Chapter 14

The carriage Kenneth was riding in arrived at Willos, the duchy of the House of Vinzetten.

He could have easily sent a servant or butler to the capital to retrieve the necessary documents, but this time Kenneth chose to go to the estate himself. Willos wasn’t far from the capital—only a two-day journey.

More than anything, Kenneth needed time alone. He wanted to escape, even briefly, from the balls and the overwhelming scent of women’s perfume. And to think about his engagement as well.

‘Why is everyone so obsessed with someone else’s marriage?’

He figured maybe getting engaged would finally quiet the attention constantly drawn to him. It was just an engagement, not a marriage—if he didn’t want it, he could always break it off. The other party might suffer a blow to their reputation, but what did he care about their name?

Kenneth didn’t want to marry. But if he had to, for the sake of preserving the family, then Celetina, with her impeccable lineage, was the most suitable match. In a forced marriage, frivolous love was unnecessary.

‘An engagement to Celetina Bellure…’

He furrowed his brows as an unexpected face surfaced in his mind.

‘Rosalie Cailon.’

He couldn’t understand why her face appeared the moment he thought about engagements. It must have been because of that arranged marriage document Norman Cailon had shoved at him under the pretense of a long-standing family agreement.

Brushing away the face that surfaced like smoke, Kenneth began walking along the forest path behind the mansion.

Before long, the sound of running water reached his ears, and a river came into view. The moment it appeared, the memory of that day at Victoria Park—floating on the lake in a boat with Rosalie—flashed vividly in his mind.

When he closed his eyes, it felt as if her scent had returned, riding the summer breeze. Not the intense perfume that made his head throb, but a gentle, sweet fragrance that came naturally from her skin.

Kenneth’s throat bobbed noticeably.

‘Must be the Cailons stirring up nonsense that’s making me think about her so much.’

The conversation he had shared with Rosalie on the boat had left him deeply unsettled. The image of her face, wounded as if he’d inflicted some deep pain, was etched clearly into his mind.

Kenneth stopped walking. Then, turning back, he made his way toward the mansion.

If he didn’t keep himself busy with work, he feared he’d drown completely in his own thoughts.

***

Several hours later, Kenneth rummaged through his father’s study in search of the necessary documents. If the arranged marriage contract that Norman Cailon had shown him was real, then there ought to be a copy kept within the ducal residence as well.

Eventually, a document envelope caught Kenneth’s eye. He pulled it out, and the handwriting on the cover was unmistakably familiar. It was the same document Norman had presented.

Rosalie had always looked at Kenneth with barely restrained fury. Now, he thought he finally understood why.

They had exchanged marriage documents under the guise of a family agreement, and yet he had acted as if he knew nothing. Of course she would be angry.

To make things worse, society was abuzz with gossip that Celetina Bellure might become the next Duchess of Vinzetten.

“As you said, I’ve done something truly terrible.”

In Rosalie’s eyes, Kenneth must have looked no better than a debauched scoundrel.

“Why didn’t Father and Mother ever tell me about this document?”

Kenneth tried to reason through it. It was far too important to have been kept a secret unless… they had meant to cancel it and simply forgotten to destroy the evidence.

He took the papers and left the study in haste.

“Master.”

The coachman, who had just settled down to rest after completing his duties, sprang to his feet when Kenneth approached.

“Prepare the carriage.”

“Where shall I take you, sir?”

“To the capital. The estate.”

According to his original schedule, Kenneth had planned to rest a full day at the Willos estate before departing the next morning. But it had only been a few hours since he arrived, and already he was on the move again.

Still, the coachman nodded without complaint.

“I’ll have it ready right away, sir.”

***

Kenneth returned to the capital earlier than planned. As the duke’s carriage pulled into the estate, Carindia looked at her son with wide eyes.

“You’ve returned sooner than expected.”

“The matter wrapped up quickly. And… I wanted to ask you something.”

At his words, Carindia’s face lit up. It had been a long time since Kenneth had initiated a conversation with her.

Not wanting to let the moment slip away, Carindia reached out her hand to him.

“The weather is lovely. Shall we take a walk while we talk? Ask me anything—you’ll get your answer.”

Kenneth bent his arm and offered it to Carindia. The two walked through the duke’s manor garden arm in arm.

“I heard you had a visitor recently, Mother.”

“That’s right. I met someone I was very glad to see after a long time.”

“Was that someone Lady Cailon?”

“Yes. She used to be a little girl, but she’s grown into a young lady.”

“What did you talk about with the young lady?”

“She spoke about the duke. It seemed she wanted to confirm your condition. So I answered honestly. That’s alright, isn’t it?” Kenneth nodded to indicate yes.

“I had a visitor too. Viscount Norman Cailon came with a document he said was a family agreement. It contained a promise of marriage with Lady Rosalie Cailon.”

Carindia let out an exclamation as if a forgotten memory had returned.

“That’s right, that did happen. So the document still exists.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? If it was a political marriage, it would’ve been a very important matter.” A bitter smile touched Carindia’s lips.

“Do you really want to know? If it’ll give you a headache, you don’t have to.”

“Just hearing it will be fine.”

With a long sigh, Carindia began to speak.

“Our family was very close with the Viscount Cailon’s. The fathers were childhood friends. The duke and Riden were also close, like their fathers. So it was only natural that the duke would be promised to Rosalie, the viscount’s daughter. But we couldn’t keep that promise.”

“…”

“After the political marriage documents were signed and on the way back from Willos, there was an unfortunate carriage accident. Everyone passed away, and Rosalie was pitifully the only one to survive. Not long after the effects of that accident wore off, the duke had an accident too.”

Kenneth felt a sense of shared pain with Rosalie. Ten years ago, he lost himself, and she lost her family.

“Since the promise had already been made, we intended to bring the two together if Rosalie wished. But for some reason, Rosalie avoided us. So we had no choice but to consider it a canceled matter. It was for the child’s sake.”

“I see.”

“To think the document still exists… It seems we couldn’t bring ourselves to destroy it. I wish I had been informed too.”

Carindia’s eyes grew moist, as if recalling the face of someone dearly missed.

“What does the Duke want to do?”

“About what?”

“The promise. Since the document has been preserved, it’s as good as still valid. That paper now belongs to you, so you can do with it as you wish. Of course, the will of Lady Cailon takes precedence.”

Kenneth recalled the days when his mother subtly urged him toward an engagement with Celetina.

“Didn’t you wish for Lady Bellure to be the next Duchess?”

“Lady Bellure is certainly a fine young lady. But Kenneth, I believe your heart is what matters most. I only considered her because I thought she was the one you were showing interest in.”

Kenneth suddenly found himself wondering about the version of him that had lived during those lost fifteen years.

“What was I like, when I was with the Cailon family?”

As he waited for an answer, Kenneth’ eyes widened ever so slightly. His mother, who often wore formal, practiced smiles, now smiled more sincerely than he had ever seen.

“You were very happy.”

***

After finishing the walk, Kenneth returned to the study and looked down at the envelope left on the desk. His mother’s words echoed in his head: it’s yours now, do as you wish.

“Then what should I do with this document?”

Leaning back deeply into the chair, Kenneth alternated his gaze between the paper and the fireplace. A single piece of paper that could vanish without a trace if tossed into the flames, as if it had never existed.

There wasn’t even a need to go through the trouble of lighting a fire. He could tear it into shreds right here and now until it was no longer recognizable.

And yet—why was a mere piece of paper causing his thoughts to spiral endlessly?

A certain face suddenly came to mind, and Kenneth let out a quiet sigh.

As if having made up his mind, Kenneth opened a drawer and placed the envelope containing the document inside.