Chapter 5
“Evangeline, I want you to raise this child yourself. This is not a duty of the Duchess—it is a personal request.”
“Have you been well, Rex?”
“Woof!”
For the first time that day, a genuine smile appeared on Evangeline’s face.
Rex had been the only survivor of his litter. His mother and siblings had all died when he was born, and from that very moment until now, he had followed only Evangeline.
If she wasn’t around, he would often refuse to eat and simply whine until she returned.
“So the noble hound of the North has become such a picky eater. That’s hardly dignified.”
“Woof!”
“You really are something.”
Spreading her fingers, she gently brushed Rex’s thick silver fur.
Somehow, her heart hurt even more than when she had been staring silently at the roses.
She reached toward the basket beside her for a treat but paused, instinctively turning toward the entrance of the greenhouse.
There was only one person Rex reacted to by raising all his fur without barking.
Decarno.
“So you were here. Since you weren’t with the others, I came in without asking your permission.”
“That’s fine.”
Even at a moment like this, he still insisted on observing proper etiquette.
The thought made Evangeline sick.
She pressed her lips together again.
There were dozens of things she wanted to grab him by the shoulders and ask.
But before any of that…
She had to report what had happened.
“All of the guests left safely. No one seemed to suspect anything. I stayed until the very end to see everyone off.”
“I see.”
Even though she had answered the question he was about to ask before he could speak, his voice still sounded dissatisfied.
Unable to bear it any longer, Evangeline stood up and walked straight toward him.
“What happened? Did you find out anything about the trading company?”
“We’re investigating.”
“…Ah.”
It was exactly the answer she should have expected.
She had only informed him a short while ago.
No matter who he was, there were limits to how quickly anyone could move.
Even so, disappointment darkened her face.
“I know reaching the Rieman Sea immediately is impossible, but I’d at least like to go to the nearby waters. If I leave before dawn today, then at least—”
“And what exactly do you plan to do once you get there?”
“Your Grace.”
“You won’t accomplish anything by going yourself. All you’ll do is attract attention.”
…
His words weren’t especially cold.
Yet her arms suddenly felt chilled.
As Evangeline rubbed her bare skin, Decarno quietly removed his coat.
He stepped closer as though to drape it over her shoulders—a movement so natural it seemed automatic.
She immediately stepped back and shook her head.
Wearing his coat wasn’t going to warm her heart.
“The ships all sank. Don’t I have the right to know what’s happening?”
“There is no reason you have to go there yourself.”
“My father is there!”
…
“My father is someone I have to find. I’m his only child.”
For the first time, her voice rose.
Decarno lifted an eyebrow.
That was all.
His coat hung over one arm as he looked directly at her.
“So you’re planning to swim out there yourself and rescue the Count?”
“How can you say that?!”
“He hasn’t been confirmed dead.”
…
“Nothing has been confirmed.”
His words extinguished the fire swirling in Evangeline’s crimson-pink eyes.
She hesitated.
His next words were painfully logical.
“If you make the wrong move now, this situation will only become more complicated. If the Count survived and is somewhere waiting for rescue, then remaining quiet is the safest course of action.”
“But… if something really has happened to him…”
“And what about the trading company?”
Decarno’s gaze turned cold again.
“A trading company doesn’t run on money alone. Once public opinion turns against it, even a perfectly healthy business can collapse overnight.”
The O’Hara Trading Company might have been enormous, but most of its operations were overseas.
Compared to its size, its foundation within the Bellice Empire itself was relatively weak.
“If either the company president disappeared or the company’s fortune was lost, one of those problems could still be managed.”
“But now you’ve lost both.”
“If people begin talking now, then even if the Count returns safely later, repairing the damage will be extremely difficult.”
…
“I’ll inform you the moment I receive any news.”
“You should stay quietly here until then.”
It sounded like advice.
In reality, it was an order.
If she knew nothing, perhaps she could have argued.
Instead…
She understood exactly how a trading company worked.
Which meant she had nothing she could say to refute him.
…
Biting the inside of her mouth until it hurt, Evangeline quietly studied him.
Decarno reached into his pocket for a cigar.
Feeling her gaze, he simply snapped it in half between his fingers instead.
“What?”
“Was I wrong?”
“No.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Even she was surprised she could still smile at a moment like this.
“Everything you’ve said is correct.”
“Coming from you… how could it be otherwise?”
“And yet?”
“…You’re frightening.”
…
“It suddenly struck me all over again.”
“What a frightening person you are.”
All the strength left Evangeline’s pink eyes.
Of course, he wasn’t the kind of man who would be shocked or offended by words like that.
If he had…
Perhaps she could have seen at least a trace of humanity in him.
As she lowered her eyes in resignation, Decarno finally spoke after a long silence.
“Then you should do exactly as I said.”
◇ ◆ ◇
Unfortunately…
Evangeline could not follow the Duke’s instructions.
After that day, Decarno never returned home.
Nor did he send her any messages.
The fact that she managed to endure several days alone was remarkable in itself.
She couldn’t continue living in uncertainty forever.
So, after three days, she finally went to the O’Hara Trading Company herself.
She had steeled herself before coming.
No matter what she saw…
She believed she could endure it.
“Lady, you’ve arrived.”
“…What is this?”
But the moment she saw the office with her own eyes…
She couldn’t find a single word to say.
It wasn’t the chaotic ruin one expected from a bankrupt company.
Quite the opposite.
Everything looked exactly as it always had.
Perfect.
The employees were busy sorting documents.
Others hurried through telegrams and receipts.
Everyone was working as though nothing had happened.
The only person standing there in complete shock…
Was herself.
“Philip.”
“Y-Young Miss.”
The only one who seemed as shaken as she was was the manager, Philip.
The instant he saw her standing at the entrance, all the color drained from his face.
He hurried over and led her deeper into the office.
Along the way, every employee they passed bowed respectfully at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
The sight felt so familiar that it almost made her laugh.
“Hah.”
“H-How did you come all the way here?”
“…Is that really all you have to say to me?”
She looked up at Philip with a cold smile.
Though her eye color differed from her father’s, the commanding presence she inherited from Count O’Hara was unmistakable.
Philip clasped his trembling hands together.
“I understand why you’re here, Young Miss… but you mustn’t come here.”
“Philip.”
“Don’t make me angry any further.”
“It’s not that. If you stay here… then someone might…”
“Why?”
“Is someone going to arrest me?”
Philip kept talking in circles while nervously glancing around.
His behavior only made Evangeline more suspicious.
There was no one here except the employees.
So why was he acting so restless?
She quickly turned her head.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh my! So our future Duchess is here!”
“…Lady Revan.”
The customer who had just entered with an employee guiding her immediately brightened upon seeing Evangeline.
There was only one reason a noblewoman visited the trading company.
To shop.
The O’Hara Trading Company, located in the busiest district of the city, dealt only in the finest luxury goods.
For nobles, stopping by was almost a habit.
However…
Lady Revan had never once come here to buy anything.
At least…
Not by paying for it.
“I was worried because you didn’t look very well at your birthday celebration the other day. Seeing that you’re perfectly healthy now is such a relief.”
“Thank you, but I’m not the Duchess yet.”
“Oh, don’t say such disappointing things. If the previous Duchess hadn’t passed away so suddenly, you two would already be married by now.”
…
“Honestly, who else in the entire world could possibly become the Duchess of Teze besides Lady O’Hara?”
Lady Revan, who was in her thirties, flattered Evangeline so excessively that it almost seemed embarrassing.
She stayed glued to Evangeline’s side in front of the companions who had come with her, showering her with endless praise.
The more she could show everyone how close she was to the queen of high society…
The more elegant and important she believed she herself appeared.
