IDHGA 21

Chapter 21

After my father came and went, Asher and I became truly busy.

I followed my aunt to parties, and Asher, heeding my words, quietly went around to gauge my father and the Crown Prince’s movements.

He had men placed on my father, and it seemed he was also keeping tabs on the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Harriet.

There were many days he left early in the morning and returned late at night, his face etched with fatigue.

Yet, even amidst all that, he always willingly made time for me.

Like today’s outing, for instance.

“Is the food to your liking, Eloise?”

With table manners straight out of an etiquette book and flawless, economical movements, he dined elegantly. Looking at me, he offered a gentle smile.

My heart, for no reason, gave a clumsy lurch.

To hide my inexplicably fluttering heart, I gave a demure smile.

“Yes, it’s lovely. Delicious.”

“I’m relieved. I made a special request to the head chef to take extra care…”

Asher let out a breath of relief and smiled warmly at my words.

“If it pleases you, we shall come again sometime. I must personally thank the chef.”

“Just bringing me next time will be enough. You’ve already taken time out of your busy day for me today.”

“Any time for you is always worth making. It is my pleasure.”

A faint gasp rippled through the surroundings at his words, spoken with a smile.

Looking like a perfectly ordinary couple, I barely swallowed the bitter laugh threatening to escape.

Today was a ‘date’ he had proposed and I had agreed to.

It was a date in name only; in reality, it was merely proof to the world that our relationship was strong.

With the Crown Prince and my father meeting more frequently, Asher proposed we needed a diversion to draw the Crown Prince’s attention away from my father.

*Though he did say it was also to satisfy his own selfish desires…*

Reserving a popular restaurant and deliberately seating us in the most visible spot was truly a wise choice.

Just a glance around confirmed that more than a few people couldn’t take their eyes off Asher and me.

I played along with him appropriately, wearing a happy smile as if oblivious to the surrounding stares.

“I instructed them to prepare your favorite desserts. Is there anything else you’d like?”

“This is more than enough, Asher. I enjoy our time at the mansion too, but I’m especially happy today because you seem to have put in so much effort.”

“Not at all. It’s only natural.”

Asher smiled like a painting and placed his hand over mine.

“Would you accompany me after the meal as well? Since we’re out, I was hoping we could choose our engagement gifts together.”

“Oh my. I’d love to. Are you sure you have the time?”

“I can always make time for you, Eloise. Please, do not worry about such things and focus on me instead, won’t you?”

Asher smiled softly, drew my hand closer, and clasped it in both of his.

Then slowly, very slowly, he bowed his head and pressed his lips to my knuckles.

“Please.”

The brief, resonant word lodged heavy in my chest.

The way his eyes met mine, seeming to hold such desperate yet blatant light—was that merely due to the lighting?

I unconsciously swallowed my breath, and he persistently followed my gaze, holding me captive.

Before I could even think to look away, slowly but surely.

“That would be the joy of my life, Eloise.”

He spoke words I felt I had heard somewhere before, his eyes curving slowly into crescents.

The outing was a success.

The gossip papers splashed Asher and my date across their front pages, embellishing articles with phrases like “Couple of the Century” and “Romance of the Ages.”

They depicted Asher Fontaine’s unparalleled romantic side and me naturally receiving it, describing us as a picture-perfect couple, and even printed an illustration of us gazing at each other, taking up the entire front page.

“His Grace truly seems sincere about you, my lady.”

Jenna, who had brought the gossip paper, gazed at the illustration with rapt fascination.

Her envious expression was so endearing that I let out a chuckle.

“Does it seem that way?”

“Yes, truly. No matter how busy he is, he always makes sure to have dinner with you, and if he can’t, at least a cup of tea. It’s basic that he asks me about your day every single day, and I even heard him tell the butler to provide you with anything you might need!”

“Really?”

“Yes! The longer I stay here, the more I feel like I’m actually developing romantic sensibilities I never had before!”

Jenna waved her hands excitedly as she spoke.

She went on about how he was truly a ‘wonderful person,’ how there was no one else like him, how my lady’s judgment was impeccable—she seemed genuinely fond of Asher.

Of course, it was true that he had been flawlessly charming as my ‘lover’ that day, but I, I…

Suppressing a bitter smile at the feeling of déjà vu in my life, I nodded along diligently.

“That’s good news, Jenna. Do you really think His Grace treats me so well?”

“Of course, my lady! No matter what it’s called, even a ‘partnership’ or whatever, His Grace really does seem to be acting according to his own selfish desires, just as he said before!”

*Acting according to his own desires.*

I smiled faintly and nodded.

It certainly did appear that way.

Whenever I asked if he wasn’t too busy, always making time for me, he would only reply that he was ‘satisfying his selfish desires,’ and not to worry.

He said he was merely acting as his heart dictated, and even thanked me for accepting this strategic partnership.

One day, curious about his motives when he spoke so candidly, I had considered carefully asking him.

After all, in this life, we had only met for a few hours out of the countless flowing moments of time. What could have made such a deep impression that he kept wanting to stay by my side, constantly mentioning his ‘selfish desires’?

In the previous life, our time together had grown longer after that initial meeting, so it was natural for our hearts to open to each other. But not in this life.

I had unilaterally avoided him. What could he possibly see in me?

But that desire to ask remained just a feeling. Instead, I asked him a different question.

I asked if it was alright to indulge such ‘selfish desires’ when he seemed so pressed for time.

In response, he smiled brightly, as if nothing could be more perfect, and said:

*’Well, isn’t this the perfect way to make a lasting impression on the young lady?’*

It wasn’t strange that I recalled a memory from my past life the moment I heard those words.

It reminded me of Asher from some distant day, smiling brightly at me, and of myself smiling back just as happily…

Realizing that, for some reason, I felt like crying.

Even now, and probably long after, I doubt I’ll ever fully understand the emotions I felt back then…

But… well. That’s just how it was then.

For some reason, the memories and emotions that brushed past my heart in that moment remained intensely vivid.

And now, Jenna’s words, his joking about ‘satisfying his selfish desires’—they didn’t weigh on my mind so much.

Just thinking of him back then made me feel happy, and I thought, wasn’t that enough?

With that thought, I relaxed.

I looked at Jenna, who was blushing and chattering about Asher right in front of me, and burst into laughter.

“Jenna, you should definitely tell His Grace that you think his feelings seem sincere. I’m sure he’d be pleased.”

“E-excuse me? Oh my, I can talk like this in front of you, my lady, but how could I ever say such a thing to His Grace!”

“Then tell Cleor.”

“My lady, honestly!”

At my teasing, Jenna finally burst out laughing.

After sharing a chuckle with her, I asked the still-laughing Jenna.

“More importantly, Jenna, was there any letter from Cleor?”

“Oh! There was one that came today. It wasn’t delivered by the postman, though. It was on my bedroom window this morning.”

“On the window?”

Did he send a carrier pigeon?

I took the letter Jenna pulled from her pocket.

Unfolding the note, which was folded like a short memo, I saw only one brief sentence written in it:

[URGENT. Return to the North immediately. —C.]

A letter with no other explanation, no proper signature.

It resembled the kind of terse, to-the-point memo one might use in the military.

…Cleor sent this?

“Jenna. Wasn’t there a carrier pigeon with it? If Cleor sent it, there should have been something like that.”

“Ah, I don’t think there was anything else. It was already outside the window when I woke up.”

“Are you sure it was outside? The wind has been strong lately; something like this would have blown away quickly.”

“Hmm, to be precise, it was tucked into the windowsill. When I woke up and drew the curtains, it caught my eye right away. It was wedged between the window and the frame.”

When one relaxes, other things start to become clear.

A few days ago, I would have frantically tried to recall what had happened around this time in my past life. But now, I found myself calmly piecing things together.

“At first, I didn’t know what it was, but the handwriting was quite similar, and the only person who would send me a letter so discreetly is Sir Cleor. Plus, there’s the initial at the end of the note.”

C. Cleor’s C.

My trusted aide currently overseeing the internal affairs of the North—a man meticulous to a fault, good-naturedly speaking, and sternly speaking, a stickler.

Given his personality, he wouldn’t leave a message for his master with no explanation whatsoever, just saying ‘come back.’

At the very least, he would have left a brief note like, ‘Count, please return. Urgent return requested,’ or ‘Barbarian incursion. Return requested,’ and sent a slightly longer letter ahead for me to receive along the way.

*That’s the Cleor Radim I know…*

I stared at the note for a while, then looked up.

“Jenna. Send word to my aunt to find the fastest way to contact the Wellington Knights who are currently heading north. And ask Daerick if any suspicious persons entered the mansion last night.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And prepare a carrier pigeon. I need to contact Cleor myself directly.”

“Yes.”

Seeing my serious expression, Jenna nodded with a firm face.

As she left the room, I wrote a short reply to Cleor.

“This is strange, no matter how I look at it…”

There was no reply to my previous letters, and now suddenly a note saying only ‘come back’?

And it wasn’t delivered by carrier pigeon, nor by the postman.

I folded the letter and looked again at the note that supposedly came from Cleor.

There aren’t many situations that would make Cleor say ‘urgent.’

A barbarian invasion making the fortress indefensible, an urgent message from the imperial family, a serious security breach, or a financial crisis so dire it couldn’t be resolved with the territory’s budget.

After staring at the note for a long while, I picked up the letter I had just written and stood up.

I needed to find out what was going on.