Chapter 65
Outside Tristan Castle, the guards were still in place, not having left their posts. And off to one side, Cecilia was still standing there. It was understandable for the guards to remain until everything was settled, but I hadn’t expected Cecilia to still be there.
I recalled how I had humiliated Cecilia just before entering Tristan Castle. I had assumed that someone like her, unable to bear the shame, would have left. It seemed I was wrong.
Cecilia was glaring at me, grinding her teeth in frustration. Her face was a mess of tears and dirt, and even her hair was disheveled, making her look almost like a demon. When I glanced down, I noticed the pouch I had given her still clutched in her hand.
“You should be careful,” Richard warned me after noticing Cecilia’s state. She looked like she was about to cause some serious trouble. I agreed with him and began scanning the area, just in case.
And then it happened.
“Watch out…!”
Suddenly, my body lurched as someone yanked me out of the way. It happened so fast that I squeezed my eyes shut instinctively, but I knew exactly who had pulled me—Richard.
When I came to and opened my eyes, I found myself wrapped in Richard’s arms. Startled, I looked up at him.
Richard held me protectively, his face grim as he stared at something. I followed his gaze and saw Cecilia surrounded by guards.
“Are you all right?”
Richard lowered his head to check on me and asked. I simply gave a small nod in response.
Only then did he release me. I had been wondering why he’d suddenly grabbed me like that—until I saw the pouch of gold coins on the ground. It was the same one I had given to Cecilia. She must have thrown it at me, and Richard had moved to shield me from it.
“You let go of me! Do you know who I am?!”
Cecilia’s shrill scream tore through the air. The guards ignored her protests and restrained her.
Thankfully, it had just been a pouch full of coins. If it had been a knife, I could have been seriously injured. I didn’t care about my own safety, but if Richard had been hurt because of me, I wouldn’t have known how to face him.
Fury rising inside me, I stepped out of Richard’s embrace and walked toward Cecilia. Fortunately, this time the guards were holding her back, so I had no need to worry about her lunging at me.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I asked in an angry voice. Cecilia glared at me with venom in her eyes. In the past, I would’ve been intimidated and looked away—but not anymore. Our positions had completely reversed.
I had reclaimed the Ducal title of Tristan that should have been mine from the beginning. Cecilia, once the noble daughter of the Tristan Dukedom, was now nothing more than the daughter of Baron Hazel.
Just in terms of status, she had no right to act arrogantly toward me.
And considering all the things she had done to me until now, she should’ve been too afraid of future consequences to act like this.
But it seemed Cecilia wasn’t thinking about any of that at all.
Perhaps she still believed she was the Duchess-to-be of Tristan, and that I was nothing more than the disgraced outcast of the ducal house.
“If you still think you’re the Duchess of Tristan, you’re mistaken. The verdict came down today. Everything your father stole from me—the title, the property—it’s all being returned to me.”
“Don’t make me laugh. Who do you think you are? Someone like you thinks she can take everything my father built?”
“Built?”
I scoffed at her words. Baron Hazel built the Tristan Dukedom? Let’s get the facts straight. That never happened.
If anything, he squandered everything my mother left behind. He even racked up gambling debts. And that wasn’t all—he severed all the connections we had in the capital.
His addiction to gambling, his reckless hosting of balls—wasting money every time—caused the other nobles to slowly distance themselves from the Tristan family.
Eventually, his debts grew so large he couldn’t even borrow more money. And that’s when he resorted to selling off his daughter— me.
This is what Baron Hazel did as the so-called Duke of Tristan. This is what Cecilia claims her father “built.”
“You’re the one who’s being ridiculous. All your father ever did was steal everything from me, abuse me, and gamble away the family fortune. Even the inheritance my mother left for me—he lost all of that. And to pay off his debts, he sold me off in marriage to Richard. Did you forget?”
Cecilia couldn’t deny my words. Deep down, she must have known the truth. There’s no way she was completely in the dark.
Even the grand ball she wanted to host had been canceled several times due to the Tristan family’s poor finances—because of the gambling debts.
“You should consider yourself lucky we’re not retroactively claiming all the property your father squandered. Don’t pull any more stunts like this.”
“And let me say it again: I’ve reclaimed the Ducal title of Tristan. If you ever try to lay a hand on me again, I’ll have no choice but to handle it legally.”
“Legally?”
“Yes, legally. Just like your father is currently in custody awaiting punishment, I can make sure the same happens to you.”
When I whispered, Cecilia pressed her lips tightly together. No matter what, it seemed she had never imagined she might end up in such a situation.
“So don’t ever act rashly toward me or Richard again. If you leave quietly this time, I might even put in a good word for your father.”
I turned away from Cecilia, who looked like she was about to explode with rage. Just then, Black approached me.
“I apologize. We should’ve been more thorough…”
He bowed his head as he spoke. I offered him a faint smile as I noticed Richard was about to give an order. Before he could speak, I addressed Black first.
“I hope something like this doesn’t happen again. And regarding Cecilia, I’d like you to take care of it.”
“Yes, understood.”
Black bowed once more in reply. Then, I looked over at Richard.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Not really. I’m not so weak that getting hit with something like that would hurt me.”
Richard shrugged, clearly unbothered, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes.
“I’m sorry. You’ve been through so much because of me.”
Just being here in this situation, not to mention all the trouble and loss Richard had suffered on my behalf—it made me feel guilty. I felt like I kept being a burden to him.
“You’re acting like it’s something new. I needed the Tristan ducal title too. It’s not like I got it back for you just so you could sit around and relax. You’ll need to think carefully about what comes next.”
“I understand.”
Only then did I raise my head and offer an awkward smile. I knew very well what Richard truly wanted. The reason he paid to marry into the Tristan house was because he needed the connections that came with being tied to a high-ranking noble family in the capital.
This meant I now had to step into my role as the Duke of Tristan and manage relations with the capital’s aristocrats.
Seeing my face relax, Richard wrapped an arm around my waist and gently led me forward. I followed him without resistance.
A carriage awaited us where we arrived with Richard.
“Shall we return to the hotel?”
As we climbed into the carriage, the coachman asked for our destination through a small window. Richard turned to me.
For a brief moment, I wondered how Dave and Sylvia were doing. But I quickly let go of that thought. I had already checked in on the two children that morning. It didn’t seem likely their condition would’ve changed in just a few hours.
Sylvia, who shared the same illness as I did, worried me a little more. But even if I went to her, it wouldn’t cure her. Besides, too many people visiting would only disturb the children’s rest, so I tucked my concern away for now.
“Let’s go there,” I said.
Since we weren’t heading to the clinic anyway, I decided we should just return to the hotel and rest for the day.
All the way back, Richard kept his eyes closed and didn’t say a word. I wondered if he was also tired from everything that had happened today.
“Do you have something to say?”
After I’d been quietly observing him for a while, Richard slightly opened his eyes and asked. Apparently, even with his eyes closed, he’d sensed my gaze.
His blue eyes locked onto mine, and feeling like I’d been caught stealing, I quickly turned my head away.
“No, it’s just…”
Suddenly, the inside of the carriage felt warm.
“Just?”
When I trailed off and didn’t finish, Richard frowned. Even that slightly irritated expression looked attractive.
“I just noticed you kept your eyes closed… so I wondered if you were tired. I worried I might be taking up your time…”
I replied hesitantly, and Richard let out a small scoff.
“You’re curious about the strangest things. I’m not really tired. I just have some things to think about, so don’t worry.”
With that, Richard closed his eyes again.
My eyes kept drifting back to him, but I tried to stay focused and forced myself to look out the window instead.
