Chapter 05
The Lesley Countess’s home received an invitation three days after Elisa’s severe cold.
To be precise, it was addressed to the Countess of Lesley —Elisa’s mother, who had gone to visit her ailing mother, Lady Tebe, leaving Elisa to manage things in her absence.
Since her mother was away, Elisa checked the invitation herself.
It bore the seal of the Briana Marquis family in the centre.
The sender was the Marchioness Briana.
The letter said that starting tomorrow, for about three days, her daughter Giselle Briana would hold a small exhibition showcasing her special talents.
The proceeds from the exhibition would be donated to support war orphans.
She kindly asked for attendance to honour the event.
Since the invitation was addressed to the Leslie Countess, Elisa didn’t have to go herself.
Her mother was absent due to family matters and would be very sorry to miss such a joyful and meaningful event.
A simple reply asking to be invited again next time would have solved the matter easily.
But she couldn’t reply like that because the sender was none other than the Marchioness Briana, who was also the queen’s cousin.
So, instead of sending a refusal, it was proper for Elisa to attend in place of her mother.
It was a kind of social gathering, so it was bothersome.
Also, Elisa’s cold hadn’t fully healed, so it was better to avoid going out.
Still, she had no choice.
“I don’t want to go alone.”
Going alone would make her an easy target for gossip or unwanted attention.
Elisa thought carefully about who she could bring with her.
Many faces passed through her mind, but one man’s face was deeply engraved like a stamp.
She remembered Ethan, whose first, unimpressive impression was a lie because he was so charming, especially his ash-grey eyes shining through his jet-black hair that looked like melted night.
Elisa closed her eyes tightly.
But that was the wrong choice.
In the darkened world, Ethan’s presence became even clearer.
“Are you alright, miss?”
The butler who brought the invitation asked with concern.
Elisa waved her hand to say she was fine and asked for a glass of water filled with ice.
The butler worried that cold drinks weren’t good for someone with a cold, but he couldn’t change her mind.
After drinking the ice-cold water until her head ached and crunching the ice, Ethan’s image faded from her mind.
Just as the face of her fiancé, Derek Grenville, came to mind, Elisa hesitated, about to crunch her second ice cube.
Unlike Ethan, who had done unforgivable, terrible things, Derek had done nothing wrong.
The one at fault was herself.
Because of that, Elisa felt reluctant to ask Derek to accompany her.
She sighed shortly and rubbed her forehead.
The seal of the Briana Marquis family pressed into the sealing wax burned her eyes.
“…I should at least contact him.”
He said he’d been busy lately, so he might decline.
Despite secretly hoping for a rejection, it felt absurd to write a letter asking him to accompany her.
Elisa wrote to her fiancé right away, and she got a response two hours later.
Instead of refusal, the answer was positive.
He was very happy she had asked first.
He also asked how she was feeling and if she needed anything.
Since he asked many things, Elisa had no choice but to write back to decide when she would attend the exhibition.
“Miss, a letter has arrived for you.”
This time, the reply came within an hour.
It usually takes about 30 minutes on horseback from the Lesley Count’s mansion to the Grenville estate, so getting a reply so quickly felt a little strange.
***
Ethan Esteban.
Elisa looked down at his name and smirked.
It was the first time she had seen his name with a surname attached, so it felt very unfamiliar.
Like a cow chewing cud, Elisa repeated his name quietly, then checked the family seal stamped on the sealing wax.
Since she had never heard of the Esteban family before, it was also her first time seeing their crest.
It showed a thick crescent moon, not quite full, pierced by a long sword.
Usually, family crests featured animals or flowers, so this was quite unusual.
How did Ethan, who was once a commoner, become part of this family?
Why did he join the war?
How did he master such excellent swordsmanship in such a short time that even the imperial army feared him?
And why did he leave without saying a word?
Why hadn’t he sent a single letter in the past four years?
Thinking of Ethan brought up many questions.
She also remembered her foolish self who missed him, got angry, and missed him again over those four years.
The letter… better not to check it.
She didn’t want to know what that man had written.
Even if he apologised for the past now, she didn’t have even the smallest intention to forgive him.
It would be better in every way to just burn the letter she wouldn’t read.
But just like she couldn’t throw the yellow roses Ethan gave her into the fireplace, Elisa couldn’t bring herself to burn the letter either.
Instead, she put it deep into her dressing table drawer and sealed it with nagging feelings.
***
The next day, after a simple breakfast and lunch, Elisa got ready to go out.
Since she was going to an exhibition, not a party, she wore a beige dress that showed her ankles for ease of movement.
Over it, she wore a Spencer jacket with almost no decoration, and on her tightly braided hair, she wore a wide-brimmed bonnet.
“Miss, Lord Grenville has arrived.”
While checking if anything was wrong, the butler reported.
Marie quickly scanned Elisa with wide eyes.
“Nothing looks strange. It’s a bit disappointing that you’re not wearing a necklace… but since you dislike it, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to wear the earrings Lord Grenville recently gave you?”
“Those earrings don’t match this outfit.”
Marie reluctantly nodded because she had to admit that was true.
Elisa grabbed her handbag with gloved hands and left the bedroom.
The lace hem of her dress fluttered just above her ankles.
Derek Grenville, waiting in the central hall, exclaimed as he saw her descending the long spiral staircase.
“Oh my. I heard you were very ill and looked pale, but that was all a lie. You’re still dazzlingly beautiful, Elisa.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Lord Grenville.”
“Call me Derek.”
Elisa smiled silently when she heard the same request as before.
Derek didn’t press further and simply offered his hand to her.
Escorted by her fiancé, Elisa stepped out of the mansion, glanced once at the annoyingly clear sky, and then got into the carriage.
“Have a safe trip, Miss.”
The butler, who had been standing at the front gate until their carriage disappeared from view.
When he heard the sound of hooves behind him, he turned around.
A carriage he had never seen before stopped in front of the Lesley Count’s mansion gate.
The butler quickly checked the family crest painted on the carriage.
The crescent moon pierced by a sword—the same crest he had seen before.
It was just yesterday when he delivered a letter to Elisa.
The name on that letter was “Ethan Esteban.”
Moreover, the butler knew that the war hero who ended the war and the rumoured “K” was none other than Ethan Esteban.
How could he not know? His name was plastered all over newspapers and gossip magazines.
Hearing the name Ethan naturally reminded the butler of a boy who used to work at the mansion.
But that boy was a commoner who had never held a sword.
So, even though he thought the Ethan he knew couldn’t be the same as the rumoured “K,” the uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away.
The butler narrowed one eye.
That moment passed, and when the carriage stopped in front of him, the butler politely asked as if nothing had happened.
“Are you Baron Esteban?”
Instead of answering, the carriage window opened.
The inside was dark, and the person was behind the curtain, so the butler couldn’t see his face.
“Yes. I sent a letter yesterday. Did you deliver it to Miss Elisa Leslie?”
The low voice sounded familiar but strange.
It had an intimidating presence that gave the butler goosebumps.
“Yes. If it’s the letter you sent, I gave it to Miss Elisa.”
At that moment, the sharp atmosphere slightly softened.
“What did she say?”
The cold voice rose a little compared to before.
The butler, a bit confused by the sudden change in tone despite doing nothing, answered politely.
“She didn’t say anything.”
“…She didn’t say anything?”
The voice became sharp again.
The butler judged the man to be someone with strong mood swings.
To avoid any mistake, he bowed even more politely.
“If you came to see Miss Elisa, she’s not here at the moment. I’m sorry, but could you please visit again later?”
Despite the polite request, the response was cold silence.
Baron Esteban slammed the carriage window shut so hard it made a sound.
Had he made a mistake? The butler couldn’t guess anything but was about to ask just in case when the carriage started moving.
He was still a baron despite being a war hero who brought the conflict to an end.
Before that, he had no title and was only a noble in name.
But to behave so arrogantly like this…
“Heh heh…”
The butler watched in shock as the carriage sped off in the direction where Derek and Elisa had vanished.
