Chapter 48
Was That Child You?
“How is your relationship with Lord Kardian? I… haven’t been married for long yet. I can’t really imagine what Damian and I will be like after three years.”
At Ansi’s question, Bekishi looked out over the lake. Her once lively eyes clouded, a bitter expression spreading across her face.
“Kal and I… we’re good. The only problem is that we don’t have a child yet.”
“Do you want to have a child?”
“Are there married couples who don’t want children? It’s our duty, after all. And then… the bond between us will surely become stronger.”
A child. Ansi had never imagined having one with Damian. There was no point in imagining something like that anyway.
Because such a child would never be born. Even if, someday, her revenge wasn’t complete and she did have a child, that child would only face misfortune.
This marriage was doomed to be a tragedy from the very beginning.
A mother who sought revenge on her father’s family because his older brother had killed her kin. A mother who wished to destroy the father’s family and drag them through the mud. What good could come from being born to such parents? The child would likely die with them.
“Soon…”
You’ll have a child. Ansi had wanted to say this to comfort Bekishi, but she swallowed her words.
She didn’t want to deceive her with empty reassurance. After all, the peaceful Bekishi, smiling as she watched the lake now, might die because of Ansi’s choices—and so might her child.
“Well, I’m okay. People say we should enjoy the present, after all.”
Bekishi ended the conversation and turned back. The only place left to go now was the annex. Ansi followed her along the path leading there. Because of the shade cast by the large trees overhead, the trail felt dim despite the daylight.
“Kardian’s probably in the annex.”
As they approached the annex, Bekishi spoke. Ansi looked up at the building.
But there was already someone on the terrace. In the shade of the trees, the two women stopped and looked up at the terrace.
Damian and Kardian were talking. Their conversation couldn’t be heard, but their expressions didn’t look pleasant.
It wasn’t the kind of expression you’d expect between normal brothers. It wasn’t like the bickering and squabbling between Ansi and Dere either.
Ansi’s heart began to pound.
She had sensed, however faintly, that their relationship might not be what she’d assumed. But it seemed even more complicated than she had expected.
What Damian felt for his brother was deep contempt and hatred.
And Kardian looked at his younger brother as if he were a bug he could crush at any moment.
The discomfort she’d felt at yesterday’s dinner now made sense. It was as if they had worn smiling masks just to hide the scorn on their faces.
“Did Lord Damian tell you about his family yesterday?”
“Yes.”
So Bekishi knew about his origins too. But what she said next hinted at an even deeper truth.
“Lord Damian… I feel sorry for him on Kardian’s behalf. I heard he grew up as Kardian’s toy since childhood. It would be stranger if their relationship had turned out normal.”
Ansi bit the inside of her lip.
Toy.
It was an easy word to say, but Ansi was certain the reality of it had been horrifying.
Ansi took a deep breath.
Just then, Damian turned around on the terrace. He seemed to be heading out. Instinctively, Ansi pulled Bekishi behind a tree, hiding their bodies.
Soon, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the annex. The man’s steps were fast, heavy with anger. There was none of the usual leisurely grace in his stride.
His footsteps drew near. Ansi held her breath and stared at the ground.
But suddenly, his steps slowed.
Did he see me? No, impossible. She had hidden herself before entering his line of sight. And this tree was large enough to completely block them. Not even the hem of her dress would 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 find out she was here.
Fortunately, his steps slowly moved away.
Ansi didn’t move until the sound of his footsteps had completely disappeared.
“Lord Damian is gone now, Ansi.”
Only after hearing Bekishi’s voice did Ansi raise her head. Realizing she had been gripping Bekishi’s sleeve tightly, she quickly let go and apologized.
“…! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pull you so suddenly…”
“It’s okay. I didn’t want Kal to find out we saw those two either. Even between married couples, there are things we want to keep to ourselves.”
Ansi shut her mouth and nodded. She looked in the direction Damian had gone. The windless path bore faint impressions of his footsteps in the sand.
If one didn’t pay attention, they might easily overlook the shallow indentations. But to Ansi, they seemed eternal.
Her mind was bursting with confusion.
Damian had grown up like a toy under Kardian D’Orphee. Considering that Kardian had killed her father without a second thought, she could easily imagine the kind of life Damian must have lived.
One thing was certain—his world hadn’t been the idyllic flower garden she’d imagined.
He hadn’t grown up surrounded by love at the center of the Orphee family.
And perhaps… that hadn’t changed even now.
This was a serious issue for her plans. More than whether or not he was illegitimate.
The fact that Damian was a bastard hadn’t affected her that much. After all, the Orphee family had kept it hidden all this time.
As long as he was known as the son of the Duke and Duchess of Orphee, it didn’t matter whether he appeared in public or not—outsiders still regarded him as one of the Orphees.
But Ansi was different.
She hadn’t yet been acknowledged as one of them.
If they still didn’t fully recognize Damian, then it was unlikely they’d accept her. She wouldn’t be invited to official events, nor be able to establish herself as a true member of the family in others’ eyes.
That would significantly lower the chances of success for her revenge.
It was a critical problem.
And yet…
Ansi’s face twisted in pain.
More than any of that… she was now most concerned about him.
What was the look on his face when he turned her away from Kardian at the wedding? When he tried to stop her from meeting the Orphees? At last night’s dinner?
Suddenly, a memory began to resurface in Ansi’s mind—clearer and clearer.
Platinum-blonde hair. Violet eyes.
The boy who had jumped into the water because he wanted to die… overlapped with the man who hated fairy tales where children suffered.
“Was that child really you?”
She had thought he was just a young master who grew up happily, loved by his parents and brother. But if that wasn’t the case… then she no longer knew how to face him.
* * *
Damian had arrived at the annex shortly before Ansi did.
The open annex had been decorated entirely in Kardian’s style. It seemed the Duke had officially granted it to him as his personal space. In the past, it had often been used to torment Damian out of sight—so it was merely a symbolic gift.
Damian looked around slowly. The furniture and items that used to trigger memories were now gone. Still, just stepping into the space made his body tense up automatically.
Feeling pathetic, Damian let out a bitter laugh. No point standing alone here like this, steeped in self-pity.
With measured steps, he climbed the stairs inside the annex. The faint sound of a phonograph had been audible for a while, growing louder as he ascended. On the second-floor terrace, Kardian turned his head from his book.
“Mi-on.”
Kardian gently called his name. But Damian didn’t respond. He had no intention of putting on an act here. He wasn’t a dog anymore—one that ran up panting just because he was called.
“I told her.”
Leaning lightly on the terrace railing, Damian tossed the words out.
From here, he could see the lake in full view. The sunlight shattered over the surface. To the side, a path lined with trees stretched along. The damp path they had walked earlier looked dark from here, as if the lake had stolen all its light—but it was beautiful from this angle.
“Told her what?”
Damian turned his head. Kardian had closed his book and was looking at him.
Damian crossed his arms and leaned fully against the railing. As if confirming what Kardian was thinking, he replied:
“That I’m the Duke’s illegitimate son. That I spent eight years in the South before joining the Orphee family.”
Kardian narrowed his eyes.
He stared at his insufferably arrogant little brother. Damian didn’t look away.
The gaze meeting his was bold and insolent. That was what made Damian interesting—but today, it was oddly irritating.
Kardian’s golden eyes, usually gentle, now gleamed with displeasure.
He had assumed Damian would avoid the topic again like he always had. If so, Kardian had planned to whisper the truth to Ansi himself.
But it seemed Damian had beaten him to it.
How anticlimactic. Judging by his confident tone, Ansi must’ve responded kindly, even offered him comfort.
Kardian sighed and finally spoke.
“Mi-on. I was only worried you’d be disappointed.”
