Riona flopped down on the sofa as soon as she entered her bedroom.

She still looked quite upset.

Kyla approached her slowly and sat carefully beside her, quietly observing her young student.

“I really hate brother!”

Still sulking, Riona vented her frustration about Silas.

“I know. His Grace went a bit too far today.”

“Right? You think so too, Teacher?”

“Yes. There was no need for him to get that angry.”

Kyla gently stroked Riona’s hair.

“Teacher…”

Riona looked at her with a worried expression before asking,

“Do you think I was being rude too?”

“Well… I—”

Kyla looked at her softly.

“This is what I thought. That you must have really missed me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And I thought… that you must have been very upset.”

Kyla’s eyes curved gently as she smiled.

“Hmph…”

A faint sheen of tears gathered in Riona’s eyes.

Kyla could sense her loneliness, and it made her chest ache.

At the same time, she was disappointed in herself for having forgotten about Riona.

Although she had told herself that she had been thinking about Riona, in truth her thoughts had been consumed by her own dreams and future.

Confronted with her own selfishness so plainly, Kyla felt quietly bitter.

“But earlier… what did you mean by a ‘happy day,’ Teacher?”

As if she had never been on the verge of tears, Riona quickly brightened with curiosity.

“Ah, that’s… His Grace is now engaged to Miss Penelope Rothermere.”

“Really? But… why?”

Riona tilted her head, her dark eyes wide.

“That’s because…”

Kyla hesitated. Because they were always meant to be engaged. The words felt strangely off.

“Because His Grace wished to marry Miss Rothermere.”

“But why?”

“Well…”

Kyla couldn’t answer.

There were countless reasons a man might decide to marry.

Silas must have had his own.

What was certain was that the two of them suited each other.

“Brother doesn’t like Miss Rothermere at all.”

“I’m sure he does… at least a little.”

Even if not deeply—surely enough to decide on marriage.

“Absolutely not. I can tell just by looking at his face and listening to how he speaks.”

Riona crossed her arms, pouting.

“You saw his expression earlier, didn’t you? If he were marrying because he was happy, shouldn’t he look much happier than that?”

Kyla had no answer.

Should she take comfort in the fact that he didn’t seem happy?

Or should she pity him?

No, she didn’t need to do either.

He had never been a man who had anything to do with her in the first place.

She had no right to judge the life he had chosen or his marriage.

“My lady, it’s his decision, isn’t it? If you love your brother, shouldn’t you respect it?”

Kyla spoke gently.

“I don’t know… but if you say so, Teacher, then I guess I should. Still, I don’t like Miss Rothermere. She doesn’t pay any attention to me at all.”

Kyla couldn’t help but laugh at Riona’s blunt honesty.

“Teacher, if brother gets married on top of being so busy already, will he still have time to play with me?”

“Well…”

Kyla hesitated, unable to answer immediately.

“It’s okay. I’ll just play with you instead. I’m really glad you’re here, Teacher.”

Although Riona was smiling, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Kyla gently took her small hand in hers.

If only the problem of the thousand sovereigns could be resolved…

Could she really abandon this child and the ducal house?

Perhaps the academy could wait.

She could take the exam the following year.

By then, time would have passed.

Riona would have grown up and her fragile childhood years, when she still needed her, would be over.

In the meantime, she could save more money.

‘What if I asked that wealthy duke to raise my wages?’

The thought made Kyla laugh as she imagined his bewildered expression.

Then suddenly, she realized, she was thinking of him again.

Her smile faded as she tried to push his face from her mind.

***

A servant entered the study, placed a teacup on the table, and left again quietly.

Jayden sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the steam rising from the teacup and gradually dispersing into the air.

Until last night, Kyla had been weighed down by disappointment.

Yet by morning, she had returned to her usual cheerful self, as if nothing had happened.

Throughout the long journey — first by train from Ashton, then by carriage — she chatted cheerfully the whole time.

And still, her expression froze in an instant the moment she heard about Silas and Penelope’s engagement.

It had never truly been in doubt.

It was the Duchess of Lester’s wish, and Silas had agreed.

Penelope’s feelings for Silas had always been obvious, so the engagement was only a matter of time.

Kyla knew that as well.

‘Then why did she look like that?’

Jayden felt a tightness in his chest.

Silas hadn’t looked particularly pleased but neither had he seemed displeased.

He had simply stared intently at Kyla. And then he had snapped at Riona.

‘Why did he act like that? Is there something between them that I don’t know about?’

“Why are you glaring at your teacup like that?”

At the sudden voice, Jayden flinched.

“…Silas.”

“What is it? You’re startled now? What were you thinking so deeply about that you didn’t even notice me coming in?”

Silas sat down across from him, an armchair between them.

“What about Miss Penelope? Weren’t you going to take a walk in the garden together?”

“She said the sunlight was too strong and that she needed a parasol. So we decided to leave it for another time.”

“I see.”

“Mm.”

A servant brought another cup of tea, and the two men drank in silence.

“How was the concert?”

“Ah, it was good. Kyla was deeply moved.”

“Really?”

Silas let out a quiet chuckle.

Jayden watched him carefully.

‘What is it, Silas? When we spoke of your fiancée just now, you didn’t even smile.’

“Kyla applauded so hard her palms turned red. Her eyes were sparkling.”

“I see.”

Silas answered briefly, but his expression revealed far more.

A faint smile lingered across his face—as if he were picturing Kyla in that moment.

‘No… that can’t be right. I must have imagined it.’

It had to be.

Otherwise, there was no way he would have proposed to Penelope.

Silas could have chosen not to.

He wasn’t the kind of man who feared ending an engagement.

And yet, there was only one way to explain the smile he wore now.

“When’s the wedding?”

“Around May next year.”

“Isn’t that a bit rushed?”

“We’re going to do it anyway. There’s no need to delay.”

Silas lifted his cup and took a sip.

One.

Two.

Three.

It was as though he had no intention of saying anything more about the marriage.

Nevertheless, Jayden couldn’t fathom his reasoning.

If it had always been inevitable, he should have proposed sooner.

That would have been more like him: decisive, rational, and unaffected by emotion.

Jayden had assumed that he simply wanted to enjoy his bachelor life a little longer.

But if that wasn’t the case, then perhaps Silas had been struggling with something.

Looking at him, Jayden made a decision.

He needed to take Kyla away from this place.

***

After finishing his conversation with Silas, Jayden decided to have a simple lunch with Kyla alone in the morning room.

Although he had intended it to be simple, the chef had clearly taken great care in preparing the meal for a guest of the Duke.

The table was filled with an array of dishes.

Kyla’s eyes widened as she looked at it.

It reminded her of the picnic when they had struggled to fit all the food onto the blanket.

A smile flickered across her face, then faded.

“What is it? Did something amuse you?”

Jayden asked.

“Oh, no. I just remembered the picnic I had with Lady Riona.”

“Lady Riona… You always call her that. You’re her teacher—do you really have to be so formal with your own student?”

Jayden’s expression darkened.

Kyla had expected this reaction, so she answered calmly.

“It’s just a form of address. And besides, our positions are clearly different.”

“Positions? You were the daughter of Count Snowdon. And now, you’re part of the Feilding family.”

“Part of the Feilding family… Do you really think so, brother? That I belong to the Feilding family?”

Kyla looked straight at him.

But no answer came.

‘You’re my sister. No matter what anyone says, you belong to the Feilding family.’

Even if he loved her as if she were his real sister, it would always remain as if—never truly so.

Her current situation, working as a piano teacher, made that painfully clear.

“At first, calling them ‘my lady’ or ‘madam’ felt a little awkward, but now it doesn’t bother me at all. It doesn’t change who I am.”

Kyla smiled.

“What does it matter now that I was once a count’s daughter? Holding on to the name of a ruined family won’t change anything.”

It was hard to face the sadness in Jayden’s expression, so she deliberately brightened her voice and picked up a scone.

“Brother, the food will get cold. Even in summer, I don’t like eating cold food.”

She broke apart the freshly baked, still-warm scone, spread a generous amount of clotted cream with a butter knife, and took a bite.

“It’s delicious.”

Kyla laughed lightly.

Jayden looked at her, as if to ask what was so amusing. Was a scone really that funny?

It didn’t matter whether he called Riona ‘my lady’ or the Duchess ‘madam’.

What was truly tearing her apart inside was something else entirely.

It was a secret she couldn’t even tell Jayden.

So she smiled.

The moment the clotted cream melted in her mouth, she had to put everything else out of her mind.

“Kyla, let’s prepare for the royal academy entrance exam. Write to Miss Clara Burke.”

“But, brother… the tuition—”

“Don’t worry about that. I can help with that much. I can ask Father if needed. You’re not hesitating because of money, are you?”

Kyla shook her head.

“Thank you, brother. Truly. It’s not that I feel burdened. But the academy… I think I’ll go a little later.”

“Later? Why?”

Jayden looked at her, clearly unable to understand.

“Lady Riona needs me right now. In two years, she’ll be twelve… so at least until then, I want to stay by her side.”

“Why should you? You’re not her family. There’s no reason for you to put your life on hold for that.”

Jayden’s voice rose.

“I know you’re worried about me, brother, and I’m always grateful. But if I can be of even a little help, I want to stay with someone who needs me.”

“Is that… really the reason?”

There was something uneasy in the way he looked at her.

“There isn’t… another reason?”

“Another… reason?”

At her hesitant reply, Jayden’s gaze wavered.