Chapter 14

A problem that had made Elisa rack her brains until her head throbbed was solved far too easily by Derek. Rather than envying that point, she only felt empty. She also felt hurt. It was not Derek she felt hurt by, but her mother.

They disliked Noah for being a bastard with rootless blood in his veins, yet they doted on Derek, who had been born an illegitimate child in the Grenville family.

Of course, their circumstances were not the same. Noah Leslie had been born in defiance of his family’s opposition, whereas Derek Grenville had been welcomed when he came into the world.

Lady Grenville, who was Derek’s mother on the family registry, had been unable to bear a child even after five years of marriage.

One of the most important roles of a lady of the house was to bear an heir. After much agonizing over her inability to do so, Lady Grenville brought in a woman who would bear an heir in her place.

The child born that way was Derek Grenville.

However, Lady Grenville later gave birth to a son of her own, which made Derek’s standing ambiguous. In such cases, a child was usually sent away for adoption to distant relatives or sent abroad to study, but Lady Grenville did neither. She continued to treat Derek as though he were her own son.

As though repaying that heart, Derek willingly yielded the position of heir to his younger brother. That was also the reason he managed a branch rather than the headquarters of the merchant company.

The more one thought about it, the more Noah and Derek truly had nothing in common besides both being illegitimate children. Even that stain Derek covered with his outstanding ability. His warm personality and easy sociability, which allowed him to grow close to anyone quickly, were also great strengths.

It was probably because of that that her parents, who were obsessively strict about bloodlines, were fond of Derek.

“……Elisa?”

Lost in her thoughts, Elisa startled and stepped back when a large hand touched her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you……”

Derek gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of his neck. Elisa stared blankly at him as though she had forgotten how to blink, then soon shook her head.

“No. I was the one at fault for being lost in other thoughts while someone was right beside me.”

“Then let’s say we’re both sorry to each other.”

As if trying to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere, Derek spoke in a joking tone. Elisa understood his intention, but instead, his behavior like this only made her more uncomfortable. Of course, she did not show it outwardly and merely answered with a smile.

A little later, when they arrived at Noah’s room, Derek knocked himself. The nursemaid who was with the child said they could come in, but he asked Noah one more time before entering.

“Noah, are you hungry? Let’s go eat dinner.”

Even when speaking to Noah, he knelt on one knee so that he could meet the child’s eye level. His expression and tone were as soft as cotton candy.

Thanks to that, Noah quickly let down his guard and obediently took his hand. Then, only afterward noticing Elisa standing behind him, Noah held out his other hand.

She knew it meant he wanted her to hold it. But if she took that hand and walked side by side with Derek, it would look as though they were a married couple, and Elisa did not like that thought.

When she, who normally would have taken his hand right away, hesitated, a flicker of confusion and hurt passed through the child’s eyes. As the chubby fingers that had been stretched toward her began to curl back, Elisa hurriedly took his hand.

At once, the child smiled brightly as though nothing had happened. Looking at those shining ash-gray eyes, all her worries and sorrows vanished like a lie, and Elisa smiled sincerely as well.

* * *

The warm and lively atmosphere from the drawing room carried on into dinner. Once again, only Countess Leslie and Derek Grenville exchanged conversation, while Elisa hardly took part at all.

Part of it was because she did not want to join the conversation, but it was also because she was busy taking care of Noah. Whenever Elisa cut the meat into bite-sized pieces for him, the child diligently chewed with his little mouth.

“Oh, come to think of it, since you attended the victory banquet as well, then you must have seen the famous K in person.”

Elisa, who had been looking at that sight with quiet affection, suddenly stiffened at the word that lodged in her ear. Of all things, because the child so closely resembled his father, Ethan’s image rose vividly in her mind.

“Yes. I saw him.”

For the first time since Derek had come to the mansion, Elisa listened attentively to their conversation.

“I even had tea with him a few days ago.”

“My. Have you already become close with the famous K?”

“Not exactly. I proposed that we go into business together. It’s still in the stage of consideration, but Baron Estevan seems pleased as well.”

“My goodness. To already be thinking of something like that.”

The Countess smiled with satisfaction.

“There truly was a reason my husband kept saying until his mouth went dry that he wanted to leave the family business in your hands as soon as possible.”

“Not at all. The Earl simply thinks well of me.”

“How modest.”

Unlike the warm atmosphere, Elisa’s heart pounded as though it might break through her ribs at any moment. She drank water repeatedly, but her thirst did not lessen in the slightest.

The only reason she was barely able to keep control of her expression was that her mother had not realized that ‘the famous K’ was that Ethan.

Then again, who could possibly imagine that Ethan, the son of a nursemaid and a servant, and Ethan Estevan, the hero who saved a Prince’s life and rescued the allied nations in their time of crisis, were one and the same person.

Even Elisa, who had met Ethan in person, had doubted for a long time whether what she had seen and heard was really true.

“I really wanted to see for myself what kind of man the war hero who saved the allied nations in their time of crisis was, so it’s such a pity I couldn’t.”

The Countess muttered in a tone of complaint. Come to think of it, she had long been interested in the famous K. Remembering that, Elisa felt sincere relief that her mother had not been able to attend the victory banquet.

“If you regret it that much, how about inviting Baron Estevan to the Earldom?”

It was like a bolt of lightning striking from a clear sky. Elisa’s face, no longer able to maintain its composure, turned pale in an instant. She clutched her fork so tightly that the joints of her fingers stood out, suppressing the urge to cry out that it was impossible.

“I would like to, but I have no justification. It’s not as though we have any personal connection.”

Relief lasted only a moment at her mother’s answer, before Derek spoke meaningfully.

“We may not have justification or connection, but it seems there is interest.”

At that, Elisa turned her head so sharply it almost made a sound.

Don’t say it. I don’t know what you’re about to say, but please, don’t say anything.

When she looked at him with that desperate wish, Derek, perhaps sensing her gaze, turned to her. The moment their eyes met, he smiled, folding his eyes beautifully like crescent moons, as though telling her not to worry.

“At the banquet, Baron Estevan asked Elisa for a dance. But Elisa rejected him coldly, and everyone was astonished. I was as well.”

I thought my feelings had gotten through, but I was mistaken. In the end, the very thing she had feared was spoken aloud, and Elisa squeezed her eyes shut.

“My goodness. Is that really true?”

Her mother’s highly excited voice lodged in her ear. Even with her eyes closed, Elisa felt as though she knew exactly what expression her mother was looking at her with. That was all the more reason she did not want to open her eyes.

“Elisa, did you really reject Baron Estevan’s invitation to dance?”

Pressed by her mother’s urging, Elisa had no choice but to open her eyes and give a small nod.

“I’d heard the rumor already that Baron Estevan had shown interest in a certain young lady at the banquet, but to think it was about you!”

Good heavens. The Countess’s eyes sparkled as though stars had been set in them as she exclaimed again and again. Meanwhile, the light gradually faded from Elisa’s own eyes.

She wished it would stop now, but the Countess, having no way of knowing her daughter’s feelings, went on and on about Ethan Estevan, the famous K who was the greatest topic in society.

The meal, already uncomfortable, became even more so. If she used Noah, who had finished eating, as an excuse, she could leave this place, but Elisa could not bring herself to do so because she was worried about what the two of them might say if left alone.

And in proportion to the size of that worry, she resented Derek for saying such needless things.

Could it be that he already knows what kind of relationship Ethan and I had in the past, and is doing this on purpose?

At the thought that suddenly rose, Elisa bit her lower lip hard. The words of the information guild woman—that Derek Grenville had asked for Ethan’s background to be investigated—echoed in her ears. She also remembered the moment she had run into Ethan by chance in front of Derek’s merchant company.

If that had not been a coincidence, if he knew every secret and had deliberately set a trap to test the reactions between Ethan and me……

Just thinking about it made her dizzy. Even so, the reason she kept staring fixedly at Derek as he spoke so pleasantly with her mother was because she desperately hoped that was not the case.

Of course, she knew there was no such thing as an eternal secret in this world. And with Ethan having returned, it was only a matter of time before it came to light.

Even so, Elisa wanted to hide her relationship with him. For as long as possible. For a very long time.