“…Young Lord, are you okay? Are you still feeling unwell?”
As I found myself in deep trouble, Aria looked at me with concern, wondering if I was still under the impression that I was sick.
“…No, I’m fine, Aria.”
I replied and stared blankly at Aria, who stood straight behind me. Her overall appearance had not changed much from usual. Of course, she seemed to have grown about a hand taller since I last saw her and had matured in some ways, but other than that, she remained the same as before. Her speech, demeanor, and the expression she wore were all just as I remembered.
…If that was the case, then who on earth was the Aria I had encountered before losing consciousness? The one with a distinctly different aura, who had whispered “thank you” to me so earnestly—
“…..”
My thoughts became tangled. Was the Aria standing before me truly the gentle maid of House Estel, the exclusive mage, and the disciple of old Carol? Or was she merely pretending to be the Aria I knew?
What troubled me even more was that I lacked the ability to discern the truth. No matter which possibility was real, I couldn’t interrogate Aria. She was no longer the frail, incompetent girl who had once trembled before me after losing all her memories. Though she had been narrowly defeated by Bianca, she had become a formidable mage, capable of turning entire landmarks to ashes in battle.
In the end, all I could do in this moment was treat her as I always had. There was nothing else I could do but sigh at the absurdity of it all.
How had my life come to this?
What a tedious existence, becoming a young duke and constantly having to be mindful of the women around me.
I let out a small sigh and stepped out with Aria to the parlor. Unfortunately, someone was already there, and even more unfortunate was the fact that it was someone I had no desire to see.
“Why are you lounging around here, Lucian? It’s still broad daylight—are you slacking off already?”
“…So you’re finally awake? Cain von Estel. And for the record, I am here as a guest of House Estel. I believe I’ve told you multiple times that I am not a vassal of your family.”
The man who looked at me with a displeased frown, as if I had somehow offended him, was none other than Lucian von Tournigen—the heir to the Duke of Tournigen and a man who had once suffered a humiliating defeat at my hands in the capital.
“…If I recall correctly, I don’t believe I was ever beaten one-sidedly by you.”
“You’re still making excuses like a sore loser.”
I dismissed his words without a second thought and took a seat across from him. However, something was off about Lucian’s reaction. Normally, he would have snapped back at me with irritation, but today, he appeared unusually cautious.
“What? What’s with that face? Why are you grumbling to yourself?”
At my question, Lucian furrowed his brows and whispered to me in an uncharacteristically wary tone.
“The Princess is currently staying here. For the sake of the family’s honor, shouldn’t we refrain from acting recklessly in front of her?”
“…..”
I briefly considered how amusing Lucian’s reaction would be if he knew that the very princess he revered was the one acting recklessly in my room. But that wasn’t important right now.
“Hmm, Lucian. Can you spare me a moment? I think we need to talk.”
“…Can’t we discuss it here? Where exactly are you trying to go?”
I merely shrugged in response to his doubtful gaze.
“Let’s go see my father.”
There were some matters I couldn’t decide on my own.
****
“…Hmm, so you’ve finally woken up? Well, Ariel was right. She said you would probably regain consciousness soon.”
My father, whom I was seeing for the first time in two months, barely reacted despite hearing the significant news that his only son had awakened. His expression remained as sour as ever.
“Why are you acting so indifferent?”
I hadn’t expected an emotional reunion, but I still felt somewhat disappointed.
“Well, I’ve been staring at your unconscious face for quite some time. Do you know that I personally came to see you this morning, only to find that my son didn’t even bother to greet me?”
Clicking his tongue, my father examined my face with a serious expression.
“By the way, I heard everything from Bianca. Is it true that you made a heartfelt confession to her, saying you’d stay by her side for the rest of your life?”
“…..”
I suddenly realized how mortifying it was to hear my confession repeated by someone else. However, there was no point in denying it now.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and nodded.
“…Yes, it’s true.”
Regardless of the circumstances, I had declared my love for Bianca. Taking responsibility for her was the natural course of action. A man could not simply abandon the woman he had once held in his arms.
However, my father regarded me with a strange expression, his tone shifting slightly.
“Hmm, but I wonder… Even if that’s how it is with Bianca, what about the Princess and that woman, Ariel?”
“…Why are the Princess and Ariel’s names being mentioned here?”
“Well, the servants said that you seem to share quite a deep relationship with them. Even His Majesty hinted at something semi-official between you and the Princess. Is there any truth to that?”
“…..”
For the first time in my life, I found myself utterly dumbfounded.
“From Bianca, to the Princess, to our poor Aria, and even Ariel—the reputed candidate for sainthood. Hah, I never imagined my son would be so capable. If you have any more women hidden away, now’s the time to speak up. Even if you secretly married an elf a hundred years ago, I’ll try to understand.”
“…Why are elves even being brought into this?”
In the first place, elves had far too much pride to take interest in inferior humans.
“Well, it’s just a saying. In any case, if you have another hidden woman somewhere, confess now. Don’t even think about making her your concubine in secret.”
“…..”
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