Chapter 5

The infamous illegitimate child of the renowned Count Olden family—he never imagined he would meet her under such circumstances.  

Rumors about her had already spread widely among the aristocracy.  

“Apparently, the daughter of the Olden family is quite beautiful.”  

“What does it matter? In the end, she’s still an illegitimate child with lowly blood, whose mother is unknown.”  

“I can’t believe the Countess Olden would take in an illegitimate child!”  

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Countess Olden is as cunning and shrewd as they come. She doesn’t even bother hiding her ambition to use the illegitimate daughter to elevate the family’s status.”  

“What is this, an auction? Is she planning to hold a public competition for her daughter?”  

“Even then, there’s a limit, isn’t there? If she becomes the sixth or seventh wife of some old patriarch from a prestigious family, that’s already a success. Expecting more would just be greedy.”  

“Oh dear, I almost feel sorry for the illegitimate young lady.”  

“Feel sorry? Look at her. Even after Count Olden passed away, she’s still enduring all kinds of hardships in a family with no support. Why else would she cling so tightly to that venomous Countess Olden?”  

“That illegitimate young lady is something else. Does she want to climb the social ladder so badly that she’s willing to put herself on a bargain shelf and haggle over her own worth?”  

The illegitimate child of the Count Olden family was a frequent topic of conversation among noblewomen who loved to gather and gossip.  

The rumors spread by these women eventually reached even the servants of noble households, becoming common knowledge. Eric, too, had overheard such whispers from the servants of Duke Herrington’s household.  

For a brief moment, he felt pity for the young lady, whose identity was being torn apart by strangers.  

But that was all.  

Eric quickly forgot the rumors about the illegitimate young lady. After all, she had nothing to do with him.  

And yet…  

‘What a mess I’ve gotten myself into.’  

If those innocent eyes that had looked up at him, and her seemingly shy yet honest desires, were all part of a calculated plan…  

If she had already known his identity when she approached him at the ball, deliberately seeking him out…  

‘I don’t care.’  

In the end, Eric uttered just one sentence to her:  

No matter what your intentions were in approaching me, I don’t care.  

I have no intention of playing along with your schemes.  

Eric had fled the scene, trying to erase the memory of their one night together.  

Coincidentally, a border dispute escalated, and the chaos of the battlefield allowed him to completely forget about the illegitimate young lady. He never even considered the possibility that she might bear his child from that single night.  

‘A child?’  

As he recalled her, the memory of that night, which he thought he had forgotten, returned vividly.  

His heart tingled, a feeling he couldn’t quite define.  

And it made Eric deeply uncomfortable.  

“Take me to the drawing room.”  

Despite his irritation, Eric couldn’t help but admire the illegitimate young lady’s determination.  

She had wanted to climb the social ladder so badly—and now, she had succeeded.  

Now that she had brought a child into the picture, making her the Duchess would not be difficult.  

He needed an heir, and Eric had yet to meet someone he truly desired to build a family with. If he thought of it as a mutually beneficial transaction, there was no reason not to proceed.  

‘And yet… I was certain she wanted the position of Duchess. What is she thinking?’  

At first, he was incredulous. Then his pride was wounded. And finally, he became intrigued.  

He began to wonder if there was another unexpected scheme hidden behind her actions.  

That night.  

He had thought their encounter was a chance meeting, perhaps even fate. But now, he was curious if it had all been part of a calculated betrayal.  

Of course, this curiosity was far from friendly—it was closer to the capricious mischief of a child.  

***

“Do you think so little of me? You underestimate the senses of a Sword Master.”  

Eric’s sarcastic tone made Euphrasia’s heart sink.  

In truth, Euphrasia had already regained her composure.  

‘This is bad. How did he notice?’  

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel Eric’s sharp gaze. Finally, she opened her eyes and sat up in bed, grabbing the dagger beside her.  

“Surely you were informed? Anyone who enters this place must be prepared to risk their life.”  

“What a threatening statement.”  

His tone suggested he found her words anything but threatening.  

“Are you planning to stab me with that toy knife?”  

“Do you think I can’t?”  

From the moment she was forced to stay in the ducal household, every moment had been like walking on thin ice.  

When Eric denied the existence of their child in the drawing room, she had tried to flee, but it was too late. She was quickly caught by the Duke’s servants and confined to a luxurious room.  

Since that day, every night, she had relived the horrors of her past life in her dreams—losing her child and being poisoned.  

The terrifying part was that these dreams were likely to become reality.  

As long as she remained in the Duke’s household, it was entirely possible that history would repeat itself.  

‘At any moment, I could lose my child and my life.’  

It was only after being confined that Euphrasia realized her mistake.  

The Duke’s obsession with the child was far stronger than she had anticipated.  

‘Bringing Louis here without thinking was my first mistake.’  

But regret, no matter how quick, was already too late. She couldn’t waste time wallowing in self-pity.  

After considering every possible scenario, she finally came up with one plan.  

‘I must find someone outside the ducal household. If I can get a message to my brother…’  

She planned to feign illness to summon a doctor. With a little money, asking the doctor to deliver a simple message wouldn’t be too difficult.  

Her half-brother, Isaac, had been the only member of the Count Olden family who had shown her consistent kindness, both when the Count was alive and after his death.  

He was naturally gentle and kind to everyone—a truly good person.  

At one point, she had even wished Isaac were her real brother.  

But Isaac had joined the Imperial Knights, and as time passed without seeing each other, that wish had naturally faded.  

The unavoidable awkwardness of time apart had settled in.  

But now, he was her only hope. Euphrasia was certain that Isaac wouldn’t abandon her if he knew her situation.  

‘Come to think of it, I attended the Founding Ball because of my brother.’  

The ball was a celebration she would never have attended as someone who had lived quietly in the shadows of the Count Olden family. But Isaac had sent her an invitation.  

「To my beloved sister.  

Now that I think about it, it seems like it has been a very long time since I last saw your face after joining the Knight Order. Would you attend the Founding Festival Ball as my partner? I miss you.」  

With excitement at the thought of finally seeing her brother after such a long time, she attended the Founding Festival Ball. However, she didn’t even catch a glimpse of Isaac.  

「I’m sorry. An urgent matter came up, and I don’t think I’ll be able to attend.」  

The only thing she received was a single letter handed to her by one of the hall’s servants.  

Left unexpectedly and utterly alone at that moment, the person who appeared like magic and extended his hand to her… was none other than Duke Eric Herrington.  

“Again, it’s starting again. A bad habit, a bad habit!”  

Euphrasia shook her head deliberately to shake off her thoughts and muttered as if making a resolution.  

From time to time—no, to be honest, quite often—she found herself recalling her first encounter with Eric. The more she resolved not to, the more vividly and intricately her memories of their first meeting came back, as if mocking her determination.  

His gaze, his breath, and even… the warmth and tenderness of his gestures that night.  

Forcing herself to stop the memories that were about to naturally unfold, Euphrasia gripped the small knife in her hand tightly.  

“A bad habit?”  

Eric, who somehow managed to catch her small muttering, tilted his head and looked at her. His completely relaxed demeanor left Euphrasia feeling utterly drained of strength.  

Her plan to escape through Isaac had completely fallen apart. And, in the first place, there was no way she could harm him with a mere small knife.  

“……Please leave. As you said, I will stay quietly until the child is proven to be of Herrington blood. In the meantime, you also cannot freely enter this space.”  

It was a step back to take two steps forward. She needed to buy time until another plan came to mind.  

“And since you have denied that Louis is your bloodline, I cannot allow you to take the child away as you please.”  

Even at this moment, she was on the verge of losing her mind, as her gaze kept being drawn to the cradle behind Eric.  

Noticing her restless glances toward the cradle behind him, Eric’s expression subtly hardened. While conversing with him, her blatant distraction toward something else twisted his mood.  

Although her demands were entirely reasonable, Eric had no reason to comply with them willingly.