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Chapter 60




Chapter 60
“So, is this the extent of the ‘story you want to tell me’?”
Richard, who came to the County of Arden with Ansel, asked as soon as the butler who brought the tea left.
His attitude suggested that he did not want to have any meaningless conversation with Ansel.
Had it not been for Ansel, who said ‘I have something to say about Elisha’ in the first place, he wouldn’t have even set foot in the County. Ansel opened his mouth regardless of his attitude.
“You may think this is a very offensive and rude question, but I would like to ask you nonetheless.”
Richard picked up a moderately cooled teacup, brought it to his lips, and looked at Ansel.
“How much do you love Elisha?”
At the unexpected question that came out of Ansel’s mouth, Richard’s hand, which was bringing the teacup up to his lips, stopped midway. At the same time, his eyebrows twitched.
“I don’t know why you dare to ask such a question, knowing that it is offensive and rude.”
Instead of answering Richard’s words, Ansel explained the reasons for his actions.
“I followed you, to see if you were worthy of knowing this truth.”
“…Truth?”
“Your Excellency must know about the villa of the former Viscount Loengrin in Sorneti.”
Richard knew, of course, because Sorneti was the most likely place for Elisha to settle down after divorcing him, so he had researched it beforehand.
“Elisha asked me to buy the villa and repair it for her so that she could live there after she divorced Your Excellency.”
At the word ‘divorce’, Richard’s face became chilly. The word alone reminded him of the feelings he had at the time when he was frantic to find Elisha, making him uncomfortable.
But Ansel continued to speak as if that was not the point.
“I bought the villa at Elisha’s request and repaired it. I was waiting there for Elisha.”
“…”
“But I met an old man in front of the villa. He said he lived his whole life as a doctor in Sorneti.”
“…”
“The old man said he was Elisha’s doctor. And…”
Ansel paused his speech for a moment and then spoke up.
“He said Elisha died of lung disease. Eight years ago.”
Richard, who had been quietly listening to Ansel’s story with a cool expression, asked without blinking an eye.
“Did you just call me to tell the story of a senile old man?”
“I thought so too. Until I saw the portrait on the villa’s hallway.”
Ansel recalled the portrait of her he had seen in Sorneti’s villa.
“However, the girl in the portrait wasn’t the 12-year-old Elisha I knew.”
When I removed the velvet cloth covering the frame, I saw a girl with blonde hair and green eyes in the faded painting. It was said that her face changed little by little as she grew up, but the girl in the portrait was a completely different person, with only the same hair and eye color.
The real ‘Elisha Loengrin’ was the girl in the portrait.
‘Then who is the Elisha I know…?’
Ansel looked at the strange girl in the picture for a long time with a confused look on his face.
And now, Richard was also looking at Ansel with the same expression.
“…Then, did you find out more about Elisha’s family?”
“No. I didn’t dig further. I thought I had no right to do that.”
“…”
“As soon as I got back to the archipelago, I tried to talk to Elisha, but I couldn’t. That’s why I’m telling your Excellency.”
“You are wise.”
Richard calmly put down the teacup and tried to manage his confused mind. Ansel looked at Richard in surprise and said.
“You are not as swayed by the truth as I expected.”
“Why should I be?”
To Ansel’s words, Richard answered in a thin voice.
“No matter what name Elisha has, the fact that she is my precious family doesn’t change.”
As if the truth had no effect on the relationship between Elisha and him. After the conversation, Richard got up from his seat. And as he was about to pass Ansel, he looked back to him as if he had something to say.
“But if it was for Elisha, shouldn’t you have been more careful with this story? You don’t seem to trust me at all.”
“Because I wanted to see you shaken.”
Ansel took a sip of his tea and put down the teacup, adding.
“Of course it wasn’t for Elisha, but for me.”
It was then that Richard realized why Ansel had brought this up to him. He wanted for him to know Elisha’s unknown identity and divorce her.
That way he would be able to take her.
Even though he knew that his child was growing in her belly. The moment he found out that Ansel, who was vaguely wary of him, was sincere to Elisha, Richard’s eyes darkened.
Richard looked down at Ansel with murderous eyes and gave a growling warning.
“I hope you won’t reveal that greed in front of Elisha.”
Ansel was momentarily startled by Richard’s bloody gaze, but then looked at him with a calm expression.
Richard immediately left the drawing-room with Ansel still sitting behind him.
Alone, Ansel glanced absentmindedly at the shut door. For the past few days, and even when they were young, he knew that he wasn’t the kind of person who would easily abandon Elisha.
However, seeing Richard, who was indifferent to everything, reacting like that to Elisha’s story, was both a relief and bittersweet for Ansel.
‘In the end, I don’t think I’ll get a chance.’
“…Still isn’t it a relief?”
Ansel smiled bitterly and emptied the rest of his tea.
* * * *
“Are you back, my Lord?”
When Richard arrived at the Duke’s residence, it was early evening, when twilight began to set. Richard was greeted by Grayson and entered the mansion.
Just then, Thompson, who was nearby, approached.
“You came a little late today.”
“I had an errand to run on the way back. Did anything go wrong in the temple?”
“Ah, we didn’t go to the temple today because madam was not feeling well.”
Richard, who had lightly asked about her usual routine, stopped walking. His haggard expression quickly hardened.
“Not feeling well? Where?”
“She said it’s only a light headache.”
Grayson answered Richard’s question instead.
“What did the doctor say?”
“There are quite a few people who usually feel headaches during pregnancy, so he said she would get better after a good night’s sleep. Madam is sleeping now.”
Richard went straight to Elisha’s room. As Grayson said, Elisha was asleep.
Richard carefully sat down on the bedside next to the sleeping Elisa. He wondered if she felt his presence when he saw her open her eyes.
“…Richard?”
“Sorry, I woke you up.”
“What happened? You have an upset expression…”
Elisha, who was still rubbing her heavy eyes while looking at Richard, asked.
Richard was startled by the question. After he came out of Count Arden’s mansion, many thoughts ran through his head. But, while no one else realized how he was feeling, Elisha immediately noticed and asked, even if she was half asleep.
Richard quickly managed to control his expression and replied.
“No, it’s nothing.”
It was something Elisha will find out someday, but he didn’t want to shock her by telling her about a problem he wasn’t sure about the details of yet.
Before telling her, he had to be sure about the situation. Richard changed the subject
“They told me you didn’t go to the temple today because of a headache.”
“I’m fine now.”
Elisha replied, blocking a yawn from leaking out. Richard, who was looking at her, gently covered Elisha’s eyes with his hand.
“Sleep some more. I’ll wake you up when dinner is ready.”
“Nng…”
Elisha answered as if mumbling in her sleep and quickly fell asleep again. Richard glanced at her, who was asleep as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
As he listened to her peaceful and regular breathing sounds, his complicated head calmed down a bit.
‘You’re not Elisha Loengrin.’
She said she doesn’t remember anything from before the wagon accident.
The doctor who examined her said it was probably short-term memory loss due to the shock of the accident, but Elisha’s memory has not returned eight years later. Richard didn’t think Elisha’s statement that she had lost her memory was a lie.
It was almost impossible for her to deceive him about her identity and marry him. In the first place, she would not have been able to fool Albert.
‘If so, the person who may know Elisha’s real identity is…’
The one who brought her to the Duke’s residence.
‘Albert Rubellin.’
His grandfather. Richard hardened his expression as he recalled the name he still didn’t like.
However, he died, and he couldn’t ask for the truth from a corpse. After pondering for a moment, Richard thought of the only other person who most likely knew the truth.
Richard got up from the bed and left the room and went up to Thompson.
“There is someone you need to find.”
“Who?”
“Aaron Chlor.”
Thompson’s eyes widened as if puzzled by the familiar name that popped up out of nowhere. Aaron Chlor was the man who had been Albert’s aide. He left Rubellin to return to his hometown after Albert’s funeral.
But he suddenly wanted to find him? Richard ordered Thompson.
“Find him and bring him to me.”
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