TAHR 05

Chapter 05

The invitation arrived at the Leslie Count’s estate on the third day of Elissa’s severe cold. More precisely, it was an invitation addressed to Countess Leslie.

Countess Leslie had gone to her family home after hearing that her mother, Lady Thebe, who was Elissa’s maternal grandmother, had collapsed due to a chronic illness.

In her mother’s absence, Elissa checked the invitation. The seal of the Marquis Brianna’s family was stamped in the center of the letter.

The invitation had been sent by the Marchioness Brianna. It said that, starting tomorrow and lasting for about three days, her daughter, Giselle Brianna, would be holding a small exhibition showcasing her specialty. The proceeds from the exhibition would be used to support war orphans, so she asked Elissa to attend and honor the event with her presence.

Since the invitation was addressed to Countess Leslie, Elissa did not need to go.

It would have been simple to reply that her mother was away due to family matters and was very sorry that she could not share such a joyful and meaningful occasion, and to ask them to invite her again if there was another opportunity.

But she could not do that because the other party happened to be the Marquis Brianna’s family. On top of that, the Marchioness Brianna was the Queen’s cousin.

Therefore, rather than sending a reply saying that she could not attend, it was proper for Elissa to attend in her mother’s place.

It was a social gathering of sorts, so it was bothersome, and since she had not fully recovered from her severe cold, it would have been better for her to avoid going outside. But she had no choice.

“I don’t want to go alone.”

If she went alone, she would be an easy target for everyone else.

Elissa thought carefully about who she could go with. As the faces of several people passed through her mind, the face of one man became imprinted in her mind as clearly as if it had been stamped there.

She remembered Ethan.

He was so attractive that his unimpressive first impression felt like a lie. Most of all, his gray eyes, visible between his jet-black hair that looked as though it had melted the night itself, had been incredibly beautiful.

Elissa squeezed her eyes shut.

But that had been the wrong choice.

In the darkness, Ethan’s presence only became even clearer.

“Are you all right, my lady?”

The butler, who had brought the invitation, asked worriedly.

Elissa waved her hand to show that she was fine and asked him to bring her a glass of water filled with ice.

The butler was worried about giving something cold to a young lady who had a cold, but he could not overcome her stubbornness.

After drinking water so cold that it made her head throb and crunching the ice between her teeth, Ethan disappeared from her mind.

In his place, the face of her fiancé, Derek Grenville, appeared.

Elissa, who was about to crunch another piece of ice, suddenly stopped.

Unlike Ethan, who had done something unforgivable, Derek Grenville had done nothing wrong. Rather, she was the one who had done something wrong.

Because of that, Elissa was reluctant to ask Derek to accompany her. She let out a short sigh and pressed her fingers between her brows.

The seal of the Marquis Brianna’s family stamped into the sealing wax seemed painfully bright in her eyes.

“…I should at least contact him.”

He had said he was busy because of recent matters, so perhaps he would refuse.

It was ridiculous to write a letter asking him to go with her while secretly hoping that he would refuse.

Elissa immediately wrote a letter to her fiancé, and about two hours later, a reply arrived.

Contrary to her hopes that he would refuse, the answer was positive. He even wrote that he was very happy that she had been the one to ask him first.

He also asked various things, such as whether she was feeling all right and whether she needed anything.

So Elissa had no choice but to write another reply. She also wanted to decide when they would go to the exhibition.

“My lady, I have brought another letter.”

This time, the reply arrived within an hour.

Elissa knew it took about thirty minutes on horseback to travel from the Leslie estate to the Grenville residence, so receiving a reply this quickly felt a little strange.

Ethan Isteban.

See? It was strange.

Elissa gave a hollow laugh as she looked down at his name.

It felt extremely unfamiliar to see Ethan’s surname attached to his name. This was the first time she had seen his full name.

As if chewing cud like a cow, Elissa slowly repeated his name in her mind.

Then she looked at the seal of the Isteban family stamped into the sealing wax.

Since she had never even heard of the Isteban family before, this was also the first time she had seen their family crest.

It depicted a fat crescent moon, slightly smaller than a full moon, pierced by a long sword.

Most noble families used animals or flowers in their crests, so it was quite unusual.

How had Ethan, who had been a commoner, entered this family?

Why had he participated in the war?

How had he trained in swordsmanship so brilliantly that even the Imperial Army trembled before him in such a short time?

And why had he left without saying a word?

Why had he not sent even a single letter during the past four years?

Whenever Elissa thought of Ethan, countless questions came to mind.

The foolish version of herself who had missed him, been angry with him, and then missed him again for the past four years also came to mind.

The letter… I won’t read it.

She did not want to know what that bastard had written.

Even if he apologized for what had happened in the past, she had not the slightest intention of forgiving him.

In many ways, it would be better to burn the letter she had no intention of reading.

But just as Elissa had been unable to throw the yellow rose Ethan had given her into the fireplace, she could not set fire to the letter this time either.

Instead, she put it deep inside a drawer of her dressing table and sealed it away along with her lingering feelings.

The next day, after having a simple breakfast and lunch combined, Elissa prepared to go out.

Since she was going to an exhibition rather than a party, she wore a beige dress that showed a little of her ankles so that she could move comfortably.

Over it, she wore a spencer with almost no decoration, and she put on a wide-brimmed bonnet over her tightly braided and pinned-up hair.

“My lady, Young Master Grenville has arrived.”

Just as she was checking herself to make sure there was nothing strange about her appearance, a servant reported his arrival.

Marie opened her eyes wide and quickly looked Elissa over.

“There’s nothing strange. It’s a little unfortunate that you aren’t wearing a necklace, but… since you said you don’t like them, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to wear the earrings Young Master gave you recently?”

“Those earrings don’t match this outfit.”

Since she was right, Marie could only nod despite her disappointment.

Elissa held her handbag in her gloved hand and left the bedroom.

The lace-trimmed hem of her skirt fluttered lightly above her ankles.

Derek Grenville, who had been waiting in the central hall, let out an exclamation of admiration when he saw her coming down the long spiral staircase.

“My. I heard you had become thin from being seriously ill, but that must have been a lie. You are still dazzlingly beautiful, Elissa.”

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Lord Grenville.”

“Call me Derek.”

Hearing the same request as last time, Elissa simply smiled without saying anything.

Derek did not press her further and instead held out his hand.

Escorted by her fiancé, Elissa left the estate and glanced once at the unnecessarily clear sky before getting into the carriage.

“Have a safe trip, my lady.”

The butler stood at the main gate until the carriage carrying the two disappeared from sight.

When he heard the sound of approaching hooves, he turned around.

A carriage he had never seen before had stopped in front of the main gate of the Leslie estate.

The butler quickly checked the family crest painted on the carriage.

A crescent moon pierced by a sword.

He had seen that crest before.

It had been just yesterday, when he delivered a letter to Elissa.

The name written on that letter had been ‘Ethan Isteban.’

Furthermore, he knew that Ethan Isteban was the hero who had ended the war and the man known by the nickname ‘K.’

How could he not know?

His name had been printed in huge letters in newspapers and gossip magazines.

Ethan.

When he heard that name, it was only natural for him to think of a boy who had once worked at the estate.

However, that boy had been a commoner and had never even held a sword.

So even though he thought there was no way the Ethan he knew and the ‘K’ of the rumors could be the same person, the butler could not shake off his uneasy feeling.

He narrowed one eye.

But that lasted only for a moment.

When he stood in front of the carriage, he politely asked as though nothing had happened.

“Are you Lord Isteban?”

Instead of answering, the carriage window opened.

The inside of the carriage was dark, and the man was behind the curtain, so his face could not be seen.

“I am. I sent a letter yesterday. Did you deliver it to Miss Elissa Leslie?”

His low voice sounded familiar yet unfamiliar.

There was a sense of intimidation in it that made the butler’s skin prickle.

“Yes. If you mean the letter you sent, I delivered it to Lady Elissa.”

At that moment, the sharp atmosphere, as if it could cut through flesh, softened slightly.

“What did she say?”

His previously cold voice had risen slightly.

The butler was a little bewildered by the sudden change in the man’s attitude despite not having done anything in particular.

“She did not say anything.”

“…She said nothing?”

His voice became sharp again.

He is a person with quite a lot of mood swings.

After making that brief judgment, the butler bowed even more politely, worried that the man might find some fault with him.

“If you have come to see my lady, I am afraid she is currently away. Would it be possible for you to visit again later?”

He made the request politely, but the only response was cold disregard.

Lord Isteban slammed the carriage window shut with a loud thud.

Did I make some mistake?

The butler could not think of anything, but just in case, he was about to ask when the carriage began to move.

Even if he was the hero who had ended the war, he was still only a baron.

Until then, he had been a nameless nobleman without even a title.

And yet he behaved with such arrogance.

“Heh…”

The butler stared in disbelief at the back of the carriage as it quickly raced in the direction where Elissa and Derek had disappeared.