Chapter 5 – Issen (Part 7)

Evelyn doubted her ears.

Just like before, no permission was needed. The large door of the audience chamber opened on both sides, and the sound of footsteps echoed as a man walked in. Almost simultaneously, Bryant rose from his seat. Evelyn forgot even the etiquette of standing when someone of higher status appeared. Only when he lightly touched her frozen hand did she rise with a pale face.

Her knees trembled inside her dress. In the sudden situation, she couldn’t breathe. 

Am I dreaming right now? Is this a nonsensical nightmare? Could this inexplicable anxiety have been about this?

The Duke of Windberg. There is only one person in the world known by that name. She desperately wanted to deny that undeniable fact.

Perhaps there was another title of “Duke of Windberg” in this country or a neighboring one. Or maybe a new person held that position for some reason. Those in a predicament often wish for foolish miracles, but they also know such hopes will not come true. So when the man who walked over stood before the Empress, Evelyn could not bring herself to look at him, keeping her gaze lowered.

Until the familiar voice pierced her ears.

“I greet the Lord of Issen.”

The man, who had courteously paid his respects, bent his waist. The Empress, seated, extended her right hand, and he naturally took it and kissed the back of her hand. A pale neck. Ink-black hair.

“Welcome, Duke.”

Only then did Evelyn slowly move her eyes to see his face.

Jared Glenn was dressed in a formal blue uniform, almost black in color. The ceremonial sword at his waist was long and slender. Silver epaulettes adorned his shoulders, and countless badges and insignias glittered on his chest. Symbols of thirteen titles. The largest and most brilliant was the platinum brooch of the Duke of Windberg. A sapphire ribbon supported by an eagle with wings spread.

It was exactly as he had appeared in the newspaper photos three years ago.

“Did you have a good audience with the Emperor?”

“I have just come from the audience.”

“He must have been pleased to see you.”

“I am simply glad to see both Their Majesties in good health.”

Jared addressed the Empress with skilled formality. His perfectly formal tone was somewhat dry and stiff.

“Is His Highness Crown Prince Louis and Duke Olian well?”

“Both children are growing well. Is Lady Diane also well?”

“Thanks to your concern, she is doing well.”

“I heard you will not be attending the Sun Festival banquet again this year.”

“My mother is very regretful that her health does not permit long-distance travel.”

“You came in her place, didn’t you? It must be quite an effort to come such a long way.”

“I apologize for not being able to visit more often.”

Jared bowed his head slightly. The Empress merely watched him without saying not to worry or that it was fine. Evelyn could sense the subtle tension flowing in that brief moment.

“Oh dear, I have kept my guests standing. Let me introduce you. This is the novelist I mentioned, Miss Dennis Howle.”

There was a hint of amusement in the Empress’s tone. The name and title “Miss Dennis Howle,” with its ambiguous gender, seemed quite amusing.

“The gentleman beside her is Mr. Clifton, who publishes her works.”

The Empress continued to introduce Jared to the two of them. She added exaggerated phrases about him being the head of the prestigious Glenn family in the north, but none of it registered with Evelyn. 

What is this? How did this happen? Why is he here? 

She asked herself urgently, but her mind, tangled and confused, was blank.

“Pleased to meet you.”

Jared spoke briefly. It was the customary greeting to address the lady first. Therefore, Evelyn could no longer avoid it. Now that it had come to this, she had no choice but to face it head-on. Unless she opened the large window behind her and jumped out.

So she slowly lifted her lowered eyes. She resolved firmly not to show any emotion. However, the moment her eyes met those of the man looking at her, she couldn’t help but feel as if her frozen heart shattered with a bang.

“Miss Howle.”

Jared nodded slightly, maintaining the minimum courtesy.

Sunlight poured over his face as he stood facing the window. His eyes, filled with light, were a transparent green. Evelyn could not read any emotion in those eyes. There was no surprise, displeasure, or ridicule.

So she decided to respond in the most similar manner possible.

“It is an honor to meet you.”

She bowed her head and bent her knee slightly, following etiquette. With a flawless, natural, and graceful demeanor. So that he could not read any emotion from her.

“Duke.”

She raised her head and met his gaze again. The man she hadn’t seen in three years appeared unchanged. His jet-black hair and pale forehead were the same, as were his angular jaw and tightly closed lips. His tall stature, broad shoulders, and sleek physique were just as she remembered from the last time she saw him at the Maxville Ducal Residence.

This made Evelyn suddenly feel a sense of fear. The years she had struggled through alone seemed absurd. The time she had fought so hard to sever seemed to have reconnected too easily. Three years and four months—a time that was by no means short. Despite all her efforts to escape, overcome, and forget.

So futilely.

“Mr. Clifton.”

“Nice to meet you, Duke of Windberg.”

The introductions and courtesies continued. Jared showed a bit more attention to the man than he had to the lady. For Evelyn, who stood quietly, even that was uncomfortable.

“I heard you came from Kingston.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve come a long way. I hope the journey was comfortable.”

“Thank you for your kind words, but if we consider the distance, you have come further, Duke. It takes four days by train from Windberg to here, but only three days by ship from Kingston.”

Bryant replied with a smile. Speaking in a serious tone while making light jokes was typical of Kingston people. However, it was not the Windberg way, so Jared did not join in with laughter. He simply maintained a faintly polite smile as he quietly regarded the unfamiliar man.

“Mr. Clifton.”

He called him once more.

It would be more precise to describe Jared’s tone as closer to a ‘monologue’ or ‘reflection’ rather than a ‘call.’ Recognizing this, Bryant did not respond to the call but instead met the Duke’s green eyes, waiting for his next words.

“You come from a distinguished family.”

“I am pleased to hear that you know of my family.”

“How could I not?”

Jared replied as he turned his gaze to the Empress at the head of the table. Among the four men and women gathered around the table, she was the only one seated.

“I was both pleased and curious to see Your Majesty in such good spirits today, and now I understand why. You have received a visit from your cousin.”

Jared spoke in a casual tone as he met the Empress’s eyes. Cousin. Evelyn was surprised but understood. The question that had been bothering her was now completely resolved.

Everything finally made sense. The two of them exchanging cheek kisses and treating each other so familiarly. His frequent visits to the palace and meetings with the Empress. They were cousins. The Empress’s maiden name was Clifton. Jared must have known this, so it wouldn’t have been hard to deduce. Evelyn also would have naturally learned this if she had conversed more with them. She felt a bit disappointed that the man hadn’t told her beforehand.

Thinking this, Evelyn looked at the man standing to her right. Bryant did not respond. He simply smiled faintly, his long eyelashes half-lowered.

“Cousin? How could that be?”

At the Empress’s words, Evelyn turned her eyes. The Empress was clearly smiling at Jared. As if finding the current situation very amusing. Or as if she was delighted by his mistake.

“This gentleman is not my cousin, Duke.”

Evelyn looked at the Empress’s bright blonde hair and light blue eyes.

“Mr. Bryant Clifton is the only brother of my father, the Marquis of Elgagrove, who resides in Ritten.”

“…”

“He is my uncle.”

With eyes shining blue, the Empress smiled.

Jared seemed momentarily puzzled, not quite understanding what was said. It was understandable since the Empress and Bryant clearly appeared to be peers. A man and woman of the same surname and age are typically siblings or cousins. However, Jared soon realized his reasonable misunderstanding and immediately bowed his head in a respectful manner.

“I have been discourteous.”

“It is understandable. You are not the only one who sees us that way. It is something we’ve encountered countless times, so don’t worry about it.”

Watching the Empress smile graciously, Evelyn’s heart raced. She alternated her gaze between the woman seated at the head of the table and the man standing beside her. Uncle. Not cousins, but an uncle-niece relationship. That relationship, deviating from convention, brought a strange sense of incongruity.

‘The first thing my father did at that time was to take a new wife. My father had only that son, and he only had a one-year-old daughter.’

So Empress Reinus was the eldest daughter of the current Marquis of Elgagrove. The granddaughter of the former Marquis. To Bryant, she was the daughter of his half-brother, and

‘Bran.’

His older niece.