TGDHC Chapter 117

Chapter 117 – Only Once

“You can head back first.”

After finishing his talk with Paccio, Loic didn’t return to the mansion right away.
Instead, he walked straight toward a nearby bush.

Standing before it, he murmured quietly,
“Come out.”

For a moment, nothing happened—then the bush rustled slightly, and Raphael poked his curly brown head out.

“So my brother-in-law’s dream job is spy-catching, huh?”

Loic narrowed his eyes and stared down at him.

“You seem to enjoy eavesdropping.”

Raphael’s round cheeks puffed up in protest.
“I really thought I was being sneaky this time…”

Something about his sulky face reminded Loic of Annette—
‘Tch. Kind of cute, actually.’

Instead of scolding him, Loic called out to the knight who’d been keeping watch behind.

“Hassel. Tell Whitley to set tea in the front garden.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“You, come with me.”

He gave Raphael a brief glance.
Apparently, the boy thought he’d lost his tail this time.

When Raphael saw Hassel appear, his eyes went wide, and his shoulders slumped as he followed Loic obediently.

A short while later, the two of them sat in the garden as Whitley served an elegant tea set.

They drank in awkward silence.
Raphael stared down at the cookies, nibbling them with an expression that was both pouty and defiant.

‘He obviously overheard everything. He must have something to say.’

When Loic finally cleared his throat to speak, Raphael suddenly blurted out—

“Are you going to divorce my sister?”

Loic froze for half a second, then answered quickly,
“No.”

“Are you sure?”

Raphael narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“You’re not going to change your mind later, dump her, and marry the princess instead?”

“That will never happen.”

Loic pressed each word firmly, afraid the boy might run off and repeat their conversation to Annette.

She might leave him someday—but he would never be the one to let her go first.

“Whatever.”

Raphael shrugged, munching another cookie with a mischievous look.

“If you divorce her, she can just come back to the capital anyway.”

‘What?’

Loic blinked, catching the tail end of his muttering.

“What do you mean, ‘someone else’? Who?”

“Duke Kyle.”

The familiar name made Loic’s face go pale.

‘Why the hell is that bastard’s name coming up now?’

Annette liked Kyle?

But she’d said she liked gentle men.
Kyle’s temper was far worse than his own—there was no way he could be called gentle.

‘Did she mistake the capital’s fake politeness for kindness? Or…’

‘Was that guy’s chest firmer than mine?’

Loic had no reason to remember another man’s muscles, but when he pictured it—Kyle had been fairly well-built.
Still, probably smaller than him.

‘Wait… did she plan the divorce because of him?’

The thought made Loic’s stomach drop.

‘Then no matter how much I try to hold on, it wouldn’t matter…’

He clenched his jaw and covered his trembling hand by pressing it against his chin.

When Perel had investigated Annette’s past, there had been no mention of this.
Had she secretly liked Kyle all along?

“Did your sister actually say that she liked him?”

He asked as casually as he could manage, though his voice shook slightly.

Raphael, seeing his nervous expression, softened a little.

“Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“She said she only met him once.”

“Once?”

“Yeah. And any rumors after that were probably spread by Lady Ladriel anyway.”

Raphael spoke as if trying to reassure his pale-faced brother-in-law.

Loic’s tense brows eased slightly.

‘Only once…’

Well, Loic kissed Annette three times a day now.
‘There’s no comparison at all.’

“And she laughs a lot more here.”

“More than when she was in the capital?”

The boy’s brown head nodded.

“That’s a relief.”

Loic exhaled, watching Raphael quietly.

“By the way, about what you overheard earlier between me and Count Paccio…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”

Raphael lifted his shoulders like he was granting a favor.

“It’s not something my sister would want to hear, anyway.”

Technically, Loic wanted to lecture him about eavesdropping, but Raphael had one unbeatable defense: Annette.

So instead, he simply nodded.
“Thank you.”

It had already been half a year since Annette came to Blenheim.

If she’d only met Kyle once before that, she probably barely remembered his face now.

‘Still, I’ll have Perel check—just in case.’

Loic forced away the unease in his chest as Raphael reached for another cookie.

Tiern stood in front of the Grand Duchess’s door, hesitating.

It was ironic that he found himself here again—coming to apologize to her, just like last time.
The difference was that this time, he came of his own accord—and with his face still intact.

He took a few deep breaths but still couldn’t bring himself to knock.

By now, the Grand Duchess must have heard about Marzella and Meisel.

‘She must be furious.’

He had guarded her for a while and felt they’d grown a bit closer.
But now, maybe she’d lump him in with those women and resent him too.

‘What if she doesn’t even want to see me?’

That thought stung more than he expected.

Just as Tiern was about to turn away, a voice called out,

“Sir Tiern?”

It was Lady Cecilia, the Grand Duchess’s maid.

“Lady Cecilia,” he greeted stiffly.

Of all people, it had to be Norton’s younger sister—the last person he wanted to meet right now.

“What are you doing here?” she asked curiously.

‘I just wanted to know if Her Grace is feeling better…’

After a short hesitation, Tiern swallowed his pride and asked,

“Is Her Grace well?”

“Yes, she’s fine now. Isn’t she in there?”

Before he could answer, Cecilia moved as if to open the door herself.

Tiern quickly stopped her.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t want to disturb—”

“Your Grace! Sir Tiern is here!”

Cecilia ignored him completely and shouted right through the door, loud enough for the entire room to hear.

‘Does she have no sense of discretion?!’

Tiern’s eyebrow twitched.
He’d made it clear he intended to leave quietly!

And what kind of maid just bursts in without knocking—

“Sir Tiern? Let him in,” came Annette’s gentle voice from inside.

Cecilia, looking smug, opened the door wide.

“Go ahead,” she said cheerfully.

Tiern bit his lip and stepped inside awkwardly.

After speaking with the Grand Duchess, Tiern walked down the main staircase of the mansion feeling dazed.

—“Why are you apologizing, Sir Tiern? I was the one who asked you to take care of Raphael.”

When he had bowed in apology, Annette had only looked puzzled.

Instead of blaming him, she had even apologized herself.

—“I shouldn’t have talked so casually with that strange man. I was too careless.”

They’d gone back and forth several times saying I’m sorry and It’s fine before she laughed softly.

—“Sir Tiern, you’re the type who digs holes for no reason, huh?”

—“…Dig holes?”

Her teasing smile had completely disarmed him.

—“Never mind. Stop digging and go rest.”

He didn’t understand what she meant, but at least she hadn’t seemed disappointed in him.
That alone was a relief.

Feeling much lighter, Tiern was about to step out of the castle when a voice called from behind,

“Sir Tiern!”

Cecilia hurried down the stairs toward him, slightly out of breath.

When she reached him, she held something out.

“What’s this?”

“A handkerchief.”

Tiern frowned slightly but froze when he saw the yellow seal embroidered on it.

“This is…”

It was the handkerchief the Grand Duchess had once gifted him—the one he had angrily thrown away in the woods.

“I found it on the road and thought it might be yours,” Cecilia said casually.

Tiern was speechless for a moment.

“Yes… it’s mine.”

His face flushed red.

After the “egg incident,” he’d gone back to look for that handkerchief once, but of course, it had been long gone.

‘I shouldn’t have thrown it away in a fit of temper.’

He’d regretted it for a long time.
And now it turned out the Grand Duchess’s maid had picked it up.

‘Wait… how did she know it was mine? Did she see me throw it away?’

Even if she had, that was months ago.

‘She kept it all this time?’

“I washed it, but the stain wouldn’t come out,” she said with a little grimace.
Her tone was light and innocent—no hidden meaning in her face.

“Sir Tiern?”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“I’d been looking for it. You’ve done me a favor.”

“Then please return the favor someday!”

“…What?”

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. Have a good day!”

She gave him a bright smile and marched back up the stairs.

Tiern stood frozen, unable to relax his frown, watching her retreating figure disappear above him.