Chapter 8
Poisons were sent to the young duke, assassins, political slander, and baseless rumors.
Amidst numerous threats, the duke's health could not remain unaffected.
As a result, Herwin's condition would suddenly deteriorate even when he seemed well.
'Maybe that’s the reason why he's unwell.'
Everiel, accompanied by Lily, took a quick breath outside the duke’s chamber.
Knock, knock.
The knock was somewhat slow.
Yet, even as time passed, there was no response from beyond the door.
"Dad, are you there?"
Thinking he might not have heard, Everiel knocked again.
But once more, there was silence. Even Lily's repeated knocking did not change anything.
"Well, Milady. It seems the duke is resting."
Lily knelt in front of Everiel.
"Let's go back to the room for some milk and a sweet snack. Oh, and a new storybook has arrived at the library too..."
Everiel's expression twisted. The Everiel of the past would have promptly returned to the room. She would have behaved quietly, fearing her father might suffer more because of her. But the child had experienced death once, and she no longer wanted to turn back, leaving her father alone beyond the door.
"No, I'll stay here."
“Milady...”
“I'm not interested in snacks or storybooks. Dad is the most important to me!”
As she exclaimed, the door creaked open.
Stepping out was a remarkably tall man.
His neat ash-colored hair softened the sharp lines of his face.
Behind his glasses, his hazel eyes, a blend of green and brown, were subtle yet striking.
“Milady, and also Miss Velgreen, good afternoon.”
Recognizing him, Everiel widened her eyes.
"Kian."
"Yes, Milady."
Kian Rasher. His family served the Solgren Duchy for generations, now occupying the position of the duke's aide after pushing aside the Mayers.
'A loyal aide, indeed.'
He handled all the affairs of the territory in place of the ill duke.
It was no exaggeration to say that he held the real power in Solgren.
"...It's been a while."
"Has it? I did go on territorial inspections on behalf of His Grace, but it hasn't been that long."
Kian chuckled softly and bent at the waist.
He often adjusted his posture like this to accommodate the diminutive Everiel.
But the current Everiel seemed even smaller than usual. Faced with his looming figure, she flinched reflexively.
“Oops, I apologize,”
Kian, noticing the child's surprise, apologized quickly.
Everiel realized her mistake and glanced up at Kian.
He showed no particular reaction.
“You must have come to see His Grace, but unfortunately, he's just fallen asleep.”
“Is he unwell?”
Everiel asked with a worried expression, to which Kian firmly shook his head.
“No, he isn't. It seems he's been lacking sleep lately, so I thought to let him rest comfortably by locking the door.”
“Really?”
Even though he spends all his time inside his room, is he still lacking sleep?
Everiel tried to peek into the room beyond Kian's legs, but he stepped forward and closed the door completely.
“He's resting.”
It was a polite request for her to leave. Everiel had no choice but to comply.
‘Was my unease just a misconception?’
With a glimmer of hope, the child looked up at the attendant.
“Can I see Dad at dinner?”
“I'm not sure.”
Kian chuckled without giving a definite answer.
“Then I'll take my leave.”
“Mm...”
Kian stepped back inside and closed the door.
Everiel glanced at the closed door and soon began to pace.
'Tomorrow Lady Tillien will arrive at the mansion. Bringing up the governess now won't make much difference.'
She couldn't rely on Herwin anymore. Tomorrow's arrival of Tillien Seymour meant she had to find a solution on her own.
'There must be a way.'
Everiel had prepared a backup plan in case she couldn't persuade Herwin.
It would be much cleaner to reject it from Herwin's side, but there was no choice now.
"Oh, by the way, Milady, you had quite a long conversation with Lord Kian today.”
Lily remarked.
Everiel snapped out of her reverie at Lily's words.
"Oh? Did I?"
"Yes."
Certainly, before her regression, Everiel had been afraid of Kian as well. There were times when she even cried.
'Kian is a lycanthrope.'
Though he appeared human, the blood of wolves ran through his veins. His ashen hair was the most distinctive feature of wolves.
Ordinary people often felt a slight fear and discomfort when facing lycanthropes. It was a natural reaction of prey in front of predators.
But when she met Kian again, he didn't seem so threatening anymore.
Everiel found her reason from Emperor Kaizen, whom she faced just before her death.
Compared to the chilling sensation she felt from him, Kian's presence meant nothing.
'I'm a bit bothered by what just happened.'
She was merely astonished by his towering height, but Kian wouldn't have taken it so lightly. He might think Everiel is wary of him.
He was the one managing the estate in place of her ailing father.
‘I should smile when we meet again.'
* * *
Noticing Everiel and Lily's departure, Kian turned back and approached the bed.
"Your Grace, Milady has left."
"...I see."
As the response echoed from beyond the draped canopy, Kian inwardly sighed.
The duke’s voice was notably strained.
Herwin, who had been suffering from 'symptoms' since yesterday, had only recently regained the ability to speak. It was a miracle he had survived with such a body.
"As you ordered, Your Grace, I did not inform Milady. Will you be seeing her this evening?"
Kian asked formally.
"No, send her away if she comes. And..."
Herwin fell silent for a moment.
"Do not involve me in the child's affairs for a while."
In just a few days, Everiel had caused him too much trouble.
He realized he had been too lenient with the child all this time.
After this episode, he resolved to keep his distance from Everiel.
‘Soon, the governess will arrive.’
Herwin intended to entrust all matters concerning Everiel to the governess.
Fearing the rifts entering his quiet world, Herwin blocked his ears.
"I will see to it.”
Kian concluded, and silence filled the room thereafter, a familiar tranquility.
* * *
Finally, the day Lady Tillien arrived came.
Everiel stood by the window early, watching a carriage approaching from afar.
Before long, the wheels halted in front of the mansion, and a woman with a gentle demeanor stepped out from the carriage.
Though younger than Everiel remembered, it was unmistakably Tillien Seymour.
‘A person to bring me before the empress properly.’
Everiel shuddered slightly.
Among the nobles of Veloyton, it was customary to employ governesses to instill basic manners and necessary etiquette in their children from an early age.
However, Everiel's case was different from the usual nobility.
Despite posting multiple advertisements, there had been no applicants for the position.
‘A reputable governess has no reason to come to Solgren.’
Despite being an honorable family, the Solgrens, with their ailing and powerless lord, were treated almost as a ruined house.
The harsh climate of the north likely played a significant role in this reluctance as well.
Due to various reasons, Everiel was unable to have a governess until she turned five, and among the vassals, concerns about the lady's education began to arise.
In the midst of this, Lady Tillien appeared.
‘It is a great honor to meet you, Lady Solgren.’
With impeccable etiquette and graceful speech, adorned with a splendid dress and a sociable smile.
To the extent that her previous concerns seemed trivial, Everiel was captivated by Lady Tillien, a noblewoman of impeccable manners.
‘I admired her in a way that I wouldn't even come to see my sick dad.’
As time passed, Herwin became more frequently ill, and Everiel became equally lonely.
Tillien took advantage of the loneliness of such a child.