Grisha held me for a long time before letting go.

His face was still not good, and his eyes were red, but he looked more comfortable than before.

“Are you feeling calmer?”

“Yes.”

Grisha, who had been fidgeting, bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

I smiled and shook my head.

Everyone feels anxious at times. I was surprised to see Grisha acting differently than I knew him, but I wasn’t disappointed in him for that.

I put down the egg I had been holding on a nearby sofa.

Then I pulled back the curtains on the first floor windows. The dark first floor immediately brightened.

“Have you been here the whole time? What about Sir Hail?”

“Sir Hail has been busy selling magic potions. It seems he’s had good results? He’ll probably report excitedly later.”

“Is that so?”

He said he wanted to stay before I left, and it seems he’s been doing well alone in the capital.

Grisha quietly followed behind me, but kept turning towards the wall as if the sunlight was unwelcome.

‘Is he depressed?’

Isn’t it good to get some sunlight when you’re depressed? Should I just leave him be if he dislikes it so much? After hesitating for a moment, I ended up only pulling back about half the curtains and stepped back.

Grisha kept his head down and lips tightly shut.

It seemed like he was waiting for me to speak first in many ways. After hesitating briefly, I carefully opened my mouth.

“I heard that Duke Granite was unwell. Is he healthy again now?”

Earlier Grisha looked so depressed that I thought he might have passed away, but thinking about it, if he had died they would be holding a funeral, not lingering here.

At my question, Grisha gave an awkward smile.

It seemed his expression became strange as he tried to suppress his irritation while pretending not to be.

“It was a lie from the beginning. The Duchess just sent an urgent message to summon my elder brother.”

“But the subjugation was ongoing? Falsely summoning the knight commander could result in severe punishment later.”

“It wasn’t a private matter. They named the next Duke of Granite. The imperial family would consider it an important issue, so it would have been understood.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The influence of the Granite ducal family must be impressive.

‘Cedar deliberately said he wouldn’t return to the ducal family in order to pass on the title to Grisha.’

In the end, everything fell into place exactly as Cedar intended.

As I just nodded obediently, Grisha asked in a sharp tone.

“Aren’t you going to ask who the next duke is?”

“Well…”

I was about to answer that it was obviously him, but I quickly came to my senses and shut my mouth.

If Grisha had inherited the title, there would be no need to test me like this now.

‘Then…’

I raised my head with a hardened face and met Grisha’s eyes.

“Father named my elder brother. I thought he was lying unconscious, but he was surprisingly lucid. Speaking well too. Though withered like a mummy, nothing like his former robust self.”

Grisha forced out a bright voice.

“Until now, I firmly believed without a doubt that the Duchess had stolen my mother’s place. I thought she had somehow bewitched Father and was manipulating him as she pleased.”

Grisha’s face gradually contorted.

“But I was wrong. The one Father truly loved was Lady Briar, and my mother and I were the foreign elements in Father’s life.”

Grisha’s hands trembled. I realized why he kept trying to stand in the shadows.

He didn’t want to show his weakness to anyone.

“…It’s so miserable, Nelly.”

“Grisha.”

I reached out both hands and grasped Grisha’s hands.

As if reflecting his emotional state, his hands were very cold. I awkwardly squeezed out some kind words.

“No matter what, Duke Granite is the bad person here. You and your mother did nothing wrong.”

If he truly loved her, he should have cleanly ended the marriage relationship all the more.

In the end, it was Duke Granite who made everyone unhappy.

But words of blame and justification held no meaning for Grisha.

Grisha continued in a sunken voice. His voice was soaked with moisture.

“Deep down, I looked down on my elder brother. No matter that he was the eldest son and a Sword Master, I thought he was still a thief who stole my place. That he should naturally feel guilty towards me. All of that was just an illusion.”

“…”

Not knowing what else to say to comfort him, I bit my lip tightly.

Right at that moment, Grisha suddenly gripped my hands tightly and pulled me.

Caught off guard and pulled towards him, I opened my eyes wide.

“Nelly, you won’t leave me, will you?”

“What?”

A strange light flickered in Grisha’s eyes, which had been dark until now. He continued in a heated tone.

“You’re all I have, Nelly. For a very long time, you’ve been all I had. The ducal title, family, retainers – they’re all meaningless. I only went to the Granite ducal family because of you. Because I wanted to invalidate your marriage to my elder brother.”

“What are you suddenly saying?”

Invalidate my marriage to Cedar? By what authority does he step in like that? Even if my marriage to Cedar wasn’t by my own will initially, maintaining it now is entirely my own choice.

As I blinked in incomprehension, Grisha firmly grasped my hand and whispered in a heavy tone.

“I like you.”

“…Grisha.”

“I’ve liked you since we were at the academy. If I could turn back time, I’d want to go back to those days. Back then, we could naturally be together, just the two of us. I don’t like other people being around you, or you naturally accepting help from others. Above all, I hate that you’re someone else’s wife.”

Emotions too deep and intense to understand all at once poured into me one after another.

“Stay by my side, Nelly.”

It felt like my breath was suddenly cut off.

He had entered the palace prepared to be kept waiting for hours by the sulky emperor, but unexpectedly, the emperor immediately let him into the office.

‘Not even the audience chamber, but the office? Does he have some task for me?’

That was the only reason he could think of for why the emperor would specifically summon him.

‘I hope it’s not something that takes me away from Nelly.’

Thinking that, he went to the emperor’s office, where the emperor extended his hand with a bright smile.

“Congratulations, Cedar.”

“What do you mean?”

Though puzzled, Cedar politely took the emperor’s hand.

The emperor, seemingly excited, shook Cedar’s hand vigorously.

“Duke Granite has expressed his intention to pass on the ducal title to you. He said the sooner the better. I was thinking of having the title succession at this summer’s ball. How does that sound to you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re now Duke Granite.”

Confusion spread across Cedar’s face. It couldn’t be helped.

He hadn’t even gone to the ducal residence when he heard his father was critically ill, in order to pass the title to Grisha.

“That can’t be. Grisha would have been by Father’s side at the end…”

“What end? You shouldn’t speak so carelessly.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

It was typical of the upright Cedar to not even consider that the urgent message sent to the south might have been false. The emperor released Cedar’s hand and plopped down in his chair.

“As for your younger brother, I hear he disappeared in shock after hearing about the title face to face. I’m not sure where he went.”

“What do you mean…”

Something was wrong. Cedar’s face hardened as he realized this.

But before he could dwell on it, the emperor presented another matter.

“But before passing on the title, there’s an issue we need to address with you. Don’t you think it’s a bit much for a duke of a country to have a wife in a vegetative state? If you’re alright with it, I’d like to act as a matchmaker.”

The topic suddenly jumped to his wife.

Cedar faced the emperor with a hardened expression. The emperor added, smiling as if greatly amused:

“Of course, if you have a woman you love separately, that’s a different story.”

After pouring out his confession, Grisha abruptly left the mansion. I was relieved he didn’t demand an immediate answer.

Only after Grisha had gone did I clutch my chest.

‘What a shock. I never expected Grisha to confess to me.’

Though we were close, I had never once thought of Grisha romantically.

I didn’t think there had been any signs at all, but…

‘He said he’s felt this way since the academy.’

In the end, it was oblivious me who hadn’t noticed his feelings.

‘How frustrating it must have been for him all this time.’

I scratched my head vigorously.

Not only was it awkward that I had been unaware of Grisha’s feelings all along, but those emotions weren’t entirely welcome either.

As I paced back and forth, I chewed on my lip.

‘But what happened with the ducal title? Cedar said he wouldn’t inherit it.’

Since Grisha hadn’t calmly explained the situation, I couldn’t be certain, but it seems Duke Granite, who was said to be comatose, was actually able to express his wishes just fine.

And when Grisha came to visit, he declared that he wouldn’t give him the title.

‘This is all because of Duke Granite. I ought to give him a flick on the forehead when I see him later. What is this? Because of him, his two good sons are just growing apart.’

No matter how I thought about it, he was the root cause.

I mentally swung my fist at Duke Granite, whom I’d never even seen.

Of course, it wasn’t satisfying at all.

Deflated, I plopped down near the egg and rested my chin in my hand.

‘What am I supposed to do now?’