Chapter 3.14

While he stood there staring blankly, Solnia had already approached them. She offered a light smile to the two of them.  

“Good morning. Are you headed somewhere?”  

“Yes, Madam. We’re on our way to the Duke’s residence. Are you feeling well?”  

“I’m fine.”  

“You should consider seeing a doctor.”  

“I’m perfectly fine. No need for unnecessary trouble.”  

Leaving Philip to respond, Luette scrutinized Solnia for quite a while.  

Solnia, who had been smiling brightly at Philip, turned her gaze upward to meet his with the same expression.  

“If you’re heading to the Duke’s residence, should I come along?”  

At the same time, Solnia gently adjusted the hem of Luette’s jacket.  

How shameless.  

Luette let out a faint chuckle.  

“No, Madam. Please rest and recover. I’ll be back shortly.”  

“Alright, then.”  

“Oh, by the way, I’d like to see you briefly when I return.”  

Luette raised an eyebrow, as if to ask what she meant. Solnia nodded, as though she understood.  

The silent exchange of signals between them appeared so amiable that even Philip and Lady Gwen couldn’t help but smile warmly.  

“I’ll be waiting.”  

Solnia smiled kindly before passing by with Gwen. Judging by the snippets of conversation drifting back, it seemed she was being shown around the mansion.  

Uncharacteristically, she was playing the role of the lady of the house.  

“Aren’t you going?”  

“I am.”  

It wasn’t until Solnia had disappeared around the corner, out of sight, that Luette finally started walking again.  

He had expected this.  

He had known she would recover so quickly.  

When he had entered her bedroom in the early hours of the morning and touched her forehead, he had sensed it.  

Her body, which had been as cold as ice, had regained warmth.  

Luette stepped outside the mansion with a triumphant smile, as if mocking himself for ever worrying that Solnia might actually die.  

***

“Ah, I almost forgot this part!”  

Gwen’s tour of the mansion showed no signs of ending. Perhaps it had been a mistake to request a tour.  

Just as she was about to open the door to another room, Solnia interrupted.  

“Thank you, but I think we should stop here for today.”  

“Pardon?”  

“I have an appointment. I promised to visit my grandmother briefly.”  

At Solnia’s words, Gwen frowned slightly and shook her head.  

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay at the mansion today? I’ll call Dr. Brown later, so why don’t you rest and have a check-up?”  

Solnia maintained a polite smile and shook her head.  

“Thank you, but I’m really fine. I told my husband the same thing earlier. If we call a doctor now, he’ll only worry more.”  

Solnia found it amusing how naturally words like “husband” and “he” slipped from her lips.  

Gwen, seemingly understanding her sentiment, nodded slightly.  

Solnia gently took Gwen’s hand.  

“I’ll just have a quick cup of tea. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had tea with my grandmother.”  

“Hmm…”  

“I’ll be back in no time. Don’t worry.”  

When Solnia smiled warmly, Gwen shook her head in resignation.  

“I really can’t win with you.”  

With such a lovely face and a sweet smile, who could resist?  

“Two hours. Make sure you’re back within two hours.”  

“Of course.”  

***

“Come in, son.”  

As Luette entered the breakfast room, he couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh at the sight of the overly lavish table.  

“I thought it was my birthday.”  

“Don’t be sarcastic when I’m in such a good mood.”  

The Duchess easily silenced her son’s impertinent remarks with a gentle smile before taking her seat.  

“But why are you alone?”  

The Duchess glanced toward the direction Luette had come from, as if looking for Solnia. Luette shook his head nonchalantly.  

“She seemed quite tired, so I told her to rest.”  

“Is she unwell?”  

“No.”  

Luette replied curtly.  

“She’s fine. I told her to rest because I know she’s been overexerting herself.”  

He even smiled as if he were a devoted husband worried about his wife. Fortunately, his mother seemed convinced and nodded.  

“Good. That was the right thing to do. It’s better than her pushing herself too hard and falling ill.”  

“…”  

“Since you’ll be staying in the capital this year, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to see each other.”  

News certainly traveled fast. The events of the party just days ago had already reached his mother, who hadn’t even attended.  

Luette marveled once again at the speed of the capital’s social network.  

“By the way, is Hazel still in her room?”  

“She said she wasn’t hungry, so she’s resting.”  

Luette let out a dry laugh. That would have been unthinkable when he was young.  

If he had ever refused a meal and buried himself under the blankets, the nanny would have immediately yanked the covers off, scrubbed his face with a wet cloth, and dragged him to the dining room.  

“Where’s Father?”  

Luette glanced at the empty head of the table, changing the subject. The Duchess sighed deeply.  

Sensing something amiss, Luette turned to the butler, Riven. His sharp gaze demanded an explanation.  

Riven hesitated before finally speaking.  

“He wasn’t feeling well early this morning.”  

“…”  

“His coughing has worsened, but it’s nothing to be too concerned about.”  

The butler, Riven, ended his explanation with a smile, but Luette knew it was far from reassuring.  

Poor lung health was hereditary in the family. His grandfather had passed away from lung disease, and the eldest son, William, frequently fell gravely ill during seasonal changes. His youngest sibling, Hazel, was no exception.  

As for Luette’s father, the Duke of Trovill, his condition had worsened significantly two years ago. Just last winter, he had coughed up blood.  

It was around that time that he became reliant on a wheelchair because even walking a short distance left him breathless.  

Luette still couldn’t comprehend how a single organ, whose workings he could barely fathom, could bring down such a robust man.  

“There’s no need to look so glum, Lu. Aging and dying are the natural order of things.”  

The Duchess broke the silence with a calm voice, as though she had long since come to terms with the situation.  

The anguished face she had worn two years ago, when the Duke’s condition had rapidly deteriorated and she had cried out, “Why is this happening to me?” was nowhere to be seen.  

She had likely resigned herself to it. She must have realized that the days she had left to spend with her husband were numbered.  

“Still, I’m glad you’ll be staying in the capital this year.”  

The Duchess smiled as she spoke.  

“Your father was delighted to hear the news as well. He said he was happy to have the chance to spend time with you and your wife before it’s too late.”  

“……”  

“You know how much he adores Solnia, as if she were his own daughter.”  

In front of her, Luette couldn’t bring himself to say that he had no such intentions.  

Nor could he admit that he had never felt any love for Solnia, whom she cherished as if she were her own daughter.  

***

A little later, Solnia stepped out of the carriage, adjusted her attire, and lifted her head.  

The Oberon Mansion exuded its usual gloomy atmosphere.  

Upon entering, a butler greeted her. His expression was entirely different from when he was with Luette—cold and impassive.  

“I’ve come to see Grandmother. She hasn’t gone out yet, has she?”  

“This way, please.”  

Following the butler, Solnia passed through the long gallery on the right side of the mansion, wound her way through a series of hallways, and finally arrived at the greenhouse garden located in the rear of the estate.  

There, she stood silently before the figure seated within. Despite sensing her presence, the Dowager did not look up from her newspaper for quite some time. When she finally did, it was very, very slowly.  

Behind her round glasses, her blue eyes gleamed with a mocking expression, as if to say she had known Solnia would come.  

“Would you care for some tea?”  

“…Yes.”  

Faced with such composure, Solnia also offered a leisurely smile.  

Soon, a maid appeared to prepare the tea. After refilling the Dowager’s empty cup, the maid withdrew, leaving behind a prolonged silence.  

Solnia took a sip of the warm tea and glanced around.  

Everywhere she looked, flowers were in full bloom, butterflies fluttered their wings lazily, and sunlight poured in, enveloping everything.  

The breathtakingly beautiful scenery felt unfamiliar, as did the sweet fragrance of flowers that filled the air.  

Though the greenhouse garden had been built by her grandfather during his lifetime, Solnia had never once set foot inside. Not even when her parents were alive. The most she had ever done was stroll around the exterior, holding her mother’s hand.  

Now, here she was, sitting inside and drinking tea. A bitter smile crept across her face.