Chapter 4.9

Adelina’s room wasn’t far from hers. The room itself was easy to find, but she inadvertently had to hide herself once again.  

There was already another visitor at Adelina’s door.  

“There’s no need to see me off. Please go inside and rest.”

“I’m only at the door. I just wanted to see you off. Besides, thanks to your concern, I feel much better now.”

Adelina smiled sweetly, her delicate face looking as lovely as ever.  

“Young Lady, why are you hiding?”  

Anne, who had followed Elena and was now hiding behind the wall with her, whispered softly.  

Indeed, why was I hiding? I hadn’t done anything wrong.  

The visitor who had arrived before her was none other than the Grand Duke.  

It seemed he, too, had come to check on Adelina out of concern. Judging by the fact that he was now leaving, it appeared to be the right moment to retreat.  

“Ah.”  

At that moment, with a faint sound, Adelina’s body fell forward. She didn’t need to see the next scene to know what would happen—it was a sight she had witnessed countless times before.  

The Grand Duke’s strong arms wrapped around Adelina’s shoulders.  

“I told you to just lie down and rest if you’re not feeling well.”  

There was an unfamiliar tone of concern in the Grand Duke’s voice. Seeing this tender side of him, she found herself even more reluctant to step forward.  

“Sigh, there she goes again. Couldn’t this be another one of her tricks?”  

Anne muttered, convinced that anyone could tell it was deliberate. Even though Anne was speaking right next to her, the words barely registered.  

Instead, the Grand Duke’s voice, coming from a distance, seemed to resonate more deeply within her.  

“I feel like I’ve disturbed your rest by coming here. You’ve worked hard today. Now, truly, get some rest.”  

“Please don’t say that. I’m truly grateful that you came.”  

As the Grand Duke’s eyes softened while looking at Adelina, she turned away.  

For a brief moment, the two of them looked like lovers.  

Late at night, standing at her door, they worried about each other, cared for one another, and reluctantly said their goodbyes… like lovers.  

“What? Are you just going to leave?”  

Anne hesitated, trying to stop her, but Elena couldn’t bring herself to turn around.  

“I think it’s better for Lady Adelina to rest now.”  

She left, pretending it was for Adelina’s sake.  

For the first time, she faced the selfish contradiction that had taken root within her.  

She liked the Grand Duke’s gentle and warm side, despite his cold exterior.  

But she hated the idea of anyone else knowing about that warmth.  

She wished that kindness was directed only at her.  

Ah, how selfish and wicked my thoughts were.  

Her face burned as if someone had exposed the ugly truth hidden inside her.  

‘Who was I even worried about?’  

Had I truly been concerned for Adelina? If so, why did I feel so upset now? 

An inexplicable sense of disappointment overwhelmed her.  

Was it disappointment in myself or in shattered expectations?

Even she couldn’t definitively say.  

“Right, don’t think about anything and get some rest. You must be very tired today as well, Young Lady.”  

Unable to find the words to untangle her chaotic emotions, she simply nodded at Anne’s kind remark.  

***

“Did it go well? You were kind and gentle, right?”  

As soon as Helio opened the door and entered, Dean, who was lounging as if it were his own room, bombarded him with questions.  

“I did well, so stop nagging.”  

Helio answered curtly, roughly loosening the cravat around his neck as if it was suffocating him.  

The true purpose of this trip was to uncover the corruption of the Lord of Anes, under the Emperor’s orders. However, the official reason was to provide a retreat for the candidate ladies.  

In order to deceive the Lord, it was necessary to appear closer to the young ladies.  

‘That’s why you need to show a little kindness, like worrying about a fainting candidate.’

Dean had emphasized, which was why Helio had just returned from visiting Adelina.  

Thanks to Adelina fainting at just the right moment, things had gone more smoothly, and Helio had no complaints about following through.  

“I didn’t want to realize these feelings so soon.”  

“What feelings?”  

“The feeling of sending a child on their first errand. I thought I’d only feel this way when I had my own child…”  

Dean, trying to lighten the mood for the exhausted Helio, joked around, but all he received in return was a cold glare.  

His superior never accepted jokes. That’s why everyone found him so difficult and distant, even towards Dean himself.  

Dean pouted.  

“How was Lady Adelina?”  

“She really didn’t seem well this time. It looks like not everything was an act.”  

Though she still deliberately sought his attention. Helio muttered the last part in a dissatisfied tone, then asked as if he couldn’t understand,  

“Why does that woman keep doing this?”  

“She probably wants to trigger your protective instincts.”  

“Ha, protective instincts? If she was trying to test my patience, I’d say she succeeded.”  

Dean stifled a laugh, his shoulders shaking at Helio’s genuine expression.  

“Poor Lady Adelina.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“Most men would feel the urge to protect her when they see her like that. It just doesn’t work on you, Your Grace.”  

“I don’t understand. It’s so obvious she’s doing it on purpose.”  

“Most people wouldn’t notice. And even if they did, men usually let it slide. After all, when a beautiful woman seeks their attention, there’s no reason to refuse.”  

Dean shrugged as he spoke, but Helio still couldn’t comprehend it.  

“Everyone does that?”  

“It’s just a generalization. A general tendency.”  

After hesitating for a moment, Dean mumbled on,  

“As for me, I value personality more than appearance. But if I had to choose, I’d say I prefer a classy, cat-like face rather than a pure, innocent look…”  

“I didn’t ask about your preferences.”  

“Well, yeah. I figured you wouldn’t be interested.”  

As expected, Helio’s response was indifferent, making Dean scratch his head awkwardly. While Dean rambled on, Helio found himself lost in thought, a particular face coming to mind.  

If a cat-like face meant someone like Diana…  

Then that woman… Without a doubt, she was more of a puppy.  

With her round, sparkling eyes that always shone brightly, and the way she followed him no matter how much he pushed her away, she was undeniably like a puppy.  

No, perhaps a rabbit suited her better?  

The way she always appeared unexpectedly, hopping around from place to place, resembled a rabbit more than a dog. Small, white, and, in some ways, cute…  

As the image of a hopping rabbit overlapped with Elena’s face, a chuckle escaped Helio’s lips.  

‘Did I really see that earlier, or was it just my imagination?’  

It happened as Helio was about to leave after visiting Adelina. He sensed someone’s presence beyond the corner of the hallway.  

‘Someone from the Lord’s side might be watching. You must act much, much kinder than usual—several times kinder! Do you understand?’  

Recalling Dean’s repeated advice, Helio forced the corners of his lips upward.  

If Dean had been there to witness it, he would have surely acknowledged Helio’s effort.  

Still, to think there really was someone spying on him. Perhaps the Lord was more meticulous than he had thought.  

‘How long does he plan to keep watching?’  

Helio subtly glanced toward the source of the presence. A small glimpse of a skirt’s hem peeking out caught his eye.  

His lips curved into a soft arc.  

‘It’s her.’  

Though she had denied it, it was clear that sneaking around and spying was one of her hobbies.  

Helio quickly wrapped up his conversation with Adelina. This time, he was curious to hear what excuse she would come up with.  

But when he turned back, suppressing his laughter, there was no one there.  

Reflecting on the situation, Helio furrowed his brows.  

‘Did I see it wrong?’  

Why had I assumed Elena would be there? There was always the possibility it could have been someone else.  

In truth, this wasn’t the first time. At the port, on the ship—his eyes had constantly searched for Elena.  

If she wasn’t in sight, he couldn’t seem to feel at ease.  

‘How did this…?’  

How did it come to this?  

Once he realized it, it felt as though he had become a well-trained hunting dog. He didn’t like it.  

‘Yes, it’s because when she’s out of sight, there’s no telling what trouble she might cause. That’s all it is.’  

Helio nodded to himself as if convincing himself of the thought.  

Meanwhile, Dean, noticing Helio’s sudden serious demeanor, gave him a puzzled look.  

As far as Dean knew, Helio wasn’t someone who experienced emotional highs and lows. But now, Helio was undoubtedly acting strange.  

On their way back, he had seemed irritated, but then suddenly burst into laughter as if something was amusing him.  

And just moments later, he was wearing a grave expression, lost in thought.  

Though Helio was always a hard person to read, Dean had taken pride in understanding him better than anyone else. Lately, however, he felt more and more clueless.  

Sensing Dean’s gaze, Helio looked up and, with a stern expression, pointed out,  

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to check outside?”  

“Yes, yes. I was just about to.”  

‘Even when I worry about him, he never considers my thoughts.’  

“I’ll only say this once.”  

“Yes, yes. I understand.”  

Dean tried to resist in a small act of defiance, but it was futile, as expected.  

“Well then, rest well.”  

Under Helio’s sharp, piercing gaze, Dean quickly exited the room.