Chapter 14. I Can’t Wait Long

“…Are you serious?”

I had meant it as a joke, but his serious response left me speechless. Aster confirmed with a smile.

‘What kind of life has he lived?’

His words implied he had always faced threats to his life. And to think the heir of Blanche was threatened by his own family.

I suddenly recalled how he had arrived at Marchioness Letia’s mansion in an unmarked black carriage.

It had puzzled me then, but now it made sense. He was hiding his connection with the Marchioness to avoid any possible schemes.

Realizing that a family that should be a strong ally was worse than an enemy made me feel sorry for him. I also felt guilty for viewing him with prejudice because of his Blanche heritage.

Seeing him so accustomed to all this, I frowned.

“Why do you act so nonchalant?”

“You become desensitized after experiencing it often.”

“…”

“Paris’s harassment is something I’m used to. This is actually quite mild.”

“You sound very enlightened. Were you like this as a child too?”

Aster shrugged lightly at my question.

It was well-known that the Blanche family’s dynamics were complicated. The current Duchess had lived in the Duke’s estate as a concubine and had Paris and Helen.

That wasn’t all. The Duke blamed the former Duchess’s infertility for his two-timing with a concubine. What a shameless man!

However, Aster was born the year after Paris, leading to a strange tension in the Duke’s estate.

The Duke had fathered Aster with a maid who served the Duchess, resulting in rumors that the Duchess died of a broken heart.

With no children from the legitimate wife and only sons from the concubine, it was inevitable that things were tumultuous internally. Aster stared at me intently when I mentioned his childhood. Puzzled, I blinked and asked,

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you perhaps lack memories from your childhood?”

“Me?”

Why is he suddenly talking about my childhood?

I looked at Aster with wary eyes, feeling like he had hit a nerve unintentionally.

As he said, there was a part of my childhood that I couldn’t remember. The most important memories that I should have remembered were lost, and this burden followed me through my life, weighing heavily on my heart like a stone.

Moreover, the person asking was a Blanche. Feeling defensive about the sudden attack on my sensitive spot, I firmly denied it with a wary face.

“No. I remember most things. I have a good memory.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you doubting my memory? Want to test it?”

Not wanting to show that I was scared, I responded boldly. But inside, I was worried that he might know something.

Fortunately, he seemed to be just teasing me, as he lightly played with my hair and muttered.

“It’s a joke. Your reaction is amusing, Camilla. Your expression is priceless.”

“Look here, Aster. Are you making fun of me?”

Relieved inside, I protested with an indignant expression, and Aster grinned innocently and replied.

“Did you just realize? I’ve been watching you get all heated up. You’re cute even when you’re angry.”

I was so irritated that I hit him in the chest in a fit of rage. It was a moment of heaven and hell, filled with strong emotions.

“Ow.”

“Stop pretending to be hurt.”

“You caught that too?”

“This is ridiculous.”

Embarrassed by my overly sensitive reaction, I fanned myself for no reason.

Meanwhile, the knights had finished inspecting the carriage. I took Aster’s outstretched hand and climbed into the carriage. When he followed, the carriage started moving to our next destination.

* * *

As we entered the Francis estate, I saw Catherine and Edith sleeping against the stairs.

“Cathy, Eddie. Why are you sleeping here?”

“Sister.”

Edith, half-asleep, reached out and hugged me. This caused Catherine’s head, which was resting on Edith, to suddenly drop.

“Ouch.”

Catherine woke up with a start, looking around with wide eyes. When she saw me, she shouted fiercely.

“Sis! Why are you so late!”

“The sun hasn’t even set yet. It’s not late. There’s still some time before dinner.”

“Ugh, I was so worried!”

“Yeah! We thought the young duke of Blanche had kidnapped you.”

“Why would he kidnap me?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at my siblings’ fussing.

They must have heard from the maids about the commotion caused by Paris and Aster this morning.

Considering how much they disliked the Blanches, they wouldn’t have taken the news well.

Edith peeked out and said,

“It’s all because of that young duke. Ever since he came back, flies have been buzzing around Sis.”

“Yeah. We can’t always have a fly swatter ready.”

“Pfft. Are you saying Paris Blanche is the fly?”

At my question, Catherine and Edith nodded emphatically. They were so cute that I pulled Catherine into a hug too.

“I’m so lucky to have such dependable siblings.”

“Don’t worry, Sis. If another fly buzzes around, I’ll teach it a lesson!”

As Catherine flared up with magic, making water droplets pop, Edith followed suit, floating ice in the air.

“Yeah! I’ll give it an ice-cold shower.”

Water and ice swirled around us in an instant. They seemed disappointed that they hadn’t been able to scold him when he came. I quickly stopped Catherine and Edith.

“Cathy, Eddie! The floor will get soaked.”

Before I even finished speaking, they stopped their magic and looked at me with innocent eyes.

“Sis, you’ll always stay with us, right?”

“You won’t go to the young duke, right?”

“Don’t go to that den of demons, Sis.”

“Yeah, it’s full of demons.”

Catherine and Edith chattered away without a break. I stroked their heads.

In truth, I also thought Aster would be no different from the other Blanches. I imagined him fitting the Blanche image I knew, but he turned out to be completely different.

Stripped of his Blanche family ties, he seemed like a really good man.

So, without realizing it, I defended Aster.

“But Aster Blanche seems a bit different.”

At that moment, Edith shook his head violently as if my words were a trigger.

“He’s not different! Not different at all!”

Then Catherine started scolding me.

“Sis! Have you already fallen for Blanche’s demonic beast? Don’t be fooled, they’re Blanches!”

“Hmm.”

“Sis, don’t go! Waaah!”

“Get a grip! Hiya!”

Catherine lightly hit my head with her hand, and Edith shook my arm fervently.

What to do with these kids?

Just as I was feeling troubled by their loud crying, Father entered the estate. He spoke to Catherine and Edith, who were clinging to me like cicadas on an old tree.

“Cathy, Eddie. Why are you holding onto Camilla again?”

“Daddy!”

Edith, as if he hadn’t been crying, ran to Father and clung to his right leg.

Not to be outdone, Catherine grabbed Father’s left leg. With both legs bound by the two troublemakers, Father chuckled.

“You little rascals are getting more and more spoiled.”

“Daddy, Sis said she likes the young duke of Blanche!”

When did I ever say that?

Father’s face cracked at Edith’s bombshell declaration.

“Camilla.”

“No, Father.”

Sensing the impending doom, I quickly denied it, and Father’s face softened into a warm smile.

“Yes. Of course. There’s no way my daughter would like the heir of that den of ruffians.”

Father emphasized the word ‘ruffians.’ Given all he had suffered, it was understandable.

If I mentioned that I had agreed to date Aster for a month, the three of them would never let me go.

As I pondered what to do, Father loosened his cravat and continued.

“Just today, the Duke of Blanche got on my nerves, and I had a confrontation with him. I’m utterly exhausted.”

“What did the Duke of Blanche do this time?”

Paris was almost a miniature version of the Duke of Blanche in many ways. You couldn’t tell just by looking at him, but after talking to him for a bit, you’d realize his personality was a carbon copy of the Duke’s. And the Duke of Blanche was the biggest scoundrel in the family.

Father let out a deep sigh, filled with burning anger.

“After leaving my daughter alone for years, now he shamelessly wants to rush the engagement ceremony!”

“Oh.”

“What a scoundrel! He’s a scoundrel!”

“Dad, did you just let him get away with that?!”

As Eddie and Cathy chimed in, Father clicked his tongue and continued.

“And that’s not all! He brazenly suggested that the dowry should be the Rain Mine!”

The Rain Mine was an area where a large amount of magic stones had recently been discovered. Demanding that newly developing area as a dowry was beyond unreasonable.

Father still seemed unable to calm his anger. Soon, his rage shifted from the Duke of Blanche to Aster.

“That young duke is the same. He didn’t contact us once, but now he shows up just before the debutante ball? It’s obvious what his intentions are! Hmph! They see marriage as an investment. How dare they treat my daughter like a commodity?”

However, if Aster truly saw marriage as a business transaction, he wouldn’t have agreed to date me with the condition of breaking off the engagement.

After all, since the engagement was endorsed by the Emperor, he could have just pushed forward with it.

“Hmm. I don’t think that’s the case.”

So I subtly defended Aster. Father’s eyes sharpened. Cathy and Eddie’s did too.

“Camilla, are you defending that guy in front of your father?”

“Sis, you’re acting strange!”

“Sis, snap out of it!”

Eddie and Cathy raised their hands again.