Chapter 28
Elisa’s long, exhausting day wasn’t over yet when she returned home.
“Who… came to see me?”
Dragging her weary body into the house, she was met with an unexpected revelation from her mother.
“Who else? Young Lord Derek Grenville.”
She had hoped she’d misheard, but no—her father’s voice, barking at her to marry that man, echoed sharply in her mind.
Elisa pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Why did Father call for Lord Grenville?”
“He didn’t. The young lord came of his own accord.”
“He came first? Why?”
Don’t tell me… He’s figured something out?
“He said he came to see you. Since you weren’t here, he decided to make the trip worthwhile and visit your father.”
It was a small relief that Derek hadn’t sought her father out first, but the fact that the two were meeting at all was a disaster in itself.
Determined to intervene before things got worse, Elisa headed straight for the study.
“You can’t go in, Lady Elisa.”
Colin Dudley, her father’s secretary, stepped into her path in the corridor.
“His Lordship has ordered that no one be allowed near.”
“I have something urgent to discuss with my father. Please step aside.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Colin’s unyielding stance left her with no choice but to retreat—though she only went as far as the end of the hall, positioning herself where she could see the study door.
And as she stood there, she realised she didn’t want that door to open.
The moment it did, she had the dreadful feeling she would be swept into marriage with Derek, with no escape.
Her father had already decided she would wed him, and Derek had no reason—nor the will—to refuse.
That made the marriage all but inevitable.
Still… there was a chance.
However slim, it was something to cling to.
The more she clung, the sharper her anxiety grew.
Her manicured nails worried at her lip until, finally, after what felt like hours, the door creaked open.
“Elisa.” Derek approached with a bright smile, but she looked past him, her eyes fixed solely on her father.
“You’ve done well today.”
Ignoring her unspoken questions, the Count patted Derek’s shoulder.
“I look forward to hearing a favourable answer.”
That meant… There was no final decision yet?
At least he hadn’t said anything about setting a date or starting preparations.
While Elisa searched both their faces for clues, her father exchanged a few more words with Derek before turning to her.
“Elisa, see Young Lord Grenville out.”
Since they were as good as engaged, escorting Derek was usually her duty—a task she’d always performed out of obligation.
But today, she welcomed it.
It was her chance to learn what had passed behind those closed doors.
She nodded readily and walked with him down the stairs.
“What did you and my father talk about?” she asked the moment they stepped outside.
“Business as usual,” Derek replied easily, all smiles. “Recent contracts, investments… that sort of thing.”
“And… we spoke about marriage.”
“You—you spoke about marriage? What did he say? Did he tell you to—”
“Calm down, Elisa.”
Her barrage of frantic questions was cut short when Derek caught her hand, holding it firmly in his own.
Reality settled back in, and she bit down hard on her lower lip, lowering her gaze.
“…Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I know you’re not ready to marry yet. There’s no need to apologise.”
As always, his tone was soft and kind.
“Still, the Count did say I should propose to you this week, set the date, and then take you to the Kingdom of Tahal—for Noah’s treatment and to expand the business.”
“You… didn’t agree right away?”
Recalling the muffled fragments she’d overheard in the corridor, Elisa asked cautiously.
Derek nodded.
“I need to hear your opinion first. And if I’m to go to the Kingdom of Tahal, I’ll have to wind up all my business in the capital. I told him I’d think about it.”
“I imagine Father wasn’t too pleased…”
“He wasn’t exactly thrilled, but he understood my situation. Still, he’d like me to propose to you sooner rather than later. I suppose, with both of us well past the usual age for marriage, he wants to settle things.”
That’s not it.
It’s because of Ethan.
Because he’s afraid that now Ethan’s back, I might do something foolish—like try to see if there’s still a chance with him.
Elisa swallowed down the words she could never speak and let out a small sigh of relief.
The problem wasn’t solved, not entirely, but the mere fact that she had bought herself time was enough for now.
“Thank you.”
It was all thanks to Derek not accepting Count Leslie’s proposal on the spot.
Her gratitude was genuine.
“I’m not sure what exactly I’m being thanked for, but I’ll take it,” Derek said with a sly smile.
“That way I can use it as an excuse to ask you out on a date.”
“A… date?”
“Yes. Two days from now, I’d like to take you to the boating festival on the Amore River.”
That festival… Wasn’t it meant for couples?
Of course, there was nothing strange about Derek inviting her—they were engaged, after all.
The problem was Elisa’s heart.
She was his fiancée, yet a strange, prickly resistance lodged in her throat at the thought of looking the part.
“Oh, should I ask Noah to come along too? I’m sure he’d—”
“No!”
At the mention of Noah, Elisa jumped, her voice sharper than intended.
“N-Noah doesn’t like water! He’s not fond of water activities either!”
A blatant lie.
In truth, Noah—so much like his father—adored water play, counting the days until their summer trips to the seaside villa.
He’d probably enjoy a boat ride, too, but Elisa had no intention of taking him somewhere so crowded.
“So… let’s just go, the two of us. Yes. That’s better.”
And just like that, she had accepted his date invitation without meaning to.
If it struck him as odd, Derek didn’t show it—he agreed without suspicion.
“By the way, Elisa, I heard you met with Princess Camilla today?”
Her brief moment of relief evaporated at the sound of that name.
Her eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t know you were close to Her Highness.”
“I’m not.”
The answer was firm, almost cold.
Now or in the future, Elisa would never be close to Princess Camilla.
“Oh, good.”
“Good?”
“Of course.”
Derek leaned in, a conspiratorial smile tugging at his lips, and whispered in her ear.
“To be honest, I don’t care much for her either.”
The farther they got from the Leslie estate, the more Derek’s smile faded.
By the time the late-afternoon sunlight gave way to shadow inside the carriage, his expression had chilled.
The grey carriage roof brought to mind Noah Leslie’s ash-grey eyes.
And from there, inevitably, to Ethan Estevan’s.
A dry laugh escaped him as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Didn’t think the connection would run that deep…”
Of course, this alone proved nothing.
Ash-grey eyes were rare, yes, but not unheard of.
Still… the resemblance didn’t stop at the eyes.
The hair colour matched.
Even their features—strikingly alike.
When coincidence repeats, it becomes inevitable.
“So that’s why Elisa could never sit still whenever that bastard was around.”
She must have cancelled their zoo trip for the same reason—afraid that someone else might notice how much Noah Leslie resembled Ethan Estevan.
Count Leslie’s sudden return from abroad, the way he’d cut his trip short… even his agitation upon seeing Ethan at the hotel—all of it made sense now.
‘You wanted to marry Elisa as soon as possible, didn’t you? Fine. I’ll allow it—but make it happen within the year.’
The man with the fire at his heels had been the Count, yet he’d still played the part of a lofty commander issuing orders.
The sight of it was almost laughable.
“First things first… I need to find out if Noah is that man’s son.”
Everything so far was just suspicion.
To use it as a weapon, he’d need proof—solid proof.
Acting on flimsy conjecture would only see him caught in his own trap.
By his calculation of Noah’s age and birthday, the incident would have happened around…
As his thoughts turned over, the carriage rolled to a stop before his trading company.
“Find out what happened at the Leslie estate four years ago—around May,” Derek ordered his waiting secretary.
