Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4.1

Eileen burst out laughing several times while chatting with Lotan. Hours flew by as they had a good time catching up. 

Lotan looked at the setting sun outside the window as he stood up.  “I have to get going.” 

She saw him off at the front door. She wanted to walk him through the garden, but he stopped her with a stern look. 

“The wind is strong, and it’s cold outside. Go back in.”

It was strange to say that the breeze in early summer was cold. However, she had been long used to such overprotectiveness, so she didn’t make a fuss and simply sent Lotan off. 

“Until next time.”

“All right, Miss Eileen.” 

Seeing Lotan politely raising his hand and saluting her, Eileen played along and emulated his actions, saluting him as well. 

He laughed at her actions. “I’ll be back with a gift soon.” 

After bidding Eileen farewell, he waited for her to return to the house and close the front door. It was only after confirming that she was safely inside that he walked back to the car. 

The smiling countenance he had shown Eileen instantly disappeared, and in its place was an expressionless look. 

The moment he got back into the car, he asked the driver a question in a cold tone, “Where is Baron Eirod?” 

“He’s currently having an audience with His Excellency.”

Lotan muttered a curse under his breath at the thought of Eileen’s father, Baron Eirod. It was such a strong insult that had Eileen witnessed it, she would have been appalled. 

The driver, who had been observing Lotan through the rear-view mirror, added cautiously, “I hope that it wouldn’t be too much of a shock for Miss Eileen.” 

That was exactly what Lotan was concerned about. He narrowed his eyes and ordered, “Let’s go back.” 

The black car took off smoothly. Lotan watched as the orange tree and the small brick house faded away into the distance and quickly turned his eyes away. 

⚔

The Eirod family used to be in the money-lending business. Through some financial dealings, the family amassed a large fortune and bought titles of nobility. 

The family’s power and success had always been on the rise, but signs of decline started to show during the time Eileen’s grandfather took the helm. 

And it was all because of Eieen’s father. 

Despite his notorious reputation for his deplorable actions, he was legitimately the eldest son and the heir to the family’s inheritance. Tragedy struck when Eileen’s grandfather, the head of the family, passed away, and her father inherited the title of Baron Eirod. 

With no one to restrain him, Eileen’s father did as he pleased. Due to his addiction to gambling and his careless squandering of his assets, the family fortune declined at an alarming rate. 

The only person who tried to salvage the situation was Eileen’s mother. She sought assistance from her parents and even sold the family’s luxurious mansion to repay their debts. Yet, even after they moved into the small brick house, Eileen’s father continued to indulge in alcoholism and gambling. 

The family’s decline reached the tipping point when Eileen was studying botany and pharmacy at university. By the time she returned home after receiving her mother’s letter, it was already too late. 

They couldn’t even afford a piece of bread for the next day, not to mention continue paying for her tuition fees. And yet, in a situation where they might have to sell their last remaining place of shelter, the brick house, her father was still engrossed in gambling. 

Eileen and her mother tried as hard as they could to keep their home, but it was like pouring water into a bottomless bowl. And in the face of the two trembling women, Baron Eirod languidly mentioned Chezare.  

“Why don’t you just ask for help, instead of struggling like this?” 

Every time he mentioned it, Eileen’s mother would raise her deep blue eyes and shoot him a warning glare. 

“Don’t you dare think of reaching out to His Excellency. If you dare say a word, I’ll die in front of you.” 

It wasn’t that Chezare was unaware of the Eirod family’s plight. He often hinted at Eileen, asking if she needed financial assistance, but she would always say that they were doing fine.

However, her reason was only a tad different from her mother’s. She didn’t want to appear pitiful to someone she liked. And yet, there were still moments when she was so desperate that she had to ask for help. 

‘I don’t have money to pay for Mom’s funeral.’

If it weren’t for Chezare, Eileen would have followed her mother in death. 

The day her mother died, she took out all the savings she had and gave it to the doctor who pronounced her death. After that, all she had left was the house. 

She sat alone next to her mother’s body for a long time. But at some point, she got up and headed towards the imperial palace. Since she didn’t even have money to take a carriage, she had to walk here. Fortunately, she encountered Chezare along the way. 

He was dressed in hunting gear, and looked as though he had just returned from a hunting trip. From the moment Chezare saw her disheveled state, he knew that his nanny had passed away. 

“Eileen Eirod.” 

He didn’t console the girl. Instead, he pulled her out of her daze with his calm voice. 

“Pull yourself together. Where is the Baroness’ will?” 

Still reeling in the shock of her mother’s death, she managed to stutter out a response, “I-I don’t know.”

His expression remained impassive, but his tone was sharp. “Find it. Now.”

With those words, he turned and left, leaving the quaking girl standing there.

It was a command, not a request. And Eileen knew she had to obey.

Desperate, she searched every corner of their small home until she finally found the document tucked away in a forgotten drawer.

Clutching the will tightly, she made her way to the palace, hoping she hadn’t displeased the duke too greatly.