Chapter 60
Elisa blinked and rubbed her eyes, thinking perhaps she was seeing things.
But no — it really was Ethan.
For a fleeting moment, she glanced around, wondering if Prince Howard had come with him. Yet the street, bathed in the deep hues of dusk, was utterly empty save for the two of them.
“Why are you here?”
Her voice trembled softly, wary and uncertain.
“To fight beside you.”
“What?”
“Let’s go in.”
“W–wait!”
Elisa hurriedly grabbed his arm just as Ethan started walking toward the mansion gates without a shred of hesitation.
“Why are you going in there? You’re supposed to meet the King!”
Ethan turned his head slightly, his gray eyes steady as they met hers.
“I can’t. Not when you’re walking in there to face Count Leslie. You think I could just leave you alone for that?”
“How did you even— No, that’s not the point! You can’t just disobey a royal command!”
The King already harbored doubts about Ethan; she could only imagine what would happen if he ignored a direct order.
“Don’t say things like that. Go, now.”
Elisa tried pushing him toward the road, but Ethan stood rooted in place, immovable — like a tree that had sunk its roots deep into the earth.
“I told you, Elisa,” he murmured, catching her hands in his. His voice was low, soft — like the calm air at sunset.
“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”
Something in that voice made all the fear and worry she had been holding inside begin to melt away. Her heart, which had been pounding painfully moments ago, slowed — still fast, but steady now.
“I won’t ever let you face hardship alone again.”
His long, firm fingers intertwined with hers, fitting perfectly between them. The warmth of his touch spread through her, washing away the last fragments of doubt that clung to her heart.
Elisa closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again — and there he was, the man she loved so fiercely, his ash-gray eyes glowing in the fading light of dusk.
It made no sense. Him going in there would only enrage her father further, and yet… she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.
“So, let’s go in together.”
How could she say no to that?
Elisa slowly nodded, tightening her grip on his hand.
Elisa had assumed it would be difficult to even get through the front gates with Ethan beside her — but surprisingly, the gatekeepers opened them without question. The same happened at the main door of the mansion.
“Welcome home, my lady.”
The butler and servants stood lined up neatly on either side of the entrance hall, greeting her as though this were just another ordinary day.
They didn’t address Ethan, but she could feel their furtive glances. A few even stared outright — the ones who remembered that Ethan had once served this household.
After Elisa’s pregnancy, Count Leslie had dismissed most of the old staff, keeping only a select few. Not many remained who still knew Ethan’s face.
“If you’ll hand me your coat, miss—”
“It’s fine,” Elisa interrupted, shaking her head. “I won’t be long. Where’s my father?”
“Elisa.”
The sharp, cutting voice rang down from the staircase before the maid could answer.
Countess Leslie stood at the landing, glaring down at them, fury burning in her eyes.
“Elisa, don’t tell me you still insist on marrying that boy — that lowborn creature! You’d bring someone like him into our noble house? He doesn’t even know his place—!”
Her words were venomous, meant to slice through pride and dignity alike.
“Don’t speak about Ethan like that.”
Ethan didn’t react — he had clearly grown used to such words. But Elisa’s eyes flashed as she faced her mother squarely.
“Ethan is the man I love. And he’s also the father of my son, Noah.”
The hall fell silent.
Only a few people — the head butler, the chief maid, and her parents — knew she had given birth in this very house.
“Elisa!”
The Countess gasped, her hand flying to her chest.
“You mean… young master Noah is your child?”
“I always thought the lady doted on him a bit too much…” someone whispered.
The servants murmured among themselves in shock. Ethan, too, was caught off guard by her sudden declaration, but only for a heartbeat. He realized then how firm her resolve had become — and it steadied him as well.
“My lady!”
As the whispers grew, the Countess suddenly clutched the back of her neck and collapsed. Panic rippled through the hall as servants rushed to her side, lifting her and carrying her away.
Despite their differences, Elisa’s heart wavered. This was still her mother — the woman who had once smiled at her, cared for her, before everything fell apart.
For a moment, Elisa’s body leaned forward instinctively. Then she clenched her fists, drew a breath, and straightened her spine.
“Where’s my father?” she asked the maid again, voice low and controlled.
“H–He’s in his study, my lady.”
Of course he was. He surely knew Ethan had arrived, yet chose not to come out.
Elisa frowned slightly, impatience tightening her chest. She just wanted to end this.
Together, she and Ethan walked down the hall toward the study.
When Ethan raised his hand to knock, Elisa stopped him — and instead threw the door open without warning.
At that instant, something came flying straight at them.
“Watch out!”
Ethan grabbed her, pulling her into his arms.
Crash!
A heavy ashtray shattered against the wall, barely missing Ethan’s head. Had it hit, it would have split his skull.
“What are you doing?! Were you trying to kill someone?!”
Elisa shouted furiously, struggling against Ethan’s hold.
“You dare raise your voice at me?” Count Leslie roared, his face twisted with rage.
“I told you, Elisa — I would sooner die than allow you to marry that man! Yet you bring him here? Are you mocking your father now?”
“Mocking you—!”
“Enough.”
Ethan’s voice cut clean through the rising storm. He faced the Count squarely.
“We didn’t come here to mock you. Nor to beg for your permission.”
“Silence!” the Count snapped, jabbing a finger at him. His voice was sharp enough to scrape metal.
“You broke our contract, and yet you dare to speak so brazenly? I should’ve known. People of low birth — all talk, no honor!”
Ethan let out a dry, bitter laugh. The obsession with bloodlines — typical of nobles, but Leslie’s arrogance was beyond measure.
“I believe it wasn’t me who broke that contract,” he said quietly.
“What?”
“I know exactly what you told Elisa to make her leave me… and what kind of offer you made to Derek Grenville. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”
The Count’s mouth clamped shut. He didn’t deny it.
“And if that weren’t enough,” Ethan continued, voice turning cold, “you went against every virtue you nobles claim to uphold. You hid the truth — that Elisa bore my child. You let people brand Noah a bastard while I was still alive, forcing him and Elisa both to suffer endless humiliation.”
Just recalling the pain Noah endured — the tears, the silence — made Ethan’s blood boil. He wanted nothing more than to strike the man before him.
But that would only make him the same as Count Leslie. And it would wound Elisa. So he clenched his fists instead, the veins on his hands standing taut.
“I won’t endure it any longer.”
He took a step closer, his voice firm and steady.
“I don’t need your approval. Protecting my family isn’t something I’ll ever ask permission for.”
