Chapter 7 (Part 1)

Earl Beaut visited three days later. Rasilia brought him to the secret meeting place where she used to meet Dein.  

“I’ll keep watch for you.”  

Rasilia had disguised Earl Beaut as a servant. This way, even if someone saw Cecilia, they wouldn’t suspect her of doing anything suspicious, allowing her to meet Earl Beaut without worry.  

“It’s good to see you again. Judging by the fact that you called me all the way here, it seems you’re in quite a difficult situation. Did your father find out that you’re not related by blood?”  

“I’ve known that for a long time. I also know my mother betrayed my father. I couldn’t leave the Bucklew family because I felt guilty. I wanted to atone for it.”

“Atonement? Why would you need to atone?”

“Mother hid the fact that she was pregnant with me when she married.”  

“What? Is that what that man told you? If I had known this would happen, I would have taken you away sooner.”  

Earl Beaut frowned deeply.  

“Why? Is there something I don’t know?”  

“You’ve been misinformed. That man knew your mother was pregnant. Even so, he wanted to marry her. That’s why I trusted him and allowed the marriage.”  

Earl Beaut’s body trembled slightly as he suddenly stopped speaking. Clenching his fists tightly, he continued.  

“If I had known things would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have allowed the marriage. In truth, I forced her into it. At the time, I thought no man would accept your mother since she was pregnant. But my decision brought about the worst possible outcome. I never imagined Viscount Bucklew would turn on her just because she didn’t return his affection after the marriage.”  

Regret filled Earl Beaut’s voice, and Cecilia felt as if she had been struck on the back of her head.  

“Are you alright?”  

Earl Beaut grabbed Cecilia as she staggered. He seemed worried that she might be overwhelmed by the shocking revelation.  

“I’m fine.”  

“Good. Then let’s get to the main point. I’ll tell you why I’ve been trying to find you. It’s related to your biological father.”  

“My biological father?”  

“Have you ever heard anything about him?”  

“No, not once.”  

Cecilia knew nothing about her biological father. Neither Viscount Bucklew nor anyone else had ever told her about him.  

“Well, it’s no wonder you don’t know. Even Viscount Bucklew doesn’t know who your father is.”  

Earl Beaut let out a deep sigh and continued in a calm voice.  

“Your father was actually an illegitimate child of the Countess Rozes’ family. That’s why I opposed the marriage. But recently, a great tragedy befell the Rozes family, and now they’ve all passed away. Have you heard about it?”  

Cecilia had indeed heard of the Rozes family tragedy. The family was wealthy but plagued by discord among the siblings.  

The illegitimate child of the Rozes family had spent years eliminating the other family members one by one to take control of the family and finally became the Count.  

But not long after, he was assassinated by someone who held a grudge against him, and the social circles buzzed about how he had paid for his sins.  

“Yes. Then… did my father suddenly pass away because he was killed by his half-sibling?”  

“That’s right. At first, everyone thought it was an accident, but it was later revealed to be murder. It was a tragic event.”  

Sadness filled Earl Beaut’s eyes.  

“There’s no one left to inherit the Rozes family now, except for you, Cecilia. That’s why I want to reveal your connection to the Rozes family and have you inherit it. I want to help you claim what is rightfully yours.”  

What?!  

Only then did Cecilia realize she carried the blood of the Rozes family. Even so, she found it hard to believe Earl Beaut’s words.  

Could I really inherit both the title of Count and the family’s wealth all of a sudden?  

What’s more, this opened up a path for her to escape Viscount Bucklew. The situation felt so surreal that Cecilia struggled to grasp it.  

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. So, are you willing to come with me?”  

Earl Beaut smiled gently at Cecilia, who was still in a daze.  

Seeing the unwavering certainty in his eyes, Cecilia finally began to accept the reality of the situation.  

Even though this was good news, Cecilia couldn’t help but feel bitter. She had lived her entire life unaware of her biological father’s existence, and now she was suddenly learning about his death.  

“Could I visit my father’s grave?”  

Cecilia suddenly wanted to see it with her own eyes. Even though she had never met him, there were so many things she wanted to say to him.  

The first thing she wanted to say was that she missed him.  

“Of course. He’s buried on the Rozes family estate alongside the rest of the family. Why don’t you visit and meet all the Rozes family members there?”  

“Yes. I’ll wrap up things here and then go.”  

“Take your time.”  

The thought of meeting traces of her biological father lifted some of the weight from Cecilia’s heart.  

At the same time, the realization that she was now completely free from Viscount Bucklew filled her with a faint sense of liberation. She no longer had to care about his opinions or feel guilty toward him.  

In fact, it wouldn’t be enough to repay him for everything she had endured under his control.  

Now that Cecilia had the power to escape Viscount Bucklew, she had no intention of staying passive. He would pay for deceiving her and trying to control her life.  

Until the time came to execute her plans, Cecilia decided to play along with whatever Viscount Bucklew wanted.  

* * *  

Ian was praying in the chapel. The solemn and sacred atmosphere always brought him peace whenever he came here.  

So, as usual, he should have been praying with a calm heart, but today he couldn’t. Something felt missing.  

What’s going on?  

In truth, it wasn’t just today. Yesterday and the day before, Ian had felt the same emptiness but couldn’t figure out why.  

He had tried to find the answer but failed. Perhaps deep down, he already knew the answer but was in denial.  

The reason was obvious. He hadn’t seen Cecilia.  

The longer he went without seeing her, the deeper the emptiness grew. But he refused to acknowledge it because he didn’t want to be tied down by her.  

However, instead of freeing himself, his longing for her only grew stronger. Ian finally had to admit to himself that Cecilia was becoming a part of his life.  

After accepting his feelings, Ian began to feel regret for the way he had treated her before. He had lashed out at her after succumbing to his own desires and taking her body.  

I was too harsh….  

He had asked for her help but then tried to cut her off coldly. She must have thought he was a strange man.

This won’t do. I need to meet her and apologize.  

Normally, Ian was calm and composed. But whenever he got involved with Cecilia, his emotions seemed to spiral out of control.  

“Could you deliver this note to Lady Bucklew?”  

“Yes.”  

Feeling the need to apologize immediately, Ian sent a note through a young acolyte. However, after a long time, the acolyte returned the note to Ian.  

“She’s not in her room.”  

“Did she go out somewhere?”  

Ian’s expression hardened as he took back the note. This had never happened before, and a sense of foreboding crossed his mind.  

“I don’t know. Her door was open, and nothing is inside. It seems she left the temple.”  

She left? No wonder…. So that’s why.  

No matter how many people were around, Ian could always spot Cecilia. Her golden hair reflected the light like waves of gold, and her clear green eyes sparkled even from a distance.  

It was impossible for her to go unnoticed. And yet, Ian had been avoiding her, pretending not to see her. Then he had the audacity to feel empty without her.  

What’s going on?  

Ian couldn’t believe the young acolyte’s words that Cecilia had left the temple. But he couldn’t exactly go to her quarters and check for himself either.  

Could something urgent have happened? 

He worried as he went to the priest in charge of the acolytes the next morning to ask what had happened.  

“Oh, Lady Bucklew has returned to her home.”  

“Ah… I see.”  

Ian replied in a calm voice, but his eyes betrayed him. His deep blue eyes were filled with confusion.  

He didn’t know how to describe this feeling.