“I’m sorry. I should have been more attentive….”

Acknowledging his mistake, the Grand Duke bowed his head. He had been casting magic every morning and evening to change the color of Lila’s eyes.

Though he could have left the magic in place permanently, the Grand Duke deliberately avoided doing so. He used the excuse of maintaining the spell to spend more time with Lila. He would visit her daily, cast the spell, and then release it.

Despite indulging in such selfish desires, he had failed to collect himself today and had caused Lila inconvenience. Grand Duke Eustace felt disgusted with himself.

“I told you there’s no need to apologize. More importantly…”

Lila looked slightly uneasy as the Grand Duke continued apologizing. She cautiously examined his expression.

“You’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

The Grand Duke’s face was still unnaturally pale. Lila, watching him intently, suddenly reached out her hand. His eyes widened as she gently took his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m… fine.”

After a brief silence, Grand Duke Eustace finally spoke, his voice slow and slightly hoarse—far more so than usual.

“It’s just that… when it rains, well… my body doesn’t feel quite right.”

The Grand Duke stammered—a rare occurrence for him. His cheek, where Lila’s hand rested, burned as if scalded.

“Do you dislike the rain?”

Lila asked, feigning ignorance. She hadn’t intended to press him, but seeing his pale, almost sickly face made it hard to ignore. To Lila, it didn’t seem like Grand Duke Eustace simply disliked the rain; it appeared more like he was haunted by trauma connected to it.

“I suppose you could say that,” he admitted with a faint, bitter smile.

Was it that obvious? He realized there was no hiding it, not after showing such a disheveled state.

“Rain brings back painful memories…”

He murmured softly, gazing at the sound of raindrops tapping against the window. Lila silently observed his unusually dull blue eyes disappear momentarily beneath his eyelids before reappearing.

“It’s nothing,” the Grand Duke added, pulling his head back as if to escape Lila’s hand. In doing so, his monocle, perched over his right eye, caught on her fingers and slipped off.

“Oh.”

“Damn.”

Clicking his tongue softly, Grand Duke Eustace picked up the cumbersome monocle and placed it on the desk. Lila’s gaze followed his movement to the monocle, then back to him.

“I’ve never seen you wearing glasses before.”

At her comment, the Grand Duke’s hand instinctively went to cover his right eye. Lila frowned, sensing he was trying to hide something.

“Why are you covering it?”

“…My right eye isn’t in the best condition.”

After a moment of deliberation, he sighed. There was no point in pretending it was nothing after acting so self-conscious.

“I injured it once. Since then, when I’m tired or the weather’s bad, my vision gets a little blurry.”

If the symptoms lingered even after healing, it meant there had been lasting damage. Lila’s expression darkened immediately. If the injury had left aftereffects, it must have been a serious wound.

“It’s not a problem most of the time.”

Seeing the shadow fall over Lila’s face, Grand Duke Eustace quickly added.

“Let me see.”

“Pardon?”

Lila leaned in with a serious expression, determined to check his condition herself. Remembering how flustered the Grand Duke had been when she touched his face earlier, she chose to rest her hand on the armrest of his chair instead.

“L-Lila?”

Startled by her sudden closeness, the Grand Duke stammered again. Their foreheads nearly touched, and her dark bangs tickled his own forehead.

“How did you get hurt?”

His blue eyes wavered slightly. Trapped between Lila and the chair, Grand Duke Eustace cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Could you… take a step back, please?”

His voice was hesitant, almost pleading. Her boldness had kept his heart racing since earlier. But Lila didn’t budge so easily.

“What part of your right eye was injured?”

Faced with her persistence, the Grand Duke finally gave in, closing his eyes in resignation. As he did, a faint scar running across his right eyelid came into view.

“Here?”

Lila frowned as she spotted the scar etched on his delicate skin. The scar was faint enough to be overlooked from a distance, but it was far from insignificant.

For nobles in the Esteban Empire, scars were a serious blemish. Nobles typically sought treatment from mages or priests to ensure no scars remained.

The fact that Grand Duke Eustace bore such a mark meant he either hadn’t received timely treatment or the wound had been so severe that it left an unavoidable trace.

“This…”

Lila stared at the scar for a long moment before raising her hand. As her fingers gently touched the tender skin, the Grand Duke flinched involuntarily at the warmth of her touch.

“It’s a sword wound.”

Tracing the faint line with her finger, Lila murmured softly. She could feel the delicate, newly formed skin beneath her fingertips.

“How dare they…”

Lila ground her teeth upon seeing the Grand Duke’s scar. A searing anger flared up from deep within her.

“Who could have…”

Just as she was about to ask who had inflicted such a wound, a flash of realization struck her. If it wasn’t due to delayed treatment, there was only one answer. The only thing capable of leaving such a scar on Grand Duke Eustace was…

“A Swordmaster.”

Lila was startled by her own words, but she didn’t doubt her conclusion. Wounds left by a Swordmaster couldn’t be healed by magic or divine power. And Lila knew of one Swordmaster who had a connection to Grand Duke Eustace.

The Empire’s only Swordmaster, Aaron.

Once a promising commander of the Imperial Knights, he suddenly lost his mind one day, killing people indiscriminately in a mad frenzy.

Aaron’s rampage only ended when he was subdued by Grand Duke Eustace’s parents, but not before they paid with their lives. The thought of the horrifying event sent a chill down Lila’s spine.

“I’m sorry… sob… Lady Lila…”

Suddenly, Lila remembered the boy who had sobbed sorrowfully in her dream. His face overlapped with the Grand Duke’s. She also recalled how, when speaking about his parents being targeted by the Emperor, the Grand Duke had absently touched the area near his right eye.

She didn’t know the exact date when the previous Grand Duke and Duchess lost their lives to the Swordmaster, but judging by the timeline, Grand Duke Eustace must have been about the same age as the boy she saw in her dream. The realization hit her like a stone sinking into her chest.

“Your Grace…”

At the sound of her voice, Grand Duke Eustace slowly lifted his eyelids. His dark, wavering eyes met hers.

“You…”

Lila’s lips moved silently. She wanted to ask, but at the same time, she didn’t. The conflicting emotions left her voice trembling. After hesitating in confusion, she forced herself to speak.

“Were you there?”

The Grand Duke’s expression stiffened instantly. When Lila saw his pale lips part and then close again without a word, she realized her suspicion was correct.

“You were there…”

Lila murmured blankly, her voice heavy with both curiosity and dread. She had wanted to know but, at the same time, desperately wished she didn’t.

“…”

The Grand Duke said nothing. Lila couldn’t bring herself to press further. A heavy silence descended between them, broken only by the dreary sound of rain against the windows of the study.

“Must you hear this?”

After a long pause, Grand Duke Eustace finally spoke. His face, devoid of its usual warmth, looked straight at Lila.

“I only want to share lighthearted and joyful stories with you, Lady Lila.”

His sincerity was evident. He cared little for the past. To Grand Duke Eustace, Lila was what mattered most, and he wished to shield her from anything that could cause her pain, especially matters related to his parents.

“I’d prefer to stop talking about this…”

“I had a dream.”

The Grand Duke’s attempt to divert the conversation was interrupted by Lila’s soft words.

“In the dream, a young you was crying.”

“What?”

His blue eyes widened at her unexpected statement. Lila reached out, brushing gently near his eye.

“I think your hatred of the rain, the scar left by the Swordmaster, and my dream are all connected.”

What must the young Grand Duke have felt, watching his parents confront the Swordmaster, ready to give their lives? Just imagining it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“So, I want to hear it.”

Her calloused thumb brushed lightly against the area near his right eye. With a resolute expression, Lila locked eyes with the Grand Duke. Her calm, unwavering black eyes seemed to pierce through him, leaving him momentarily breathless.

“Even if it’s a story that will wound you, Lady Lila?”

The Grand Duke’s voice trembled as he asked, still uncertain.

“I want to know.”