Chapter 78

“Tomorrow, we’ll enter Leodell.”

“Mm.”

“I’ll ask again. The bet—are you not thinking of quitting?”

“And you? Are you thinking of quitting?”

“…….”

“I feel the same as you, Lennox.”

“Alright.”

With a calm expression, Lennox stood up. The already dark carriage grew even darker with his shadow. Ellen’s eyes followed him. Lennox opened the carriage door to leave, then paused and spoke.

“I want you to suffer.”

“…….”

“I want you to get tired, worn out. I want your heart to be so shredded and exhausted that you give up on your own.”

“…….”

“I hope you break down and struggle in Leodell if possible.”

“That probably won’t happen.”

Ellen shook her head, but Lennox gave a faint smile.

“Watching you break down will tear my heart to pieces.”

“Lennox.”

“You’re selfish, Ellen. From when you were young until now. Even so, I…”

Thud.

Before he could finish, the carriage door closed indifferently. Ellen stared blankly at the closed door where Lennox had exited. Her heart ached. She pressed her palm below her left chest, but the pain only intensified, refusing to calm down.

The next morning, the carriage departed early and passed through the entrance to Leodell. The entrance was no longer guarded by Leodell’s steward, but by Aryan Empire knights and soldiers. They headed for the Valère mansion at the center of Leodell. Before leaving, Ellen had heard from Lennox that they’d soon enter Leodell, and she’d been tense ever since. She worried whether Innis was crying, what face to show her father, her thoughts tangled and unresolved as the carriage slowed.

Soon, the carriage stopped. The door opened. Ellen gazed silently at the person standing before the door. Lennox and Ellen’s eyes met for several seconds. Ellen slowly rose. As she stepped out of the carriage, the now unfamiliar Valère mansion came into view. The mansion, reflecting the personalities of her mother and father, was neat and quiet. Ellen gripped the hem of her trousers and looked up at the mansion she hadn’t seen in five years, moving her dry lips to ask,

“Where’s Innis?”

“She’s not here.”

“…….”

Lennox looked straight at Ellen’s trembling eyes and spoke in a dry voice.

“I told you I sent her to Leodell first, didn’t say she’d stay.”

“Lennox, did you lie to me?”

“Why? Are you worried something happened to Innis?”

“Of course I am.”

“No matter what you say, I’m not going to act the way you want. What happens to your daughter isn’t my concern.”

“Lennox, you……”

“Go in. It’s the mansion you’re returning to after five years, isn’t it, Lady Ellen Valère?”

“…….”

Ellen glared at Lennox for a moment, then turned her head to look up at the mansion. Anger boiled inside her. She was furious at Lennox for deceiving her, but at the same time, a small hope flickered that maybe Innis hadn’t met her father. In a way, it was fortunate Innis wasn’t here. Ellen took a short, deep breath and walked forward, looking around. The autumn wind, burying winter, swept low through the garden, unchanged from five years ago. As the mansion’s entrance drew closer, her heart pounded.

“……?”

But something felt strange. Despite the Aryan Empire knights and soldiers, there was no sign of life inside the mansion. Suddenly, the mansion itself felt unfamiliar, as if she’d arrived at a place she didn’t know.

“There’s no one in the mansion.”

Ellen turned slightly and looked at Lennox, who was leaning against the carriage with his arms crossed. Lennox stared at Ellen with dark eyes and continued.

“The day I returned here, the Valère family disappeared, and Viscount Valère died. The servants scattered.”

“…Did you kill my father?”

Ellen’s voice was as calm as someone asking about the weather.

“Strictly speaking, no.”

“Then?”

“I just removed any reason for him to live in this world. The choice was his.”

“…Alright.”

Ellen turned again and reached out to touch the smooth-grained door. When she pressed her fingertips, the front door opened smoothly without resistance. Autumn sunlight cut through the dark interior, casting Ellen’s shadow on the lonely marble floor.

“…….”

Step. Inside the mansion, the first things she saw were the chilly hall and staircase. The faint scent of wax from the maids cleaning the wooden stairs, the servants’ soft laughter, the sight of butler Adol bustling about—all were gone. As if they’d never existed, the mansion where Ellen was born and raised for twenty years, filled with precious memories, was utterly empty.

She climbed the stairs. The first place she went was Viscountess Valère’s room.

Creak—the door opened with a grating sound. Ellen didn’t enter, but stood in the hallway, gazing into the room.

The room, preserved even after Viscountess Valère’s death, was unchanged from five years ago. Only the gray dust on the white curtains and furniture showed the owner had been gone for a long time. Ellen couldn’t go in. She felt that if she entered, the faint scent of her mother left only in her memory would crumble and vanish forever.

Ellen quietly closed the door and turned away.

She went to Viscount Valère’s room. It, too, had lost its owner and was silent, covered in dust. Ellen left without regret.

She entered the study. Memories of Viscount Valère looking down at her with a proud posture and gaze came to mind. When Lennox went off to war at his command, when Ellen struggled to receive even a letter from him, when she agreed to marry Baron Dermann. She had desperately wanted Lennox’s letters, and at that time, she let go of the very idea of a father. Any affection for Viscount Valère, and even Lennox, faded. On the desk, the hardened ink bottle and dusty quill pen looked lonely, left by their owner.

After leaving the study, Lennox was standing there. Downstairs, she could hear knights and soldiers organizing luggage. Ellen glanced quietly at Lennox as she passed; Lennox followed in silence.

She headed to the training grounds. She remembered watching Lennox learn swordsmanship with Viscount Valère’s support. Maids would blush and secretly watch Lennox, and Ellen would get jealous. As a child, she would sometimes get angry at Lennox for no reason. Remembering those times, a faint smile appeared and then faded from Ellen’s lips.

She looked around the mansion: the kitchen, servants’ rooms, laundry room. All were empty. No one welcomed Ellen back after so long. Only dust and loneliness remained. And then—

“Here…….”

“I was locked up here twice. Once because of Viscount Valère, once because of you.”

“Mm.”

“It was a terrible place.”

“Mm.”

“Ellen.”

“I’m sorry, Lennox. For locking you in here.”

“…….”

Leaving the entrance to the basement, Ellen climbed the stairs again. She could sense Lennox behind her, but didn’t look back.

Her own room, where she learned so much sadness, joy, and love. When she opened the door, a spotlessly clean room came into view. She stepped inside, now feeling awkward in her old room. Lennox did not follow.

She looked around the room.

First, she saw the bed. As a lonely child, she had buried her face in the pillow and cried. Lonely nights longing for affection. Laura stayed by her side, humming lullabies. As she grew, she shared love with Lennox on that bed.

By the fireplace. Before Marie was expelled, she would always smile brightly, bring Ellen her favorite chocolate cookies and tea, and Ellen would read books.

After Marie was expelled, Laura, who was like a mother, stayed by Ellen’s side. Laura taught Ellen embroidery, and Ellen would be as childish as she wanted, and Laura would accept it all.

Lennox became her playmate. He and Ellen would talk in front of the fireplace, and after Laura died, he always stayed by Ellen’s side.

Until she was ten, the room was just lonely, longing for her mother’s love. After meeting Marie, Laura, and especially Lennox, it filled with happy warmth.

Her vision blurred, and Ellen collapsed.

Her door closed. Ellen covered her face with her palms and bowed her head. Tears burst out between her fingers. Everything was gone. In this mansion, where she sent away those she loved one by one, even the father she hated was gone. Except for Lennox, who shared her memories, no one she knew remained. Everything of Ellen’s, left like a scar in this mansion, had been completely carved out.

Ellen sobbed. In this lonely room, returned to after five years, with all its sorrow and happiness.

“…….”

Leaning against the door, Lennox listened silently to the faint sound of crying from beyond. With each sob that leaked out, his heart broke, and imagining Ellen inside, shaking her small shoulders, unable to be comforted, his heart froze and shattered. Unlike in the past, when he would have approached and comforted her without hesitation, now he could not even reach out a hand.

Ellen needed to suffer. She needed to say it herself. That she had lost.

Lennox bowed his head and slid down to sit against the door. On the dusty walnut floor, the shattered pieces of his heart gathered and fell like droplets.