TDNT 115

Chapter : 115

Sophie did not meet with Cornell. She repeatedly refused to see him.

In a way, it was only natural.

And upon hearing Sophie’s words, Cornell reflected on his own family.

In truth, he had been so busy with state affairs and managing his family that he hadn’t properly cared for his own household.

Looking back, all that remained for him were a wife whose heart had frozen like ice and Theodore, who had already grown distant from the family.

“Theodore?”

Theodore, having returned to the capital, mostly stayed at the palace rather than the mansion.

Even today, his face was nowhere to be seen.

“I guess he won’t come today either,” Camilla said.

“What if he doesn’t come tomorrow either? I’m worried he might leave the mansion for good.”

By the time Sophie had refused to return to the mansion, it had already grown cold and unwelcoming. Cornell had no idea of the chilling atmosphere that lingered there.

“What should we do if he abandons the family and leaves?”

“If he had truly abandoned them, he wouldn’t be handling matters at the palace.”

The mansion felt unusually lonely and empty today.

“Sophie might leave with him. She stayed at his apothecary before…”

“Was there some sort of issue between you and Theodore?”

Camilla flinched at Cornell’s question.

“No… nothing like that.”

What had really happened in the mansion? The strange atmosphere there was unsettling.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll handle Theodore myself. Just like I’ve been doing all along.”

“Are you still in contact with Sophie?”

“…I don’t really want to talk about her.”

Camilla wasn’t particularly fond of Sophie.

“I heard you recently sent her some keepsakes from the storage. Why? Did something happen?”

She asked with a worried expression.

“Why give something that belonged to someone already dead? Don’t do that again next time.”

“Now that I think about it, Sophie has never seen any of my mother’s keepsakes before.”

Cornell gave a wry smile.

“So I gave them to her.”

“…I see. That makes sense.”

Cornell, who had previously focused only on the outside world after leaving the mansion, finally took a look around the house.

What caught his eye was the way the mansion staff treated Camilla.

Camilla was a strict person. In a way, it was only natural.

But the most shocking thing was that Theodore’s attitude toward Camilla showed the same tension and fear that the staff displayed.

Theodore could be seen the next day. He had briefly returned to the mansion, saying he had something to take. Camilla, talking to Cornell at the time, found her attention drawn to her returning son.

After a moment of hesitation, Camilla spoke to Theodore. It had been a long time since she had appeared this tense.

“It’s been a while.”

Camilla greeted Theodore. He awkwardly nodded and immediately left.

Come to think of it, such interactions had been common.

The relationship between mother and son was still very awkward.

Even in his own home, Cornell felt a sense of suffocation.

“Well then, I shall take my leave.”

Camilla’s face appeared hurt by Theodore’s cold demeanor. Perhaps conscious of Cornell’s gaze, she quickly left.

Cornell returned to his room with a bitter expression. When the master of a house returns, the staff’s work begins in earnest. His loyal butler informed Cornell of the events that had occurred that day.

“The Duke of Dock, Your Grace?”

Cornell sighed tiredly after returning from the palace. The elderly butler followed closely down the corridor.

It had been due to Emperor Joseph’s summons. Like Theodore, the emperor wanted Cornell to remain in the empire and serve.

Although trade with the Gronern Kingdom had flourished thanks to Cornell, the empire now also required his abilities.

He had been on his way back after refusing the emperor’s proposal for a long time. Emperor Joseph, stubborn as ever, was determined to keep Cornell close.

When Cornell returned home, exhausted, the butler delivered news that Duke Nile Dock had arrived at the Shericas mansion.

“Did he come looking for me?”

Cornell asked, and the butler shook his head.

“No. It didn’t seem like that. It looked like he came to see Madam…”

“Camilla?”

Why would the young duke come to the Shericas mansion?

“Do you know what he came for?”

“No, I don’t.”

However, the butler noted that his visit had been secretive.

It seemed unusual.

“Shall I inform Madam and the duke that the marquis has arrived?”

The butler asked cautiously.

Duke Nile Dock coming here was notable. Known as a troublemaker in the empire, he had recently been getting attention but was still untrustworthy.

Moreover, Nile was extremely greedy and cruel, caring nothing for people’s sacrifices if it benefited him.

So naturally, Cornell wanted to maintain his distance.

Yet the duke had come to the mansion.

“No. It’s better if I go myself.”

Nile Dock was a man who felt insecure around princes and dukes his age. A foolish man driven by greed could lead to unpredictable results.

“I’ll go myself. You may step back.”

“Yes, understood, Your Grace.”

After sending the butler away, Cornell headed to the reception room where Camilla and the duke were.

As he approached, he could hear their voices.

“What brings you here?”

Camilla’s wary tone indicated she had no idea why the duke had come.

“Since you came secretly, it must be something delicate…”

Camilla knew what kind of person Nile Dock was.

“I heard the Marchioness doesn’t get along well with Miss Shericas.”

Leaning against the door, Cornell overheard their conversation. Nile had approached Camilla knowing she had a strained relationship with Sophie.

He had come seeking Camilla’s cooperation. He also pointed out that Theodore did not have a good relationship with Sophie.

“So? You’ve come to ask for my help, then.”

How had things come to this?

The duke wanted Camilla to deliberately approach Sophie and extract information.

Since Sophie, who was close to Valentis, would know many important secrets.

The mother-son relationship between Theodore and Camilla was awkward. Camilla also didn’t seem close to Sophie. Cornell had neglected his family and left them to fend for themselves, and the household had grown unhealthy.

Only now did Cornell realize this.

“I dislike that child,” Camilla finally said.

“But I am, after all, a member of the Shericas Marquis family. I won’t do anything harmful to the family.”

Camilla rejected his request.

“I can, however, keep quiet about what I’ve heard today.”

“I hear you worry greatly about your son.”

“Matters concerning my son are for me to handle…”

Cornell’s leg bore a large tumor, bleeding and oozing pus multiple times a day.

Yet even more inflamed than his leg was the state of his family. Their relationships were unstable, radiating a foul stench.

Sophie had lived in this environment, unable to endure it.

“Shurina…”

Cornell finally recalled his last promise to Shurina—to take good care of Sophie.

He had thought that under the mansion’s care, she would grow healthy. But it wasn’t so.

“My goodness…”

His legs gave out, and he could not stand. Cornell collapsed at the reception room’s door.

Even beloved Sophie and Theodore did not trust or rely on them.

How had it come to this?

Frustrated, Cornell swallowed his tears.

Valentis tried his best to spend time with Sophie. To be precise, he often postponed his own duties with Robin to meet her.

But Sophie was busy with the apothecary, so most of their time together was at night.

He would accompany her while gathering herbs or spend time in the library like now.

“Stop staring at me,” Sophie said.

Unlike Valentis, she didn’t postpone her work for love. Valentis could not focus on the books as he gazed intently at her.

Sophie, meanwhile, immersed herself in reading.

“You’ll put a hole in your book at this rate,” she warned softly.

“Can’t I do anything with mana?” she whispered.

Valentis lay on the library floor and looked up at her.

“Could it really work?”

“Shall we try?”

Wanting to capture her gaze, Valentis took her book at once.

“No,” Sophie said firmly, reclaiming it.

“I have a lot to study. Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“Not really…”

In the first place, how could one focus on a book while sitting with someone they liked? Unlike Sophie, who focused entirely on reading, Valentis’s heart burned with frustration.

He lightly tapped her or said nonsense to disturb her.

Still, he was happy just spending time with her. Lying on the library floor, moonlight spilled through the windows. The stars shone so brightly it felt as if they would fall from the sky.

Even while lying down, Valentis tried to disturb Sophie, but eventually, he fell asleep on the library floor.

“Wake up.”

A voice roused him.

“…Mm.”

He stretched his long legs uncomfortably, waking to find his head resting on Sophie’s lap.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” she said.

Fortunately, the library was open 24 hours. Sophie could read as much as she wanted.

“So you ended up spending the night with me?” Sophie teased.

“Robin will be looking for you frantically. We should head back, right?”

“…Seems we should.”

It was a small library on the outskirts. They would have to hurry to reach the palace.

“Then I’ll go with you to the palace. I’m meeting Arabel today.”