From the moment Eirene appeared, all eyes turned to her—Clive, the Count and Countess, and the servants attending them. 

Everyone except Clive had tension in their eyes. Eirene felt the same way. She thought dying and coming back would make her fearless, but the unfamiliar situation made her feel unnatural. 

How much better it would have been if God had sent her back to her early childhood instead. She couldn’t help resenting the deity for returning her to such an awkward time. Clive’s gaze was the most burdensome. 

His lips were slightly curved in a smile, and he never took his eyes off her. Of course, he had always liked Aishe. He had repeatedly confessed in his letters. Claiming it was difficult to write replies, Aishe had asked Eirene to write letters for her. Aishe wrote only a few, while most were Eirene’s work. 

For Eirene, who had nothing to do in the basement except read books, writing letters was one of her few pleasures. Though she hadn’t written for nearly a year, they had corresponded for almost three years. Reading Clive’s letters and writing responses, she had briefly felt what it was like to be in a romance with him. 

At the time, she felt guilty toward Aishe and tried hard never to harbor such feelings again, which eventually faded. When she and Aishe were on good terms, Aishe would lie on her stomach on Eirene’s bed, reading Clive’s letters and calling him “stupid Clive.” 

Eirene didn’t know why. It was clear that Aishe liked him very much, but when asked why she called him stupid, she wouldn’t say. Anyway, that stupid Clive’s blatant gaze now caressed Eirene’s face. 

The feeling of his eyes touching every strand of her fine hair made it hard to breathe. To make matters worse, he sat right next to her, maximizing her discomfort.

“I heard you’ve been suffering from a cold for two months. You must have been very ill. You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“I’m better now.”

She turned her head toward Clive, smiled, and gave him a reassuring look.

“Still, I’m very happy to see my fiancée’s face like this.”

“Yes. Me too.”

Now Eirene could feel the Countess’s sharp gaze. She had told her not to converse with him, but here they were, talking right after arriving, which seemed to irritate the Countess.

“Fred, please prepare the food quickly.”

After urging the butler Fred to serve the meal, the Countess addressed Clive.

“We’ve prepared everything with the utmost sincerity and formality, but I’m not sure if you’ll be satisfied. I imagine there will be differences from the cuisine at the Imperial Palace or your residence. Please be understanding.”

“I don’t like formality even in food. Don’t worry.”

Though his words seemed meant to ease their burden, Clive’s expression was peculiar. An expression where one couldn’t tell if it held good or ill intent. He was puzzling, with his tone and expression not matching, just like Clive himself.

The food was exquisite. The moment Eirene took a bite of the final dessert, her mood lifted. She had long forgotten the joy that sweetness brings. Even in her younger years, she had often eaten quality food. She could have desserts that made her happy with every meal. 

Though things changed over time, she had once received loving care, but it was all for Aishe’s sake. Eirene needed to be healthy so Aishe could live. Even after the treatment ended, she couldn’t figure out why they had kept her alive. 

She had thought they simply erased Eirene’s existence from their lives, but looking at the current situation, that didn’t seem to be the entire reason. There must be some connection, big or small. 

Tap, tap.

Clive knocked on the table, calling to his fiancée who had been lost in thought. Startled, Eirene dropped her fork, and Betty quickly approached to place a new one.

“How about a walk together after dinner? I’d like to be alone with you after so long.”

Unable to answer immediately, Eirene looked at the Countess. Seeing her slightly shake her head in a way that wouldn’t be noticed, Eirene replied to Clive with a flustered tone.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

It was quite enjoyable to see the Countess’s murderous glare.

The walk was canceled. The Countess intervened, saying Eirene’s cold hadn’t completely gone away and she needed to be careful of the night air. Clive apologized for not thinking deeply enough and asked, “Then, would indoors be alright?” 

He said he would like to spend time having tea with Eirene in the tea room. The Countess couldn’t refuse that too, so she eventually agreed. Instead, she called Eirene aside and earnestly cautioned her to be careful. 

Honestly, Eirene didn’t want to be alone with Clive. She had almost no information about the relationship between Aishe and Clive. If it were during the period when they were actively exchanging letters, it might have been better, but there had been no communication with him for a year. 

Moreover, he made her uncomfortable with his tension-inducing presence. She thought about making another excuse to avoid him, but it was too late. 

Curious about Aishe’s reaction, she carefully entered the tea room where Clive was waiting and sat in the chair opposite him.

“Didn’t you miss me during these two months?”

“Yes, what?”

Eirene was surprised by his familiar tone, which had changed from earlier.

“We’re not exchanging letters and checking on each other like before. I missed you a lot after not seeing you for two whole months.”

She had overlooked that they were lovers. They would have behaved like normal couples, but not knowing how close they were, Eirene was at a loss. 

However, if Clive couldn’t recognize his own lover, they likely maintained some distance. Besides, he was royalty. A man educated as royalty would maintain certain boundaries even with a beloved woman by his side. 

Eirene decided to just go along with it, smiling and nodding lightly.

“I missed you too.”

Clive smiled back at Eirene. His gaze was so burdensome that she took a sip of tea, but he still wouldn’t take his eyes off her. Under his persistent stare, she rolled her eyes around, and whenever their eyes met, they exchanged smiles. 

After a few such exchanges, Clive put down his teacup, stood up, and sat next to her. He smiled naturally at Eirene, who was making a surprised expression.

“I want to see you up close.”

His hand reached out and touched Eirene’s wrist. She flinched but tried not to show it, wanting to pass it off naturally. His hand slowly moved up Eirene’s arm. The strange stimulation gave her goosebumps, and she held her breath. Surely he wouldn’t touch her neck. 

As she hoped, Clive’s hand skipped her neck and settled on the back of the sofa. Sitting turned toward Eirene, Clive’s eyes were bright. Was he acting this way because he knew something? Or was he just good with women? 

She couldn’t tell which it was at all. She had intended to shake him up, but now she was the one likely to be shaken. Of course, it wasn’t because Eirene had feelings for him. 

Looking at his overwhelming physique and dangerous gaze, she felt she might collapse before even trying anything. But she couldn’t just waste time analyzing without taking action, so Eirene decided to make a bold move. After all, Clive couldn’t recognize his own fiancée. 

She put down her teacup and turned toward him. Though she had steeled herself, she was genuinely trembling. It’s okay. She had learned all sorts of romance from books, so this was her chance to put that knowledge to use. 

She leaned against the sofa back, raised her hand to touch the back of his hand, and immediately withdrew it. It was just a brief touch. Seeing a slight wrinkle form between his brows and then quickly smooth out, she turned to face forward again. 

She couldn’t go any further than this. Indeed, there was a big difference between books and reality. She thought her heart would burst. Her cheeks trembled so noticeably from her forced smile that she quickly drank her tea.

“Did you really stay put for two months because of a cold?”

“…Yes.”

“I see. You wouldn’t lie to me.”

Eirene nodded briefly to show agreement, and Clive nodded once too.

“But where’s your engagement ring?”

“I took it off while washing and forgot about it.”

She didn’t panic because she had heard about Aishe’s ring before. She made a mental note to receive it before bedtime and wear it from tomorrow to avoid suspicion. 

Clive’s gaze remained fixed on Eirene. How does she describe it? It felt like being an apple peeled with a sharp knife, the skin coming off in thin layers. A disturbing gaze within a gentle expression. He seemed to know something, yet also not.

“I’m glad to see your eyes directly.”

“I am too.”

“Your eyes are so clear.”

His large hand approached, about to touch Eirene’s cheek, but then withdrew.

“It’s not right to keep someone who hasn’t fully recovered up late. Let’s rest early.”

Clive stood up first and went outside, where the Countess, who had been pacing, greeted him. She pretended to be giving instructions to the servants, but it was clear she was checking what had happened in the tea room Clive had just left. It was obvious surveillance. 

Though he had anticipated this when accepting the Phineas family’s invitation, he hadn’t expected it to be so blatant. They must have prepared for this. They hadn’t been this way since his arrival. 

The atmosphere had changed at some point, and their vigilance had increased. It was from the moment his fiancée appeared. Everything was unnatural. The Count and Countess, the servants, even his fiancée. 

Then again, covering her face every time they dated under the pretext of shyness was unnatural too. He had been watching, wondering when she would show her face, and it turned out to be today. That was the unexpected part. 

It seemed it would take more time than expected to unravel this secretive family. 

Clive went up the stairs to his room, leaving the awkwardly standing Countess behind.

Meanwhile, Eirene took a proper breath after Clive left, releasing the tension that had been suffocating her. She had heard he would depart for the palace the day after tomorrow morning. 

If she continued to act this clumsily, she would surely be discovered. She even considered telling Clive directly that she was Eirene, not Aishe. But that was a dangerous approach. 

Regardless, to outsiders, Eirene was a member of the Phineas family, and it was questionable whether anyone would believe her if she claimed to be a victim who had been exploited. The cold face of Clive, who had come to take her away in the past like the god of death, didn’t inspire trust. 

It was hard to trust someone who seemed to hide poison within his gentle tone. The Countess had said it was a matter of life and death for their family, but who knows? They might just pay a fine and get away with it, making her revenge futile. 

No matter how she thought about it, now was not the time to reveal her identity directly. Eirene left the tea room where she had been with Clive and went to the guest room on the second floor. The Countess and Aishe, who had been waiting, jumped up and approached her.

“What did you talk about?”

Aishe’s face was anxious.

“Nothing much. By the way, does the Grand Duke speak casually when he’s with you?”

“Sometimes yes, sometimes no. He’s an unpredictable person… Wait, what else? Even if you say nothing much, tell me everything.”

“Just that he missed me, that I must have suffered a lot from a cold for two months. Oh, and he asked why I wasn’t wearing the engagement ring. I made up an excuse that I took it off while washing and forgot about it.”

Aishe turned to her mother, the Countess.

“Do I have to give her my engagement ring too?”

When the Countess closed her eyes and reopened them with an expression that said “of course,” Aishe looked at her ring with eyes about to cry, then took it off and gave it to Eirene. 

The ring was a bit loose when she put it on, but not enough to fall off. Looking at the ring that had changed owners, Eirene asked Aishe:

“Why does Grand Duke Clive think I’m you? You’ve met him in person many times.”

“Th-that…”

As Aishe stammered, the Countess stepped forward.

“Aishe is very shy and covered her face with a veil every time she met the Grand Duke. But unfortunately, when we sent a portrait, we made the mistake of sending your portrait instead of Aishe’s.”

“You could have just said it was a mistake.”

It was an incomprehensible story. Mistakes could be corrected.

“We intended to. But the Grand Duke… he was very taken with you. We kept postponing telling the truth, saying we would explain everything, and things have come to this point.”

It was practically fraud. They had deceived a member of the royal family, no less. The Count and Countess, who should have known full well what would happen if things went wrong, wouldn’t make such a mistake. There was something else they weren’t saying.

“It’s only a matter of time before His Grace notices. Your father and I are on our way to discuss countermeasures. We must admit our wrongdoing.”

“Mother!”

Aishe jumped up from her chair.

“What are you trying to do? If the Emperor finds out… then we… we’re finished!”

“My dear. If punishment is to be given, we must accept it. Our family has contributed much to the Imperial family, so they won’t punish us too severely.”

The Countess cupped Aishe’s face with both hands, treating her truly like a young baby with the word “dear.”

“That’s not it! What if the engagement is canceled?”

The Countess gently stroked the top of Aishe’s head. Clear tears flowed from Aishe’s eyes, which were as blue as the sky Eirene had seen today.

“Surely not. The Grand Duke won’t abandon you.”

Eirene liked the expression “abandon.” She was curious how Aishe, who had the whole world at her feet, would handle the despair of abandonment. The Countess took the crying Aishe away, then returned to inform Eirene that they had decided to deceive Clive for a while longer.

On the morning of Clive’s departure, the past two days had been a continuous strain for Eirene. Though she didn’t have much occasion to talk with Clive, enduring his pursuing gaze was difficult. 

He left a message saying he would contact them again soon and boarded his carriage. After seeing him off until the carriage disappeared, Eirene had to return to the basement room. She followed silently, planning to stay there obediently for a while.

The carriage returning to the Imperial Palace stopped midway. Not long after departing, they were still within the Phineas family’s domain. 

Clive got out of the carriage, looked at the roof of the Phineas mansion visible in the distance, and took out a cigar.

“They think I’m a fool.”

“Excuse me? A fool?”

Ulik, who questioned Clive’s sudden remark, immediately muttered to himself.

“It’s not entirely wrong to say Your Grace is a fool, but…”

He quickly closed his mouth, realizing what he had just said.

“I think your mouth will be sewn shut soon.”

“I apologize. I’ll be careful. By ‘they,’ do you mean the Phineas family? Why?”

Ulik lightly hit his mouth with his hand and raised his heels to see what Clive was looking at.

“Aishe is strange. I wonder if she really was in the mansion for two months with a cold.”

“The young lady did look ill. And she had lost a lot of weight.”

“No.”

Clive shook his head and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

“If not… I don’t understand what you mean.”

Ulik kept asking what he meant, but Clive just stared at one spot without speaking. After finishing his cigar, he said before boarding the carriage:

“She and the Count and Countess are lying to me.”

“Lying? What do you mean?”

“She wasn’t sick for two months… I think she met someone else… another man.”

“No way. That’s impossible. The young lady wouldn’t… Surely not. How could such a quiet and shy young lady…”

As Ulik mumbled in a daze, Clive closed the carriage door and ordered the coachman to depart. He rested his chin on his hand, watching the Phineas mansion recede into the distance. The engagement was made to find out how the Phineas family, who had sworn loyalty to the Imperial family, had amassed and was managing such vast wealth. 

The immeasurable fortune of a single family was threatening to the Imperial family, so Clive had personally stepped in. Despite the Phineas family’s oath and continuous tributes, which had allowed them to turn a blind eye until now, from what he had discovered, it seemed their loyalty was not pledged solely to the Imperial family. 

Hiding his true purpose, he had treated Aishe well and made insincere confessions, resulting in their engagement. He had been wondering how to continue dealing with the boring young lady when there was still a long way to go, but during his stay at the mansion, he had discovered something interesting. 

Things were about to get quite enjoyable.