Duke and Duchess Reunion - Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Aneta, unsure of what spirit had brought her back, stepped out of the carriage in confusion. As she entered through the gate, a long shadow trailed behind her.

The surrounding area had already taken on a red hue. Aneta suddenly looked up at the sky.

The twilight hanging in the sky, as if by an inevitable force, relentlessly chased away the sun. The ominous feeling that the encroaching dusk brought, like a tide quietly advancing, planted a sense of unease in her.

Becoming aware of her dulled senses, Aneta squeezed and unfolded her hand once more, a gesture she had repeated numerous times throughout the day. Yet the strange sensation lingered stubbornly.

“Aneta.”

Then a familiar voice came to her. Staring straight ahead, she saw Carlos hurrying toward her.

Aneta stopped and stood there waiting for Carlos. He appeared to have come from the direction of the main building and wore a worried expression.

“Carlos, what brings you here?”

“I haven’t seen your face all day, I missed you, Aneta. I heard you left early in the morning. Where have you been? Nothing happened, right?”

As Carlos poured out his affectionate words, he reached out to touch Aneta’s cheek, remarking that she didn’t look well.

Aneta felt the familiar warmth from his hand caressing her cheek. It was only then that her unsteady heart began to calm.

“There was something. Something strange happened.”

“What happened?”

“Well…”

Just as she opened her mouth to share her story with a calmer heart, something more unbelievable than anything that had happened that day occurred.

Aneta’s expression was tinged with dismay, as she involuntarily glanced at the figure behind Carlos.

She gasped sharply, recognizing a woman who should only exist in her memories.

It was an impossible sight. Stunned by whatever had just shaken her, Aneta couldn’t continue speaking. Carlos, noticing her reaction, turned to follow her gaze.

His reaction was no different from Aneta’s. As the face of the person they both recognized from a portrait came into view, Carlos froze in shock.

The woman, who had only been looking at Aneta, formed a delicate smile as their eyes met. The presence of the one standing under the fiery red twilight was intense. Her pale hair seemed to be dyed by the shadows cast by the setting sun.

“Mother.”

Aneta muttered as if in pain. The descending dusk blurred the horizon.

Twilight.

It was the moment when the order of the world faltered.

Elena Adenauer was a special person to Carlos, for she was the only thing that kept Aneta’s life together, and sometimes made it fall apart.

He had once envied Elena for that. He wished he could be as deeply and profoundly meaningful to Aneta.

But to be blunt, Elena had already departed from this world. Rather than envying Elena, Carlos began to hope that Aneta could bury her mother in her heart as soon as possible.

The dead cannot cross the boundary between the living and the dead, and Aneta’s lingering feelings are fleeting.

Yet, the unchanging law that the dead cannot tread on the land of the living has been broken.

Carlos carefully observed Elena, who had thrown Aneta into confusion. She appeared vivid and alive, but that was all. Aneta’s mother was not a real presence. The absence of a shadow at Elena’s feet was proof of that.

As soon as Carlos noticed this, Elena, still smiling, turned around. The way she began to run somewhere with her back turned was an attempt to lure them.

“Stop right there, Aneta! You must not go!”

Aneta, who had been standing frozen like a statue, tried to chase after her.

Feeling a surge of anxiety, Carlos called out to Aneta and attempted to follow her, but he couldn’t move. Strangely, his feet seemed to be glued to the ground.

“Don’t worry. I know better than anyone that she’s not real.”

“If you know it’s fake, then why are you going after her?”

“I need to confirm something.”

As Aneta quickly distanced herself, leaving behind those cryptic words, Carlos gritted his teeth.

He felt utterly useless, unable to move while Aneta might be walking into danger. At least he was relieved that Aneta hadn’t lost her sanity upon seeing Elena.

“Who on earth would do something like this? ”

This couldn’t have happened for any reason. Carlos’s face contorted in anger. Only glory, or someone who possessed glory, could do such an unreal thing.

‘But there’s no glory with a power like this.’

As he recalled the glory’s abilities one by one, Carlos suddenly remembered. There were two glories whose abilities remained a mystery.

As soon as one of them came to mind, the Sky on his wrist began to pulse.

It didn’t resonate. He had felt this strange yet familiar sensation somewhere before.

Carlos, feeling his heart race with urgency, slowly inhaled and exhaled repeatedly, trying to regain his composure. As he carefully retraced his memories, a seemingly insignificant event came back to him.

At that moment, his feet, which had felt fused to the ground, were released. With the realization, the unknown force that had been holding the Sky back was expelled.

The moment Carlos regained his freedom, he kicked off the ground without hesitation. As he transformed and took flight, only black feathers fluttered down from where he had stood.

Soaring into the air, Carlos flew swiftly in search of Aneta.

Flying toward the mansion’s main building, Carlos hastily scanned the interior through the windows. For some reason, none of the mansion’s servants were in sight.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, it allowed him to find Aneta quickly.

Aneta, who had been running nonstop, stopped in front of the door where Elena had entered.

Carlos slipped inside through a window in the hallway. Aneta, who had been catching her breath while leaning against the doorframe, was now peering inside with a suddenly cold gaze.

“This place…”

Though it was his first time stepping into this space, Carlos immediately sensed what it was. The layout and furniture were identical to Elena’s room in the marquisate.

‘So, the items I brought back then are stored here.’

Before he could finish his thoughts, a familiar voice came from the corner.

“Welcome. I might have provoked you a bit, but I didn’t expect you to run here so eagerly. And you even brought along a reliable companion.”

It was Ellen who greeted them casually. His tone and demeanor were completely unlike his usual self.

Carlos guessed that the words Aneta had shouted while running were somehow related to Ellen, given his sudden behavior change.

“That one over there was supposed to fall asleep as soon as it came in. Is it faithfully protecting its master?”

Muttering these abrupt words, Ellen alternated his gaze between the glory of the Sky and Carlos.

As soon as the glory of the Sky sensed Ellen’s gaze, it trembled. Ellen smirked as if that alone was an answer.

“Such a devotion.”

Carlos wasn’t the only one who noticed that Ellen was communicating with the glory of the Sky—he could also sense the discomfort radiating from it. Aneta frowned as she observed the unfolding situation.

Both of their eyes were busy scanning the room’s surroundings.

The Elena who had lured Aneta, stood behind Ellen. Beside her was a portrait of herself, glowing with an otherworldly light. The phenomenon was too surreal to be a mere coincidence.

“You’re the one who came claiming to be the guildmaster’s secretary, aren’t you? I’m guessing everything that happened today was also your doing.”

“I’m not sure about the latter, but the former is true. I felt the same energy when I brushed past him.”

The one who answered Aneta’s question wasn’t Ellen, but Carlos. Sensing the energy being released as if there was no longer any need to hide it, he clicked his tongue. It was too late to regret not dealing with it at the time, but he was relieved to realize the truth now.

“Now that you’ve said that, I’m convinced. Perhaps we should reintroduce ourselves, Ellen. Or should I call you Lei, the miracle, now?”

Before Carlos could reveal the truth, Aneta was the one who exposed Ellen’s true identity. Aneta’s face revealed a quiet fury.

“This kind of scheme can only come from someone like you. It seems you’ve completely toyed with me. Sending a letter from the postal service of the Kingdom of Matemon, of all places.”

The miracle’s intentions were malicious, as he had chosen a place that would result in either complete exposure or perfect deception.

The miracle was showing unprecedented behavior. Despite proving his existence, he had remained hidden for a long time, and his uncooperative actions toward his master were also a first.

Glory follows its master blindly.

‘Then again, maybe that’s exactly why it hadn’t appeared until now.’

The most surprising fact was the existence of a glory that could act independently without being controlled by its master.

Carlos couldn’t shake the thought that this glory might be even more troublesome than being under Erez Bauter’s glory of Control.

“Since I’ve been caught, I’ll tell you one more thing. The Elena Adenauer you see before you is an illusion I created.”

“I don’t know what you’re planning this time, but I’ve known it wasn’t real from the start.”

Aneta deliberately avoided looking at the illusion. It was the face of the mother she had longed for, and though it appeared more lifelike than the painting, Aneta knew it was nothing more than a mere imitation.

“A fake is a fake. What’s the reason for revealing yourself like this?”

“What do you think? I wanted to give you a chance to meet the real Elena Adenauer. Consider it the first and last gift I’m giving you.”

He spoke as if he were performing an act of charity. Though he had ulterior motives, he didn’t seem inclined to reveal them.

“You don’t think I’ll believe that, do you?”

“Of course not. I know you better than you think. That’s why I’m going to make you believe it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he gestured, causing something to appear in the air. What emerged was a familiar painting.

The moment Aneta laid eyes on it, she opened her mouth with a suppressed voice.

“Could it be that this is the twilight you said you were going to paint?”

The unfinished painting from her memories now stood before her, perfectly completed.