Chapter 85

Lia arrived at the glass conservatory first and was waiting inside for Johann.  

‘Is he really going to talk about living together?’  

Surely he’s not suggesting living together through marriage, right?  

She didn’t know for sure, but she had heard that marriages between different social classes weren’t legally recognized, and that any children from such unions were considered illegitimate.  

‘So even if Rafaella was legally recognized as a lady, if I, her mother, wasn’t recognized, wouldn’t that be a little strange?’  

She would hear whatever he had to say when they met, but she felt anxious for no reason.

“…You came early.”  

“Yes, I arrived a little while ago.”  

Just as Lia’s thoughts were getting tangled with worry, Johann appeared.  

‘Oh, he let his bangs down?’  

Maybe that’s why he looked a bit younger, and it brought back old memories.  

What is this?  

‘His eyes look a little red and swollen?’  

Almost as if he had just cried his eyes out.  

Lia approached him, puzzled.  

“What was it you wanted to talk about?”  

“…Ahem, shall we walk for a bit first?”  

“Yes.”  

Lia responded, tilting her head at Johann’s somewhat cracked voice.  

Unlike someone who had called her with a purpose, he said nothing as they walked.  

He only parted his lips a few times as if to speak.  

Maybe it was just her imagination, but whenever their eyes met, he would turn his head and pause for a moment.  

‘It doesn’t seem like he’s acting this way because of the kiss, but he’s really strange today.’  

She thought he would say something right away, but for ten minutes, he just walked circles around the conservatory in silence, which frustrated her.  

Unable to take it anymore, she stopped walking.  

‘At this rate, we’ll just keep circling the conservatory and go back.’  

“Duke.”  

Lia called Johann to a stop.  

He stopped and turned to her.  

He still avoided her gaze, and his eyes were even redder than before.  

“Um, Duke. Didn’t you call me here because you had something to say?”  

“……”  

A brief silence followed.  

Lia patiently waited for Johann to speak.  

“…Yes, I called you because I have something to say.”  

“What is it?”  

“This suggestion may be sudden, but I want you to keep living in this mansion. Of course, not as things are now, but as a member of the Blumhart family.”  

She wasn’t too surprised, since she had guessed as much.  

But there was a trace of moisture in his voice.  

His red eyes also seemed to glisten.  

‘…Why is he saying this with such sad eyes?’  

“For Rafaella’s sake?”  

He sounded as if he was deeply sorry about something.  

“…You could say that.”  

He answered vaguely.  

“Because it’s better for Raffy’s emotional well-being if we’re together?”  

Thinking it would be best for herself to draw a clear line, Lia asked once more, more specifically.  

“…Maybe so.”  

His voice sounded as if he was forcing the words out.  

“But how can I stay here as a member of the Blumhart family?”  

Lia tilted her head.  

“It’s possible through engagement and marriage.”  

“But my status is too low, so I wouldn’t be able to officially marry you, Duke…”  

“…I’m sorry.”  

Instead of answering, he apologized, and a single tear fell from his eye.  

Perhaps even he was surprised, for he quickly wiped it away with his hand.  

“Duke, are you all right?”  

Lia approached Johann, flustered.  

“I’m really sorry, Lia.”  

Another tear fell from his eyes.  

Seeing such sad tears in those red eyes that always seemed cold, she felt strange.  

She felt the urge to hug him and whisper that it would be all right.  

‘…This man is definitely not my husband Hart, but at this moment, he feels like Hart.’  

Of course, that couldn’t possibly be true.  

“I’m so sorry to you.”  

“What could make you cry like this?”  

Lia gently placed her hand on his back.  

“…I’m sorry for forgetting everything about you.”  

“Ah……”  

So that’s what he was sorry about.  

‘He doesn’t remember me, yet he’s proposing engagement and marriage again.’  

Even so, it wasn’t like him.  

The ‘Johann von Blumhart’ she had known was not the kind of man who would lose control of his emotions and cry over something like this.  

‘If it were my husband Hart, maybe…’  

Watching him bite his already battered lips hard to hold back tears, she felt sorry for him.  

All her past resentment and anger seemed to dissolve.  

Lia took a handkerchief out of her pocket.  

She wiped away his tears.  

“I’m fine.”  

It’s not like you forgot me on purpose.  

So I’ll forgive you.  

Surprisingly, he couldn’t stop crying for quite a while.  

‘Even Hart hardly ever cried like this. It makes me feel bad.’  

Did some memory return, like on Rafaella’s birthday?  

She wanted to ask, but she held back, afraid he might cry even more if she did.  

She could ask after he calmed down.

* * *

Johann was flustered.  

He had thought he’d gotten his emotions under control before coming to see Lia.  

But as soon as he saw her, his eyes grew hot and his throat tightened, making it impossible to speak.  

He thought he’d be fine after a short walk, but the moment he tried to say he wanted to live with her, his throat closed up.  

Her attitude, as if she’d simply accept, made tears well up.  

He felt he had to apologize to Lia, and the moment he opened his mouth, the tears he’d been holding back fell as well.  

He had never cried in front of his parents except when he was a child.  

But now, he couldn’t stop the tears.  

The memory that had returned earlier was still affecting him.  

“Now that you’ve regained so many memories about Raffy, you’re the best dad to her.”  

Pat, pat.  

Lia’s gentle touch and warm voice gradually calmed him down.  

He had cried so much that the tears slowly subsided.  

Once he calmed down, he felt embarrassed for crying in front of Lia.  

“…I’m really sorry to show you such a disgraceful sight.”  

He cleared his throat and spoke.  

Perhaps because he had cried so much, his voice was a bit dull.  

“Are you all right now?”  

“…Yes.”  

“That’s a relief.”  

Lia smiled in relief.  

“Thank you for the handkerchief, I’ll just…”  

“Just give it back after you wash it.”  

“No.”  

When Lia tried to take the handkerchief, Johann hid it behind his back.  

“What?”  

Lia looked puzzled.  

“Let me repay you properly.”  

“It’s not even expensive…”  

Lia scratched her cheek.  

“Ahem, let’s get back to what I was saying.”  

Johann put the handkerchief inside his jacket and changed the subject.  

“The moment you get engaged to me, your status will change. So it doesn’t matter if it’s a marriage between different classes.”  

“How?”  

“I demanded it from the Emperor as compensation for what Princess Patrizia did.”  

“What?”  

Johann explained to Lia about the deal he had made with the Emperor.  

“So you received my status issue as compensation for such a big incident?”  

Lia frowned slightly.  

“It was worth it. I believe you deserve as much respect as Rafaella.”  

“Even so, still…”  

She muttered softly.  

“Don’t worry, I got a decent piece of land, too.”  

Johann smiled at Lia, as if to reassure her.  

“It’s already decided, so there’s nothing I can do, but next time, please make sure you get proper compensation when something happens.”  

Lia said sternly, pretending to scold him.  

“Understood, I’ll be sure to do so.”  

“But is the engagement really necessary? Can’t we just register the marriage?”  

“No, that won’t do. For nobles, engagement and wedding ceremonies are essential both by custom and politically.”  

All of it was just an excuse because he wanted to have both the engagement and the wedding with her.  

“Ah, I see.”  

Not knowing this, Lia nodded, convinced.  

He planned to have a simple engagement ceremony, but a proper wedding later.  

He wanted to propose to Lia in an even more wonderful way than he had as Hart.  

“Lia.”  

“Yes?”  

He took a small box containing a ring from his pocket.  

Johann held the box out to her and opened the lid.  

“Oh my, what’s this ring?”  

Lia asked, covering her mouth with both hands.  

“It’s the engagement ring passed down in our family for generations.”  

He said this as he slipped the ring onto Lia’s left ring finger.  

The sparkling diamond ring was a little big for Lia.  

“I’ll have to get it resized.”  

Johann frowned slightly as he looked at her finger.  

“…It’s so beautiful.”  

Lia murmured as she looked at the ring.  

Seeing the diamond ring reminded her of the wooden ring stashed somewhere in her house.  

‘…I was so happy back then.’  

A bittersweet smile appeared on her lips.  

“I’ll get you a wedding ring that’s much bigger and nicer than this.”  

“What?”  

Lia asked in surprise.  

No, even this ring looks amazing, why bother getting another one?  

And it’s just a formal marriage anyway!  

“There’s no need to feel burdened. For the future Duchess of Blumhart, no jewel is too much.”  

“No, but still…”  

“Just accept it. I’ll take care of the rest.”  

He gently placed his hand on Lia’s shoulder.  

The tears from earlier had all dried up in his eyes.  

Instead, there was a warm emotion in them that she couldn’t quite guess.