CHAPTER 4 – Escape at Night (Part 6)

As forewarned, Felix’s one-sided pursuit had continued for a week.

He had persuaded Lord Turin to let him join them on the estate inspection, and later, the Lord even left Lillian alone with Felix and left the place.

Then Felix, like a parrot, started spouting the same nonsense.

“I’m not an insufficient match for marriage either. It’s just that your standards are too high.”

“You’ll surely regret it if you let me go. You should have married Felix Perry.”

“No matter how noble you’ve become, your situation…well, let’s face it, it’s a bit complicated, isn’t it? Given your circumstances, how would you even find a suitable match like me?”

Later, he even subtly insulted her.

While there might have been people to notice in the capital, in Turin, no one paid attention to Felix’s behavior.

The peaceful countryside had turned into a nightmare in an instant. Exhausted, Lillian could only hope that the time would pass quickly.

Although Felix might eventually get tired and leave on his own, Lord Turin was someone she would have to keep seeing in the inner castle. She didn’t want to make a bad impression.

“Lillian, are you asleep?”

When Felix came to her bedroom at night, her patience reached its limit.

“If you’re not sleeping, want to go look at the stars together?”

“You can look at them all by yourself!”

She shooed him away, but her anger gradually boiled up. Why would he come to the bedroom of an unmarried woman so late at night?

‘I think I should say something to Lord Turin.’

The next day, after firmly pushing him away and falling asleep, Lord Turin’s residence was suddenly shaken.

The Lord’s family, including Felix, was dressed in black at the breakfast table. Felix entered the breakfast room with a somber expression on his face.

“What’s going on?”

“Don’t be alarmed, Lillian.”

“What is it?”

“Well, Duke Edelgard has passed away.”

The news was unexpected.

* * *

Duke Edelgart had passed away. The news was so great that it reached as far away as Turin, the farthest province from the capital.

Count Ronald, while not a family that held Duke Edelgard in high regard, also raised a black flag at his castle. It was a moment that highlighted the influence of the Edelgard family, known as the most powerful family in the empire and a significant contributor to the founding of the nation.

Lillian could do nothing. She could neither mourn nor rejoice.

‘Is Cedric now Duke Edelgard?’

She could no longer call him casually by his name and pretend it was a mistake. She couldn’t pretend to accidentally run into him.

He had permanently drifted away to a place she could never reach. Beyond the clouds, next to the sun and moon.

Cedric must be in immeasurable grief by now. Unable to offer comfort, she felt pathetic and vile for even thinking such thoughts.

“Lillian, are you going to send condolences too?”

“…Me?”

It was a question implying, ‘Can she dare to do such a thing?’

Felix had already written his condolences.

“I was going to say, if you’ve already written it, give it to me so I can send it with mine, but you haven’t written them yet, right? Ah, maybe you never learned to write. Should I write it for you?”

“I can write it…….”

Lillian had learned to read and write on the battlefield to participate in military meetings with Cedric.

‘I wonder if it’s appropriate for me to send condolences to the former Duke.’

It was obvious how a woman who had spent a night with a man who was about to get married would be received if she sent a letter to him.

Lillian had no intention of interfering with Cedric’s shining future. Nor did she want to be a nuisance. Seeing Felix’s behavior only strengthened her resolve not to stoop to the same level.

‘Too vulgar.’

Any trace of her slight liking for him as camaraderie vanished completely.

“I’ll be sending condolences tonight, so if you can finish writing them later, give them to me.”

“Got it.”

Lord Turin, claiming that an urgent matter had arisen, tactfully left only Lillian and Felix behind and departed first.

Normally, she would have silently cursed the shameless man in her mind, but Lillian was almost absent-minded.

She couldn’t distinguish whether she was using divine magic or demonic summoning magic at this point.

The two of them, who were inspecting the outskirts of the estate together, arrived at the entrance of the castle only around sunset.

“Why is it taking so long?”

“I apologize, Lord Perry.”

Lillian, who had been blankly staring like a corpse the entire time, hadn’t even realized there was a delay in entering the castle.

“It’s because of the carriage at the entrance… It seems to be a high-ranking noble’s carriage.”

Based on social standing, it was common practice not to overtake the carriage of a noble who held higher status. It wasn’t a law, but it was common practice.

As a result, if a higher-ranking noble’s carriage was at the entrance of someone else’s mansion, those of lower status had to wait behind it and then enter on foot.

“Who would do such an uncivilized thing?”

Annoyed, Felix shouted at the coachman.

“Why should I wait behind someone in this countryside? Don’t they know I’m representing Lord Turin?”

Lillian was taken aback by the unbelievably arrogant remarks.

Even if the Perry family were nobles in the capital, the Lord of Turin was a Count. Even if he were to become an adopted member of the House Turin, representing the Lord was not something one could boldly claim.

“Let’s just walk. It must be Baron Andrego.”

Baron Andrego was the second most powerful man in Turin, next in influence to the Lord.

“Still, I don’t see why a baron would be…….”

Without waiting for the continuation of the words, Lillian got off the carriage. Simply for coming from the capital, Felix was already an object of great interest. Thanks to that, his arrogance knew no bounds, disregarding everyone in Turin, noble or commoner alike whenever he opened his mouth.

It was amazing how a change of place and surroundings could change a person so much. She found herself missing the manners and courtesy he used to maintain when he was in the capital.

As she descended from the carriage with her tired body, Felix followed closely behind.

“It’s probably for the best. Baron Andrego, without a clue, was acting too arrogantly. I was thinking of putting him in his place…”

However, the carriage waiting at the entrance of the castle was unlike any other in Turin.

With an elegant red exterior and a black flag, it bore the emblem of a roaring wolf.

It was the seal of Duke Edelgard.

When the two were puzzled by this sight, a well-dressed man descended from the carriage.

“Long time no see, Lord Perry.”

“…!”

It was Cedric.

He appeared before them, in all his perfect Edelgard glory.

Felix couldn’t believe the situation and looked at Lillian as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening. She, too, was left speechless, her mouth agape, at the astonishing turn of events.

Lillian was utterly confused by how someone who should be in the capital suddenly appeared in this place.