To You, Whom I Shouldn't Love - Chapter 57

“The previous Duke and Duchess were very strict people.”

Riena listened silently to the story without any interjection.

“The Duchess was a princess from the Kingdom of Parnes, located near the Empire. Although she wasn’t a particularly prominent princess, she was still royalty. It’s said that she had an arranged marriage with the Duke for the sake of harmony between the Empire and the Kingdom.”

“…”

“Some say that even arranged marriages can work out well for nobles, but the two of them didn’t get along very well. Especially after giving birth to the heir, young master Asher, they became really distant.”

Riena didn’t understand, but the story of the previous Duke and Duchess was common among nobles who had arranged marriages.

It was rare, but she had heard that some people didn’t care if their partner had lovers once they had produced a legitimate heir to continue the family line.

It seemed that the previous Duke and Duchess had also cut off interest in each other in this way.

“The Duchess showed no interest in her children at all. I heard that when young master Asher was born, she didn’t even hold him properly and left everything to the wet nurse. On the other hand, the Duke cherished young master Asher.”

“…”

“Then, 10 years after young master Asher was born, the Duke’s… I mean, the second young master was born. But there was a problem…”

Amy stopped there. Riena gently urged her to continue.

“What was the problem?”

“Young master Cassel was born with black hair. He didn’t resemble either the Duke or the Duchess.”

“Don’t tell me they doubted his parentage?”

“…Yes.”

Amy let out a deep sigh.

“They say the Duchess insisted she had never done anything shameful before God. She said that there was black hair among her ancestors, so it must be a case of atavism.”

“…”

“But the Duchess, who had been indifferent to everything, didn’t actively try to explain further after that. She said she had already clearly stated that young master Cassel was the Duke’s child, so she had done her part. She even said if they were so suspicious, they should do a paternity test.”

“And then?”

When Riena asked, Amy lowered her voice even more. It was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz, but Riena could hear her words clearly.

“It seems the Duke didn’t fully trust his wife. He felt uneasy even though there was no evidence that the Duchess had met another man. He didn’t do a paternity test either. It seems he was afraid of the possibility that the result might show that Cassel wasn’t his child.”

“…”

“So he treated young master Cassel strictly. He said that no matter what, young master Asher was the heir, and that Cassel should never aspire to that position. The Duchess showed no interest in young master Cassel, just as she had with young master Asher.”

“…”

“Because the Duke strictly ordered everyone to keep quiet about it, and everyone hushed it up, young master Cassel didn’t know anything about this when he was young.”

The words that would follow were somewhat predictable.

“So Cas became increasingly timid and intimidated as time went on.”

“Yes. I think it would have been really hard for him if young master Asher hadn’t been there.”

“And then he grew up to be the heir after Asher Winckler died?”

“Yes. At that time, they didn’t know that Marchioness Lorraine was pregnant, so young master Cassel was the only direct family member left. It was then that the previous Duke finally did a paternity test, and fortunately or unfortunately, it was confirmed that young master Cassel was indeed the Duke’s biological child.”

“…”

“Anyway, even after young master Noah was born, the Duke firmly declared that young master Cassel was the heir to Winckler, and that Cassel’s descendants would lead Winckler in the future.”

The previous Duke Winckler must have felt a sense of relief, like a troublesome tooth had finally fallen out. He probably tried to treat Cassel well after that.

‘But what’s the use? Cas had already been hurt enough.’

Riena felt resentful towards the previous Duke. If he had doubts, he should have done the paternity test right away. He should have confirmed that Cassel was his child and treated him affectionately.

But the previous Duke was already dead and couldn’t hear Riena’s resentment.

“That’s the story of what happened.”

Amy, seeing Riena’s serious face, left the room saying she would bring some tea. It seemed she wanted to give Riena some time alone to think.

As soon as she heard the door close, Riena buried her face in her hands.

‘I should have cherished him more from the beginning.’

She wished she could go back to her childhood days with Cas, even for just a day, no, even for just an hour.

If she could do that, she would hug the hurt child tightly without saying anything.

She would thank him for enduring the hard times and coming to the Dyke estate, and tell him that he had done nothing wrong and shouldn’t blame himself.

She would say that she and her father really cherished and loved him, so when things got tough, he should think of them.

She would tell him that even if he left, she would always be on his side.

She deeply regretted not having said such things to him earlier.

She wanted to run to Cassel right now and comfort him.

But she couldn’t do that.

It would be betraying Amy, who had courageously told her this story, and it would also be wrong to Cassel.

Perhaps this was a past that Cassel wanted to keep hidden. So it was right to pretend not to know.

Therefore, Riena decided to comfort him when she became closer to Cassel and heard the story directly from him.

‘I hope that day comes.’

Riena looked at the autumn sky outside the window. The sky was blue and clear without a single cloud. It was a scene that would normally make one feel good just by looking at it.

But for some reason, today it felt melancholic.

After hearing Amy’s story, Riena tried to be nicer to Cassel, knowingly or unknowingly. But there wasn’t much she could do specifically.

All she could do was talk more during meals so he wouldn’t feel lonely, or smile brightly whenever they met.

It was really a trivial effort. But Cassel seemed to appreciate such efforts, often giving a slight smile.

It was a good start.

As days passed like this, the Founding Day festival officially began.

As promised with Amy, Riena decided to go see the festival. Of course, her guard Max Carrot came along, and Ryan followed as well.

Until a few days ago, Ryan had been quite disheartened by the fact that Amy was going to see the festival with Riena, though he didn’t show it.

‘He must have felt rejected before even confessing.’

Feeling responsible, Riena had tea with Ryan in the garden and casually invited him along, which he gladly accepted.

“Come back soon.”

Noah, who came to see them off at the main gate with his nanny, said with a hint of regret.

When he first heard about the outing, Noah had secretly wanted to go too. But Riena was reluctant to take a child who was still wary of people to a crowded place.

So they promised to go out together next time, and decided to leave the child behind today.

Riena matched Noah’s eye level and caressed his cheek.

“I’ll be back soon after looking around. I’ll bring you a gift too, so wait just a little bit.”

“Okay.”

Fortunately, Noah didn’t seem anxious about being separated from Riena and waved his hand maturely. Riena was very pleased with the child’s growth.

“Take care!”

Riena watched Noah through the carriage window until the mansion was out of sight. Noah also continued to wave without going inside.

Throughout the carriage ride, Riena felt regretful, thinking ‘Maybe I should have stayed with Noah instead of going out.’ But when they actually arrived at the bustling area, Riena was captivated.

“It’s amazing.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s much bigger and more splendid than I thought.”

“Doesn’t the Dyke estate have festivals like this?”

“Well, not exactly a festival, but after the autumn harvest, we do have a boisterous end-of-year celebration. We share food we’ve made and drink the alcohol we’ve brewed over the past year.”

“That sounds fun too.”

Amy agreed sincerely.

“Yes, it is. I’ve gone to see it a few times with my father, and it was really enjoyable. Come to think of it, what about the Winckler estate?”

“The duchy has something similar too.”

Ryan, who was walking ahead of the two, chimed in. He turned to face them and walked backwards as he explained.

“The difference is that in the north, we celebrate spring rather than autumn, if I may say so.”

“Spring?”

“Yes. You haven’t experienced it yet, my lady, so you might not know, but the north is incredibly cold beyond imagination. When someone asks how cold it is, we jokingly answer ‘Whatever you imagine, it’s colder than that.’ At this time of year, the wind is already as sharp as a knife, and it even snows. It’s a completely different winter from the southern Dyke estate.”

Just hearing the explanation made Riena feel a chill all over her body.

“They say they prepare thoroughly for the winter, but people still die occasionally. Especially young children find it hard to endure. So when spring comes, bringing warm weather and melting snow, we hold a simple festival as a way of thanking God for helping us survive another winter.”

“The weather is different, so the traditions are different too. It’s rare to even see snow in the Dyke estate.”

In years when it did snow, the entire estate would be in a state of emergency.

As Riena nodded, Amy said worriedly,

“That’s why I’m very worried about you going to the north, my lady. Everyone finds it really tough when they first go to the north. But you’re from the warm south, so it will be even harder for you. I’m afraid you might be sick all winter.”

“Don’t worry. I’m tougher than I look.”

“Still, seeing that the Duke is still in the capital, it seems he’s being very considerate of you.”

“That’s true.”

“Indeed, it seems our lord cares a lot for you, my lady.”

Following Amy, both Ryan and Max chimed in excitedly, making Riena feel embarrassed.

“Well, um… Anyway, let’s hurry and go sightseeing. Ryan, be careful not to fall while walking backwards like that.”

“Yes, I shall obey your command.”

Ryan started walking straight, imitating a knight with a voice tinged with laughter.