“However, when you think about it, it’s quite fascinating.”
“Fascinating? About what?”
“It’s about Valerie, Lady Valerie. How did His Grace recognize that she was his daughter? As soon as he saw her, he called her ‘papa, father,’ like that.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, that’s how it was. In Urentum.”
In Urentum… Oh, now that I think about it, Karl had even asked, with a puzzled expression, why the child was calling me father.
At that time, I had thought the child was just babbling and it was a random utterance, but as I continued to watch, I realized it was not just that.
Valerie didn’t call just anyone ‘father.’ At first, I thought she did it whenever she wanted to call anyone, then I thought maybe she only did it to grown men, but even that notion faded when I noticed she didn’t make such sounds at all when Karl was not around.
She did make sounds reminiscent of ‘papa’ with a similar pronunciation. However, she did not distinctly call someone ‘papa, father’ while looking at them.
What could be the reason? Is it truly a surprising coincidence? Or is it the pull of instinctual bloodlines…?
“Oh, that’s absurd.”
“Excuse me, milord? What’s the matter?”
“By any chance, do they say there’s a pull of bloodlines here too?”
“What do you mean by ‘pull’?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing. Forget about it.”
After the brief conversation with Hannah ended, there was nothing more to do. Returning to the mansion, while my body did feel comfortable, a sense of emptiness and boredom came along as well.
Life with no particular events was similar in Urentum, but there, at least, I could go out as I pleased. What’s the point of living in luxurious confinement? Perhaps a slightly less affluent but freer and more enjoyable life would be better, I thought.
*Sigh*
I turned my gaze out the window. Rain was drizzling outside. If it were a nicer day, I could have taken a leisurely walk in the garden. Even the weather was not cooperating.
Then, in the distance, a carriage was seen ascending the hill. If it was coming straight up this road, it would reach the mansion gates.
Who could it be? Upon closer inspection, I saw a carriage with a golden crest approaching. The golden crest was the mark of the royal family.
It seemed that His Grace, who had been unseen for a few days, was coming. With excitement, Hannah and Leev burst out of the room towards the lobby.
***
The knights guarding the mansion, pushing open the large iron gate as if they were waiting greeted by a downpour, watched as the carriage slid inside.
Leev, who had eagerly anticipated the arrival of the black-haired Grand Duke as a matter of course from the carriage that had arrived in front of the mansion, was taken aback when she saw the person descending from the carriage, her face stiffened like stone.
The visitor who rode the Imperial family’s carriage to visit Viscountess Louisette was not Karl.
“He has sent me on behalf of the Grand Duke.”
Although the envoy was an envoy of the Grand Duke himself, it was not the expected one. A rather pale man with a sharp look, named Stilikov, was one of the aides of the Duke of Toskur.
“Why have you sent someone all the way here to the Viscount’s…?”
Though puzzled as to why the man had been sent here, Hannah inquired about the purpose of the visit.
Instead of answering, the man just stared blankly at the people in front of him. His silence implied, “Why bother asking at all, wasting time without fetching the Viscountess?”
Under normal circumstances, Celeste would have been summoned without further ado, but today was different. Above all, she had no recollection of the past. She didn’t know why she had to meet Franz, let alone what she should do after meeting him.
Hannah and Leev exchanged perplexed looks with each other.
“I’m afraid the Viscountess cannot leave on a trip today.”
Hannah managed to speak out with difficulty. Although it was not the Grand Duke himself who had come, Stilikov was an aide representing the Duke’s authority. His words carried the power to act on behalf of the Duke’s orders.
Thus, Hannah’s statement that she could not leave was, in effect, a refusal of Franz’s request.
“What did you just say? You cannot go on a trip?”
Indeed. Stilikov looked incredulous as he queried, “Is it true that she cannot come out?” Although it had been several years since he last visited Viscountess Louisette’s estate, it was the first time she had refused to come out.
“Here is a message from the Marquis.”
Stilikov said no more after a few words and stood still as if pondering something, silently gazing at each person before boarding the carriage without a word.
The coachman immediately cracked his whip to set the horses in motion, and the carriage smoothly departed from the mansion as it had arrived. The wheels splashed through puddles formed by the heavy rain, spraying water around.
“Oh, it’s cold.”
To leave without saying a word and swiftly riding away in the carriage… Was the one they were accompanying a grand duke or a lower noble? Leev wiped the water splashed on her face and collar, pursing her lips.
“…Are you alright?”
Hannah asked as she watched the carriage receding in the rain. Seeing Celeste in her current state, she couldn’t leave her alone with Franz.
With memory loss and the unresolved issues between Duke Albrecht and the child, getting further involved with Franz seemed unwise.
“There’s nothing we can do. If we make a show in the gossip-filled courtyard and ride the Duke Toskur’s carriage recklessly, it will only add fuel to the fire.”
“I also think the same… But… Duke Albrecht seems unusually quiet, so I can’t help but worry.”
The best solution at the moment was for Duke Albrecht to propose to take responsibility for the child. Though it was possible he might not just take responsibility without proposing to the noble, considering Duke Albrecht’s reputation, it seemed unlikely.
If Duke Albrecht proposed, Celeste would become the duchess. It wouldn’t be wise to risk getting burned by the flames by lingering near the fire.
Avoid the unpleasant as much as possible, even if there’s a slight chance, to prevent any sparks, even if it means stepping back to a safe distance…
“What are you worried about?”
With all the attendants of the marquis gathering at the mansion entrance, drawing even the marquis’ attention, Hannah quickly turned around at Celeste’s sudden question.
“It’s nothing, Marquis.”
“That carriage just now, who was it for? Who visited?”
“No one… I mean… Nothing.”
“No one, you say. Isn’t that a signet only royal blood can possess? That golden signet ring.”
“Well, it’s true that…”
“Did Karl visit? Why didn’t he call me though?”
“No, it wasn’t the Grand Duke. Well, it was the Grand Duke technically, but not that specific Grand Duke.”
Hannah stepped in to clear up the confusion instead of the flustered Leev. She explained that the carriage they had just seen did belong to the royal family, but the person inside was not the one the Countess was waiting for. It was sent by Duke Toskur, and she would now explain the reason as she led Celeste into the mansion.
***
It took a lengthy two hours to hear the reason why Franz sent someone to the Count’s house.
“Isn’t this just a lesson? Franz said he would roughly explain how Duke Toskur is connected to our family…”
From the Countess’ history, business, to hidden secrets of the unknown family, it was like a comprehensive history class from the listener’s perspective despite the brief explanation. Hannah supported Celeste’s head as it seemed to almost hit the desk several times.
“To understand this relationship, one should have a good grasp of the family’s history! Even if the Count hasn’t lost his memory, there was no need to explain all this in detail…”
Franz only wanted to know why he personally sent the carriage to the Count’s house, but Mueller and Hannah sat me down and began to narrate the history of the Count’s family spanning over a hundred years.
As the head of the family, I should have known this, and they added apologies for the delay in informing me as soon as I lost my memory, saying they thought I would regain it soon.
Regardless, I ended up learning a lot about the connection between Franz and Celeste.
