Duke and Duchess Reunion - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

It was obvious where Aneta would go first. Her steps were directed toward the room where she had been just before coming to this world, where the cause of her distress likely lay.

Her steps were slow, and her strides were short. Along the path she had taken, hesitation dripped, leaving behind a formless trace.

She had tried to refuse the miracle’s offer, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to meet Elena. She was only reluctant because it was so obviously a trap.

But the situation had already unfolded.

Aneta considered the possibility that the miracle’s words might have been a lie. No matter how forcibly she had been brought to this world, she couldn’t remain unaffected if she discovered that Elena was not here.

Strangely enough, she had her heart set on it.

Before long, Aneta arrived at Elena’s door. Cold sweat was forming on her hand that grasped the icy doorknob.

Aneta closed her eyes for a moment. It was hard to understand why she was so scared of something like this.

After taking a slow breath, Aneta opened her eyes. With a resolute expression, she turned the doorknob, and as the door smoothly opened, the familiar sight of someone’s back came into view.

The woman, who was sitting in front of an easel with an apron on, turned around at the sound of someone entering.

As soon as their eyes met, her warm, green eyes curved into a smile.

“Sweetheart, you’re awake?”

To her surprise, just as the miracle had said, the scene was exactly as it was before her.

***

A world of eternal day, with no night.

The most prominent feature of this world, which Lei had named the “ideal world,” was precisely that.

Aneta didn’t know how much time had passed in the outside world, but she had spent several days here. She had tea with Elena, went out, and even took walks in the garden.

Life in this world, which reflected all her long-held wishes, was perfect.

However, Aneta didn’t allow herself to settle into life here. She didn’t forget the original world and the being she had left behind there. Yet, the reason she remained silent and patient was to seize the opportunity.

The opportunity to return and the chance to find the miracle, who had yet to show himself.

“Until then, I’m going to stay with Mother for a little while.”

Aneta resolved as she watched Elena’s back while she painted.

The slight chill from the wall she leaned against reminded her that this place wasn’t just some simple illusion.

When she first faced Elena, she hadn’t known how to act around her, which left her flustered, but now she had grown quite accustomed to it. Derek was not in this world, and Elena was exactly as she had been when she passed away.

Not only in appearance but even the way she addressed Aneta was the same. Elena would occasionally call her “sweetheart.”

“Now, we look more like sisters than mother and daughter.”

Aneta recalled her memories of Elena when she was alive. Unlike back then, the paintings she created here were more vibrant, colorful, and beautiful.

The same could be said for Elena herself. She seemed even more alive than she had been in life.

In truth, there was no way to confirm whether Elena was an illusion or not. Although Lei had assured her, she couldn’t trust him completely.

But if this woman truly was the real Elena, Aneta felt relieved. She had seen her face free of darkness.

Aneta wished for Elena to smile sincerely, wherever she was.

As she was lost in thought, Elena’s voice broke the silence.

“My daughter, you’ve been following me around for the past few days.”

Even as she spoke, Elena didn’t neglect transferring the blue-hued garden scenery onto her canvas.

“Am I bothering you?”

The breeze lightly fluttered the ends of the shawl draped over Elena’s shoulder.

Aneta took in even this simple scene with her eyes as she asked.

“Oh, don’t be silly. Of course not,” Elena responded, her eyes widening as if the idea were absurd.

“I was just wondering if it’s all right for you to be here with me, given that the Duke of Baltimor will be arriving soon,” Elena added.

Aneta let out a small exclamation of realization. She recalled the presence of Carlos, who had announced his visit the previous day and checked the time. There were only about ten minutes left until the time he had mentioned.

“You’re right, Mother. There’s not much time left. I should get going now.”

“Have a wonderful time,” Elena said with a contented smile, clearly pleased with how things were.

But unlike Elena’s expectations, Aneta felt no excitement about meeting this world’s Carlos.

She didn’t believe he would be the Carlos she knew. If he were the real Carlos, he would have come straight to see her without any formalities.

That was the same reason she hadn’t sought him out first.

As Aneta walked towards the drawing room, she recalled the situation just before she arrived here. She couldn’t forget the look of shock and desperation on Carlos’ face.

‘Wait for me, Carlos. I’ll come back to you.’

Aneta thought as she entered the drawing room, hoping her feelings would reach him.
While waiting for the Carlos of this world to arrive, Aneta recalled Lei’s cryptic words.

“What should I do? My master over there is not perfectly connected to me to control me.”

Aneta pondered what the miracle had said to Carlos might have meant. Before long, a sudden hypothesis crossed her mind.

‘What if, just maybe, the miracle has a true form elsewhere?’

The only context in which a lack of connection could be relevant to Glory was if it was referring to such a scenario.

Aneta raised a hand to her chest, her fingers easily finding the pendant of the necklace she wore. As she caressed it, she recalled the unresolved questions she had buried deep in her heart.

The fact was that she had never once shared emotions or had any form of communion with the miracle.

“Thinking about it, it’s not entirely impossible.”

If the miracle had a true form elsewhere, it would explain everything. She had already confirmed with Carlos that the necklace held the power of Glory, but it was worth considering the doubt.

Though she’d never heard of Glory being able to manifest its power through a substitute while its true form remained elsewhere, she was no longer surprised by anything the miracle might be capable of.

Aneta furrowed her brow as she thought about Lei, who had not shown himself since she arrived in this world. She couldn’t forgive him for appearing at his whim and dragging her into this world against her will.

“I’m here, Aneta.”

“…Welcome.”

In the meantime, the person she’d been waiting for entered through the open door.

Aneta stood up to greet Carlos. He seemed completely unperturbed, as if unaware of anything that had happened and did not ask any questions. Aneta felt convinced that he was not the real Carlos.

Aneta clicked her tongue silently. Come to think of it, Lei had promised to let her meet the real Elena, but he hadn’t said a word about anyone else.

“How is Mother doing?”

Carlos asked as if Elena’s presence was perfectly natural.

“She’s painting in her room.”

“Again today? I’d like to look at it when it’s finished.”

“I’ll ask her later.”

Aneta skillfully deflected his comment while carefully observing his every move. Though nothing seemed particularly out of place, something about him felt subtly off.

One of the sources of that unease became apparent when the maid brought in the tea.

Carlos looked at the handle of the teacup on his left, then turned it to the right and picked it up. To anyone else, this would have seemed completely normal behavior for a right-handed person, but not to Aneta.

Carlos always used his left hand when holding a cup with a handle. It was a habit he had developed because he was so busy with paperwork that he hardly had time to properly drink tea.

The reason Aneta had said nothing to the maid about the teacup handle being placed to the left was precisely because of this.

He had mentioned at some point that it had become awkward for him to hold a teacup with his right hand, and she remembered that clearly.

“Aneta? What’s wrong?”

Carlos asked when he noticed Aneta staring at the teacup in her hand. Lily, too, seemed to sense something was off and remained in the room, standing there with a puzzled expression.

“It’s nothing. Thank you, Lily. You can leave now.”

Only then did Aneta tear her gaze away and shake her head. Even after Lily bowed and left the drawing room, Aneta continued to observe Carlos discreetly.

He naturally used his right hand when he put the cup down and picked it up again.

That wasn’t the only odd thing. There was one overwhelming impression Aneta got from her conversation with Carlos.

He was acting too much like the stereotypical “Carlos Baltimor.”

“Do you have time this weekend? I got a concert ticket and would like to go with you.”

Carlos, unaware of what Aneta was thinking, pulled out two tickets and placed them in front of her.

Aneta glanced at the tickets on the table and then thought of one person.

Serce Raphaeli. He would be a good way to gauge Carlos’s reaction.

“Sorry. I’m spending the weekend with Serce. He’s been acting a bit strange lately, so I need to cheer him up. You know, he’s the only childhood friend I have.”

“Really? If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do. How about the following weekend?”

The real Carlos would always frown when Serce was mentioned, but the person in front of her showed no change in expression.

His face remained compliant as if he were willing to do whatever she wanted, but Aneta caught on. Her demeanor toward him shifted in an instant.

“I’ll decline. I don’t think I’ll be going out with you.”

Aneta looked him straight in the eyes as she spoke.

“You should stop playing games. If you wanted to act, you should’ve stuck to wearing the face of someone I didn’t know, Lei.”

The moment Aneta mentioned Lei, Carlos’s body glowed brightly. As the light faded, Carlos’s appearance vanished, revealing Ellen’s.

“…How did you know? I thought my act was perfect.”

The miracle, now in Ellen’s form, expressed disbelief.

“It was too perfect. Like a puppet, you were just trying to follow the script. You probably assumed that since Carlos is right-handed, he must always use his right hand.”

Aneta took a sip from her teacup. Observing his reaction, she noticed him smiling as if he found this all quite amusing.