“You’ve become someone who can’t escape from the ducal family, like me.”

“That’s not true.”

I retorted in a somewhat sharp voice.

“Just because I’m taking care of Elodie now doesn’t mean I’ll be in the ducal family for life…”

“Lady Aria.”

Count Jacob’s face was utterly expressionless. Wait, was that emotion that briefly flashed in his eyes… pity?

“You were very angry when Eric treated you like a nanny. But in fact, being a guardian is much worse than being a nanny.”

“I didn’t know you thought that way, Count.”

A stiff voice flowed out involuntarily.

“If I had known you thought so little of me, I wouldn’t have even bothered talking to you.”

“Not at all.”

Count Jacob snorted.

“You’re greatly misunderstanding.”

He spread out his right hand and began to fold one finger at a time.

“Aria Bertin, twenty-four, owner of a successful café for a rural town… These are facts I learned as soon as I first investigated you. Do you know what I thought then?”

“What?”

“Ah, it’s fortunate that His Grace found the young lady quickly. He saved this upright young woman from misfortune.”

“Elodie was my good fortune.”

I quickly countered.

“I’ve become much happier since meeting Elodie. In fact, I was happiest before His Grace appeared and tried to kill me!”

“That might have been true then.”

The Count’s voice was now clearly tinged with pity.

“But think about it. Won’t you start a family? Are you okay with wasting your precious youth raising the young lady?”

“I have no intention of starting a family, and I don’t think raising Elodie is wasting my youth. Rather…”

I swallowed hard. How should I explain it?

No matter how well I established myself as a café owner, no matter how tenaciously I survived, there was always a gaping hole-like space in one corner of my heart. That I had countless nights where I lay awake until dawn with an empty heart. That the tears I shed for the hometown I could never return to could fill a bucket and more.

That Elodie had filled all those holes, all those empty feelings. That without Elodie, I would never have felt this strange world as my home…

‘I can’t explain it.’

So I chose the easiest answer.

“I don’t regret it.”

I looked straight at Count Jacob.

“I don’t regret it now, and I won’t regret it in the future.”

“Then you admit that you’re bound to the ducal family.”

Count Jacob said in a tone tinged with strange satisfaction.

‘That’s right.’

Thinking about it, his words were correct. The time left until Elodie becomes an adult is twelve years. It would take at least ten years for her to be able to fend for herself.

“But I’m not bound for life. Unlike you, Count.”

“Let’s say that’s true.”

The Count raised both hands.

“Anyway, I wish you luck. Don’t worry, I won’t mention this to His Grace.”

“It’s fine if you do.”

I answered quietly.

“If I didn’t want His Grace to know, I would have thought of a much quieter method.”

“But you wouldn’t want others to inform him early, would you?”

“…”

“Please accept this much goodwill, Miss Bertin.”

“Now it’s Miss Bertin?”

“Yes.”

Count Jacob answered seriously.

“Since I believe we’ll be working closely together soon, I thought it would be nice to be less formal.”

I kept to myself the thought that both ‘Lady Aria’ and ‘Miss Bertin’ seemed equally distant in terms of formality, deciding it wasn’t worth mentioning.

Instead, I voiced a question that had been bothering me for quite some time.

“Then, can you answer one question?”

“Ask first.”

The Count answered lightly.

“If it’s something I know, I’ll gladly answer.”

“On Elodie’s birthday, when His Grace knelt before Elodie. Why were you so surprised?”

“…Ah.”

The Count seemed somewhat taken aback.

“Was that all you were curious about?”

“So, was it really nothing?”

“Rather than nothing…”

He scratched his head.

“It was definitely something. It’s just, it’s such an obvious fact that hearing it as a question feels strange.”

I frowned. What’s so obvious about it, shouldn’t he explain? Fortunately, Count Jacob didn’t seem to want to keep me waiting long.

“Kneeling on one knee and kneeling on both are different. One knee is used for respectful greetings. It can also mean submission, but not in a heavy sense… Or it’s used when apologizing.”

Come to think of it, Eric had also knelt on one knee to me. In my opinion, if you’re really going to apologize with your life on the line, kneeling on both knees seems more appropriate.

‘But that day, Duke Baniche knelt on both knees to Elodie.’

And although Count Jacob didn’t know, it wasn’t just that day that I had seen Duke Baniche kneel on both knees. There was one more time. On a certain day when the smell of blood emanated from him. In front of none other than me. My heart started beating rapidly.

“Kneeling on both knees… what does it mean?”

“It has a much more serious meaning.”

Contrary to the serious content, Count Jacob smiled faintly.

“I was puzzled at the time, but thinking about what the young lady means to His Grace, it’s not that surprising.”

“…Tell me.”

“I swear upon all that I possess.”

The hollow corridor. The Count’s words lingered in the silence.

“I entrust everything of mine to you, you may take my life.”

Along with the Count’s words, the image of a pale-faced handsome man vividly appeared in my mind.

[I beg you. You’re the only one I can ask this of. Elodie… please take care of Elodie until the end. Now, I can no longer be by her side…]

Duke Baniche, kneeling before me, was clearly desperate.

[…I’ll give you anything you want. I’ll even give up this life, so… please protect my daughter until the end.]

Two eyes distorted by madness. The overwhelming smell of blood. His inhuman appearance didn’t evoke any sympathy. Because I was scared. Because my own survival came first. But even then, and even now, there was something about Duke Baniche’s words that struck a chord.

I closed my eyes and opened them again. My mouth was dry, the desperate image of the Duke asking for help still lingering before my eyes.

‘The Duke has always acted for Elodie’s sake. He even knelt before me for Elodie.’

But truly, was that the only reason?

Did Duke Baniche take a posture taboo among nobles just to entrust Elodie to me? Or was there another reason…?

I bit my lip.

The truth would remain unknown unless I asked Duke Baniche directly. Fortunately, Count Jacob didn’t seem to have noticed much that my heart was in turmoil. Or he interpreted it in a completely different way.

“You look surprised. Well, even I didn’t know His Grace thought of the young lady to such an extent, haha.”

I half wanted to scream internally. It’s not at all surprising that Duke Baniche thinks especially of Elodie. I’m dying of shock that he knelt before me!

But I couldn’t reveal that fact to the Count.

“Y-yes. It’s understandable that you were surprised, Count.”

“Now that Miss Bertin knows the reason too, it would be best to avoid kneeling on both knees if possible. There are sometimes those who try to induce it, you see.”

“I see. I’ll be careful. But, I have something to do now…”

After mumbling a few words that sounded foolish, I hastily left the place. Count Jacob looked bewildered, but I didn’t have the leisure to care about even that. As soon as I turned the corner of the corridor out of his sight, I leaned against the wall and caught my breath for a moment.

‘…Calm down.’

I closed my eyes. My heart was beating uncontrollably because of what I had just learned.

***

“…Are you listening, Miss Bertin?”

“Ah, yes!”

As I hurriedly raised my head, the Duke’s crimson eyes were staring at me.

“If you’re tired, you can go back now. Running a café while taking care of Elodie must not be an easy task.”

“I am tired, but not to that extent. We can’t just hire anyone as Elodie’s tutor.”