dress, similar in design to Eila’s, matched perfectly with her platinum blonde hair, creating a breathtaking image.
Peony clenched her hands tightly, her sparkling eyes fixed on Eila.
“I wish I could stay longer, but my brother is waiting for me, so I have to go. Still, I wanted to tell you how gorgeous you look tonight.”
Peony glanced approvingly at Eila’s deep blue dress, then glanced over at Felix standing beside her and said bluntly,
“You look better than usual too.”
Then, with a haughty expression, she immediately left.
Eila absentmindedly turned her gaze to where Peony had gone.
There stood a man with platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes.
Unlike Peony’s vivid, lake-like eyes, his were generally lighter and calmer in tone.
Eila instantly recognized him.
‘First Prince Darian Celestian.’
Darian appeared busy greeting the nobles around him.
Eila watched him quietly, and their eyes met briefly.
In that moment, a subtle glint flickered in Darian’s eyes.
But soon after, he turned away with a bright expression to welcome Peony.
Judging by that, he seemed uninterested in her.
…That was a relief.
‘Better this way.’
Darian was also someone who had a deep relationship with her in the original story.
He was nearly a male lead character.
But like Felix, Eila did not want to get deeply entangled with him in this life.
“Felix!”
Suddenly, a voice called out, and Eila turned her head.
“Duke Azenta.”
The one who appeared calling her partner’s name unexpectedly was none other than Duke Azenta.
“Impressive. I told Yetien to take care of things, and they really made it look quite splendid.”
At Duke Azenta’s compliment, Felix’s face flushed slightly.
He laughed heartily as Duke Azenta firmly patted Felix’s back.
Eila watched their friendly interaction with a satisfied smile.
‘Looks like they’ve become closer without me noticing.’
Noticing Eila’s gaze, Duke Azenta looked at her.
“You must be Eila.”
“Hello, Duke.”
“I’ve heard Felix owes you a lot. Please continue to look after him.”
“That’s not true. I’m the one who’s always indebted to him.”
The Duke looked pleased as he alternated his gaze between the two.
“You two really suit each other well.”
“You’re too kind, Your Grace.”
Felix tried to appear calm but the tips of his ears were noticeably red.
Duke Azenta surely thought they were a couple.
But Eila felt somewhat embarrassed pretending to be his lover in front of the Duke.
Felix chose to escape the awkward situation.
“I’ll get us some drinks.”
Saying that, he hurriedly left.
Seeing that, Eila’s eyes sparkled. It was a good opportunity.
She had been hoping for a chance to talk with Duke Azenta alone.
‘I need to make him realize Felix is his son as soon as possible.’
Of course, she also had the important goal of obtaining vital herbs, but the more urgent reason was to help Felix regain his beloved family quickly.
Eila carefully approached the Duke, smiling brightly as she spoke.
“Duke Azenta.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
Facing the Duke, Eila shyly began.
“I wanted to thank you for recognizing Felix’s talent and taking such great care of him.”
Eila cleared her throat softly and continued.
“Felix had a very hard childhood.”
“…You seem to know a lot about Felix’s situation.”
The Duke’s expression shifted slightly.
He looked at Eila with undisguised interest.
“Could you tell me more? Felix never talks about himself.”
“Of course, I will.”
Eila nodded calmly and began slowly recounting Felix’s tragic past as she had seen in the original story.
“…Felix once told me his earliest memory was crying in an alley on Belfor Street.”
“Belfor Street?”
“Yes, I think Felix was kidnapped rather than abandoned. He faintly remembers being dragged away by some men and barely escaping.”
At that moment, Duke Azenta’s mouth stiffened.
Belfor Street was a district in the Durang region’s city area.
It was a place he could never forget.
Because it was where his son had gone missing.
Eila continued innocently.
“He said he was wearing clothes embroidered with gold thread. I immediately thought it was a wealthy family’s child kidnapped by criminals. But Felix now says hoping for that is meaningless.”
“…”
“I bring this up because I want to ask if you could help find Felix’s parents. Felix isn’t the type to ask for difficult favors.”
The Duke’s expression shook deeply.
In fact, he had been secretly investigating Felix and was puzzled.
There was no record of Felix’s whereabouts before entering the orphanage.
As if he suddenly fell from the sky one day.
He had tried to probe several times, but Felix said he didn’t know how he ended up at the orphanage.
But hearing Eila’s story, all the scattered puzzle pieces started fitting together.
‘Felix… could be that child.’
He froze for a long time, forgetting even to breathe.
Then a cold chill ran through his body.
In fact, every time he met Felix, he felt a strange attraction.
Because in his habits, speech, and every action, he saw similarities to himself.
Perhaps because of that, despite his usual reserved nature, he developed an inexplicable fondness for Felix.
Most of all, a face kept coming to mind whenever he saw Felix.
The face of the woman he had loved.
Felix’s pale green eyes.
Those were… the same color as his wife’s eyes.
Duke Azenta’s breath became rough.
Now that he thought about it, Felix’s hair color was the same as his own.
Even the color of the aura he emitted…
Only now did Duke Azenta clutch his trembling chest.
Why hadn’t he suspected until now? Despite being so much like himself and his wife.
‘If what this student says is true…’
All the conversations he had with Felix could be interpreted differently.
Felix often talked about his childhood.
Not in detail.
Just casually saying how strange his current situation felt.
That everything changed after meeting a friend named Eila.
