“Evangeline, you will raise this child yourself. Not as a Duchess, but as a personal request from me.”
“How have you been, Rex?”
“Bruu!”
Evangeline’s gentle smile brought warmth to the child’s eyes for the first time.
Rex had followed her since birth, the sole survivor after his mother and siblings had died immediately after delivering him. Without Evangeline, he would refuse to eat, whining pitifully and clinging to her like a shadow.
“It’s disgraceful for a noble of the North to be such a picky eater.”
“Bruu!”
“You too.”
Evangeline spread her fingers and combed through Rex’s silver fur with careful hands. The tenderness in her touch was even more heartbreaking than the way she had looked at the wilting rose earlier. Reaching into the snack basket beside her, she froze mid-motion and glanced toward the greenhouse entrance.
It was Decarno—the only person whose presence didn’t make Rex bristle and bark.
“There you are. You weren’t at your desk, so I came in without permission.”
“It’s fine.”
Even now, his unfailing politeness made her lips tighten.
There were dozens of questions she wanted to hurl at him, but first, she had to report.
“All the guests returned safely. No one seemed to suspect a thing. I stayed to see them off myself.”
“…I see.”
Though she gave him the very answer he wanted even before he asked, his response remained indifferent. Unable to endure it anymore, Evangeline stood and walked toward him.
“What happened? Did you find anything out about the merchant fleet?”
“I’m still investigating.”
“Ah…”
A predictable answer.
Even though it had already been some time since the incident, there were limits to human patience. Her face, now dulled by disappointment, turned even gloomier.
“I might not be able to reach Lehman, but I want to go to the coastal waters nearby. If I leave early in the morning, I might—”
“What would you do when you get there?”
“Your Grace.”
“There’s nothing you can do. It’ll only attract unnecessary attention.”
“……”
His words weren’t unkind, but they were cold. When her hand brushed his exposed arm, she felt how cold his skin was. The Duke took off his coat and moved toward her as if to drape it over her shoulders, but she quickly stepped back and shook her head.
A coat wouldn’t bring her warmth now.
“All the ships sank. Don’t I deserve to know what happened?”
“There’s no reason for you to go and find out.”
“My father!”
“……”
“I’m his only child. Don’t I at least deserve to know?”
Her voice rose for the first time. The Duke lifted his brow, but that was all. Holding the coat over one arm, Decarno looked straight at her.
“So, what—you’ll swim out into the sea to save the Count?”
“How could you say that!”
“He hasn’t returned yet.”
“……”
“Nothing has been confirmed.”
His voice cut through the storm in her crimson eyes, calm and rational.
“If you move recklessly now, things could spiral out of control. If the Count is alive somewhere, then staying silent is the safest course—for you and for him.”
“But… what if something has happened?”
“Then what about the business?”
The chill in Decarno’s gaze deepened.
The upper echelon wasn’t a place ruled solely by wealth. One rumor, one shift in public sentiment, could crush even the most sound enterprise. Though the Ohara Merchant House was a behemoth, its base of operations within the Belice Empire remained surprisingly fragile.
“If either the owner or the fortune were lost, recovery might still be possible. But both… gone? If talk starts to spread now, even if the Count returns, the damage may be irreversible.”
“……”
“I’ll inform you the moment we hear anything. Until then, it’s best that you remain here—quiet.”
Though it sounded like a recommendation, it was unmistakably an order. If she hadn’t understood how delicate the merchant world was, she might have argued. But she knew—too well—and had no choice but to bite her tongue.
“……”
Evangeline clenched her teeth until they ached, then looked up at him carefully. Decarno, who had just pulled a cigar from his coat pocket, froze under her gaze and snapped it in two with his fingers.
“What? Am I wrong?”
“No… You’re right.”
She gave a faint smile, startled at herself for even managing one in this moment.
“You’ve been right from beginning to end. How could anything you say be foolish?”
“Then why?”
“…Because I’m scared.”
“……”
“I just realized—how frightening you are.”
The light drained from her pink eyes.
But he wasn’t the kind of man who would show anger or sorrow at hearing such words.
In a way, that made it worse. If he had at least reacted like a human, it would have been easier. But Decarno only responded coldly after a long silence, his voice devoid of warmth.
“Then if you know that, you should do as I say.”
◇ ◆ ◇
But Evangeline couldn’t follow his words.
The Duke didn’t return home after that day, and no message came. She endured alone for several days, clinging to what courage she had. But eventually, she could take no more.
On the third day, she went to the Ohara Merchant House herself.
She had steeled herself, preparing to face whatever awaited her.
“Milady, you’re here?”
“…What is this?”
But the moment she saw the office with her own eyes, words failed her.
This wasn’t the chaos of a collapsed company.
On the contrary—it was so perfectly orderly that she was stunned into silence.
The clerks shuffled papers at their desks, telegrams and receipts passed swiftly between hands. Everyone was absorbed in their tasks, so much so that it took her a moment to realize—
She was the only one standing there, completely still.
“Philip.”
“M-My Lady!”
The only one as shaken as she was turned out to be her longtime manager, Philip. The moment he saw her in the doorway, he paled and rushed to lead her into the back office.
On the way, every employee they passed bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
It was so jarringly formal, it made her want to laugh.
Ha!
“Well? Is that all you have to say to me?”
She gave a hollow laugh and stared up at Philip. Though her eyes differed in color, her features bore the unmistakable likeness of her father, the Count.
He grasped her trembling hands.
“My Lady, I know why you’re here. But… you shouldn’t have come.”
“Philip. Don’t test my patience.”
“It’s not that. I’m just worried. If you stay here, it’ll only bring trouble—”
“What? Has someone come to take this place from us?”
Her nerves frayed further at Philip’s anxious, evasive behavior. He kept glancing around nervously, as though someone might be listening.
But it’s just employees here, isn’t it?
She turned her head, eyes narrowing—
“Oh my! If it isn’t our lovely Duchess!”
“…Viscountess Levin.”
The noblewoman who entered the room greeted Evangeline with excessive joy.
It was common for aristocrats to visit the Ohara Store, nestled in the city center, as it was known for its exquisite luxury goods. But Viscountess Levin had never once come here to make a proper purchase.
At best, she might pay for what she took.
“I was terribly worried after how pale you looked at your birthday party. But now that I see you’re well, I’m so relieved!”
“Thank you, but I am not a duchess.”
“Oh, don’t say such heartbreaking things! If the former Duchess hadn’t passed so suddenly, you and the Duke would already be wed.”
“……”
“Truly, truly, who else in all of Belice could possibly be the Duchess of Teje but you, Lady O’Hara?”
Despite being over thirty, Viscountess Levin fawned over the much younger Evangeline with unrelenting affection. She clung to her side, constantly showering her with praise in front of others, hoping to elevate her own status through their association.
She was the sort of woman who believed her dignity rose each time she flaunted her so-called closeness with the reigning queen of society.
