Chapter 16
“Y-Your Grace.”
“Please, continue, Your Highness.”
“……”
“You were speaking about His Late Majesty. Please continue—with the honor of your noble blood and the responsibility expected of an adult.”
In an instant, his eyes returned to their usual calm, as though nothing had happened.
Only then did Bellona awkwardly force a smile.
If she had been a little more perceptive, she might have noticed the subtle change that had briefly appeared in the Duke’s gaze.
But Bellona was too blinded by her feelings for him.
As the princess continued speaking with a composed expression, Decarno’s sharp eyes once again drifted toward the second-floor balcony.
◇ ◆ ◇
After Princess Bellona’s banquet, the relationship between Evangeline and Decarno became even more awkward.
They had never been an affectionate couple to begin with, but they had never avoided each other before.
Decarno had always treated her with proper courtesy and respect, while Evangeline had been busy fulfilling her own responsibilities.
But after that day, something between them subtly changed.
The already-busy Duke became impossible to see, and Evangeline felt as though she were slowly becoming a fool.
From the moment she opened her eyes until she went to sleep, she had once been occupied with endless duties.
Now, suddenly, she felt like someone who was forbidden from doing anything at all.
She couldn’t go out.
She couldn’t meet people.
She couldn’t even laugh too loudly.
But the hardest thing to endure was her relationship with Decarno.
Now that they rarely saw each other, the loneliness and awkwardness she had never noticed before slowly wore her down.
Learning that he intended to sell the southern lands to repay her debts only made everything worse.
The shame and guilt she felt were beyond words.
And ever since that day, even Decarno’s slightly colder attitude had become difficult for her to ignore.
This can’t go on forever.
In the end, it was Evangeline who gathered her courage first.
She visited the main mansion during the Duke’s breakfast.
Having just finished eating, Decarno was holding a cup of coffee when he looked at her with mild surprise.
His cold gaze felt as though it could see through every thought in her heart.
Once again, Evangeline spoke first.
“I… was wondering if you were here.”
She knew it sounded foolish.
But the moment she saw him, her heart began pounding uncontrollably.
Not long ago, they had occasionally shared breakfast together.
That made this silence feel unbearably awkward.
The way he looked at her as though asking why she had come…
And the fact that she stubbornly remained standing before him.
“Um… You were here.”
“Sit.”
“……”
“You didn’t come just to stare at me.”
Decarno gestured toward the chair across from him.
As if they had been waiting, the butler and servants immediately brought out tea for Evangeline.
Now that she deliberately kept her distance from the servants, even this kind of treatment made her uncomfortable.
Unlike her, Decarno had been born with the ability to command and control others with nothing more than a glance.
“If you have something to say, then say it.”
“It’s not exactly that… You just seem very busy lately.”
She wondered what ordinary couples talked about in moments like this.
Her quiet sigh grew heavier.
Perhaps they would joke that they were starting to forget each other’s faces…
Or say, Since you wouldn’t come to me, I came to you.
But she couldn’t.
If she said something like that carelessly, the balance Decarno was already struggling with might tilt even further.
That man hated troublesome people more than anything.
“…I’ve seen that you’re doing well, so I’ll be going now.”
“Evangeline.”
“I’m sorry. I interrupted your meal.”
Thinking that, she hurriedly stood up.
Apparently Decarno hadn’t expected her to leave so quickly.
He frowned slightly before standing as well.
Still, he wasn’t the kind of man who would gently tell her to stay a little longer.
“I don’t think that’s all you came here to say.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re trembling.”
“Ah…”
Blinking blankly, Evangeline slowly lowered her head.
What’s wrong with me?
Seeing her own hand trembling ever so slightly left her speechless.
If the former Duchess of Theseus had seen her like this, she would surely have shaken her head in disappointment.
“…I’m sorry. I’m not even sick. I don’t know why I’m—”
“Give me your hand.”
As she tried to leave as quickly as possible, he caught her hand.
Unlike the last time in her bedroom, when he had grabbed her wrist…
This time, he simply held her hand.
It had been so long since he had held it like this—outside of dancing—that her heart skipped a beat.
“It’s really nothing…”
“That isn’t for you to decide.”
Decarno quietly looked down at the back of the hand he was holding.
His gaze wasn’t especially gentle.
Yet somehow…
Her trembling slowly faded.
Perhaps coming to see him had been the right decision after all.
Evangeline’s breathing gradually steadied.
I’m glad I came.
Enjoying a rare moment of peace, she found the courage to smile again.
Even if it made her seem carefree, it was better than returning to the suffocating days she’d been living through.
Trying to act as naturally as possible, she spoke again.
“Will you be home late again today?”
“Yes.”
“Very late?”
“Probably.”
The conversation was unbelievably short.
But it sounded exactly like him.
It made her smile despite everything.
If he had suddenly forced himself to act warmly…
That would have been far stranger.
She would have thought…
So he really intends to end things with me.
“Then I suppose you’ll have dinner outside as well.”
“I probably will.”
“Ah… Then I think I’ll invite a guest over today.”
“……”
She smiled gently once the trembling in her hand had completely disappeared.
For some reason, the man who usually answered immediately said nothing.
Since she had long grown accustomed to his silence, she simply lowered her head and carefully slipped her hand free.
“I met an old friend at the banquet the other day.”
“I thought I should see him again and catch up.”
“Since it’s probably still better if I don’t go out much… I thought inviting him here for a little while would be best.”
“How thoughtful.”
“…What?”
“Did that man say he wanted to see where you live?”
“……”
What…
Was he talking about?
Confused, Evangeline looked up.
As she slowly understood what he meant, the color drained from her eyes.
The trembling that had finally stopped returned.
If he had openly shouted at her, she could have simply explained the misunderstanding.
Instead…
The faint smile on his lips was nothing but cold.
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re talking about Kirion—”
“How close are the two of you?”
“You’re about to become the Duchess of Theseus, yet you remember the name of an ordinary naval officer so easily.”
“……”
“I suppose that’s why you want to invite him here despite your current situation.”
Despite… your current situation.
Every word cut deeply into her heart.
At this point, there was no mistaking what he was implying.
Humiliation surged inside her.
She bit the inside of her mouth until it hurt.
“Kirion is my friend.”
“He was the only person—man or woman—who came to speak to me first at that banquet.”
“Do you really believe his intentions were completely innocent?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you don’t understand…”
“Then it only proves you still know very little about the world.”
“……”
Even after everything you’ve been through.
Although he never actually said those words, she could hear them anyway.
His voice wasn’t mocking.
Perhaps that was what made it hurt even more.
Swallowing against her dry throat, Evangeline quietly lowered her head.
“…You’re right.”
For the first time, Decarno’s calm expression visibly wavered.
Only then did he seem to realize something had gone wrong.
But Evangeline’s face had already become as expressionless as a mask.
Since he had never cared much about understanding a woman’s feelings, perhaps he couldn’t see how completely different she looked from the radiant smile she had shown on the balcony that day.
“…I suppose you’re right, Your Grace.”
“I still don’t understand many things.”
“Evangeline.”
“I must have gotten carried away after meeting an old friend.”
“If I were wiser… I would have focused more on my current situation.”
Her pink eyes wandered aimlessly, unable to settle anywhere.
Decarno unconsciously reached out to steady her trembling shoulders.
But Evangeline quietly stepped back.
Then she lowered herself into a graceful curtsy.
Her movements were so mechanical that she looked like a doll wound by a spring.
“I’ll forget about inviting him.”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“……”
She apologized for interrupting his meal.
She acknowledged that it was only natural since this was his home.
Every word she spoke was perfectly elegant.
As she walked away…
Her footsteps were so light that it seemed as though she might disappear at any moment.
