Chapter 4.1

Adrian stayed in the most luxurious guest room on the third floor of Hazel’s mansion. Thanks to the large, antique lattice-patterned windows, this room was always well-lit, and Adrian had often used it in the past. It was a spacious and pleasant room, beautifully decorated with ceiling reliefs and light blue wallpaper gilded with gold. However, the fact that the room owner’s face resembled a sky before a storm was quite contradictory, Lucas Rommel secretly thought.

In his view, his superior’s mood was close to the worst. Lucas was an officer who knew very well that he should never provoke a superior as sensitive as a wild deer. Therefore, he carefully placed the brief letter he was reviewing on the desk.

“I have double-checked that there is nothing wrong with the letter Miss Hazel sent, Marquis.”

“You’re stating the obvious quite grandly.”

The reply was as sharp as a midwinter blast. Even though both knew that this verification process was a routine procedure unavoidable for any agent of the Information Bureau, his superior seemed displeased that his friend’s letter was thoroughly scrutinized by a colleague’s hand.

Of course, it wasn’t a new occurrence, so Lucas had reached a level of acceptance. Betrayal, treachery, or collusion… In any case, due to all situations requiring mutual surveillance, the agents of the Information Bureau generally operated in pairs.

It had been about three years since he was assigned to the Information Bureau right after commissioning and served under Adrian. Censoring letters was as natural as breathing, so it wasn’t the first time Lucas read a letter from Theodora Hazel today.

“Did you teach the cryptography, Marquis? It seemed a bit sloppy.”

“…It was created by ten-year-olds, so it’s naturally like that.”

Both the mood of his unusually gloomy superior and Miss Theodora’s letter were quite different from usual today. The letter, filled with neatly written numbers instead of ordinary text, was composed of a very basic cipher.

Indeed, after hearing the explanation, it was a simple rule that children might use. Initially tense, wondering if the eldest daughter of Hazel’s was somehow involved with the criminals recently rampant in the south, Lucas soon felt deflated.

The odds of Adrian, who was practically the Duke’s brother, being lured into a needless crime by a childhood friend were low, so the suspicion that it was some kind of romantic play was only further confused by his superior’s insistence that they were not lovers.

Again, based on the letters so far, if those two were friends, then he had no friends.

“So, should I assume you’ll be absent this evening? The content suggests your friend requested a meeting.”

Rolling his eyes to gauge Adrian’s cold demeanor, Lucas asked. Given the nature of their mission, his superior often had to feign a smile, but Adrian’s expressionless state exuded a particularly fierce atmosphere.

He had heard rumors that the Duke Bachelet was even colder and more intimidating, and briefly wondered what kind of life his subordinates led.

“I warned him to keep his mouth shut, but that fool can’t even keep his lips sealed…”

Feeling extremely uncomfortable with his superior’s ominous muttering, Lucas wanted to leave the room as soon as possible. Fortunately, his wish was soon granted.

“You may go. Tonight’s patrol starts around midnight.”

“Yes, Marquis. I’ll see you at midnight then.”

Without hesitation, Lucas saluted and hurriedly left the room.

Even as his deputy, who had been cautiously watching him, closed the door and left, Adrian didn’t turn around. His gaze was fixed on Hazel’s garden visible beyond the window, as if there were answers there.

Of course, his mind was wandering much farther. More precisely, the conversation he last had with Theodora three days ago was constantly replaying in his mind.

‘If there are secrets you haven’t told me all this time, I’d like you to tell me now.’

Adrian ultimately couldn’t answer her last question. Partly because he was at a loss for words at the unexpected question, but also because someone had come to find them.

‘Theodora, what are you doing here? It’s been a while since I said everyone should come back… Oh my, the Marquis is here too?’

Thanks to the Countess Hazel suddenly barging onto the terrace, the conversation was forcibly interrupted, and a few days passed without seeing Theodora.

And this morning, receiving a brief letter through a maid, Adrian had to smile wryly. Because he felt Theodora’s kindness in calming him with the simple act of using the cipher they had created as children.

The letter’s content was merely to meet briefly in the early evening away from others’ eyes. Probably to continue the interrupted conversation. Adrian felt stifled again at that point.

Secrets… What secrets could she be referring to? 

If he were to count them, there were so many secrets he kept from Theodora that he couldn’t even guess which one she wanted to know. Perhaps, since the curiosity began after she spoke with Viscount Langham, she might want to delve further into the facts about the suitors he secretly filtered out.

If not, could she have somehow realized that he was an agent of the Information Bureau? But how? That was nearly impossible. Moreover, if it was related to his work, he couldn’t reveal the truth to Theodora, no matter how much he wanted to. Not only because of confidentiality clauses but also because knowing could put her in danger.

Or perhaps, did she hear something about that incident…

Adrian, assuming the worst-case scenario with an extremely sensitive mind, soon stopped his conjectures. The likelihood that Viscount Langham had discovered and conveyed to Theodora an incident known only to a very few within the ducal residence and completely unknown in social circles was nearly zero.

The more he reviewed various hypotheses and possibilities in his mind, the more Adrian’s confusion and anxiety grew. It was a feeling similar to fear. The fear that perhaps this incident would change his relationship with Theodora completely.

That fear was a familiar yet never adaptable emotion. If there was one thing Adrian feared most in this world, it was the complete end of his relationship with Theodora.

‘It’ll be okay. Theodora will eventually forgive me.’

Even as he reassured himself, there was a part of his heart that remained uncertain. Theodora had never once been angry with him until now. But that night three days ago, her expression was close to one suppressing anger.

Her calm voice interrogating the details was very much Theodora’s way of expressing anger. If he could, Adrian wanted to kneel before her and confess everything.

About emotions too obsessive to be mere friendship and the fate of bringing misfortune to others. Yet paradoxically, the fear of losing Theodora made him step back again.

If she was angry, he could apologize, and if there was a misunderstanding, he could clear it up. But the parts he couldn’t reveal had to remain hidden behind the curtain.

If upset, apologize; if there’s a misunderstanding, resolve it. However, the parts that couldn’t be revealed had to remain behind the curtain. What he could offer was only the truth, crafted just enough to present to her. His hidden desires would remain buried as always. This included the intense jealousy he felt towards the men around her.

* * *

At Eloise’s debut ball, Adrian wanted to play the role of Eloise’s partner well. It was a rare request from Theodora. Until the first dance, there was no problem. That was until he saw Theodora in the arms of a strange man among the crowd.

‘Are you alright, Marquis?’ 

Eloise asked, noticing his visibly stiff expression, but her voice barely reached his ears. Adrian couldn’t take his eyes off the man’s arm around Theodora’s waist and instead asked, 

‘Do you know who that man is, Miss Eloise?’

‘Oh, are you talking about the gentleman with my sister? He’s Mr. White, a lawyer. I heard she invited him as her partner for the ball today.’

The man seemed to be someone she was familiar with, not someone she met for the first time today. Realizing this, Adrian felt extremely displeased. It was similar to the feeling he had when he first realized that Theodora had to enter the marriage market at eighteen.

…He thought he knew all the guys hovering around, so why did he miss this one? It was clear that he wasn’t even considered a target of caution because he wasn’t a noble.

‘He doesn’t have a title, but he’s a remarkable person. Actually, I’ve always thought those two suit each other quite well. What do you think, Marquis?’

Adrian shortly replied to Eloise’s seemingly amused question, 

‘I don’t know.’

The blunt tone that came out unconsciously was just like his brother’s, making him feel even more unpleasant.

Yes, he understood. Theodora was a mature lady at twenty-three and could link arms or dance with anyone she wanted. He acknowledged and accepted in his own way that she would have to become someone’s wife someday and needed a husband.

So he thought it was fine. Mentally, it was a settled issue, and he even boasted that he would personally choose a husband for Theodora.

…Why did he feel so filthy about it?