Chapter 34: Cassian Is Hertain
“You’re really just spouting nonsense now.”
A sneer slipped from Hertain’s lips.
“Well, Mother recovered quickly, and it wasn’t a deadly poison. Probably just some toxic weed accidentally mixed into the tea leaves.”
So that’s how they covered it up.
Even if I had collapsed, he would’ve buried the incident just like that.
As we stayed silent, Serdis smiled faintly, as if he were the victor in this verbal spar. It wasn’t that we conceded—just that we were no longer willing to respond to his crap.
Dinner was no different.
I half-listened to Serdis ramble, letting his words go in one ear and out the other.
One might have expected him to point out the rudeness, but Serdis just kept talking without a pause.
The one who got exhausted instead was Hertain.
Hosting a guest who didn’t feel like a guest, he couldn’t easily excuse himself. Perhaps he was staying because he was worried Serdis would bother me. So I read the room, finished my tea, and rose from my seat.
“It’s getting late. I’ll head up now—please make yourself comfortable in the room the butler prepared for you.”
As I stepped out of the parlor and began climbing the stairs, I heard the sound of footsteps following behind.
The footsteps quickened and soon caught up with me, halting me in my tracks.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
It was Violet.
She’d grown quiet since arriving here, but thinking back, it was probably because she’d been gauging my mood.
I relaxed my expression to reassure her.
No doubt Serdis had dragged her here against her will.
“His Highness insisted on bringing you, and you couldn’t find a reason to refuse, right? Am I right?”
“Yes… but I’m still sorry. I knew the two of you didn’t get along. I shouldn’t have come. I just really wanted to see you again… Ah, I mean, not you, Lady Anette—I mean, Your Grace!”
Even while sniffling, she remembered to correct my title.
“Feel free to call me Anette. I’m younger than you anyway.”
“R-Really? Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Even in the dim hallway, I could clearly see her flushed cheeks. It had been a long time since I’d seen Violet, but she was still as sweet as ever.
“By the way, it’s my first time seeing the Grand Duke, but you two really suit each other. I couldn’t stop watching you during dinner. I was so jealous.”
“Well, His Highness is rather handsome. I married him for his looks.”
*
Once Anette and Violet left, Hertain also left the parlor without a word, clearly having no further interest in staying.
Only Serdis and Liri remained.
Liri had tried to follow Violet but stayed behind when Hertain gave her a look.
“Ugh. I wanted to have a nice long chat with Lady Violet.”
Liri and Violet were fairly well acquainted. Sweet-natured Violet had always accepted even Liri’s sharp temperament, and their friendship had continued over the years.
But after her parents passed and she came to Blandeche, they rarely saw each other anymore. So Liri muttered complaints as she stood up.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to ask her to hang out with me instead of my sister-in-law.”
As she made to leave, she hesitated, unsure whether to greet Serdis, who sat alone.
Unlike Hertain, who was like family to her, Serdis was technically a relative but they’d never been close.
Especially since his maternal family had long been obsessed with killing Hertain—getting close to him just wasn’t an option.
In the end, Liri decided to just give a slight nod and be on her way.
But just as she turned to leave, Serdis called out to her.
“Liri. Don’t you want to catch up with your dear brother, whom you haven’t seen in a while?”
Liri turned her head.
Serdis was lounging on the sofa like he owned the place, arms spread, legs crossed.
The sight of it made her snap back automatically.
“No thanks.”
“If you get cold on me too, I might just get my feelings hurt.”
Serdis clutched at his chest dramatically, but Liri didn’t even feel the need to respond.
Now she understood why Hertain ignored him so thoroughly.
Not wanting to get further involved, she quickly turned to leave—
“Liri, do you think they suit each other?”
But that question stopped her in her tracks.
“What are you talking about?”
Serdis smiled subtly, as if he had already won.
“I just don’t think they got married because they’re in love. Is that just me?”
He even scratched his head as if it were nothing serious—leaving room to backtrack in case Liri didn’t agree.
But he was confident. Since arriving, Liri’s cold gaze toward Anette had given him reason to believe she shared his suspicions.
“…Why do you think that?”
Just as he’d hoped, Liri showed interest.
After all, no one wanted Anette out of this house more than Liri did.
“Think about it. Hertain just returned from war—would he even have had time to fall in love?”
“But they said they love each other.”
It sounded absurd even to her, but there was no denying the couple’s closeness. Even the servants gossiped that they were like lovebirds.
“Well, sure. But did you know—I heard something strange.”
“W-What?”
“Don’t just stand there stiffly. Come sit.”
Unable to contain her curiosity, Liri took a seat next to Serdis.
“I heard Anette went to an intelligence guild to look for a husband just a week before her wedding.”
It was true that Anette had looked for a marriage partner through a guild.
Anette knew Serdis had found that out and had even put on a bit of a show.
‘So that was her act, huh?’
Serdis had never believed it—not even for a second.
It only made him more suspicious.
Why had she gone so far as to marry someone just to avoid him?
He’d looked into everything about Anette but hadn’t found a clear answer.
All he knew was that she had once been kind to him… until she fainted in front of him.
Then she changed—like someone completely different. Avoided him.
No matter the reason, Serdis couldn’t give up on her.
If anything, not having her only made his desire grow stronger—especially since it was Hertain who had taken her.
“Tell me more. You’re saying my sister-in-law went around searching for a husband?”
Liri’s expression darkened as she imagined all sorts of ridiculous scenarios.
“One day she suddenly started talking about marriage, and I got curious. Turns out she was looking for someone to marry on contract.”
Serdis never let on what he really felt for Anette.
“Huh… that was strange. Hertain oppa isn’t the type to marry—especially not another woman.”
Serdis narrowed his eyes.
“‘Another woman’? What do you mean?”
Realizing her slip, Liri shook her head quickly.
“It’s nothing.”
“Liri. Be honest. If this marriage is just a contract, there’ll be no heir to inherit the Grand Duke’s title.”
Liri finally confessed, thinking it might actually help Hertain.
“The truth is… Hertain already likes someone else.”
It was a half-baked assumption.
She’d seen Hertain exchanging letters with someone.
And it was clear the recipient was a woman.
‘Whoa, Hertain oppa got a letter? The paper’s so pretty—is it from a girl?’
‘Give it here. You don’t need to know.’
Even gentle Hertain got prickly about those letters.
And the way he smiled when reading them… it had to mean something.
She’d never dared to pry, fearing he’d shut her out forever.
So the idea that he fell in love at first sight with another woman and married her? Impossible.
“A different woman? Who is she?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure he’s in love with someone. I think they still exchange letters…”
“Letters… wait, you mean this?”
Serdis pulled out a familiar envelope from his coat.
Liri’s red eyes widened in shock.
“Why do you have that letter?”
‘So I was right…’
This was the letter Anette had entrusted to Lucky at her wedding.
She’d asked Lucky to pass it along and badmouth Hertain a little. But instead, he’d handed over this letter.
Apparently, Anette had been exchanging letters with someone for a long time.
After hearing that, Serdis immediately promised to recommend Lucky to the royal art school. The little boy was overjoyed and passed on the letter.
The sender: Anette.
The recipient: Cassian.
The letter read:
“Cassian, thank you for being brave.
I’m sorry for asking to meet even though I knew it made you uncomfortable.
But I’m ready to accept you—no matter who you are or what your circumstances are.”
They had been writing for a long time, yet had apparently never even seen each other’s faces.
On the surface, the letter seemed like just a meeting request, but every word was carefully chosen.
Serdis had a gut feeling.
That this letter had something to do with Anette’s sudden change.
So he immediately set out to find this “Cassian.”
‘Who is Cassian?’
The name sounded familiar, but no one came to mind.
He investigated every person named Cassian in the capital—nobles and commoners alike.
But none of them were the one.
‘Which means… Cassian isn’t his real name.’
So after Anette married and left the family, he pretended the letter had been lost at the wedding and returned it to the Count’s estate.
The butler confirmed it was a letter from Anette to Cassian and had it sent somewhere.
Serdis followed.
And finally discovered that the destination…
Was Blandeche Castle.
