“How is your relationship with Lord Kardian? I… We haven’t been married long. I can’t imagine what Damion and I will be like in 3 years.”

At Ansi’s question, Bekishi stared at the lake for a moment. A bitter look clouded her once lively eyes.

“Kal and I… are fine. The problem is we don’t have a child yet.”

“Does Bekishi want a child?”

“Are there couples who don’t want children? It’s our duty. Then… our relationship would surely become stronger.”

A child. Ansi had never imagined having a child with Damion. There was no point in imagining it anyway.

A child that would never be born. Even if by some chance her revenge wasn’t complete and one was born, only misfortune would await the child.

This marriage was destined for tragedy from the start.

Father’s brother who killed mother’s family. Mother who then destroyed father’s house and dragged it through the mud. Nothing good could come from having such parents. The chances of dying together were also high.

“Soon…”

Ansi was about to comfort Bekishi by saying a child would come soon, but she stopped herself.

She didn’t want to deceive her with such formal consolation. Bekishi, peacefully showing her the waves here, might die because of Ansi’s choices, and the same would apply to her child.

“Well, I’m fine anyway. They say to enjoy the present.”

Bekishi ended the conversation first and turned around. Only the annex remained. Ansi followed her along the path towards the annex. Due to the large tree shadows overhead, the path felt somewhat dark despite it being daytime.

“Kal will probably be in the annex.”

Bekishi said as they approached the annex. Ansi looked up at it.

But there was already a guest on the terrace. Under the tree shade, the two women stopped and looked up at the terrace.

Damion and Kardian were in conversation. Though they couldn’t hear what was being said, their expressions were not good.

It wasn’t a sight you’d see in a normal brotherly relationship. It was different from how Ansi and Derl would growl and fight with each other.

Ansi’s heart began to pound.

She had faintly felt that their relationship might be different from what she expected. But it seemed even more… complicated than she had anticipated.

From Damion, she sensed intense contempt and hatred towards his elder brother.

Kardian looked at his younger brother as if he were an insect he could step on and kill at any moment.

It felt like the uneasiness sensed at yesterday’s dinner had finally been unveiled. The kind of uneasiness that felt like they were wearing smiling masks to hide faces glaring at each other.

“Yesterday, did you hear about his family from Lord Damion?”

“Yes.”

It seemed Bekishi also knew about his background. However, Bekishi’s words implied an even greater truth.

“I feel sorry for Lord Damion… on Kal’s behalf. He grew up like Kardian’s toy since childhood. It would be stranger if their relationship improved.”

At Bekishi’s words, Ansi bit the inside of her lip hard.

Toy.

It was an easy word to say, but Ansi was certain the reality must have been horrific.

Ansi took a deep breath.

At that moment, Damion turned around on the terrace. He seemed about to come out. Ansi instinctively pulled Bekishi behind a tree to hide.

Soon after, the footsteps of the man coming out of the annex grew closer. The man walking with large strides seemed angry. It was an emotion not felt in his usually relaxed gait.

Eventually, the man’s footsteps came very close. Ansi held her breath and stared intently at the ground.

But suddenly, the man’s steps slowed.

Did he see us here? No, that’s impossible. We hid when we were out of Damion’s sight to begin with. Besides, we’re behind such a large tree. Not even the hem of our skirts should be visible.

The path was quiet. Not even a breath could be heard.

Ansi bit the inside of her lip. She didn’t want him to know she was here.

Fortunately, slowly, the man moved away.

Ansi held her breath until his footsteps could no longer be heard at all.

“Lord Damion is out of sight now, Ansi.”

Only after hearing Bekishi’s words did Ansi raise her head. Realizing she had been gripping Bekishi’s clothes tightly, she apologized in surprise.

“…! I’m sorry. For suddenly pulling you too…”

“It’s alright. I didn’t want Kal to know we saw those two either. Even married couples have things they want to hide from each other.”

Ansi nodded with her lips tightly closed. She looked towards the path where Damion had disappeared. On the path where no wind blew, faint footprints of the man could be seen on the sand.

It was a shallow impression that could be overlooked if not paid attention to. However, to Ansi, it seemed like it would last forever.

Ansi’s mind became overwhelmingly complicated.

Damion grew up like Kardian de Orphe’s toy. Given that the other party was Kardian, who killed Ansi’s father without any emotion, it was hard to imagine what Damion might have gone through.

What was certain was that his world wasn’t the flower garden Ansi had thought it to be.

He probably didn’t grow up at the center of the Orphe family, loved by his family members.

And perhaps, that’s still the case now.

It was a major hitch in the plan. Even more so than the issue of whether he was illegitimate or not.

The fact that Damion was illegitimate didn’t have that much impact on Ansi. After all, Orphe had kept that fact hidden until now.

The son of the Duke and Duchess of Orphe. That fact alone made Damion be considered an Orphe person externally, regardless of whether he engaged in outside activities or not.

But Ansi was different.

She still wasn’t recognized as an Orphe person.

If they still didn’t acknowledge Damion, there was a high possibility they wouldn’t accept Ansi either. They probably wouldn’t accompany her to official events, and couldn’t instill confidence in others about her being an Orphe.

If so, the chances of this revenge succeeding would decrease.

It was an important issue.

However, even so…

Ansi wrinkled her face in distress.

Right now, she was more concerned about that man than such matters.

What was the face of the man who grabbed and turned her when she was talking to Kardian on the wedding day? What was his face like when he tried to stop her from meeting the Orphe people? And his appearance during dinner yesterday…

Suddenly, the image of a certain boy from Ansi’s memory became gradually clearer.

Platinum blonde hair and purple eyes.

The image of the boy who jumped into the water wanting to die overlapped with the man who disliked fairy tales where children suffered.

‘Was that child really you?’

She thought he was just a young master who grew up happily, loved by his parents and elder brother. If that wasn’t the case… She didn’t know how to treat him from now on.

Damion arrived at the annex just before Ansi reached it.

The open-doored annex was decorated to Kardian’s taste. It seemed the duke had provided it as his exclusive space. It had been a space used to torment Damion away from people’s eyes before, so it was a formal gift.

Damion slowly scanned the interior. The furniture and accessories that revived memories of that time were no longer visible. Nevertheless, his body automatically tensed upon entering this space.

Damion held back a bitter laugh at how pathetic he was. It was best to stop moping alone on the empty first floor.

He climbed the stairs of the annex with efficient steps. The faint sound of gramophone music that had been audible from before gradually grew louder. Kardian, who had been reading a book on the second floor terrace, turned his head.

“Mion.”

Kardian called Damion gently. However, Damion did not respond to the call. He had no intention of acting here. Nor did he intend to pant like a dog that comes running when called, as he did when he was young.

“I told that woman.”

Damion said, lightly resting his hand on the terrace railing.

The lake on the other side was visible at a glance from the annex. The pouring sunlight shattered as it hit the lake. To the side was a walking path densely lined with trees. The damp walking path he had experienced while coming here was dark as if the lake had stolen its light, but from here it was a spectacular view.

“Told her what?”

Damion turned his head. Kardian, who had closed his book by now, was looking at him.

Damion crossed his arms and turned to lean on the railing. And as if confirming what you thought was correct, he gave the answer.

“That I’m the duke’s illegitimate child. That’s why I spent 8 years in the south before coming to Orphe.”

Kardian narrowed his eyes.

And stared intently at his incredibly arrogant younger brother. Damion did not avoid his gaze.

The gaze meeting his straight on was impudent and rude. That was precisely what made Damion interesting, but somehow today it didn’t pique his interest.

Dissatisfaction settled in the once gentle golden eyes.

He had kept the fact that he was illegitimate hidden until now, so he thought this time too it would pass without mention. Then Kardian had planned to personally hint to Ansi about Damion’s background.

But he had already told her.

It was deflating. Judging by that confident attitude, it seems Ansi comforted him saying it was okay.

Kardian sighed and opened his mouth.

“Mion. I’m worried you’ll be disappointed.”