Chapter 13

Eiran bit his nails anxiously. He had sent letters after the party, but she hadn’t replied. Wondering if the letters had gone missing, he sent another, but there was still no answer. There was only one conclusion: she was ignoring his letters.

“Why…?”

Eiran muttered blankly as he sat in his chair. He had a pile of work, but he couldn’t focus, thinking only of Lilia.

If he let his mind wander even a little, he ended up writing Lilia’s name on documents instead of his own, and had already ruined more than ten sheets. Just then, someone knocked on the study door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Master. It’s time for your meeting.”

“Ah, right…. I have to go to the Imperial Palace.”

Today was the day when the Emperor and the nobles gathered for their regular meeting. As he got up and grabbed his coat, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

“Roel.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Since it’s a regular meeting with all the nobles, the Duke of Fortein will be there too, right?”

“Unless there’s something special, he should be.”

Eiran’s eyes sparkled. Then he said to his butler, Roel,

“Tell them I’m sick and can’t attend the meeting today.”

“Pardon? All of a sudden…?”

He immediately ran out of the study. If Damon had gone to the Imperial Palace for the meeting, Lilia would be alone at the ducal residence. It was the perfect chance to talk to her. He knew it was extremely rude to visit without notice, but since she wouldn’t reply to his letters, he had no choice.

He couldn’t waste time preparing a carriage, so he picked any horse from the stables and rode straight to the Fortein Duchy at full speed. His heart pounded at the thought of finally seeing Lilia. 

When he arrived at the Fortein Duchy, Noah, surprised by the unexpected guest, hurried over.

“Marquis Levelox, what brings you here? The Duke is at the Imperial Palace for a meeting.”

“I’m not here to see him.”

“Excuse me? Then…?”

“I’m here to see Lilia.”

A sweet smile appeared on Eiran’s lips as he said her name. Just saying her name made him feel happy.

Noah’s eyes went wide. He wondered if Lilia and Eiran were close, but as far as he knew, they’d never met. Still, he composed himself and said to Eiran,

“I’ll fetch the Madam, so please wait in the parlor.”

“Alright.”

He wanted to go straight to her room, but since he was visiting unannounced, he restrained himself and followed Noah to the parlor. After settling Eiran in, Noah hurried off to Lilia.

“Madam, you have a visitor.”

“Huh? A visitor…?”

Lilia, who had been resting in bed, tilted her head and sat up.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Marquis Eiran Levelox.”

“…What?!”

Her mouth dropped open. Noah, seeing her unusually strong reaction, asked cautiously,

“Do you… know each other?”

“Ha… I wish I didn’t.”

Deciding this was the perfect opportunity to end things for good, Lilia told Noah,

“Tell him I’ll be down after I get ready. Make him wait.”

“Yes, Madam.”

She didn’t bother to hide her annoyed expression as she changed into a dress. She barely bothered with her hair and left the room for the parlor.

“Damon definitely went to the regular meeting, so why didn’t that guy go?”

Lilia grumbled as she flung open the parlor door without knocking. Eiran jumped up from his chair and rushed over to her.

“Lilia!”

“W-what!”

He suddenly hugged her. Surprised by the sudden embrace, Lilia shoved Eiran away, but he didn’t budge. Eventually, she clenched her fist and swung.

“Ow!”

Eiran yelped and staggered back. His side ached. It hurt so much that tears welled up. But even being hit made him happy. As Eiran grinned, Lilia slowly backed away.

‘Is he a masochist…? He really isn’t right in the head.’

Not knowing what she was thinking, he opened his mouth.

“Lilia, why didn’t you reply to my letters?”

“…Letters?”

“Yeah. Do you know how many I sent you…?”

Lilia tilted her head. She hadn’t received a single letter under his name.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, she snapped her fingers. Damon must have intercepted them.

She almost said she hadn’t received any, but stopped herself and answered sharply,

“Do you think I should reply when we’ve already broken up?”

“Broke up? Who did?”

“Who else? You and I are strangers now.”

“…”

Lilia folded her arms and spoke firmly.

“Marquis Levelox, would you please leave? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come again.”

“…”

“I’m worried my husband might get the wrong idea.”

“It’s not a misunderstanding.”

When Eiran muttered, Lilia frowned.

“You called my name so kindly. You smiled at me, too.”

“…”

“Have you forgotten all the moments we spent together? Didn’t they mean anything to you?”

“…”

As he began to tear up, Lilia rolled her eyes in embarrassment. Seeing tears in his eyes, she felt a bit sorry for him.

Thinking maybe she’d been too harsh, she was about to comfort him when the parlor door suddenly burst open.

* * *

“Take care and come back safely.”

“Alright.”

Just before Damon boarded the carriage to the Imperial Palace, Lilia stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Being sent off by her made him even more reluctant to leave, but he couldn’t skip the meeting, so he had no choice but to get in the carriage. Outside, Lilia waved her hand gently.

As the carriage rattled away, Damon leaned back and closed his eyes. He already missed her. After a while, the carriage stopped, and he opened his eyes. Before the attendant could open the door, Damon flung it open and got out.

Upon entering the spacious conference hall, almost all the nobles were present except for a few. Damon scanned the hall, his gaze landing on an empty seat—Eiran’s seat. Eiran always arrived just in time for meetings, so Damon assumed it would be the same today.

However, even after the Emperor entered and the meeting began, Eiran’s seat remained empty. Sensing something strange, Damon furrowed his brow just as the Emperor spoke up.

“Today, urgent news has come that Marquis Levelox is unable to attend due to illness. Please make a note of this.”

At those words, Damon’s eyes widened. His jaw clenched on its own. He was certain Eiran had planned to visit Lilia while Damon was at the Imperial Palace. Damon’s hand gripped the armrest tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, and it looked as if he might break the armrest. Suddenly, he sprang to his feet.

The noble who was discussing an agenda item was startled, his eyes wide. Damon’s expression was so grim it was frightening.

“D-Duke Fortein… Is there a problem?”

The noble’s voice trembled slightly, as if Damon might draw his sword at any moment. He worried that Damon was displeased with the agenda, bracing himself, but what Damon said was entirely different.

“…My wife is ill. I must return immediately. My apologies, Your Majesty. I will accept any punishment later.”

“What? Hey, Duke! Wait—!”

Before the Emperor could stop him, Damon swept out of the conference hall like the wind. Everyone was left bewildered. One noble muttered,

“When did Duke Fortein become so devoted to his wife…?”

No one contradicted him. It was already well-known among the nobles that the relationship between the Fortein Duke and Duchess was very poor. Recently, it seemed to have changed a bit, but most thought it was temporary. However, Damon’s actions today suggested otherwise. Throwing the conference into confusion, Damon climbed into his carriage and ordered,

“To the mansion. Right now.”

“Y-yes, Sir.”

The coachman, frightened by Damon’s ominous aura, hurriedly drove the carriage. Thanks to the faster-than-usual pace, Damon returned home earlier than expected. When Damon arrived much earlier than anticipated, Noah looked surprised.

“Master, why have you returned so early?”

“Where’s Lilia?”

“Ah, well…”

Noah hesitated to answer, and Damon’s eyes flashed.

“Marquis Levelox came, didn’t he?”

“How did you know?”

“Where are they now?”

“They’re in the parlor.”

As soon as Noah answered, Damon rushed to the parlor. He didn’t want to imagine what the two of them might be doing inside. He grabbed the doorknob, and from within came a sharp voice.

“Do you think I should reply when we’ve already broken up?”

Her tone mixed disbelief and exasperation. She added a few more words, and soon a trembling voice followed. Without further hesitation, Damon flung the door open. Inside, Lilia was awkwardly reaching out her hand, clearly feeling sorry for Eiran. Eiran clicked his tongue briefly and wiped his tears.

“D-Damon? Why are you here…?”

Lilia looked at him in shock, then quickly shook her head.

“I didn’t call him! He just showed up out of nowhere.”

“I know. What a petty trick.”

Damon strode forward, blocking her. Eiran glared at him, clearly displeased.

“I told you not to bother my wife.”

At Damon’s harsh words, Eiran frowned slightly and opened his mouth.

“Duke Fortein, do you… do you truly love Lilia?”