TCBCVF 95

~Chapter 95~

Right now, I was in the Sun Hall—

Specifically, in the portrait room I’d been looking forward to the most.

As expected from a family famous for its beauty, all the portraits displayed here showed strikingly handsome and beautiful faces.

But the childhood portraits of the Duke and Lady Evangeline were on another level.

Golden hair that seemed to shine, the unique deep blue eyes of the Claudius family, fair skin, fine features, and cheeks pink like ripe apples—

I wanted to check if angel wings were hidden behind their backs.

However—

‘…Why is there not a single portrait where the Duke is smiling?’

Unlike Evangeline’s bright smile, the Duke’s face was expressionless even as a child.

The only exception—

‘Is in the family portrait.’

It showed the former Duke and Duchess Claudius with the two siblings sitting together.

Both Evangeline and the Duke looked no older than ten.

His expressionless face in one painting and the bright smile of a young boy in the other…
Seeing the contrast made me feel strangely uneasy.

‘He must have gone through a lot.’

The original story had described it in detail—

The Claudius siblings losing their parents at a young age, and the young Duke’s tireless struggle to protect the family.

Of course, in the original, this past was used as a turning point for Seraphina to comfort the Duke and deepen their romance…

‘Ugh, no point thinking about Seraphina.’

I quickly shook the thought away.

“Ah, this portrait?”

Just then, Evangeline came running over and looked up at the painting.
“I was five when this was painted.”

“Then the Duke was…?”

“Nine.”

“….”

From what I knew, the Duke had lost both parents when he was ten.

How much must have happened in that one year…
for that bright face to lose its smile?

At that moment—

“Eva.”

Someone called Evangeline calmly.

‘That voice…’

I turned around—and there stood the Duke.

“Long time no see, Lady Ansie.”

As soon as our eyes met, the Duke smiled faintly.

‘Ah.’

My heart pounded wildly.

Oh, come on, heart. Stop it.

It’s just a smile—don’t act like you’re about to burst.
Could you think of your owner’s dignity for once?

“I greet you, Your Grace.”

To hide my flushed face, I gave him a polite bow.

The Duke shook his head with a faintly disappointed look.

“When it’s just us, you don’t need to be so formal.”

“But still…”

“I thought we’d grown a little closer compared to before.”

When I hesitated, he asked in a slightly sullen tone,
“Was that just my imagination?”

Honestly—

One of the most handsome men in this world was looking at me with slumped shoulders and asking that.

How could I possibly say “Yes, you’re mistaken”?

For a face-lover like me, that was impossible.

“I’m happy to hear you say that, Your Grace.”

I smiled as calmly as I could.

“That aside, I’m sorry for thanking you so late. You helped me so much with the Gusto matter. I don’t know how to repay you…”

“It’s fine.”

He added without hesitation,
“I didn’t help expecting gratitude.”

Hmm… so he helped for Evangeline’s sake?

But it still felt odd.

Even if I was her closest friend right now, he’d taken the risk of clashing with the High Temple and even arranged that luxurious team of lawyers…

‘No, stop overthinking!’

If I kept this up, I’d be imagining wedding bells in my head.

Then—

‘Wait… does he look tired again today?’

There were deep shadows under his eyes, and his complexion looked paler than usual.

The frustrating part was—
Even looking exhausted, the air of elegance around him only stood out more.

“Your Grace,” I said without thinking,
“You look tired. Have you been sleeping well?”

“Ah.”

He looked caught off guard, running his hand along his mouth with a sheepish smile.

“I’ve just been busy with work lately… Does it show?”

Show? His dark circles could be seen a mile away.

“Perhaps you should rest a little,” I suggested carefully.
“You look very tired.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes. I know how responsible you are with your work, but health is important too.”

I tried to convince him.

“If you push yourself too far and fall ill, all your work will stop. Isn’t that even more inefficient?”

“Right, right, Lari’s right.”

Evangeline jumped in immediately, her eyes gleaming.

“Brother, your face is terrible right now. Your eyes are darker than a ghost’s!”

“Eva, a ghost? Really.”

He groaned, but she didn’t back down.

“So, how about we all go to the villa?”

“The villa?”

“Yes! Lari came all the way to the duchy, and you need to rest. It’s perfect, right?”

“I don’t think I can…”

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Evangeline’s deadly glare.

‘Uh… why does she look so scary?’

Even I felt chills watching from the side.

The Duke quickly nodded.
“Alright, that’s a good idea.”

“Right? I knew you’d agree.”

Her smile still carried a silent warning—You’d better agree.

“Of course.”

“Eva’s right.”

The Duke and I both nodded quickly.

And just like that, the villa trip was decided in a flash.

“Since we’ve decided, we should go right away.”

That was Evangeline’s opinion—

And unable to go against her, the very next day we headed for the Claudius villa.

It was a lovely two-story house near a large lake, built from rose-colored bricks, like something from a fairy tale.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, my eyes sparkling.

The autumn leaves were more dazzling than flowers in full bloom.

Behind the villa was a small hill, glowing red with fall colors.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course! It’s so pretty!”

I answered eagerly.

Only one thing nagged at me—

‘Is the Duke really alright?’

I glanced sideways at him.
His dark circles looked even worse than yesterday.

‘He looks so tired…’

Given how hard he’d been working lately, it was a wonder he hadn’t collapsed already.

Had he overworked himself just to come here?

As I studied him suspiciously—

‘Ah.’

Our eyes met.

The Duke gave me that faint smile again.

“I’m glad you like the villa.”

Trying to act natural, I replied,
“It’s all thanks to you and Lady Evangeline.”

Evangeline frowned immediately.
“What’s with ‘Lady Evangeline’? You promised to call me Eva!”

“Well, since the Duke is here…” I began, flustered.

I could call her that when it was just the two of us, but in front of him, it felt more polite to use her title.

“How cold.”

“Huh?”

I turned to the Duke—only to have him add with a teasing tone,

“It seems I’m not included in the ‘we’ you’re talking about, Lady Ansie.”

Though his tone was playful, it carried a subtle sting.

“That’s…”

At a loss, I trailed off.

Then he gave me an achingly beautiful smile and asked,

“Could you include me in that ‘we’ as well?”

“….”

For a moment, my heart dropped straight to the floor.