Chapter 35: A Good Man

Clive skillfully pieced together Eirene’s disjointed words. Though she maintained her composure as she continued speaking, she looked strained. Nevertheless, Clive waited patiently until Eirene finished talking. 

She had thought the temple merely took money from the Phineas family, but they were deeply involved. The Phineas family was just an intermediary; the temple was orchestrating everything. 

Perhaps before using the Phineas family, the temple had been accumulating wealth by exploiting other families.

“What’s happening with what I gave you last time?”

She was referring to the noble families listed in the personal records. She had copied several entries and passed them to Clive, who was having Ulik look into them.

“Not yet. Ulik deployed people as soon as he received the information, so we should hear something soon.”

“I’ve been thinking about the children selected by the temple.”

“Yes?”

“They probably weren’t chosen because they had divine power like me, right?”

“Wasn’t your divine power the reason Count Phineas brought you in to treat Aishe?”

“That’s right. But Siaran kept telling me to develop my divine power. Though Siaran being a dark mage doesn’t really fit with the temple that serves gods, and there’s nothing specific connecting them.”

Eirene paused mid-sentence and exhaled. She pushed back her fallen hair and shook her head.

“I question whether the temple truly serves gods. Perhaps dark mages and the temple aren’t so incompatible after all. Anyway, I keep feeling the temple is involved in my situation. That’s why I brought this too.”

Eirene pulled out a paper. Like other personal records, it listed age, name, a circle mark, and the noble family that purchased the child. The only difference was that the name was Eirene.

“Even if it’s just someone with the same name, I thought I should check. Please look into this child too. If I find more records with the same name, I’ll ask for your help with those as well.”

“You’re hoping there might be information about you?”

“That’s my hope.”

“Hmm. I have one suggestion, or rather, something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m asking carefully, so please don’t get angry.”

Clive reached out and took Eirene’s hand. Though her eyes questioned why he was holding her hand, she didn’t pull away.

“What do you think about leaving the Phineas household?”

Honestly, he had wanted to suggest this for a long time. He hadn’t brought it up partly because there were unresolved matters, but also because Eirene had her own goals to accomplish.

“Won’t I naturally leave when we marry?”

“I mean leave before the wedding ceremony. The task I asked of you is now complete, and the Count’s family knows we’re aware of everything, so they can’t stop you from leaving. Considering various circumstances, wouldn’t it be safer for you to leave as soon as possible?”

Eirene fell into thought. Clive had expected an immediate refusal, so it was fortunate that she was at least considering it. 

With just a few documents as evidence, there was no reason for her to remain alone at the Phineas mansion.

“You can still pursue your revenge after leaving. You can also search for your family. Using your position as Grand Duchess would be much more advantageous. But it’s dangerous for you to stay there alone.”

“Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, does my safety suddenly matter?”

Again, Eirene wore that face of incomprehension. This confirmed it: she hadn’t noticed Clive’s feelings at all. She was the type of woman who would ask “why” if he confessed his love with the same reasoning.

“You’re going to be my wife. Family can become a weakness, and Count Phineas might use you as leverage to demand something. Above all, if you, who helped me, are in danger, wouldn’t that make it difficult for me to work comfortably? If your soul were switched with Aishe’s, I’d be the most troubled person after you.”

Eirene seemed to understand his reasons for asking her to leave the Phineas mansion and nodded in agreement. Would she understand if he explained his feelings too? 

It wasn’t time for a confession yet. 

In truth, he had been showing his feelings quite clearly, but he decided to give her more time since she was completely oblivious. Time to realize on her own without asking “why.” 

He also didn’t want to add one more thing to Eirene’s already complicated thoughts.

‘Anyone who doesn’t know you would think you’re a romantic.’

Angela’s words came to mind. He wasn’t exactly a romantic, but he couldn’t completely deny it either. 

Clive squeezed the small hand fidgeting in his palm to warm it up. Eirene glanced at their hands but still didn’t pull away. The fact that she didn’t withdraw her hand was a significant development, and Clive was quite satisfied.

“Can I bring Gemma and Betty with me?”

It seemed she had decided to leave the Phineas mansion.

“Of course.”

“I also have a dog.”

“You’ve been keeping a dog?”

“Somehow… It has another owner, but I don’t want to send it back.”

“That’s fine.”

He would welcome even ten dogs.

“I’m planning to meet with Siaran occasionally.”

“He’s dangerous.”

“Whether it’s the temple or the Phineas family, there’s something to gain from Siaran. Give me a few days to organize things so I can leave the mansion.”

“I’ll handle the arrangements, not you.”

“Alright. That would be better. Is there anything specific I should do?”

He told her to keep a few original pages of the children’s personal records and ledgers, just in case.

“Yes, I’ll keep them separately. And…”

Eirene stopped mid-sentence.

“What else?”

“Someone who appears to be my cousin came to see me.”

“The one who demanded a ransom for you?”

“I’m not certain. He said his name is Rafael.”

“What did he say?”

“He just said he would contact me separately and left.”

“Looks like he made his move because Ulik is on the move.”

“I’ll let you know when he contacts me.”

“Make sure you do.”

“By the way…”

“Yes?”

“Never mind. Just make sure I can leave the Phineas household smoothly.”

Seeing the corners of her lips rise slightly, Clive’s lips curved up in the same way. His heart filled with anticipation at the thought of seeing her every day from now on.

* * *

Count and Countess Phineas arrived before Eirene. Since she had told Betty she was going to meet Clive, they didn’t look for her when she returned late at night. 

While traveling through the Phineas domain, she asked the coachman to drive slowly in case Rafael appeared, but she didn’t see him. She hoped he would contact her before she left the mansion, but she wasn’t too worried since Rafael would likely learn she was going to Dervel. 

Lying in bed with various thoughts running through her mind, she couldn’t fall asleep and went to see Zeus. The dog was lying down listlessly but began wagging her tail vigorously and jumping up and down when she saw Eirene.

“Are you a rabbit?”

Though she spoke gruffly to Zeus, she didn’t dislike her enthusiastic greeting. She dodged her tongue trying to lick her face everywhere but didn’t push her away either.

“Be patient a little longer. I’ll let you run around freely soon.”

When she roughly stroked her head, the fur stood up making her look angry. She stroked her again to smooth the fur down, then instinctively held out her hand.

“Paw.”

Zeus promptly placed her front paw on Eirene’s hand.

“Siaran must have taught you.”

“Other paw.”

When she changed the direction of her hand, Zeus also switched paws. A smile formed on her face automatically.

“You’re smart.”

Pleased, she rubbed Zeus’s cheeks with both hands. Seeing Zeus jump up and down with joy, Eirene burst out laughing. Despite being almost human-sized when standing on two legs, Zeus was cute and lovable. 

After spending quite some time with Zeus, she was about to leave when Kailro approached, waving his hand.

“So you really are keeping a dog. Since when?”

“It just happened. Where have you been? I couldn’t see you for days.”

“Here and there. There are many places to be.”

When Kailro extended his hand to stroke Zeus’s head, the dog reacted the same way she had with Eirene. She felt a little disappointed.

“Zeus, you like just anyone, don’t you?”

“How could it like just anyone? It recognizes good people. That fellow is quite handsome.”

Kailro crouched down and stroked Zeus’s side.

“Kailro. You knew, didn’t you? That I’m not their biological daughter.”

The hand stroking Zeus stopped.

“You always treated me like a friend.”

Kailro stood up and put his hands in his pockets. His faint smile looked sad. 

If anyone should be sad, it should be me, so why are you smiling like that?

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

“I’m not asking for an apology. I just thought it must have been hard for you too. It couldn’t have been easy pretending not to know when you knew everything. Even if you felt sorry toward me, it was the only way to help Aishe’s health, so you had no choice.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Eirene silently turned her gaze to Zeus. She sat down and repeatedly stroked from her head to her side, just like Kailro had done. She meant it. She understood Kailro who had been deceiving her all this time. 

She had no desire for apologies. He was the kindest and warmest person among the Phineas family. He had secretly informed her about conversations between the Count, Countess, and Siaran. 

He didn’t even know about the soul-switching plan with Aishe. Yet, she found it difficult to feel like forgiving him easily.

* * *

The next day, there was a fitting for the wedding dress. Eirene went to the shop with Gemma and Betty, stood on a circular platform, and followed Scarlet’s instructions like a doll.

“Could you raise your arms a little more?”

“Please twist your waist slightly to the side.”

“Please sit down. Is it uncomfortable?”

After moving around a few times, it was over. Though the dress was only partially finished, it was beautiful. It would be much prettier when completed. 

She had thought seeing the wedding attire would make everything feel real, but it still felt like someone else’s story.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s lovely.”

“If you have any specific requests, please let me know before it’s too late.”

She nodded lightly, and the staff gathered to help her take off the dress. She moved carefully because of the pins in the waist area, but…

“Ah!”

Eirene let out a small groan when a pin pricked her.

“I’m so sorry, miss! I was trying to be careful but made a mistake. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

She told the repeatedly apologizing staff member that it was fine, just a small prick. The pin was thin and didn’t hurt much. 

After changing out of the dress, Eirene came out to find Clive sitting there and frowned.

“Am I not welcome?”

“I’m just surprised. How did you know to come?”

Clive gestured toward Scarlet.

“I heard about the dress fitting and came to see how well it suited you, but the shop owner stopped me, saying I shouldn’t see the dress until the wedding day.”

“It turned out really pretty.”

“With you wearing it, how could it not? Even an ordinary dress would become beautiful on you. Not that Scarlet’s dresses are ordinary, so don’t misunderstand.”

Scarlet smiled knowingly and nodded. He was still pretending to be “in love.” Though she thought he could stop now, she didn’t want to show an awkward relationship to Aishe or the Count and Countess Phineas at the wedding. 

She needed to remain the woman Clive loved deeply.

“Shall we go for lunch?”

“It’s a bit early, so let’s walk for a while first.”

The two left the shop and walked aimlessly without a destination, in silence. With her arm linked through his, Eirene recalled the first day they walked together. The man who noticed her painful heel before she did. 

Though the words used to describe Clive, like rogue or fool, weren’t particularly flattering, in her direct experience, he was a good person. Looking at each aspect individually, he made a good groom. 

Handsome face, strong physique, his power and wealth, and a gentle personality contrary to his appearance. Though they came together out of mutual necessity, he actively helped with what she wanted to accomplish. 

He was also a warm person who worried about her wellbeing. Meeting him was a stroke of luck amid misfortune, but what about for him? 

Eirene hoped that meeting her wouldn’t be a misfortune for him.

“I’ll be good to you.”

Clive stopped walking at this unexpected statement.

“What?”

“I said I’ll be good to you.”

“Suddenly? Should I be moved?”

“Should I not be good to you then?”

“Why do you interpret it that way?”

“You’re really a good man.”

“Hmm. Well. Thanks.”

His curt response didn’t make her feel hurt or offended.

“I should be thankful. I’m not a good woman.”

“That’s true. You’re not a good woman.”

The conversation between them ceased again. Eirene didn’t find him uncomfortable. A good man and also an easy person to be with. Clive had become someone with whom silence wasn’t awkward. 

After walking for some time, she suddenly felt chills. Her physical condition deteriorated rapidly, and she urged him to go inside somewhere.