TISND Chapter 79

Chapter 79

The one who called my name was Rosalith, but it seemed like the first person I made eye contact with was Calligo.

Helena pretended to bow her head politely and avoid his gaze.

In doing so, she naturally became aware of the surrounding eyes. Even the servants passing by seemed to stop in their tracks and watch her. When she first arrived in the capital, she hadn’t been able to sense it, but now it was clear—hidden gazes everywhere.

Helena knew they wanted her downfall. As Eskel’s daughter, having become the lady of Frantor, they likely wished for her to be punished for daring to keep another man by her side.

The growing stares made her feel nauseous, as if her body were crumpling under the weight of deep malice and pressure. But on the surface, she appeared fine. She didn’t want to show any signs of weakness. She stood tall, keeping her legs strong even if they might break.

Maybe it was for the child holding her hand, or perhaps it was the faint remains of her pride. It might also have been her defiance toward that man who didn’t care about rumors, even if she was with Aiden.

Calligo’s words still pierced her, like thorns embedded in her flesh, causing her pain throughout the day. Yet she didn’t want to show the weak, crumbling side of herself because of those words.

“You were out for a walk! How fortunate, this is just the right timing.”

It was Rosalith, who had been scowling at her before, now acting all too friendly, standing next to Calligo, as if nothing had happened.

Just as Helena wore a mask, Rosalith was hiding behind hers as well. She couldn’t help but wonder if Calligo’s face was also covered by a mask. She unconsciously studied his reaction. It didn’t seem like he was wearing one, as his face was just as it always was.

“Since we’ve met like this, let’s spend some time together.”

“Alright.”

“Who’s the child standing next to you?”

Rosalith tilted her head at Joshua, who was standing beside Helena.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him before. What’s his name?”

“Before asking someone else’s name, it’s customary to introduce yourself first.”

Joshua certainly wasn’t ordinary.

The child innocently and straightforwardly turned the rudeness of the other party into a form of childlike innocence.

“Are you saying I’m rude?”

“Excuse me, Your Grace, but I’m simply practicing what I’ve been taught.”

“Ha!”

Though they had only just met, Rosalith seemed taken aback as she let out a small scoff.

“My name is Rosalith. Rosalith Eskel.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Eskel.”

Joshua gave a perfect bow, his posture impeccable.

“Joshua Frantor.”

“Ah, I see… so you’re twins after all.”

It seemed Rosalith had suspected as much, muttering to herself.

“Nice to meet you. Jeremy and I are both friends and family, you see.”

“That’s interesting! Jeremy has never mentioned you to me even once—what a curious thing!”

“…! How unfortunate,” Rosalith replied, visibly uncomfortable.

The memory of the first time she had dealt with Joshua was still vivid—how flustered she’d been. He had been polite to a fault, yet said exactly what he wanted, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Even someone as assertive as Rosalith seemed unable to handle Joshua, her complexion now pale.

“Enough small talk,” came an unexpected intervention—Calligo, her unlikely savior.

“We can continue the rest of the conversation inside.”

As Calligo spoke, his gaze met Helena’s.

“I still have matters to discuss with her as well,” he added, referring to Helena.

He called her “her,” a simple and unremarkable choice of words, yet it annoyed her.

And so, curiosity began to creep in.

The nature of their relationship.

Since their first encounter, Rosalith had frequently visited the estate, even after arguing with Helena and Jeremy.

It was likely because Calligo tacitly permitted it, not rejecting her presence.

What exactly could they need to discuss?

At a glance, Calligo and Rosalith appeared close. Close enough that the gossip from the servants—that the two might have once been passionately in love—seemed plausible.

“Rosalith,” Calligo would call her name, his voice so gentle and kind.

And every time, Rosalith’s face would light up with delight, radiant as if enchanted.

It was the same expression Helena had once worn. Back then, every time Calligo said her name, Helena had been so thrilled she could barely breathe.

Even though she had some sense that he had approached her with ulterior motives, she had fallen hopelessly in love with him. She would eagerly hope to meet him every day, even timing her outings to coincide with when he was most likely to appear.

Perhaps Rosalith felt the same way Helena once had—knowing she should be wary of him, yet unable to stop herself from falling for him completely.

By now, Helena couldn’t help but wonder what Calligo truly thought of her. Maybe he thought of her as a foolish woman. Or, more likely, he didn’t care one way or another, since she was nothing more than a pawn to be used and discarded.

Had she outlived her usefulness to him?

After all, theirs was a marriage of convenience, destined to end from the very beginning. The unseen war between her and the Eskel family had already begun. Perhaps, like her father before her, Calligo had concluded he would gain nothing from her and had given up on her altogether.

The invisible air around her seemed to push her away, as though someone was tightening a grip around her throat. Her face pale, Helena clenched her fists tightly.

“It’s so nice to spend time together as a family like this! Don’t you think so too, Your Grace?”

“Indeed,” Calligo replied, offering a faint smile as he sipped his tea.

Even though she wasn’t looking at him, Helena was so acutely aware of his presence that she could sense his every movement.

“Helena.”

“…Yes, Your Grace?”

She hadn’t expected him to call her name, and the startled Helena only responded after a delayed beat.

“Why aren’t you drinking your tea? Are you uncomfortable?”

“Oh… no, I’m fine.”

“If you say so, that’s a relief.”

The Calligo sitting across from her now seemed like a completely different person from the one who had spoken such harsh words to her not long ago. Then again, when she thought about it, his words hadn’t even been cruel. They had only felt that way because she loved him. From his perspective, as someone who had entered into a transactional relationship, what he had said was perfectly reasonable.

‘Are you truly unaffected by any of this?’

“Your Grace, I’m truly having a wonderful time. I’m so grateful for your hospitality,” Rosalith said cheerfully.

“I’m glad to hear that, Lady Eskel,” he replied.

Even the servants seemed intrigued by Helena’s scandal, yet Calligo appeared utterly unbothered, continuing his daily life as though nothing had happened.

‘Had all the time we spent together simply been part of his plan?’

“If you’ll excuse me, Your Grace, may I leave the table now?” Helena asked.

Perhaps he had only played along for the children’s sake.

Or maybe… as the daughter of Eskel, she should simply be grateful that he had never once condemned her outright or refused to treat her as a person.

She already knew why he had approached me.
But hearing it confirmed again felt like being shot all over. He truly seemed to have no feelings for me.

“Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing. I just think I should take Joshua back to his room now.”

“Do as you wish.”

As soon as he granted his permission, she saw him smoothly continue his conversation with Rosalith.
Helena calmed Joshua, who was looking at her with concern, and sent him back to his room.

But she herself couldn’t bring herself to return to her own room.

All she could see in her mind was Calligo, spending time with Rosalith without even sparing her a glance.

Her legs felt like they’d given out, likely from the tension that had kept her body stiff the entire time. In the end, she leaned against the hallway wall outside the reception room.

***

Calligo noticed a shadow faintly visible through the crack in the door to the reception room.
He set down the teacup he had been drinking from and didn’t take his eyes off the shadow beyond the door.

Unaware of his gaze, Rosalith mulled over what to say next, hoping to continue the conversation.

Though the man seemed to permit her presence, she still sensed a subtle distance between them.

He was polite and treated her kindly, but there was an undeniable sense of a barrier that lingered.

“I’ve heard some rumors about Your Grace outside,” Rosalith ventured.

“Is that so?”

She had heard warnings not only from her maids but also directly from Count Eskel himself.

Of course, she wasn’t one to listen to her father anyway.

How dangerous could this man be that everyone felt the need to warn her? She was curious.

In the end, wouldn’t this man, like other men, eventually open his heart to her?

“They all say the same thing: that Your Grace is perfect.”

“That can’t be true.”

“You’re more humble than I expected, Your Grace. I think the rumors are true.”

Rosalith continued speaking, watching him as he kept his gaze fixed elsewhere.

It might have been her imagination, but she felt like Calligo’s mood had grown darker than before.

“Your Grace has always been, and still is, perfect, isn’t that so? There’s not a single flaw to be found in you.”

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