Aeli was at a loss for words for a long time, only moving her lips before she finally managed to ask.

“What, what about my reputation? Did you forget what you introduced me as to the Pope?”

“I said you were a Mason side-branch member.”

“No, that’s what I’m saying! If rumors spread that you brought a look-alike side-branch member after your youngest Mason daughter passed away…!”

“At the very least, no one will dare to be openly rude in front of you. Unless they’re fools, they wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of the future Duchess.”

“……”

“You know I don’t care about such things in the first place. Rather, it wouldn’t be bad if you can secure your position to this extent.”

“……”

What do you mean it’s not bad? It’s bad for me, me!

Even though there was no way Lutis didn’t know what his words meant, he spoke nonchalantly, making Aeli feel a tightness behind her neck.

Having been together since childhood, it was difficult to find anyone in the Empire who didn’t know about their relationship.

In the eyes of others, they would even be seen as a rare case of a successful love marriage in aristocratic society dominated by political marriages.

‘And in such a situation, he finds and brings a look-alike side-branch member of his late wife from the same family?’

On top of that, they openly hold hands as if to show off. This was the first time she had ever heard of such a situation in the 700-year history of the Empire.

A long, long time ago, it wasn’t uncommon for families to find new marriage partners from the same family for the sake of harmony between households, but not nowadays.

At the very least, even they only played the part of a formal married couple at official events, and didn’t openly do such things in front of others.

‘…Honestly, it’s not that there were absolutely no such people, it’s just that there are no records of it.’

There were always insane people in every era who packaged their immoral actions as the love of the century − no, that’s not it.

Aeli shook her head from side to side to shake off the distracting thoughts. Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing right now.

As Lutis said, even if this method would draw some criticism, it was indeed the most effective way to secure her position.

There was no way the arrows of criticism wouldn’t be poured on her at all, but at least not many would dare to act presumptuously in front of her. This was also true.

In the first place, it seemed Lutis had no intention of putting Aeli in an official position unless it was unavoidable, so it was suitable for the intention of creating an identity to be with the child.

‘If that happens, someone who is already well-known will receive more criticism than just rumors about an unknown person.’

The gazes toward her wouldn’t be kind either, but for now, curiosity would be greater than criticism.

To put it simply, it was no different from Lutis saying he would take the finger-pointing on Aeli’s behalf.

She could imagine the headlines pouring out, saying the Duke had gone mad, not even knowing how to pay respects to the deceased.

Aeli blinked her eyes, unable to refute anything in her bewilderment.

Lutis, who had been quietly watching Aeli shake her head alone and blink her eyes with a troubled expression, slowly opened his mouth.

“…And speak correctly. It’s not that she passed away.”

“……”

“−As I’ve said many times, don’t call her someone who died on her own, Aeli.”

“No, but in reality−.”

“I have no intention of letting you live like that. If you’ve lost something, you should rightfully find it.”

It was all yours from the beginning, so don’t even think about letting it go. Lutis said so and took out a handkerchief to wrap Aeli’s swollen feet.

Contrary to his delicate touch, Lutis acted like a stubborn mule, as if he wouldn’t listen any further on this topic, and Aeli could only feel frustrated.

[This is the timeline separator]

As soon as he finished speaking, Lutis closed his eyes, expressing his intention not to listen any further.

Before Aeli could even ask, the coachman shouted that they had arrived at the mansion, and there was no further conversation.

‘Even if we hadn’t arrived at the mansion right then, I don’t think the conversation would have continued with how resolute his attitude was.’

Lying on the bed in the third-floor guest room, Aeli unconsciously raised her hand as she recalled up to that point.

She smacked her forehead, and a sharp pain rushed in.

“No, but still, how can he blatantly tell me to enter through the main gate…?!”

Despite her aching forehead, Aeli muttered softly, filled with absurdity.

No matter how much she tried to understand, this was really not it.

She had clearly intended to hand over the child, who had fallen asleep on her lap, to Lutis.

Although she had a brooch, she couldn’t help but feel conscious, so she suggested using the passage they had used when leaving the mansion for the first time to go to the bedroom.

With that period in her mind, she said she would remain in the carriage and asked him to take the child up first.

Instead, she requested him to tell the coachman to drive the carriage to the place where it had been parked in the morning.

[……] […Lutis?] [Montero, come here for a moment.] [……?] [Yes, Your Grace.] [Take the child and move him to the room. Be careful not to wake him.] […Hey, wait− hey, hey!]

But instead of taking the child, he called the knight commander.

From that moment, Aeli sensed something was wrong and tried to stick close inside the carriage, but to no avail.

Whatever he was thinking, Lutis picked her up, and Aeli hurriedly covered her face with both hands.

Even so, she had taken off her hood, so the golden hair the child had magically changed was fully exposed.

When she secretly checked through the gaps between her fingers, the shocked expressions of those who had discovered her stood out, perhaps because she was being carried by Lutis, even with her presence fading.

[Eung……] [……] [……?] [……] [Huh- huh……! Wh-what is this?! Whyyy leave only me, take me too! Oppa! Mom……!]

The child, who had woken up from the commotion, looked around and spotted Aeli and Lutis entering the mansion. He shouted while struggling in the knight commander’s arms.

Roll roll roll!

Perhaps because he had just woken up, the child seemed to think they had left him out alone. As he opened his eyes wide and tried to call out the problematic title, Aeli, mustering all her strength, sent the child a pitiful gaze.

Only then did the child roll his eyes to grasp the situation and shut his mouth tightly with a startled face.

Aeli could never forget that expression.

“……”

Haa. Aeli let out a deep sigh, burying her face in the pillow and fiddling with the key she held in her hand.

If you’re wondering why she suddenly had a key, there was a story behind this too.

[How can you suddenly do this?! The knights and servants all saw me, how are you going to handle this?] [Why handle it?] [What kind of nonsense is that−.] [When leaving the mansion, there was no choice as it would have been impossible to explain how you entered, but the situation is different now.] [……] [I said I would create an external identity for you, and as long as it’s as the child’s nanny and the next Duchess, it was bound to be a big fuss anyway. I just implemented what I told you in the carriage a little earlier.] [Even so, how can you do this without discussing it…!] [And you discussed it well before showing me that scene at dawn.] [……]

That certainly left her speechless. Even without a subject, Aeli understood and closed her mouth.

That was definitely referring to the time when she was caught trying to stab herself in the neck as soon as she woke up.

Having committed a sin, Aeli could no longer be angry.

She could only tug at the hem of Lutis’ clothes, insisting that she absolutely could not go to the bedroom like this.

…If it went that far, wouldn’t it be obvious that rumors of an unmanageable level would spread?

When she adamantly refused and acted as if she would faint at any moment, Lutis sighed and took Aeli to the third-floor guest room, leaving a small request.

[When you enter the room, lift the frame hanging above the bed and tear off the bottom left corner of the back. It’s a thinly overlaid piece of wood for deception, so it will tear off without much effort.] [Uh, what?] [Behind the piece of wood, find the attached key and go to the bathroom attached to the room. Look at the floor behind the bathtub. There will be a slightly raised part. Bring the key there and a hole will appear. Open it and enter the passage, then just go straight.] […What did you say?] [It’s a secret passage leading to the second-floor bedroom. As long as you’re staying in the guest room, it will be difficult to freely come and go to the child’s room and bedroom, so listen carefully.]

Lutis, who put Aeli down on the floor, said he had mentioned this when they were to be married, but it was still a story she was hearing for the first time.

Aeli, who was forced to look back on the past, nodded her head glumly, thinking she must have really listened half-heartedly.

Lutis said he would instruct the servants not to enter until called, so she should rest a bit first, wash up, and come down. With those words, he went downstairs.

“…I should go now, yes.”

That was now.

After washing up and changing clothes as Lutis said, she found the key but was too tired to go down right away and was resting for a bit.

Pong! Po-pong!

Perhaps the child, tired of waiting, secretly used magic to call her from downstairs, as small bundles of paper in the shape of various animals were stuck to the window.

They all had sorrowful expressions. When she opened the window, the tiny paper animals, about the size of a finger, entered as if they had been waiting.

Chak!

Aeli peeled off one of the ones stuck to her cheek and lowered her gaze.

Then the animal shape gradually disappeared, and instead, a short note was revealed.

The sentences were written in crooked handwriting, as his hands were not yet dexterous, and ink stains were all over.

Aeli smiled slightly and moved to where the bathroom was.

Thinking of the child who must still be waiting with his neck stretched out, she felt it was time to stop resting and start moving.