CHAPTER 67……………..
Stunned, Ayla slipped out from between Minerva and her daughter and pulled him along.
“Uh—?”
Lloyd, looking utterly baffled, let himself be dragged along with a dazed expression.
Minerva and Aslan were equally startled by Ayla’s uncharacteristic behavior, but before they could react, the door slammed shut.
Ayla pulled Lloyd into the next room and looked up at him with a face that screamed, Are you serious?
“Father, don’t tell me… you didn’t tell Her Highness and Aslan either?”
She was still upset that Lloyd had hidden his identity from her.
Even though he finally confessed once they arrived here—and she had tried, in her own way, to understand him—still, wasn’t it too much to keep the same secret from Minerva and Aslan?
“Are you doing this because you felt guilty about keeping it from me for so long?”
Hit right where it hurt, Lloyd had no answer. He only stood there, silent and sheepish, like a child being scolded by someone half his size.
Frustrated, Ayla stomped her foot.
“Then why on earth did you invite them here? Of course, I’m thrilled! But if you were going to bring them, all you had to do was apologize for hiding your identity. Isn’t that enough?”
Ayla was clever for her age, but there were still things she didn’t know.
For example—
“I… had some history with Her Highness.”
“What kind of history? Since when?”
“Before you were even born, there were… marriage talks.”
“M-Marriage talks?”
Yes—complicated adult business.
Lloyd let out a bitter smile as he remembered that time.
“And we both firmly rejected the idea. I turned it down as well, so I can’t say much, but Her Highness in particular… was absolutely horrified by it.”
Good heavens.
Minerva was horrified—by him?
Now that Ayla thought about it, Lloyd sometimes wore that strange white mask and indigo wig around the mansion.
She really couldn’t understand it.
When she first saw him at the orphanage, she had been struck speechless. She had never in her life seen someone so handsome.
Yes, nobles occasionally visited the orphanage, but none of them radiated such noble elegance, nor were they jaw-droppingly handsome like Lloyd.
“W-Wait, Father—no, did you wear that mask and wig even in front of Her Highness?”
“I wear them most of the time, so of course I did then as well…”
Well, no wonder Minerva was horrified!
Who would want to marry some suspicious man who went around hiding his face behind a mask? Ayla certainly wouldn’t.
Still, that wasn’t the main point right now.
“Can’t you just tell Her Highness the truth even now? The longer you wait, the more disappointed she’ll be.”
Just like Ayla had been.
If Minerva found out that someone she trusted had been hiding not only his name but his entire identity, she would surely be disheartened.
Lloyd knew this in his head.
Even Ayla had been so shocked when she first arrived at the mansion that she refused to see him for an entire day.
“…No. I only want Her Highness to see me as Ide Mente.”
The truth was, Lloyd only wanted Minerva and Aslan to think of him as a humble country noble.
As Duke Lloyd Eckhart, he certainly had the power to protect a disgraced princess.
But as a man, he was terribly lacking.
Without his mask to hide behind, Duke Lloyd Eckhart could not stand before others.
If he did, his face would go deathly pale, his words would fail him, and his hands would tremble uncontrollably.
He often blamed Priscilla for this, but deep down, he was filled with self-loathing.
If someone like him—someone who couldn’t even withstand such small things—held the lofty title of duke, then surely he was unworthy, a failure.
He couldn’t bear for that mother and daughter to see this side of him.
I’ve considered telling them the truth, but…
His time in Mente territory had been so peaceful, so happy.
And it was only possible because Minerva had been just a noblewoman, and Lloyd had been just a country noble.
There was no way a woman who grew up in the imperial palace could have lived so freely if she’d known she was spending time with Duke Eckhart.
Thanks to her, he had spent joyful, peaceful days there—and had even managed to grow a little closer to his awkward daughter.
He’d also become aware of Priscilla’s interference with Ayla.
He had received more kindness from them than he could ever repay.
That was why Lloyd only wanted to remain to them a simple, comfortable neighbor.
“I’d rather keep things as they are.”
Somehow, his voice sounded so sorrowful that Ayla couldn’t help but nod along with his wish.
Ayla and Ide returned later than I had expected.
Something about their expressions seemed a bit dimmer than before, but since they didn’t bring it up, I didn’t ask either.
Instead, we sat around the table, sipping tea and chatting warmly.
“So, Madam—no, I mean, Your Highness, will you be staying here from now on?”
“Just call me as you always have, Ayla. I’m not a princess right now.”
“Huh? B-But…”
Ayla hesitated and glanced at me nervously.
It had already been five years since my confinement, but more than that—I didn’t want her to call me by some stiff title.
I was perfectly fine with it. Teasingly, I poked her plump cheeks with my finger.
“There’s really no need for that between us. Just call me like before.”
Surprised at first, Ayla’s cheeks flushed, and soon she smiled shyly.
That smile I had seen countless times—it suddenly made me feel like I was truly back where I belonged.
We busied ourselves sharing stories about the journey to the duchy.
When Ayla and Ide learned why we had arrived two days later despite leaving together, they couldn’t help but laugh.
As it grew late, and I prepared to return to my quarters, Ide suddenly asked:
“Come to think of it, I saw a young tree among your belongings.”
“Oh, yes.”
We had left most of the large items behind in our rush, but we couldn’t abandon the golden osmanthus tree.
Despite the intruders, it had miraculously survived.
It held deep meaning for us, so I couldn’t bear to leave it. Still, I wasn’t sure where to plant it here.
“It’s a tree that grew alongside Aslan. If it isn’t an offense to His Grace, I’d like to plant it in the garden of the annex where I’ll be staying. Would that be alright?”
It didn’t feel right to plant something without permission, and if denied, I planned to put it in a pot instead. But to my surprise, Ide readily nodded.
“His Grace would certainly allow that. I’ll send a servant to see to it.”
He rang for a servant, gave them instructions, and sent them off.
Most likely to get the duke’s approval.
That made me wonder—how exactly had Ide come to serve Duke Eckhart?
From the way he oversaw my affairs, and how well he seemed to know the duke’s mind, he must have been a trusted attendant close by his side.
Didn’t Ayla once say that Mente’s mother was strict about her education?
Up until now, I thought Ide had been a commoner who was granted a viscountcy.
But recalling the story of how Ayla was mistreated, that didn’t seem quite right.
When I first heard it, I had assumed his mother was of noble birth.
Since the children were playing with dolls in the next room, bored of adult talk, I let my curiosity slip out for the first time.
“Lord Mente, how long have you served under Duke Eckhart?”
“Ah… quite a long time.”
He blinked rapidly as he answered.
As expected, they had been together many years. Perhaps I could finally get the answer I was looking for.
“How long, exactly?”
“Since I was born…”
With an embarrassed look, Ide averted his gaze.
Did he feel like I was interrogating him?
At any rate, if it was since birth, then his parents must also have served the duke.
“Your mother was strict with Ayla’s education, wasn’t she? Did you inherit her duties?”
“…You could say that.”
His complexion grew paler by the second.
Had I asked something too rude? I quickly apologized.
“Oh, forgive me. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“N-No, not at all.”
He shook his head in a rush, but the discomfort didn’t leave his face.
Normally, I would have dropped it there.
But this time, I had to know just how close he was to Duke Eckhart.
Yes, part of it was personal curiosity—but there was another reason.
“You must be greatly trusted. Usually, a title might be granted, but not land. And as far as I remember, the Mente viscountcy used to be an imperial fief.”
“…Yes, I was blessed beyond measure.”
Clearly, Ide hadn’t expected me to keep pressing. His eyes darted as he lifted his teacup, which trembled ever so slightly in his hand.
I’m sorry, Lord Mente. But since you’ve put me in difficult positions before, please bear with me just this once.
“Then why did Duke Eckhart arrange my residence here? Was it at my mother’s request?”
“That much… I do not know.”
Hm. As expected, even a trusted attendant wouldn’t be privy to that kind of reasoning.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
We had come to a safe place, yes—but we couldn’t remain complacent.
Fortunately, all the witnesses had been killed, so Mars still didn’t know of Aslan’s existence. But now that we were in a place with so many people, it was only a matter of time.
I had a plan prepared to keep Aslan’s identity hidden during our journey here.
But without meeting Duke Eckhart, it was useless.
I had to see him soon.
“Am I not going to be able to meet Duke Eckhart at all?”
“Pfft—! Cough cough…”
