Chapter 89.1

He let out a long trail of smoke as he stared at the ice wall beyond the forest, filled with flowers, snow, and greenery. Ian had been in this state of mind since he returned from the Empire. He appeared pensive and distant, and his secretary had difficulty engaging him in conversation.

The secretary approached Ian with determination, clearing his throat before presenting two letters on a silver tray. “They’re from the Empire, sir. One is addressed to the grand duke’s granddaughter.”

Ian examined the seals on the two letters. One bore the imperial coat of arms and the other bore the Vale family crest, with Canillia’s name written on the front. “Is this all from Canillia?” Ian asked.

“Yes, sir,” the secretary replied.

“And for me?”

Instead of answering, the secretary pointed to a letter from Prince Wade. Ian crushed out his cigarette and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

It had been two weeks since he returned from the Empire and Canillia had not accompanied him. He knew his feelings did not reach, so he acted boldly. But Canillia had refused even that. He suspected Archduke Ihar had something to do with her refusal.

He remembered how, while infiltrating the Louvre and rescuing Laura, the mention of Canillia’s name had made the rebellious woman obedient. When she heard that her child was at Geore, she took his hand without hesitation.

She bore a striking resemblance to Canillia, with clear signs of age and suffering, but her beauty could not be hidden. He understood why the Marquis and his wife had gone mad.

“Did you read it?” Ian asked, referring to the letter from Canillia.

“Yes. It’s just an ordinary greeting letter,” his secretary replied.

“Anything about me?”

“Yes, but…” the secretary hesitated.

Ian understood that the letter contained nothing of importance regarding him. He excused his secretary and traced Canillia’s name on the letter with his fingers, chuckling at the familiarity of her handwriting. He then took the letter and left the room.

As he walked through the grand duke’s garden, which was in disarray due to ongoing restoration work, he heard the sound of children laughing. He entered the outhouse where guests were staying and found Laura and some children laughing beneath a sun-drenched pergola. The children were the family members of the workers who were mobilized for the restoration work and they liked the kind and gentle Laura.

Ian leaned against the entrance of the archway leading to the pergola. Laura belatedly noticed him and hurriedly stood up, but her injured ankle caused her to sway. Ian couldn’t help but think of Canillia as he saw Laura’s resemblance to her.

“Please stay seated,” Ian said.

Laura’s ankle was bandaged and her dark brown hair was tied up. Ian had made sure to treat her injury as soon as they arrived at Geore. Although she wasn’t completely healed, she was able to walk. The doctor who examined her leg said it was an intentional attack, that her Achilles tendon had been targeted so that she could not walk.

Ian knew who was responsible for the attack. It must have been the marchioness or her henchman, Dornan.

Frightened by Ian’s appearance, the children covered their mouths with both hands and hid behind Laura. He felt secretly sad despite knowing his public image was not the best.

“A letter came from the Empire,” Ian said to Laura.

“A letter?” Laura asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.

“From Canillia,” Ian added as he handed her the letter.

Laura, who had been waiting for news from her daughter, Lia, jumped up and eagerly took the letter from Ian’s hand.

Ian signaled to the servants guarding the area to call the children away with snacks as a distraction. Once the children were gone, silence fell over the two of them. Ian sat down in front of Laura, who opened the letter with trembling hands.

Laura began to cry as soon as she saw the first line: “To my mother.” Ian handed her his handkerchief and waited patiently while she read the whole letter. It took her a long time to finish reading and as she did she cried, smiled brightly, and trembled with emotion.

“The child… the child came for me,” Laura said, her voice shaking with emotion.

“She did. Many times,” Ian replied.

“Lia… were you lying when you told me she was here?” Laura asked.

“We passed each other. Canillia will come,” Ian reassured her.

“But the child is at El Casa with Duke Ihar,” Laura said, her voice filled with fear.

Ian knew why she was so afraid.

“Do you think she’ll be abandoned?” Ian asked, surprising Laura.

She looked up at him, surprised by his question. Ian repeated himself, crossing his legs at an angle.

“Are you scared Lia will be abandoned by Duke Ihar like Marquis Vale abandoned you?”

“In the end, nobles choose what is advantageous to them. It was the same with Gliad. He suggested I stay at his side as his mistress, as if it was natural. It was stupid of me to accept. He told me his heart would belong to me even if he was officially with his wife. I was arrogant and didn’t know how the world worked,” Laura said, her voice filled with bitterness.

Nobles often treated mistresses as trophies, owning them like property and causing no harm to their reputation. But the story changed if the mistress became pregnant.

“I cannot believe Duke Ihar chose my daughter for no reason. She has nothing. She will be abandoned, I am sure of this,” Laura said, her hands trembling as she clasped them together as if in prayer.

Ian asked impulsively, “What about me? Do you think I would abandon Canillia?”

Laura’s eyes flickered with uncertainty at Ian’s calm but chilly tone. He knew she was curious about why he was helping her and probably had a good idea why.

“I proposed to Canillia, but she refused. If she had accepted, I would have made her the queen of my country. That is how much I care for her,” Ian said, and Laura looked away, speechless.

Ian knew that he would rather have Canillia abandoned by the Duke if that meant she would come to Geore. But he knew that was unlikely to happen.

He stood up and looked down at Laura, who was visibly uncomfortable, and smiled.

“So don’t worry. Whatever happens, Duke Ihar will be the one being abandoned. He will never leave Canillia. I do not want to admit it, but it is the truth,” he said.

Turning around, he stopped, as if he had forgotten something, and gently shook the letter from Prince Wade.

“And don’t even think about going back to the Empire. That you are a wanted criminal is here in this letter, so you better get used to life in Geore as soon as possible,” Ian said with finality.