Chapter 59
***
As dusk deepened into a heavy veil, Elisa and her group boarded the train bound for the capital.
Howard told them to get some sleep since they wouldn’t arrive until dawn, but neither Elisa nor Ethan could close their eyes. Even Howard, who was always bright and smiling, had lost his usual cheer. Only little Noah, unaware of anything, gazed out the window with innocent delight.
The train made a brief stop at Kando, then finally reached the capital as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon. Despite the early hour, the platform was crowded with people.
Conrad stepped off first, followed by Elisa and Noah. Howard, whose face was well known, exited together with Ethan. They acted as if they weren’t traveling together—Howard had advised them to do so, saying it would be best not to make their connection public just yet.
Especially now, with Noah there, it would only complicate things if rumors spread. Elisa had agreed, so she accepted Howard’s judgment without protest.
“Wait— isn’t that him? The man from the rumors—K!”
“Where? Oh, it is! Baron Estevan!”
Murmurs spread quickly.
In the past, few outside the nobility even recognized Ethan, but that was no longer the case. After his disappearance, the newspapers had plastered his photograph across the kingdom.
“So the reports were true!”
“To think he survived that fall from the cliff! The hero who saved the Allied Nations is truly different!”
“We’re so glad you’re safe, my lord!”
People surrounded Ethan in excitement, cheering for the hero’s safe return.
Watching from a distance, Elisa pulled Noah’s hat down more securely and slipped away from the growing crowd.
Outside the station, Conrad Brander was waiting with a carriage.
“This way, please,” he said.
Elisa and Noah boarded first, followed by Conrad, and the carriage rolled into motion.
“Aren’t Ethan and the prince coming with us?” Elisa asked, slightly flustered.
“They’ll be heading straight to the royal palace, so they’ll take a different carriage,” Conrad explained.
“I see…”
She knew that already—but she hadn’t expected to part without even a proper goodbye.
If she’d known, she would’ve said something before leaving the train.
An anxious weight pressed down on her chest.
“The prince said he’ll send Baron Estevan back to you no later than tomorrow,” Conrad said gently. “So please don’t worry too much.”
Elisa smiled faintly and nodded.
Don’t be afraid. Everything will be fine.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. Her heart, which had been pounding so wildly, slowly steadied—but she still held Noah tightly in her arms, unable to loosen her grip.
***
The carriage raced on until they reached Baron Estevan’s estate.
“Welcome back,” the familiar butler greeted them warmly.
“Is everything prepared as I requested?” Conrad asked.
“Yes, exactly as you instructed. And…” The butler’s words trailed off as he glanced toward Elisa.
After a brief exchange, Conrad turned to her.
“I’ll be taking my leave now. If you need anything, just ask the butler.”
“Thank you so much for everything, Sir Conrad.”
“Think nothing of it. Until we meet again.”
After he left, Elisa took Noah’s hand and stepped inside the mansion.
The first time she’d come here, she’d felt nothing but unease—she hadn’t even looked around properly, too desperate to go home.
Now, though she was still uneasy, it wasn’t the house that made her feel that way.
It was a dignified mansion—no ostentatious luxury, just deep wood panels and dark marble floors that gave the place an elegant weight. The chandelier above the hall glowed softly, its design simple but refined, and the walls displayed paintings by well-known artists.
He has good taste.
Newly made nobles often filled their homes with gaudy, expensive furniture without any sense of harmony. But not this place. Whoever designed it clearly had a fine eye.
Since Ethan had no particular talent for interior design, it probably wasn’t him. Normally, such things were arranged by the lady of the house…
Naturally, Elisa thought of Giselle Briana. Once, she’d suspected the two might have been lovers—but not anymore. Ethan’s heart belonged to her. She no longer doubted that.
Still, what was their relationship? They seemed close, but in what way?
I’ll ask him when he comes back, she thought.
If he returned safely.
If she could see him again unharmed.
She prayed for that with all her heart.
“This will be your room, my lady,” the butler said with a smile, opening the door.
Elisa’s eyes widened in surprise.
Beyond the wide glass windows stretched a magnificent rose garden—filled entirely with yellow roses, her favorite, blooming brightly under the morning sun.
Noah laughed joyfully and ran to the window, enchanted by the sight.
“The master specifically requested this room for you, my lady,” the butler added. “He said he wanted you to see the roses.”
After saying that, he excused himself, leaving Elisa standing still, gazing out at the garden in silence.
When Noah tugged at her hand, she finally moved closer and opened the window.
A breeze carrying the sweet fragrance of roses swept through the room.
‘Someday, Elisa, I’ll give you a garden full of your favorite yellow roses.’
Ethan’s old promise echoed in her mind.
He hadn’t forgotten.
Her chest swelled with emotion—he had thought of her, remembered her, all this time. Her eyes stung with tears, and she closed them tightly.
I have to face it.
She would confront her father once and for all. Stand proudly by Ethan’s side. And build a future with him.
The yellow roses seemed to sway gently in the wind, as if blessing her resolve.
***
“Noah likes bread with strawberry jam, and his milk should be warm…” Elisa told the butler every little detail about her son’s preferences before she left.
“Noah, Mommy has to go talk to Grandpa for a while,” she explained, crouching down to face the child.
It might be a long time before she could return—so she wanted to say goodbye properly.
At the mention of his grandfather, Noah’s eyes filled with fear. His small face went pale. Elisa could see how terrified he was of Count Leslie.
“Be good and listen to the butler while I’m gone, all right?”
She was relieved she hadn’t brought him along. Still, when she said it, Noah shook his head violently and clung to her arm, his eyes glistening with tears.
“It’s all right,” she soothed him. “I’ll be back soon.”
She hated lying to him—but there was no other way to ease his fear.
When he mouthed silently, ‘Really?’ Elisa smiled faintly.
“Really. I promise.”
She held out her pinky finger, and Noah hesitated—then hooked his with hers.
Would this promise turn into a lie? Would she break his trust? The thought pained her deeply, but she had no choice.
Only after sealing their promise could she bring herself to step into the carriage.
Will I be able to keep that promise?
Her chest tightened with dread. What if her father locked her up again?
The carriage rattled closer to the Leslie estate, and her heartbeat grew faster—so fast she thought it might burst through her ribs.
When the carriage finally stopped in front of the grand mansion, her heart seemed to stop altogether. Her breath caught in her throat, as if someone had struck her in the chest.
She had lived here all her life, yet never had it felt so terrifying. Even when she was pregnant with Noah, it hadn’t been this bad.
She couldn’t turn back now. Taking quick, shallow breaths, she stepped down from the carriage—
—but the moment her feet touched the ground, her legs gave out.
She would have fallen if someone hadn’t caught her.
“Careful there.”
…That voice.
It wasn’t the coachman.
“Elisa?”
Her head snapped around in shock.
“E–Ethan?”
The man who should’ve been at the royal palace was standing right in front of her
