The papers Lilliette held out had the names of over fifteen men listed along with brief summaries of what they were currently doing and where they were.
With clouded eyes, Walter stood beside Edith as she flipped through the papers, and together, they read and reviewed the contents.
“Doesn’t Count Hartzel have a wife and children now? I think I saw the men listed under him with their sons and daughters the other day.”
“That’s right. Most nobles get married after reaching a certain age.”
“I might end up disrupting several household harmonies while searching for my father.”
Edith could not refute Walter’s words.
Visiting well-established families out of the blue and asking, “Did you happen to have an extramarital affair with Leah Lexion about 25 years ago?” was akin to dropping a bomb.
“We can’t ask all these people, so we need to narrow down the candidates. First of all, Mrs. Leah said he was a little older than her, and that he was a very handsome man…”
“Of all the bastards on this list, none of them have looks that would catch my daughter’s eye.”
Feeling upset by the fact that his daughter’s love life was quite active, Franz expressed his feelings.
“Oh, father, really. Even Melissa and Hestia have more colorful love lives… Anyway, that’s not the point. Have you finished your work for today?”
While Lilliette quietly shooed him away, Edith recalled how Leah had described Walter’s father.
⋙“How did I fall in love with him? Well… I enjoyed watching him train in the training hall from a distance.”⋘
⋙“Wow, was he a knight?”⋘
⋙“Well, I’m not too sure. His skills were definitely on par with that of the knight commander. However, even though he was talented, he was a person who did not benefit from being noticed by others.”⋘
As Edith recounted the story, Lilliette’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“If one has talent but must hide it in noble society, there’s only one possibility: someone who isn’t the legitimate heir.”
“That makes sense. If those who were pushed aside in the line of succession or are illegitimate children show off their outstanding abilities, it can be interpreted as an intention to cause a succession dispute.”
“Well then, let’s exclude from the list those who are the only child or first son.”
Lilliette came up with a final list of five candidates.
She smiled softly as she handed the list to Edith.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t thanked you properly. If you hadn’t cherished the conversations you had with Leah Unnie, I wouldn’t have even thought about finding out who Walter’s father is.”
Before Edith appeared, even though she missed her older sister, she could only fumble through memories of their childhood.
Sometimes, Lilliette hated being the youngest daughter. It was because, being born last, she had the fewest memories of her kind-hearted sister, Leah.
But things changed a lot after Walter brought this lovely woman.
Knowing how Leah was after leaving the manor was a source of great joy for Lilliette and the entire Lexion.
So, in return, she wanted to find Walter’s father.
She was curious about who the child Leah, who was as haughty as a flower blossoming in the sky, bore belonged to.
“It would be nice if only there were more clues… Ah! Come to think of it, there is a box where Leah kept her letters. Do you remember?”
On the first day Edith arrived at the manor located in the Lexion Territory with Walter, she recalled looking at the items Leah had used during her lifetime.
“It’s the box that no one can open because of the locking spell, right?”
“Yes. However, since it is a matter of Walter’s magic outburst, Unnie will also understand that we must force it to open the box. I’ll send someone to get it.”
Edith knew that Leah loved letters.
Whenever Edith picked up a pretty fallen leaf or flowers, she’d write a card in her crooked handwriting and present it to her, and she’d smile like the happiest person in the world, so she figured she’d keep the ones from her sweetheart, too.
“Thank you. I’ll let you know if I find anything that might help us figure out who Walter’s father is.”
“Good. Don’t worry too much, everyone in Lexion will do their best to help. Besides, we’ll soon see those suspected of being Walter’s father anyway, right?”
Edith listened to her and then shifted her gaze to the desk calendar. It was already ten days away from the date Walter had picked for their wedding, claiming that they needed to be married as soon as possible for Adrian and her to officially join the ducal family.
──────────✿◦•
“It looks like our Young Master Adrian is aware that today is the wedding. He was really quiet while he was being changed.”
Vivian, dressed more elegantly than usual as a servant belonging to Lexion, cradled Adrian and rocked him gently.
Edith looked at Vivian and Adrian through the mirror and smiled.
“I wonder who made such a cute little tuxedo.”
“I heard that the designer who has been in charge of Lexion’s clothing for a long time made it especially for Young Master Adrian. It’s all made of cotton, so I don’t think he’ll be too uncomfortable in it.”
“Putting a tuxedo on a child who can’t even walk is like putting clothes on a doll.”
“You really look like a doll too, M’lady.”
Not only Vivian but also Adrian, who was in her arms, could not take his eyes off Edith, who was wearing a white dress.
With long blonde hair braided to one side and adorned with flowers, wearing a white veil and tiara, she looked like a princess from a fairy tale without a doubt.
Even Adrian, who did not yet understand the concept of a wedding, seemed to clearly recognize who the main character of the day was.
Edith, with light makeup, was more beautiful than a rose blooming on a bush, and her neat yet delicate smile seemed like it could move any man’s heart.
However, Vivian, her close maid, could not view her seemingly innocent smile positively.
『 She’s smiling, but she had a hard time for the past few days and lost some weight.』
It was a top secret that Walter’s magic was about to explode. Since the only solution is to find his father, Edith invited everyone that Lilliette had chosen as candidates to attend today.
『 For the sake of our cute young master, we need to quickly find out who the Little Duke’s father is.』
While Vivian held Adrian tightly and hoped with all her heart, Cassius made a final inspection of the garden where the wedding would take place.
“The security will be tight, so you don’t have to worry, Little Duke.”
He looked at Walter with as much satisfaction as the Duke.
It was refreshing to see the once scrawny little boy, who had suddenly grown into a more bulky body than himself, now wearing formal clothes.
“I should have recognized it from the moment the Lady fed you madeleines.”
“What are you talking about again?”
“Congratulations on your marriage. Did I not say that before?”
“Is the wedding a problem now? It’s my magic that’s the problem.”
“It’s not that I disagree with that, but they say that a wedding is the most important day in the world for a bride. Oh, by the way, His Majesty also sent a wedding gift.”
“The Emperor?”
“Yes. His Majesty’s envoy is still in the manor’s lobby, so why don’t you go and have a word?”
Ever since he heard Edith say that His Majesty had a beautiful face, Walter did not like Agnas XIV very much.
However, as Lexion’s heir, he could not ignore the Emperor’s gift, so he made his way to the lobby.
There, people who had received wedding invitations were crowded in and talking excitedly.
One of the most noticeable figures was Isabelle, who, in tune with the melodies of the musicians, was singing with a beautiful voice.
“Isn’t that Lady Isabelle of the Karkus Merchant Company, right?”
“Yes. I heard that the Duke of Lexion recently had a meal with the owner of Karkus Merchant Company and had a close conversation.”
“It seems like the merchant owner knows how to read the current trends. On the other hand…”
People’s eyes turned towards the entrance of the lobby. Walter naturally followed their gazes and found a familiar-looking woman.
It was Elizabeth, Nicholas Fortrion’s second wife, whom he had seen tirelessly.
“I don’t know why she’s showing her face here.”
“I heard that the Imperial Consort Patricia sent her lady-in-waiting on her behalf to give her congratulations.”
“Congratulations? Please! Her youngest brother was caught trying to harm the Little Duke and his fiancée and was detained at the temple, and she hasn’t even apologized yet.”
“Cutting off the tail and sending a maid to congratulate… even a passing dog would laugh at that.”
T/N: Cutting off the tail means cutting ties and telling one’s not related to a suspicion or somebody accused although one is more or less.
Elizabeth didn’t care about what people whispered about her.
『 What do people who were born with everything know about things that I could never obtain even if I worked hard for a lifetime?』
The only person who could dampen her spirits was Isabelle, who was singing with her angelic voice by the window.
『 …In the end, that kid got what she wanted.』
She suddenly remembered the contrast between her, who fled, and Isabelle, who did her duty when the residents attacked Fortrion Manor.
When she still thinks of Isabelle’s eyes shining with determination at that moment, a feeling, perhaps shame or something else, bloomed deep in her heart.
The moment she saw Isabelle willingly choosing a fearful path for the sake of her own conscience and her duty, she felt a bit ridiculous for having mocked her as a naive child.
『 It’s not funny at all. What conscience do I even have?』
Now, she had only Elise, her beloved daughter.
Elizabeth smirked and walked into the lobby. People started whispering about how the Imperial Consort’s dog was there to confront Lexion’s new lady of the manor.
She paid no heed and maintained her characteristic haughty and venomous expression until she reached a secret room, where she bowed her head to the person she had sworn allegiance to.
“Edith. It’s been a while since I last saw you. Congratulations on your safe childbirth.”
“Elizabeth, you’ve come?”
Edith greeted her spy as if she’d been waiting for her, looking forward to the information learned first-hand while serving at the Imperial Consort’s side.
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
