Two years ago, it was a time when the sudden rise to fame of the current Emperor Maximilian was being discussed.
Although there were opposing opinions due to his young age, being the heir of the previous emperor, Maximilian set aside many concerns of the courtiers and ascended to the throne at the age of 12, diving into the political arena.
There were opinions suggesting that his mother, Princess Monica, should act as regent, but Monica immediately passed on the throne to her son.
In the end, it happened that way, but there were many twists and turns leading to that outcome.
At that time, there was another candidate named Karl who was mentioned as a contender for the throne instead of Maximilian.
Karl, not wanting to harm his young cousin, escaped the capital and hid as his chancellor. It was planned that after Maximilian’s coronation was confirmed, Karl would reveal himself at the ceremony.
But Celeste appeared there. The villa where he had been hiding was an undisclosed location to the public. Celeste, accompanied by a few close knights who knew the secret location, had come, including Count Louisette, who hadn’t been seen for years.
“How did you end up here?”
Upon seeing Count Louisette appear before him, Karl was taken aback. Until then, to Celeste, Count Louisette had been merely a prominent figure in Kelbreve’s social circle, a woman as cold as ice, and Franz’s lover. She was just that significant. Although they had crossed paths momentarily, they had never exchanged words.
But what kind of relationship was it now? Karl looked down at the woman in front of him. Celeste’s face quickly turned from red to dark, then to pale blue.
Seeing her ever-changing facial expressions, it was easy to sense the emotions she was experiencing, even if he didn’t know exactly what she was thinking.
Amidst the rapidly changing colors of her face, one might have wondered if this woman was really the icy Count Louisette from the past, or if she felt somewhat similar to Celeste, who had suddenly appeared in the past.
And so, was that why? Karl suddenly offered Celeste a place to rest. He couldn’t coldly turn her away, as she had come alone without any attendants, navigating the dangerous path.
“Please answer, Celeste. About Valerie.”
That night she had come to him became a completely erased memory.
On the day he accidentally drank a glass of spirits, unable to take even a sip of alcohol, and all memories vanished until he woke up to greet the morning. Karl’s question was directed towards that night.
“My…”
Today, he must definitely listen to the answer. There were countless questions he wanted to ask about that fateful night.
“Is it a child?”
And perhaps about Valerie, asking whether she was the result of some time spent together during that unforgettable night where neither of them could recall.
***
The employees of the Louisette Manor started a serious discussion, leaving behind the two who entered the library to have a private conversation.
First of all, Cecilia’s bombardment of questions towards Hannah set the tone.
“Who is this young lady? What do you mean she’s the viscount’s child? What happened while you were away from the manor? Can you just randomly bring a child after being instructed to take care of the viscount? These questions were more like interrogations rather than innocent inquiries.
“Oh, as I mentioned before, someone suddenly brought the child.”
“Does that make sense? Considering the child’s age, you should have been pregnant about two years ago and given birth a year ago, but there’s no record of that! And to think the child is yours!”
“I also thought the same as Cecilia. But about a year and a half ago, didn’t the viscount suddenly go abroad for studies? He returned after about six months. If he had a child during that time… without taking anyone with him for studies because he didn’t want to show any signs of trouble, then he could have had a child at that time… without us knowing.”
“That’s ridiculous. Our viscount would never… No, if something like that happened, you should have investigated it. Someone must have brought the child. You should have investigated.”
“I wanted to do that too. But while I was away in the capital, someone suddenly brought the child and disappeared. What would I say to the viscount? ‘Why didn’t you chase after someone who delivered the child and ran away?’ How could I ask that?”
“Even so…”
Cecilia sighed deeply. An unmarried noblewoman with a child – it was too much of a scandal. Could it be that Celeste secretly gave birth during her studies abroad? That’s unimaginable.
Even if Celeste had indeed given birth in secret, she would have needed help at the time of childbirth. And if she needed help, she should have definitely sought someone out.
“And why did Duke Albrecht come here? What about the royal investigators!”
There were already many enemies of Celeste. Those who were dissatisfied with the Louisette Viscount’s monopoly on mining rights, as well as noblewomen who were envious of her beauty but found her unsociable.
Humans are said to destroy what they can’t have, and numerous men who showered Celeste with love letters due to her beauty and wealth turned into anti-fans when they didn’t get the response they desired.
With a legitimate reason, there were plenty of people ready to attack Celeste and the Louisette Viscount.
To those individuals, Valerie’s presence would truly be the perfect prey to dissect. They might not even have known that Celeste and Valerie’s faces could be prominently featured in the scandalous Ledosa’s publication, dealing with high society gossip, as soon as tomorrow.
Cecilia covered her head with both hands. She was a countess, raised as if she were made of gold or jade, yet she couldn’t bear to see herself torn apart by blind fools bickering in jealousy.
“They said Count Schwaben himself came to investigate the incident.”
“What? The Count… No, why did they come to see our count about investigating that incident?”
What nonsense is this? Cecilia doubted her ears.
“Even though you may not know it, it seems there is some connection between Count Schwaben and our count. They say he was a distant relative of the late Countess, so the Count’s death is expected to bring a substantial inheritance to our count.”
A twist after twist. Cecilia’s wish was simply for Celeste to live a peaceful life.
Therefore, when Celeste insisted on leaving abruptly after injuring her head in a carriage accident, they did not insist and let her go. They hoped that after she recovered and returned, she would find a suitable match and get married.
“Especially since she lost all her memories, she couldn’t even find out anything related to the child.”
A frustrated sigh burst out of Hannah. Although she agreed to help Celeste first by offering to care for Valerie, she also felt stifled.
Mueller, Cecilia, Hannah, Kendrick, and Leev, the five people who cherished Celeste the most, gathered their heads together. However, only sighs came from the mouths of the five.
“Marriage…”
The sound of a sigh caught everyone’s attention. Valerie, who had been sleeping in the maid’s arms, suddenly woke up with wide-open eyes. Her chubby cheeks, flushed from sleep, were incredibly adorable.
Hannah’s face softened, which had been hardened with sighs. Despite the problems, Valerie was Valerie. How could anyone frown at such a lovely and cute baby girl? Hannah ran to embrace Valerie.
“But of course, being our count’s bloodline, you’re already quite beautiful, aren’t you?”
What absurd flattery. As Cecilia shook her head disapprovingly, her eyes met Valerie’s.
Despite Hannah’s words, Valerie was truly an adorable baby, charming enough to want to squeeze her. Her large eyes seemed to contain deep blue hues, like the color of the ocean.
“Blue eyes…?”
“Valerie’s eyes were blue. A pure blue color, untouched by any shade of green or yellow. Not many people had eyes like that. Someone’s face flashed quickly in Cecilia’s mind.
“Oh, maybe, you aren’t giving away any secrets, are you?” Leev, who was next to her, asked in a trembling voice. It seemed that it wasn’t just Cecilia who had thought of a certain someone upon seeing Valerie’s blue eyes.
“What secrets?”
“Well, about the blue eyes…”
“Who are you talking about?”
The mark of nobility, the blue eyes. And in this country, there were only two people with these eyes conveying the secrets of the aristocracy. In other words, it meant that Valerie had two potential fathers.
“Duke Toskur, Your Grace.”
Leev whispered as if revealing a tremendous secret. She was very cautious, as if someone might overhear.
Everyone gathered here – Butler Muller, the lady of the house Margaret, the nurse Cecilia, the lady-in-waiting Hannah, and Kendrick- all adored Celeste Aisha Luyjet more than anything in the world.
“What? Nonsense!”
Margaret intervened sharply in her distinctive voice. Duke Toskur? That couldn’t be!
“It’s not nonsense, Madam Margaret. Rumors have been circulating that you two were lovers.”
Leev’s eyes widened as she spoke.
“What are you saying? Even if he’s a duke, to associate with such a boor…”
It was as if she was challenging. How could this chaotic man dare to approach our viscount? Flames flickered in Margaret’s eyes.
“There is a possibility, isn’t there, Leev? The Duke often invited the viscount to his mansion, and that’s how rumors spread in the society…”
“No. Leev. That’s not going to happen.”
Hannah, who had been watching Valerie without saying a word, intervened in frustration.
“Why, Hannah? Do you know something?”
Having been present when a child suddenly appeared in front of the memory-impaired Celeste in Urentum, was Hannah someone who had accurate information? Cecilia felt hope in her eyes. At the very least, she hoped that Franz could be excluded as a potential father.
“In my opinion…”
“What does Hannah think?”
“It seems like the child’s father…”
“The child’s father?”
“Is likely Albrecht Highness.”
