Chapter 31

It was a late morning. As Karina got out of bed and sneezed softly, Becky widened her eyes and asked.

“Oh my, did you catch a cold? Was the room a bit chilly?”

“…It was just a sneeze, nothing more.”

Karina, feeling a bit guilty, mumbled her response. She remembered sitting in the cold wind for quite a while a few days ago.

‘I hope I didn’t actually catch a cold.’

Karina deliberately brushed off her worries and put on her outerwear. It was time for breakfast. When she went downstairs to the first floor, Laura was sitting alone at the dining table. Karina took her seat and greeted her.

“Good morning, Mother.”

“Yes, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. But where is Father?”

Seeing the empty seat, she asked, and Laura looked troubled. With a sinking feeling, Karina asked again.

“Is he still upset?”

“You must understand, dear. It’s only natural for him to feel hurt.”

Laura spoke as if there was no helping it. Ever since returning from the Imperial Palace, Asillis had been sulking and protesting. The reason for Asillis’s anger wasn’t Noah, but rather Karina for hiding her meeting with him.

To make matters worse, she had even asked about the Velcarid family, which must have deepened his sense of betrayal.

‘But it’s not like I could refuse to dance with him in that situation.’

Karina poked at the meat on her plate with her fork for no reason. Laura smiled as if finding her endearing and said,

“There’s no need to worry too much, dear. You know how he is. At most, he’ll barely last a week.”

Unlike the serious father and daughter, Laura shrugged lightly.

In the end, Karina quietly continued her meal.

“So, are you seriously seeing that man?”

But before she could regain her peace, Laura threw an unexpected question. Karina almost spat out her food in surprise, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. After barely swallowing the food, she asked back.

“Who?”

“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know. I’m talking about Noah.”

Her nonchalant tone made Karina doubt her ears. Without even having time to feel flustered, she denied it.

“It’s not like that.”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Karina. I understand everything.”

“No, you don’t have to understand. It’s really not like that.”

Laura offered unnecessary understanding with a completely calm demeanor, and Karina desperately rejected it.

It seemed that dancing with him in front of so many people had caused a misunderstanding.

But Karina felt wronged. Regardless of who the partner was, who could refuse a dance requested by the Crown Prince’s knight?

‘If only His Highness hadn’t called me to the Imperial Palace, it wouldn’t have escalated like this.’

To make matters worse, the invitation to the Imperial Palace immediately afterward seemed to have fueled the rumors. By now, within the Duke’s residence, Noah and Karina’s relationship was probably taken as fact.

‘Is there a reason you’re telling me this?’

‘You seemed curious.’

‘…’

‘And because it’s fascinating.’

The truth was far from that, though. The reason Asis had called Karina and told her about Noah—

‘How could it not be fascinating to see a beast trying to act human?’

—was simply out of interest. The genuinely entertained look in his eyes was still vivid in her memory.

“Well, alright. If you say it’s not, then it’s not.”

Perhaps her earnestness got through, as Laura dropped the subject with that one sentence. Karina, feeling relieved but still somewhat uneasy, fiddled with her utensils.

“Mother… aren’t you worried at all?”

“Worried about what?”

Laura, who was about to take a sip from her glass, paused and asked back. Karina murmured softly.

“About the words that might spread, in whatever form, wherever they go.”

It was an honest thought, tinged with a bit of fear. Laura quietly set her glass down and spoke in a calm tone.

“I’m not afraid of anything.”

“…”

“If you stand tall, so will we.”

Laura smiled gently at Karina and then casually lifted her glass again.

The slight discomfort she had felt disappeared. Karina continued her meal with a lighter heart.

Come to think of it, it was an obvious truth. If she held her ground, there was nothing to fear.

“So, what kind of relationship do you have with that man?”

Even a question like the one earlier no longer felt strange. Karina answered entirely based on her own thoughts.

“He’s a friend.”

It had only been a short time since they met, so it was a little awkward and unfamiliar. There were moments when his odd behavior left her baffled.

‘Like me and Miss Karina.’

Nevertheless, Noah Velcarid was Karina’s friend. That was all there was to it.

***

Phyllis raised his head as soon as he sat down at the dinner table. His eyes met Cornell’s, who was seated across from him. Shortly after, Ian Herwin, the last to come down, took his seat, and the bleak dinner began.

“Eat plenty, Phyllis. You too, Cornell.”

Melissa briefly spoke, but it didn’t change the atmosphere. Only Cornell nodded with a smile.

Phyllis stirred his stew with a spoon in silence. Perhaps because it had been a while since they had a family dinner, he didn’t have much of an appetite. As always, in the heavy atmosphere, Ian opened his mouth.

“By the way… Cornell.”

“Yes, Uncle?”

Cornell turned her head toward him. Ian set down the utensils in his hand and continued.

“The results of the meeting we discussed last time came out yesterday.”

“Really? What happened?”

“It seems both the thesis and the first clinical trial have been approved.”

At his dry statement, Cornell’s face immediately brightened.

Phyllis smiled along with her. Cornell pursed her lips inward, trying to suppress her excitement.

“…I was worried it might get rejected. I’m so relieved.”

“Your efforts have been recognized.”

When Ian nodded slightly, Cornell pressed her flushed cheeks with her hands.

“The second clinical trial will begin gradually after some time. It seems it’ll align with my schedule around next month.”

At those words, Phyllis’s smile turned slightly bitter.

The unusually kind tone felt unfamiliar yet, at the same time, familiar. Ian had always been kind to Cornell. In front of him, Phyllis had always been invisible. There was no reason to feel hurt now. Phyllis continued eating as if nothing had happened.

“If this research concludes successfully, I’ll arrange for you to meet Earl Eiren, as I mentioned before.”

“Professor Eiren… Really, Uncle?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you! I’ve always wanted to meet him.”

Cornell bounced in her seat with excitement at the mention of meeting Earl Eiren, the only psychology professor at the Imperial Academy.

Cornell had always been interested in psychology. Her excitement was only natural.

“Dear, is the food not to your taste?”

“No, I just felt like something was stuck in my throat.”

Melissa, who had been silent, asked with concern, but Phyllis replied calmly.

In truth, it didn’t bother him. If anything, this uneven affection had brought him a semblance of normalcy.

“Hurry and eat, Cornell. The food will get cold.”

“Yes. You should eat too, Uncle.”

“I will.”

Their conversation could only be described as that of a close father and daughter. Phyllis chewed and swallowed his food with difficulty. Watching him, Melissa set her utensils down on her plate with a clatter.

The sharp sound froze the atmosphere. Melissa smiled at those around her as if nothing had happened.

“Oh… I’m sorry. It was an accident.”

Phyllis stiffened and turned to look at her. Cornell’s expression wasn’t much different. Ian’s dry gaze lingered on his wife for a moment. His lips, which had been slightly parted, opened to deliver a cold remark.

“Careless as always.”

The short rebuke ended there. But no one at the table could relax. The reason was simple.

A moment later, the sound of shattering glass drew everyone’s attention again.

“Sorry. Careless as always.”

Melissa, who had knocked over a plate with her arm, smiled brightly. Ian frowned at the sight.

“Here we go again.”

His tone was filled with exhaustion, devoid of affection. Melissa responded calmly, as if retaliating.

“I told you, it was an accident.”

“An accident? More like you’re upset over something trivial again.”

Each exchange of words grew sharper. Phyllis felt like he couldn’t breathe. It was a familiar yet unbearably uncomfortable feeling.

“Ha, fine. You’re not wrong. To you, our matters have always been trivial.”

Melissa finally snapped back. At her words, Cornell’s expression hardened.

“To you, the only family at this table is Cornell, isn’t it? Am I wrong?”

Her anger lashed out in all directions. Her furious eyes seemed blind to everything else. After a brief silence, Ian let out a deep sigh and set down his utensils.

“You’re mentally ill.”

The casually thrown insult left everyone momentarily stunned. Before anyone could stop her, Melissa grabbed a glass and hurled it at the wall. The maids flinched in shock, while Cornell covered her mouth with wide eyes.

Melissa clenched her trembling fists and glared at the unmoving Ian.

“Take that back right now.”

But Ian, as if he had nothing more to say, stood up. His attitude bordered on indifference. Melissa, seemingly on the verge of tears, grabbed his arm and began hurling sharp words at him.

At the dinner table, which was on the verge of erupting into shouting, Phyllis tightly shut his eyes. His trembling hands gripped each other so hard they might break. Cornell cautiously got up and approached Phyllis.

“Phyllis, are you… wait, your face!”

Her initially soft voice turned into a startled cry. At that moment, Ian and Melissa also turned their heads. Phyllis slowly raised his hand to touch his face. A shard of glass must have hit him, as blood was trickling down.

Melissa rushed over, her eyes darting around in panic as she examined Phyllis.

“Oh no, you’re bleeding… what do we do…”

“Well done. Hurting your precious son.”

Before Phyllis could say he was fine, Melissa snapped back.

“Don’t pretend to care now. It’s disgusting.”

The blood hadn’t even stopped yet. Ian let out a derisive laugh, and Melissa, her voice trembling, continued.

“When have you ever cared about us?”

Tears began to well up in her reddening eyes. Seeing this, Phyllis’s mind went blank. His mother was crying again.

“If it weren’t for what you did four years ago… I wouldn’t have ended up like this…”