Chapter 42

On the way back from the County mansion, Daphne rode in silence, guiding her horse without a word. Her gaze remained fixed downward at the horse’s head, her lips pressed tightly together, her face rigid and tense.

Ryan, quietly riding alongside, glanced at her expression from time to time.

“Did something happen at the mansion?”

Unable to bear the continued silence, Ryan finally asked softly.

“Your expression, and this quietness… it’s not like you at all.”

“……”

“Miss Sinclair?”

When Daphne didn’t respond and kept riding, Ryan gently reached for her elbow. At that moment, she flinched, turning sharply to stare at him.

Her eyes were wide, lips parted. She seemed truly startled by his touch.

Surprised by her unexpected reaction, Ryan quickly withdrew his hand.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“N-no… it’s fine. I just wasn’t paying attention…”

Daphne murmured, calming her startled heart.

“Sorry. What did you say?”

“It’s nothing. I just thought you seemed different than usual, so I wondered if something happened.”

“Oh… I see.”

Daphne let out a small sigh at Ryan’s answer.

“I saw my uncle at the mansion. Maybe that’s why.”

“Your uncle… you mean Count Sinclair.”

Ryan’s voice dropped half a tone.

“Did he say something unpleasant to you?”

“I told you before. My relationship with my uncle isn’t very good.”

Daphne sighed again, letting her thoughts spill out.

“So I always hear more bad things than good from him. If things were ever cheerful, it would probably seem strange.”

“May I ask what you talked about?”

“Well…”

Daphne hesitated, about to answer Ryan’s question.

What should she say?

For a moment, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

That she was being blackmailed by her uncle, who held her weakness?

That she had to be sold off to a wealthy man to save her sick sister?

Her lips, barely parted, slowly closed.

She knew that Ryan, with his earnest and thoughtful nature, would keep her secret. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

Why was that?

Daphne’s expression darkened.

With anyone else, she might have shared the truth. But with Ryan, she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to see his eyes clouded with pity or sympathy.

Normally, she wouldn’t have minded revealing such things.

“We just discussed various trivial matters.”

In the end, Daphne opted for a vague answer.

“We talked about how Lily’s condition has worsened, so I’ll have to stay at the mansion longer than planned.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Ryan looked troubled, knowing how much Daphne wanted Lily to come home.

“Instead, why not take her to a physician in a big city? If you go to the capital, there might be better treatments for her.”

“It would be nice, but it’s impossible.”

Daphne shook her head with a bitter smile at Ryan’s suggestion.

“Ryan, Lily is very weak. Even just making the journey to the capital would be a challenge, and a long trip could cause problems later. I can’t take such a huge risk for a possibility that isn’t certain.”

She lowered her gaze.

“When Lily is healthier, and I’m sure she can handle a long journey, then I’ll consider taking her to a big city. But not now.”

“She’ll get better soon.”

Ryan listened and quietly encouraged her.

“It’s probably just the sudden change of seasons that made her symptoms worse. Once she adapts, I’m sure things will settle down.”

“…Yes. You’re right.”

Daphne lifted her chin and looked up at the sky.

The endless blue sky, boundless and unrestricted by any border.

“It’ll be alright.”

The wind brushing her cheek felt somehow rough.

* * *

Ryan leaned against the wall, quietly watching Daphne.

She had sat down, saying she would embroider a handkerchief, but her hands had barely moved. She just sat there, like a stone, staring blankly at the fireplace. The handkerchief on her lap had barely been started.

Daphne had said nothing happened at the mansion, but Ryan didn’t believe her. Since returning, she had spent long stretches just sitting vacantly, sighing deeply as she gazed out the window with a gloomy face. He’d already seen her pacing her room with a troubled look several times.

At first, he thought it was because of Lily’s condition. But as time passed, Ryan felt more and more that his initial assumption was wrong.

What if it wasn’t Lily, but Baldwin causing her distress?

When Daphne mentioned meeting Baldwin, her expression had been unmistakably grim.

Had she been insulted by him? Or perhaps threatened?

Ryan’s mind spun with possibilities. Remembering how small Daphne had seemed before Baldwin’s overbearing presence, it wasn’t hard to imagine.

He had approached her many times, asking if she was alright, offering to help if there was anything he could do. But every time, Daphne drew a line. With an awkward smile, she would brush it off, saying it was nothing.

Ryan understood why she was so cautious.

Even if he was her bodyguard, he was still basically a stranger. It was only natural for her to keep some things secret, to maintain some distance.

He didn’t have to look far—he himself was hiding many secrets from her.

For a discerning, wise woman, her behavior was perfectly reasonable.

But—

Ryan’s expression darkened.

He understood in his head, but still felt a pang of disappointment in his heart.

That she had to draw such a line with him.

That he had no right to demand more of an answer.

It felt as if someone had forcibly stripped away his right to her—something that should have been his.

A surge of anger, without a target, welled up.

He hadn’t realized, until now, just how obsessed he was with Daphne Sinclair.

If he revealed everything to her right now—

Ryan wondered.

From his true identity, to why he had come here, whether intentionally or not—all the secrets he’d kept from her.

If he did—

He clenched his arms tighter.

Was there really no chance for them to be together officially?

Ryan’s throat moved.

For the first time, he pictured a future with someone.

He had always thought he’d be alone. That even if he married someday, it would be for show, just a formality.

He imagined Daphne standing beside him at the ducal residence, as if she belonged there.

Her enthusiasm for small things, her laughter at trivial joys.

She, who brightened his dull, tedious life like sunlight.

“……”

The thought made him feel strange. Logically, it seemed impossible, yet he didn’t dislike it.

Despite his calm appearance, his heart felt like a ship in a storm.

If he married Daphne, Ryan knew he would lose much.

The vast gap between their families would tarnish the McClift Duchy’s reputation, and he’d lose a golden opportunity to ally with the royal family.

To give up the most noble woman in Westro for the niece of a country noble, who was the subject of bad rumors in society.

People would say he was mad. After living such a perfect life, he must have lost his mind. Worse, it would be as if he’d betrayed his precious daughter, and he’d be cast out by the King.

Daphne Sinclair.

Was she really worth all that?

Ryan’s eyes lingered on Daphne.

Her reddish-brown hair draped over her shoulder, flawless pale skin, and clear green eyes reminiscent of a forest.

Even in a plain dress without a single ornament, she was beautiful.

She had engraved something deeper than material beauty into his heart.

If only he could keep her under his protection.