Chapter 18 – The Appearance of a Stranger

The voice was gentle but seemed to hide something.

Before losing consciousness, Alicia looked at the man who had called her.

‘That person…’

She recognized him.

Light brown hair, soft facial lines, and radiant beauty—he was Marquis Dekis Ephron.

He was the father of the male protagonist in the novel Alicia had possessed, and his image was the polar opposite of Cedric. Both had their own devoted fanbases.

According to readers, Dekis was a different flavor of father compared to Cedric.

Alicia agreed; she liked Dekis more for that reason.

Honestly, Dekis was closer to her taste than Cedric.

Men like him were rare.

She’d seen his face in illustrations, thinking the artist just drew a handsome style, but seeing Dekis in person, he was even more striking.

His beauty was hard to express in words.

To think the male protagonist, Bastian, inherited that face—genes really were amazing.

But why was this man on Kaspar’s estate?

As Alicia pondered, Dekis extended his hand to her.

Unlike Cedric, his long, graceful gesture was like a swan’s.

“Take my hand.”

His gentle tone and manner were impeccable.

Alicia, holding Mikael, took Dekis’s hand and stood up.

Dekis noticed the child in her arms, looked surprised for a moment, then smiled again.

“The cute little gentleman in your arms—is he the Duke’s heir?”

“…Yes.”

Dekis smiled with interest at Alicia’s answer.

“Well, I must apologize to the young heir for startling him.”

As Dekis apologized, Mikael nodded twice from Alicia’s embrace.

Dekis chuckled and stepped forward to speak to Mikael.

“We’ll meet again soon, adorable Mikael. My son is about your age—be friends with him.”

Dekis was referring to Bastian.

Mikael, still hiding his face in Alicia’s arms, peeked out at Dekis’s words.

‘Does he wish he had a friend?’

From Mikael’s perspective, it made sense he’d want at least one friend.

At five years old, playing alone was lonely.

Alicia and the girls couldn’t fill that role; he needed a peer.

As he grew, friends would become more important.

Mikael didn’t say anything, just peeked out, and Dekis smiled even wider, his eyes curving like bows.

Then Dekis looked at Alicia with gentle eyes.

“So, Lady, are you the new tutor?”

“Yes. My name is Alicia.”

Alicia, holding Mikael with both hands, lowered herself and greeted him politely.

After the greeting, as she straightened up, Dekis’s face was right in front of hers.

He smiled kindly, gazing at her with affectionate eyes.

The closeness startled Alicia, making her shiver slightly.

“Heh. The Duke hired such a beauty? Amazing.”

The unexpected compliment made Alicia blush.

“That’s too much…”

“Too much? I only speak the truth, Lady.”

Dekis seemed to find Alicia’s embarrassment cute, his laughter escaping his lips.

His laughter felt like he was treating her like a child, making Alicia’s whole body tingle.

Since it was their first meeting, things felt awkward.

Trying to ease the tension, Alicia spoke as casually as she could.

“What brings you here?”

Dekis nodded slowly, as if remembering something.

“Ah! This is a perfect place for hunting. The Duke is generous—any noble can enter, right?”

He smiled slyly, his eyes twinkling.

“Oh, I see.”

Alicia replied, almost to herself.

“The deer here are famous. Hunting them relieves all my fatigue.”

She nodded, showing she understood.

But she wondered if hunting here was really necessary.

Kaspar’s hunting grounds were a bit removed from where she and Mikael were.

The deer must have crossed over, but if Dekis had checked the area more carefully, Mikael wouldn’t have been startled.

As Alicia pondered, Dekis tilted his head and looked at her.

“….”

Their eyes met, and Alicia flinched, embarrassed by her brief tension, and instinctively avoided his gaze.

Her cheeks flushed.

Dekis seemed amused by her reaction and let out a quiet laugh, gently taking her fingertips.

“….”

His touch was gentle, but his sudden action made Alicia tremble.

He looked at her shyly, then softly kissed her hand.

Even as he did, his gaze remained gentle and affectionate.

Smooch.

The sound of lips touching her hand echoed quietly, followed by his soft voice.

“Let’s meet again, Lady.”

* * *

Cedric, still annoyed, arrived at the reception room.

“You’re here, Duke.”

A neutral, gentle voice rang out in the room.

Cedric, hearing the voice, greeted formally.

“I greet you, Your Majesty.”

Platinum-blond hair falling to the shoulders.

Blue eyes reminiscent of coral reefs and drooping eyelids.

A green earring on the left ear suited him perfectly.

His face was so beautiful, it was almost feminine, with delicate and soft features.

The Emperor sat on the sofa in the drawing room, smiling brightly as he greeted Cedric.

“It’s just us here, Cedric. Be comfortable.”

Cedric took a seat on the opposite sofa.

He took a sip of tea from his cup.

“All right, Anthony.”

The current Emperor of the Decart Empire and Cedric’s longtime friend, Anthony Decart.

He smiled with satisfaction.

“Now it feels like seeing a friend. So, how did it go this time?”

“Another failure.”

“I see.”

Anthony responded calmly, as if he expected it.

Nearly a year had passed since they began searching for the Emperor’s sister, but they’d never succeeded.

Anthony sipped his tea.

He spoke casually, so Cedric wouldn’t feel guilty.

“It’s all right. I believe we’ll find her someday.”

“….”

Cedric looked at Anthony’s indifferent face, then set down his teacup.

He already knew Anthony was uneasy.

It was always like this.

Anthony was skilled at hiding his emotions.

He’d grown up believing he couldn’t show his feelings as Emperor.

Cedric was the same.

Since inheriting the dukedom, he’d hidden his emotions thoroughly.

So Cedric understood Anthony better than anyone.

He understood him deeply.

That’s why Cedric stayed quietly by his side, letting Anthony recover at his own pace.

After a few minutes of silence, Cedric spoke heavily.

“There was a chance. I found the base of the illegal slave traders.”

“That’s unexpected.”

“It might be connected to your sister. I plan to investigate further.”

In fact, Anthony’s sister had been kidnapped and disappeared.

She was only three years old.

Anthony had been just six, but remembered the event clearly.

If only he’d watched her sleep a bit longer.

If only he’d begged the nanny to stay with her, she wouldn’t have been kidnapped and would be living happily with him now.

That irrevocable regret still stormed in his heart.

Every time he thought about it, it felt like his chest was being torn apart.

He’d lived for decades hoping she might still be alive somewhere.

Last year, he heard rumors about a woman resembling his sister.

That prompted him to secretly ask Cedric to find her.

Now, Anthony felt calmer after Cedric’s words.

He had renewed hope of finding his sister.

He elegantly lifted his teacup and smiled softly.

“I’ll fully support you again, Cedric.”

“Thank you, Anthony. But my team is enough.”

Cedric already had a squad of elite soldiers he’d handpicked.

His expression didn’t change, but he was confident inside.

No one in the empire could match his men.

Cedric and Anthony savored their steaming tea together.

The tea went down smoothly, spreading a bitter freshness in their mouths.

Anthony set down his cup with a clink and brought up another topic.

“By the way, there’ll be a banquet at the ducal residence soon. Next month, isn’t it?”

“Time flies.”

“I hope you find a good match this time. Many noble ladies want you.”

Anthony teased, mixing jokes and sincerity, and Cedric raised an eyebrow.

Cedric glared at Anthony, slightly annoyed.

He replied firmly,

“That will never happen.”