Chapter 125

“Did you hear?”

“That young man…”

“Yes, the one Lord Ernst…”

Noble ladies covered their mouths with fans and whispered among themselves.

I pretended not to listen, but carefully pricked up my ears.

***

This year, the social scene in the capital was never dull.

Duke Crestwell practically blew himself up at the Luces Club Lounge, betting against me.

As a result, the grand theater, long owned by the Crestwell family, fell into my hands, and Oscar was dragged off to jail for trying to drug my drink.

On top of that, the Red Crow suddenly stirred up the capital, and Duke Crestwellgot swept up in it and died mysteriously…

It was indeed a stormy late winter.

It was around this time that the chaotic atmosphere had barely settled.

“I have something to say…”

Ernst, attending a social gathering, hesitantly began to speak.

“Yes, young Marquis Rowissum! What is it you want to say?”

When the handsome Ernst cautiously spoke, noble ladies flocked around him like clouds.

Unaccustomed to such attention, Ernst squeezed his eyes shut and blushed.

I watched my brother’s ordeal from a distance.

Normally, I would have laughed, saying it was amusing, but now was not the time.

“Oh, really. We’re so curious; don’t keep us in suspense like this!”

With people pestering him, Ernst’s eyes were nearly spinning.

Naturally shy, he barely managed to hold back his irritation.

“He’s really trying.”

In a way, it was cute.

He was like a cat about to puff up its tail and hiss.

Surrounded by people, Ernst looked at me with desperate eyes over their heads.

‘Sister, help me!’

I had planned to leave it to Ernst but reluctantly decided to step in.

I stood up and took over Ernst’s words.

“Ernst has brought a strange young man with him.”

“A strange young man?”

All eyes turned to me.

“Yes, he said he picked him up off the street. Although he looked shabby, his possessions indicated he was from a noble family, but they couldn’t figure out which family he belonged to.”

“My goodness.”

There was a brief silence of surprise.

“What kind of young man is he?”

“What does he look like?”

“Maybe he’s an illegitimate child of some provincial noble.”

“Oh, really. That’s quite a plausible story.”

People chattered, letting their imaginations run wild.

Ernst, barely escaping the center of attention, stumbled to a quiet corner and let out a big sigh.

I cast a sympathetic glance at Ernst before walking among the people, lightly tapping my lips with my fan.

“The Rowissum family has an extensive network, but they couldn’t find out which family this young man came from. So, I suggested something to Ernst.”

Now everyone was focused on my story.

I smiled brightly and nodded.

“I said, why not introduce him to the capital’s social scene? That way, we might find out where he comes from.”

Naturally, people were intensely interested in the young man Ernst had brought with him.

A noble’s man losing his memory and wandering the streets, only to be helped by another noble’s son, was quite an appealing story.

“That’s right! The families of those who are missing must be worried sick about him. It’s only right to let as many people know as possible, so he can be found quickly.”

Of course, no one had heard of any noble son going missing in the Kingdom of Arlo.

However, that only made the story of the ‘mysterious young man’ even more fascinating.

Everyone seemed to settle on the idea that the young man Ernst had picked up was the illegitimate child of some high-ranking noble.

Gossip about illegitimate children always piqued people’s interest.

It’s time to seal the deal.

“Then, shall we bring that young man to Baroness Valencia’s tea party tomorrow? Will you all treat him as an official guest?”

“Of course!”

The chorus of agreement was unanimous.

Their eyes sparkled with curiosity.

—

The next day, at Baroness Valencia’s tea party.

Having arrived first, I was anxiously waiting for Ernst to arrive.

Roche… No, today is the day Ludwig first shows his face to the Arlo Kingdom’s social scene.

…The name “Ludwig” really does evoke strange feelings.

I shouldn’t have grown so fond of him, thinking he was cute and lovable.

I always knew he couldn’t remain “my Roche” forever…

I sat quietly, staring blankly at the entrance to the tea party hall.

People were also glancing at the entrance from the corners of their eyes, pretending not to be interested.

How much time had passed?

“The young Marquis of Rowissum and his companion have arrived.”

‘He’s here.’

Now people’s gazes openly display their curiosity.

Ernst entered first.

His expression was stiff with nerves.

After a brief scan of the room, he stepped aside.

And behind him, Ludwig appeared.

‘Gasp…’

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

The room fell silent.

Everyone stared at Ludwig, mouths agape, unable to say a word.

The first thing that caught the eye was his golden hair.

Honey blonde that absorbed the chandelier’s light with a mysterious sheen.

As one lost themselves in the waves of gold cascading over his white forehead, they were captivated by his beautifully curved eyebrows, like the bow of the sun god, and long eyelashes.

And below them, those mesmerizing violet eyes.

Ludwig smiled faintly at the crowd.

With that one smile, he instantly charmed everyone present.

—

Ludwig’s entrance had gone exactly as I had coached him a few days ago.

“Do you understand? You are a young man of mysterious origins with amnesia. To captivate people and become the hot topic, you need to behave accordingly.”

Ludwig had nodded readily at my words.

I tried not to let my complicated feelings distract me.

I made sure to always address him as ‘Ludwig the Duke’ and used formal language.

“If a ‘character’ has an amnesia element…”

“Yes.”

“It usually evokes a sense of mystery.”

And also melancholy.

But I couldn’t bring myself to mention ‘melancholy’.

Remembering how ‘Roche’ had looked when I first found him, teary-eyed, I couldn’t bear to say it.

That would be something I kept for myself.

So I devised this strategy for Ludwig.

“Don’t speak much, but act with a composed demeanor. That way, rumors about your ‘nobility’ will spread.”

“How long do you think it will take to reach my uncle?”

“Quite quickly, I believe. Because your violet eyes are rare, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are.”

At that moment, Ludwig had smiled at me so sweetly.

“And my appearance… isn’t exactly common either, is it?”

I had paused, not knowing what to say.

But Ludwig, resting his chin in his hand, blinked at me expectantly, urging for a response.

Reluctantly, I sighed and replied.

“Yes, you are quite exceptional.”

I tried to maintain an objective and businesslike tone as we were discussing strategy.

But Roche had beamed at my words, as if they delighted him immensely.

…Ah, I unconsciously thought of him as ‘Roche’ again.

—

In any case, he was faithfully following my plan.

Smile lightly upon entering.

‘Don’t speak to anyone hastily, and wait for Ernst to introduce you to the others.’

And when responding to questions, if a difficult topic arose, frown slightly and say, “I don’t remember,” to avoid the subject.

The plan was so effective that people kept glancing at Ludwig whenever they found an opportunity.

He had become the primary focus of attention.

For some reason, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I gulped down my tea as if it were alcohol.

I couldn’t help but be drawn to him as well.

After all, ‘Roche’ and I were… sort of like lovers.

…How could I not be affected?

I didn’t know what ‘Ludwig’ would be like now that he had regained his memories, and it was confusing me…

Grasping the handle of my empty cup, I followed Ludwig’s movements with my eyes.

I told myself I was just checking to see if he was doing well.

But at that moment, Ludwig happened to look directly at me.

Startled, I almost looked away.

But I quickly remembered that doing so would seem suspicious, so I forced a polite smile.

It was as if I was saying, “Our eyes just happened to meet. It’s really a coincidence.”

I expected Ludwig to smile faintly back and then return his attention to whoever he had been speaking to.

But that expectation was completely off.

Ludwig, upon seeing me, smiled broadly like a sunflower.

The people around him were so surprised that they began to look back and forth between me and Ludwig.