Chapter 58

“…Hmm, it was nothing special. Anyway.”

Lionel did not confess the truth to Clarette and changed the subject.

“I punched that bastard in the face. It was the first time I’d ever hit someone, so I didn’t know when to stop. In the end, the servants found us and rescued Richard.”

Lionel thought that even if Clarette was shocked, there was nothing he could do. But she simply asked with a worried expression,

“What happened between Earl Crowley and you after that?”

“We hardly saw each other after that incident. Even when we did, it was an awkward relationship, treating each other as if we didn’t exist. We only started talking again at the last funeral.”

“Do you think the Earl still hates you, Duke?”

When she asked, Lionel laughed as if it was ridiculous.

“No, of course not. That was more than ten years ago, Clarette. Richard wouldn’t hold onto something like that.”

Was that really true? Clarette silently gazed at the sea. She remembered the argument between the Earl and the Duke she’d overheard in the ducal residence’s tea room.

They had quarreled about debt and business, with Richard criticizing and scolding the Duke’s way of handling matters.

‘But he wasn’t just angry. That man…’

Clarette remembered Richard’s frightening expression when she’d encountered him in the hallway. He had looked gloomy and dangerous, nothing like his usual gentlemanly demeanor.

Had Earl Crowley really forgiven the Duke? Was the Earl truly trustworthy? Clarette’s doubts deepened.

“Clarette.”

At the Duke’s call, she turned her head. He smiled as he looked at Clarette’s face, flushed by the sunset.

“Now tell me about yourself. Were you the same as a child?”

“What am I like now?”

“What do you mean? You live the diligent life of a painter every day. Every morning you tie up that long hair, and except for meals, you’re always painting.”

Clarette thought carefully about the Duke’s words. As a child, she…

“…Yes. I’ve always been the same, even as a child. Even then, my hair was long.”

Lionel gave a short laugh and gazed at Clarette’s long, dark hair.

“Why do you keep growing it, always tying it up so tightly every morning? Isn’t it a hassle to take care of?”

“My mother had long hair. After my father told me that, I just didn’t want to cut it short, so I’ve kept it long.”

“Is there a portrait of your mother?”

“Yes, my father painted one before I was born. You wouldn’t have seen it, Duke. I keep it privately—it’s my most precious painting…”

A gentle smile appeared on Clarette’s face as she spoke of her parents. Lionel imagined the image of a ‘happy family’ he had never experienced.

The first thing that came to his mind was a scene of Clarette and a little girl who resembled her, both smiling. The mother and daughter looked happy, warm, and fulfilled. He didn’t know who the father was.

“What was your mother like, Duke?”

Clarette’s tone was somehow cautious as she asked. She had probably heard from one of the ducal residence’s servants. The mother of the illegitimate Duke Valentin was the previous Duke’s mistress, a commoner, and had died soon after giving birth.

So almost no one ever asked Lionel about his mother first. He felt a fresh sensation as he answered the unfamiliar question.

“My mother was said to be cheerful and very bright. Blonde, blue-eyed, and tall. When I was young, everyone said I looked like her.”

Clarette nodded, recalling the painting she’d found in the annex storeroom.

“I think I understand. She must have been very beautiful.”

“Probably. She passed away so early, I never got to see her.”

Clarette felt a pang at the Duke’s words. She kept thinking about the painting she was hiding—the damaged portrait her father had painted of the Duke’s mother.

Restoring that painting was taking more time than she expected. The damage was severe, and Clarette’s style was quite different from her father’s.

‘I have to take responsibility and restore that painting, no matter what. Otherwise, the Duke will never know his mother’s face…’

“It’s alright.”

Suddenly, the Duke continued, making Clarette flinch. Without noticing her surprise, he murmured while watching the rippling waves,

“My mother is always beautiful in my imagination. That’s enough for me.”

Though the Duke’s tone was relaxed, Clarette felt rather sad. He seemed like someone who had given up and resigned himself long ago, even to the opportunity to miss his mother.

“Duke, if…”

Feeling a heavy sense of responsibility, Clarette spoke up with determination.

“If a portrait of your mother existed in this world…”

She carefully broached the subject, watching the Duke’s reaction. She hoped to see expectation or hope in his blue eyes.

But the Duke, looking at Clarette, shook his head and laughed quietly.

“Clarette, I appreciate your concern, but… it’s a meaningless hypothetical. There’s no way such a thing could exist.”

“Why? Why do you think it’s impossible?”

“Because Lady Valentin was far more cruel, thorough, and ruthless than people imagine.”

Clarette stared at the Duke, speechless. Speaking of Lady Valentin, the previous Duchess, the Duke reminisced with a faint smile.

“Lady Valentin burned every single thing related to my mother as soon as she died. There were even rumors that she scattered the ashes in my cradle while cursing me.”

“Oh my, how could… That’s just evil.”

Clarette was shocked, but Lionel continued calmly.

“She was truly dedicated to blocking my future. She used the incident where I beat Richard to pressure the boarding school. She couldn’t bear the thought of me graduating from a good school and living comfortably.”

“So, you gave up on boarding school and entered the military academy because of her…”

“Yes, she only allowed me one career path: becoming a soldier.”

Lionel let out a self-deprecating laugh. Digging up the long-forgotten past, he realized it was even more of a mess than he remembered.

“Isn’t she clever? When I entered the academy, Lady Valentin was delighted. If I became a soldier, Victor wouldn’t have to go to war, and my death would come sooner.”

“Did you know all her intentions, Duke? Did you go along with it anyway?”

Her question seemed to ask why he hadn’t run away. Lionel gave a bitter smile.

“I knew everything. But I didn’t want to back down. Maybe I wanted to prove something.”

“Prove?”

“Yes.”

Lionel spoke in a low, powerful tone.

“To survive to the end, just to show her I won.”

In the end, he had won. Lady Valentin and her men had all died, and the family and mansion she ruled had finally become Lionel’s.

Lionel didn’t take his eyes off the sun sinking into the sea as he murmured,

“Every time I felt her hatred, I hated her back. Valentin—the name was a shackle I never wanted.”

By the end of his story, the Duke’s smile had turned into a cold sneer. Clarette thought deeply about his story and finally realized,

“So that’s why you were Captain Lionel.”

At her calm voice, the Duke turned toward her. Clarette looked up at him clearly and said,

“You wanted to be called that, didn’t you? Because you didn’t want to be called by the name Valentin.”

“That’s right. Officially, I was Captain Valentin, but since I hated the name, everyone called me by my first name in private.”

With that answer, the two walked along the sunset beach, each lost in thought. The sound of waves repeatedly crashing ashore stirred up more memories.

Lionel tried to forget the unpleasant past as lightly as usual. But somehow, it wasn’t easy today. Besides, he slightly regretted telling Clarette about his past.

Lionel always wanted to show her only his relaxed and strong side. No woman likes a man’s dark and weak side.

He wished he could turn back time and erase what had happened.

“Lionel.”

Suddenly, Clarette’s voice made Lionel stop.