Chapter 22
***
“Oh my goodness, Elisa. What’s going on? You’ve got dark circles dragging down to your nose!”
Elisa gave a sheepish smile and brushed her gaunt cheeks.
She’d already put on heavier makeup than usual that morning after seeing her reflection in the mirror—it had looked worse than ever—but clearly, it hadn’t been enough to hide everything.
“Hey, you’re not answering me. There really is something wrong, isn’t there?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just… I haven’t been sleeping because of nightmares.”
“Nightmares? What kind? Did a ghost show up or something?”
“Something like that.”
Because the nightmare had been as terrifying as any ghostly vision.
If it had been an ordinary nightmare, she might have just shrugged it off as a bad dream, but this felt different—it felt real.
“Because I still love you.”
The voice that haunted her through the night echoed again in her mind, and Elisa bit her lip so hard it nearly drew blood.
She already knew Ethan’s feelings hadn’t changed.
The way he looked at her was the same as it had been four years ago.
But she had tried so hard to look away, to deny it—because admitting it would mean being trapped forever in his shadow.
She’d struggled desperately to erase him from her heart, but the moment she heard those words, all her efforts dissolved into nothing.
For a moment, she almost whispered back, I love you too.
Instead, she fled the room.
It was all nonsense.
A pathetic ploy to shake her heart now that he knew she was vulnerable.
Elisa tried to forget what Ethan had said, but she wouldn’t let her.
The words only grew clearer, tormenting her day and night.
“Maybe your illness is acting up again? They say if you get weaker, nightmares happen.”
“That’s not it.”
Elisa had used her illness as an excuse to leave for rest, but the truth was, she was hiding her pregnancy.
“Still, you should see the doctor, just in case.”
“Okay, I will.”
Maria’s genuine concern made Elisa smile and nod.
“I’ll definitely be there looking healthy for your wedding, so don’t worry.”
At the mention of marriage, Maria’s cheeks flushed a shy peach.
She had the appearance of a woman in love.
Most nobles entered arranged marriages chosen by their families, but Maria had been lucky enough to marry for love—thanks in part to her partner’s respectable status.
Yeah, that’s a whole different story from mine.
Elisa’s thoughts drifted to her past, imagining a sweet romance with Ethan leading to marriage.
A bitter smile touched her lips as she looked at the wedding invitation Maria handed her.
Seeing her friend’s name embossed on the pristine white card made her heart flutter painfully.
“The wedding’s in September.”
“Yeah. We wanted to do it sooner, but we thought it best to avoid the summer.”
“It’s tough on everyone when it’s hot—the bride, the groom, even the guests.”
There was a superstition that if you struggled through a summer wedding, married life would be just as hard, so most avoided those months if they could.
“When are you going to get married, Elisa?”
The question hit her like an arrow.
She froze, the teacup halfway to her lips.
Maria meant it lightly, but Elisa’s heart trembled as if caught in an earthquake.
“It’s been three years since you got engaged to Sir Grenville. The war’s over now—you should probably get married soon.”
It was a perfectly normal question between friends—genuine, without a hint of mockery.
But to Elisa, it sounded like an accusation.
It was the one thing she most wanted to avoid.
“Elisa?”
When Elisa didn’t respond, Maria cocked her head and called her gently.
Taking a slow sip of tea, Elisa set the cup down and smiled faintly.
“Is there anything you want as a wedding gift?”
The unspoken message was clear: Let’s not talk about this anymore.
Maria picked up on the hint immediately and didn’t press further.
After that, as their conversation shifted to ordinary topics—wedding gifts, family updates, and the latest juicy gossip circulating through high society—Elisa quickly regained her composure.
“But Elisa, how do you know Baron Estevan?”
The name came up suddenly, and Elisa hastily hid her trembling fingertips inside her sleeve.
“Just… met him a few times before.”
She wanted to deny it, pretending she didn’t know him at all.
But Ethan had asked her to dance at the victory banquet, and she’d even been invited to a party at Baron Estevan’s estate.
Denying it now was impossible.
“Really? Then did you know Estevan was the infamous ‘K’ everyone’s whispering about?”
“No. I didn’t.”
That was true.
Elisa still remembered vividly how shocked she’d been when she first learned at the banquet that Ethan was the rumoured ‘K’.
“Well, you kept it a secret from your family, so I guess they wouldn’t know either.”
“Family?”
Besides Lady Grace, Ethan didn’t have any other family.
“She means the previous head of the Estevan family. They adopted Ethan as a distant relative and passed the headship to him because they believed a talented leader would bring prosperity to the house.”
Ah, so that’s the family they meant.
Elisa had never given that much thought, knowing it was all just a facade.
Maria went on talking about Ethan Estevan, and every time his name came up, Elisa’s heart sank deeper, as if a noose was tightening slowly around her throat, making it harder to breathe.
“If you ever meet Baron Estevan, invite me too.”
There was no chance she’d ever meet him. Absolutely not.
“Well, I don’t want to get scolded by Lord South.”
Swallowing her words, Elisa replied brightly, deliberately keeping her tone light.
“Aww, I just wanted to feast my eyes before the wedding. Too bad.”
Maria caught the hidden rejection and shrugged playfully.
They chatted a bit more about the wedding in September before standing up.
As Elisa walked Maria to the front door, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Noah approaching from the opposite direction.
“Oh my, isn’t that… a bastard.”
Maria, who had stopped too, whispered quietly into Elisa’s ear after seeing the child.
Noah was widely known to be the illegitimate son of Leslie Baron.
So Maria wasn’t wrong, but the bitterness Elisa felt was unavoidable.
Hearing someone call her child a bastard was a bitter sting.
“Let’s just go.”
Choking down the lump in her throat, Elisa grabbed Maria’s wrist and hurried past the boy without sparing him a glance.
She could feel the piercing gaze of the child behind her, but didn’t look back.
Even when Maria suggested slowing down, Elisa kept walking as if she had urgent business.
It wasn’t until they reached the front door that Elisa finally stopped.
“If you’re planning on entering a speed-walking contest, count me out.”
Maria, forced to keep up despite herself, panted slightly and grumbled.
“Sorry.”
At last, Elisa found the space to smile softly and offered a gentle apology.
“You really don’t look well. You should definitely see your doctor.”
She tried to laugh it off lightly, but Maria didn’t buy it for a second.
Grasping Elisa’s shoulder with concern, she spoke earnestly.
Outside the front door, Maria’s horse-drawn carriage awaited.
“Oh, by the way,” Maria said as she prepared to climb aboard, then suddenly turned back as if a thought had just struck her.
“Don’t you think he looks a bit like someone?”
“Who?”
“That boy. What was his name—Noah?”
Just hearing the name made Elisa’s heart pound.
Maria seemed unaware of the unease flickering in Elisa’s eyes as she touched her cheek, tilting her head thoughtfully.
“He kind of looks like Baron Estevan.”
***
The train screeched into the platform, and Ethan, leaning casually against the grey wall, slowly straightened up.
Tall as he was, he stood out even among the crowd—and with his striking looks, many cast him wary glances.
Despite the stares, Ethan didn’t flinch; his eyes remained fixed on the train.
A faint smile tugged at his lips when a man stepped out of the first-class carriage.
Smoothing his dishevelled collar, Ethan approached the man, who was scanning the area.
“Who are you looking for?”
Startled by the voice from behind, the man spun around.
“You…!”
His eyes widened in disbelief as he recognised Ethan’s face.
Ethan smiled even brighter than before and inclined his head lightly.
“It’s been a long time, Baron Leslie.”
