Chapter 15
Elisa had several moments when her heart sank, but fortunately, nothing as serious as she feared happened.
The conversation had shifted to marriage, which was less stressful than talking about Ethan.
At least she didn’t have to worry about her secret being exposed.
After the tense dinner ended safely, Elisa felt all her strength leave her.
Still, she was deeply relieved that the crisis was over.
It was time for the child to go to bed.
Elisa wanted to put Noah to sleep herself, but since she had to see Derek off, she had no choice but to ask the nanny to do it.
Derek, dressed neatly, lightly kissed the back of Lady Leslie’s hand.
“Thank you for inviting me to dinner, my lady. It was a very pleasant evening.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll invite you again, so please come next time too.”
“Of course.”
After a brief farewell with Lady Leslie, Derek’s gaze moved to his fiancée.
Elisa stood stiffly like a doll but forced a faint smile.
“I really enjoyed tonight. Please be careful going home, Lord Grenville.”
“I enjoyed it as well.”
Derek kissed the back of Elisa’s hand, too.
She quickly hid her hand behind her skirt and wiped the warmth off her hand.
No matter how many times she wiped, the lingering heat bothered her.
“I hope next time you call me by my name, not my title.”
It was an awkward request.
Elisa was about to refuse again, but her mother suddenly grabbed her arm tightly, making her pause.
Lady Leslie pressured her with a look to nod quickly.
“…Later.”
Elisa hesitated briefly but did not change her mind.
Her mother’s gaze sharpened even more, but Elisa stood tall and firm.
Her eyes toward her fiancé were like a cold night breeze.
“I’m sorry, I’ve never called anyone by name unless they were family or a close friend, so it doesn’t come naturally.”
Derek listened calmly to her excuse and gently shook his head.
“That’s fine. I understand.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Elisa sincerely thanked him.
She had been bothered by his repeated requests, so she was relieved to set a clear boundary this time.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
Derek Grenville bowed politely and turned to leave.
It’s finally over.
Just as Elisa was about to relax, Derek, who had one foot on the carriage, turned back.
His smiling face was the same as in the dining room.
No way…?
“I will arrange a dinner with Baron Estevan later, so I would be grateful if you could come then.”
Elisa’s bad feeling was right again.
She was so surprised she couldn’t say anything, but Lady Leslie happily agreed and promised to come.
As Derek got in and the door was about to close, he looked toward Elisa.
In that brief moment, Elisa caught the meaning in his sparkling eyes—he was doing it on purpose.
She guessed why easily. It was surely because she had refused to be called by his name.
Saying he understood was a complete lie.
Still, she was shocked and confused by his childish prank.
The Derek Grenville she knew wouldn’t play such games.
“Does he really know everything?”
Elisa shook her head at the thought.
If that were true, he wouldn’t be acting like he was testing her
Besides, even the skilled information guild hadn’t found out, so it was unlikely he had.
Maybe he was still suspicious.
Not only when she faced Ethan, but even when his name was mentioned, his strange reactions suggested so.
That meant the near exposure of her secret was entirely her fault, and Elisa tightly shut her eyes.
Anxiety and guilt welled up deep inside her chest.
“I need to be more careful from now on.”
She made that promise, but honestly, she had no confidence.
No matter how strong the defences she built, they were useless in front of Ethan.
His tone, his eyes, and even just mentioning his name shook her defences.
The best thing was not to see Ethan at all.
And also not to listen to him.
So, after all… maybe that’s the only way.
Elisa let out a short sigh and looked up at the night sky, where the moonlight faintly spread like a halo.
Her eyes showed complicated emotions, as if she had made up her mind about something.
***
In the capital, the noble districts were mainly divided into two areas: Whitemond and Richmond.
Whitemond was where high-ranking nobles, mostly counts and above, lived.
Richmond was home to lower-ranking nobles like barons and viscounts, those who had noble blood but no title, or ordinary people who became nobles for special reasons.
When Ethan was granted the title of baron, he was also given a mansion in Richmond.
However, since there were many things to prepare—repairs on the mansion, hiring servants, and so on—he couldn’t move in right away.
Prince Howard, blaming the royal household for the delay, told Ethan to stay at a royal hotel until everything was ready.
About a month after arriving in the capital, Ethan finally received a message that the preparations were complete.
He picked up his suitcase and left the hotel.
He took a deep breath, letting the chilly dawn air fill his lungs.
This was the only time when the usually noisy streets became quiet.
The sky just before dawn was a perfect mix of purple and red.
As he walked and looked around the quiet street, a carriage bearing the Estevan baron’s crest stopped in front of the hotel.
Prince Howard’s aide, Ronald Dominic, stepped down from the carriage and bowed.
“Good morning, Baron.”
“Good morning. I didn’t expect you to come personally, Sir Dominic.”
“The prince cares a lot about you, Baron. He almost insisted on coming himself, and I had to stop him.”
Etban smiled faintly, imagining how it must have been.
“Is all your luggage still in the hotel?”
“No. This is everything.”
Seeing Ethan’s worn-out bag, Ronald raised one eyebrow in surprise.
For a hero who saved the life of the second prince and led the allied forces to victory, the luggage was surprisingly small and humble.
When Ronald reached out to help carry the bag, Ethan silently shook his head and gripped the handle tighter.
Even after getting into the carriage, Ethan did not let go of the bag.
His gaze out the window was as calm as the quiet street.
There was no excitement or joy about going to his new mansion.
His expression only changed when the carriage entered Richmond.
Looking at the mansions lined up along the street, his grey eyes showed a strange mix of feelings.
It wasn’t quite sadness, but there was a hint of sorrow, and yet his eyes sparkled.
“By the way, Baron, this is your first time in Richmond, right?”
“No.”
Ronald, knowing Ethan was once ordinary, expected him to say yes.
But Ethan’s unexpected answer made him tilt his head in confusion.
“You’ve been to Richmond before?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been here a few times on errands for the young lady.”
Ethan swallowed the unnecessary words and quickly took in the changing scenery of the street.
Even after four years, everything looked the same.
The only thing that changed was between you and me.
At the thought, a bitter smile spread across Ethan’s lips.
The carriage, moving steadily, came to a stop in front of the Esteban baron’s mansion.
The effort Prince Howard had put into it was clear from the elegant appearance of the building.
Ethan had worried because Howard liked flashy things and said he decorated it himself, but his worry was unnecessary.
As Ethan stepped out of the carriage, the servants lined up on both sides of the entrance bowed together.
Among them, an elderly man with white hair stepped forward and bowed deeply.
“My name is Loren. From today, I will be serving you as your head butler.”
This man was the mansion’s chief butler.
Ronald Dominic, who followed behind, added that Loren was a capable butler personally selected by Prince Howard.
After the aide left, Loren stayed and led Ethan through the mansion.
“This is your bedroom, sir.”
The bedroom was luxurious yet tidy.
While Ethan slowly looked around the room, Loren, who had been waiting, asked,
“How would you like your luggage handled?”
“I’ll do it myself.”
Since there was only one bag, there was no need to ask for help.
“There’s something I want to ask.”
“Please speak, sir.”
Standing by the window where the soft morning sunlight filtered in, Ethan turned to Loren.
His grey eyes flashed sharply in contrast to the warm light.
Looking at the butler with a piercing gaze as if seeing through him, Ethan slowly spoke.
“How much are you planning to report to Prince Howard?”
