Chapter 58.2
Chapter 58.2
Initially, Jilian wondered if they were exchanging love letters with the lady, but he knew that nothing of that sort had passed between them.
So, seeing that torn piece of paper, it seemed more like something from a newspaper or gossip column. Just as he was about to doubt his observation, Richard tore it once more without any change in expression and crumpled it before tossing it onto the floor.
The hoof of his words mercilessly trampled the scraps of paper. It seemed like a dry movement devoid of emotion, but there was a coldness in it.
“Your Highness, may I be relieved from my position here and return ahead?”
“What? Now?”
“Yes.”
Jilian had no more strength left to be astonished. During the moment of silence when Jilian pondered what insult to hurl at him, the Crown Prince’s aide, who had been listening nearby, raised his voice irritably.
“Lord Aion, this is going too far. This clearly goes against military law…”
“It’s fine.”
“Your Highness!”
As the prince waved his hand impatiently, the duke nodded as if waiting and quickly left the Crown Prince and the army behind.
As those left behind watched his receding figure, raising a hazy cloud of dust, they looked at each other in disbelief at Duke Aion’s uncharacteristic behavior. Only the prince’s aide continued to express his dissatisfaction, muttering under his breath.
“Why on earth is Lord Aion behaving like this? Unless there’s some urgent matter with the family or the dukedom—it’s beyond common sense.”
“Well, it is for an important reason.”
Jilian let out a long sigh. He knew how Richard had been living for over half a year, fixated on something.
But even he couldn’t begin to guess what would become of their relationship now that they had missed crucial timing in everything.
***
‘It’s been a long time since I came to this house.’
With a sigh, Risha handed her travel bag to the old butler as she rubbed her stiff neck and shoulders from the long journey. The elderly butler of the mansion followed the lady up the stairs and politely said,
“I will prepare a hot bath for you.”
“Sounds good. I need to relax after such a long time.”
“Excellent idea. What would you like to eat?”
“Just something simple. And with some wine.”
“Are you sure you should drink when you haven’t recovered from the trip?”
“What are you talking about, Frank? That means I’ll have more,” she retorted bluntly. “How can you not give me alcohol when I’m so tired and worn out?”
Despite the chilly tone, Frank, the butler of Duke Aion’s household, seemed accustomed to it as he smiled contentedly.
The young lady, who had grown considerably taller, was outwardly indifferent to the world and often acted coldly, but she was secretly very gentle.
In some ways, she was more human than the calm Duke. There were many times when his emotions did not significantly change.
He was concerned about the social skills of the youngest daughter, who had a unique and eccentric way of thinking and would often talk to herself absentmindedly, even in front of others. However, he dismissed it as a habit and never delved deeper into it.
Perhaps because of this, Risha never paid particular attention to her social circle, but she was loyal and had many long-standing relationships with people.
Simply put, she was a person who was difficult to hate.
“So, where has the master of the house gone?”
Even though it was like asking for the whereabouts of a cow or chicken, Frank smiled contentedly again from his somewhat biased perspective.
“He hasn’t returned from the battlefield yet. Haven’t you received any news?”
“Oh. Right. He went to war.”
Half a year had passed since her brother took part in a life-threatening war, but Risha merely let out a low exclamation as if she had forgotten. As expected, it was a soulless.
Frank, who was also familiar with it, laughed at that.
“I saw in the newspaper today that it’s over?”
“You saw the declaration of the end of the war. It will take about a week for him to return.”
“That’s good.”
She was so tired that she didn’t want to face anyone, especially him. What was there to see? They’ll pretend to be polite and say things they don’t want to hear.
That brother of hers was always convinced he was different from their father. But judging from his nagging, he was just like him. Even the twitch in his eyebrows and statue-like expression were the same. Ugh, disgusting.
As Risha grumbled, her thin eyebrows, resembling her brothers’, flickered with dissatisfaction, but Frank looked at her with a gentle face and nodded quietly, “Yes, that’s right, I see,” nodding.
“When I mentioned that guy, I suddenly felt like having another drink.”
“Hahaha. Miss him, do you?”
“…Frank, has your hearing gotten worse as you’ve aged?”
“I couldn’t possibly. You’re just making fun of me. Let’s go upstairs quickly.”
It was ridiculous how openly he changed the subject, but the old man always looked at members of the Aion family with an overly positive perspective.
Anyway, it was true that she was so hungry, so Risha nodded her head. As she started to climb the stairs, she stopped. Facing the puzzled butler, she hesitated briefly, but curiosity ultimately prevailed.
“By any chance, is the master of the house, I mean, Richard, getting married?”
An awesome story 💖💖
Thank you for the translation 💜
You are welcome, Israella!