Chapter 56

This morning, as soon as he opened his eyes, he buried his face in his hands.

Memories of the madness of yesterday flooded back, and he couldn’t help but spend time in self-reproach.

He didn’t have the courage to face Louise again.

Yet, around noon, while preparing to go out, Louise came to his room to help him choose his clothes.

Being alone together in the room created a strange tension.

As they silently made eye contact, the tension grew.

His rational mind told him to avoid her gaze, but his instincts craved the feeling from yesterday.

Eventually, Louise gently embraced him, and he couldn’t resist her.

He could feel her satisfaction through his entire body.

Though he was fully aware of his own reactions, being engrossed in the moment with her, he paid no heed to it.

Soft, lingering kisses.

He enveloped Louise’s lips, deeply entwining them with his.

Like a single breath, she also wrapped around him and slid closer.

Had all lovers shared this kind of cozy feeling?

When he had no experience, he hadn’t known, but after experiencing it for the first time, it felt like he had been missing something significant all along.

It felt too good, way too good.

He didn’t even love Louise, yet his heart and instincts responded to her touch.

Their family members were waiting in the drawing room for him and Louise to come down, but neither of them thought to pull away first.

His chest kept getting hotter, as if he had truly become Alec.

“Ha, Alec.”

Louise let out a blissful moan and tightly grasped his arm.

Just then, someone knocked on the door loudly.

“Sister! Are you in there?”

They jumped apart as if struck by lightning.

He grabbed the windowsill for support.

The door soon opened, and Eloise alternated glances between him and Louise.

After a brief moment of puzzlement, she spoke in her usual cheerful voice.

“Are you ready? Let’s go.”

“Ah, yes.”

Louise responded with an awkward smile, then turned to him.

“You should come out soon too.”

Once Louise left the room, he silently crumbled.

He bowed his head slightly under the weight of reality and pressed his long fingers to his forehead.

‘What have I done?’

* * *

‘Maybe I should’ve stayed home.’

In the carriage, I pressed a hand to my cheek, which still felt warm.

The lingering sensation of the interrupted kiss still made my heart flutter.

Since yesterday, my chest had been about to burst with how much I adored my husband.

Last night, I returned home with a heart full of excitement.

Not only had I unexpectedly shared a satisfying dance and kiss with him, but my plan to get back at Julia had also succeeded.

To be honest, I wanted to fall asleep beside him that night.

However, he didn’t seem inclined, so I bid him goodnight at my door.

I was willing to change my mind if he had held me back, but he never did.

I almost felt a bit disappointed, but sharing another kiss with him today had lifted my spirits.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Huh?”

Startled, I looked at Eloise sitting across from me.

We were the only ones in the moving carriage.

Alec was driving the carriage, and my mother-in-law stayed at home.

We were on our way to Laura’s Tearoom, a famous spot in Luden.

Given that Alec and I would be the center of social attention now, it was necessary to be seen.

Although Laura’s Tearoom was frequented by wealthy nobles, commoners could also visit if they had the money.

I had invited Eloise to join us, thinking it would feel like a semi-return of the Brent ducal family if she came along.

Eloise narrowed her eyes at me.

She had a knowing look, as if she had figured something out.

“Are you two in love or something?”

“What?”

I gave her a look as if she had said something ridiculous.

“We’ve been married for over three years. What do you mean, in love?”

“Oh, come on.”

Eloise’s eyes narrowed even further.

It wasn’t the expression a fifteen-year-old unmarried lady should be giving a twenty-four-year-old married woman.

Feigning indifference, I looked out the window, scratching my nose a few times.

The neatly lined conifers outside created a picturesque scene.

Eloise continued in her confident tone.

“Something’s different between you two. I have a sharp intuition. I can tell just by looking at people at the ball who likes whom.”

“……”

This time, I narrowed my eyes on Eloise.

I wanted to hear what she based her certainty on.

“What’s so different about us all of a sudden?”

“It’s completely different now. Until now, it felt like you were just living together because you legally became a couple and had no other choice.”

“And now?”

“But now, suddenly, you can’t even make eye contact properly, and you both seem nervous. What happened yesterday?”

“…”

It was an undeniable truth.

I loosened my gaze and bit my lips a few times as if tasting something.

I knew Eloise was quick to catch on, but not to this extent.

Or perhaps we couldn’t hide our feelings very well?

I glanced out the window briefly and then raised one eyebrow, looking at Eloise suspiciously.

“Is it noticeable?”

“Very.”

“…”

Eloise’s response pierced like an icicle falling in midwinter.

Well, she definitely took after her mother, with that sharpness that bordered on being cold.

Eloise made an even stranger face.

“What is it? What did you two do? I don’t really want to know, but it’s weird when people who lived as fake couple for three years suddenly act like this, don’t you think?”

“Other people shouldn’t meddle in a couple’s affairs.”

“Don’t tell me you kissed for the first time in three years?”

“…”

My heart skipped a beat for a moment.

“Or did you see another new side of brother?”

“…”

Phew.

Relieved, I let out a breath I had been holding. I was worried she’d figure out that we had our first real kiss in three years.

I didn’t want to be teased and mocked by Eloise.

“I did see a new side of him.”

“What was it this time?”

“Alec can dance well now.”

“Really?”

There was no point in hiding it.

After all, the other family members knew we attended a masquerade ball yesterday.

But suddenly, something occurred to me, and I looked at Eloise suspiciously, though not unkindly.

“Did you knock on the door on purpose earlier?”

“…”

Eloise smiled awkwardly without answering.

Taking her expression as a confirmation, I looked at her with slightly colder eyes.

Eloise covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.

Despite being older, Alec and I felt like we were lagging behind this fifteen-year-old girl.

In any case, it was true that Eloise had more experience in dealing with the opposite s*x than we did.

“But it’s surprising that my brother danced well. He always used to be so embarrassed by such things.”

“…”

Many surprising things have happened recently.

Although we didn’t discuss it with other family members, we had experienced even more unbelievable events.

Eloise lay back on the sheet and sighed deeply.

“At least you and brother got married before the family fell apart. I can’t even see Harriet now…”

Suddenly, Eloise murmured sadly.

It seemed she was thinking about her broken engagement.

She hadn’t shown it much, but Harriet was someone Eloise had sincerely loved for a long time.

“But don’t you think it’s strange?”

“What is?”

“Brother has changed too much. Honestly, I’m not even sure if he’s the same person. He used to call me ‘Miss Eloise.’ Ugh.”

“…”

So that’s what this is about.

Although we hadn’t openly discussed it, I had thought the family might be feeling uneasy about Alec’s changes.

However, I knew from Alec himself that he had changed and become stronger for unknown reasons.

Taking a light breath, I replied.

“I think Alec might have lost some memories.”

“Memories? Really?”

“Maybe when he came back from the brink of death, he forgot that he used to call you just Eloise. If his memories were damaged, his personality could change too.”

“Really? Hmm.”

Eloise furrowed her brow in thought, then seemed to decide she didn’t want to think about it too much and relaxed her expression.

She turned to me, resting her head on her hand, and looked at me mischievously.

“Sis, what would you do if brother really turned into someone else?”

“Huh?”

“What if he’s not just changed, but someone else is pretending to be brother?”

“Well, why would such a perfect man pretend to be Alec and live with us?”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories