ITIF Chapter 84

First Night Away

Kavelaseth was leaning languidly against the sofa in the drawing room, reading a newspaper under the midday sun streaming through.

What differed from before was that he was dressed in his usual perfect suit.

His posture with his long legs crossed was both arrogant and elegant, and his blue suit tailored to fit his muscular frame added a cold yet strangely trustworthy impression.

It was when Giselle Grante stood quietly at the entrance of the drawing room, following his picture-perfect form with her eyes.

Kavelaseth’s low voice descended into the drawing room.

“How long are you going to stand there?”

It seemed he had been aware of her arrival but had been pretending not to notice.

“Have you been well? I’m fortunate you noticed my arrival, even if belatedly. You seemed so focused that I was hesitant to disturb you.”

Even at her somewhat sarcastic words, no displeasure could be found on Kavelaseth’s face.

As Giselle Grante sat down opposite him, Kavelaseth set down the newspaper he was holding onto the table and raised his gaze to look at her.

And said.

“Thanks to you. I appreciate the lady’s consideration.”

Having finished speaking, Kavelaseth lifted the corners of his mouth slightly.

It could be considered quite an aristocratic reaction, but such an attitude from him was enough to make Giselle Grante furrow her brow.

Giselle Grante stared directly at his face.

‘Something… seems different from usual.’

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but somehow she couldn’t shake that feeling.

Kavelaseth, who had likewise been gazing at her face intently, soon continued.

“It seems you’ve acquired a new hobby.”

“……A hobby, you say? What might you be referring to?”

“I hear you’re enthusiastic about discovering new artists? I didn’t know you had such deep knowledge of the arts.”

She smiled with rounded eyes and said.

“I’m trying to adopt a hobby befitting the Duke’s daughter.”

“Not bad.”

Kavelaseth nodded as if understanding, then suddenly hardened his expression and added.

“I don’t suppose you were trying to find the woman from the portrait you secretly glimpsed without permission in a space without its owner?”

Since Kavelaseth had been the first to mention something she had long wanted to ask but couldn’t, she no longer needed to hesitate.

Giselle Grante opened her mouth immediately.

“It was a question I’d been wanting to ask all along, so I’m grateful you’re bringing it up first, Your Grace.”

“…….”

“I’ll ask directly. What is your relationship with the late Empress?”

She thought that if the relationship between the late Empress and Kavelaseth was what she suspected, he would be greatly flustered, angry, or deeply shaken.

But contrary to her expectations, Kavelaseth was as calm as always.

No, perhaps his excessively composed reaction was actually an indicator that he was tense.

“It seems you wish to hear the truth.”

Kavelaseth murmured while looking directly into her eyes.

Giselle Grante nodded immediately.

“If you learn the truth, everything will be different from before. Can you handle it? The truth you wish to know is very dangerous. For both you and me.”

Even at Kavelaseth’s warning, Giselle Grante asked back while looking directly into his red eyes.

“How exactly will things change if I hear the truth?”

“Many things will change. First of all, we’ll need to redefine the relationship between you and me.”

Giselle Grante’s brow furrowed slightly at his cryptic words. But he didn’t care and added.

“And one more thing……”

Saying this, Kavelaseth undid one button of his shirt.

But that wasn’t the end.

As he slowly unbuttoned from the top down, Giselle Grante only swallowed dryly.

Soon, a mark on his broad chest was revealed.

“……Is this the reason you couldn’t take your eyes off my body that day?”

She gave no answer, but Kavelaseth continued immediately.

“From your expression, it seems I’m right. It appears you already know what this means, my lady.”

She hesitated briefly at his probing gaze, but then nodded her head.

And said.

“What’s on Your Grace’s chest is….a mark that you, Your Grace, are the descendant of heaven.”

Giselle Grante forced those words out with difficulty.

If Kavelaseth was the legitimate descendant of heaven of the Phasis Empire, then what exactly was Trinity’s existence?

Such thoughts began to consume her mind.

“…….”

Suddenly her breathing became labored, and she couldn’t breathe well.

Perhaps it was because facing a truth she had hoped wasn’t real was too painfully difficult.

As she barely managed to exhale her constricted breath, a ringing sound came to her ears.

“……Giselle? Giselle Grante!”

Kavelaseth’s voice urgently calling her name echoed loudly in her head.

****

“The young lady seems to be running late today…….”

The butler, who had been staring out the window that had grown dark, finally decided to report this fact.

Just then, Mikhail, who was with Duke Amaterasu, asked.

“Giselle hasn’t returned yet?”

“No…….”

As the butler nodded, this time Duke Amaterasu asked.

“Where did she say she was going?”

“Well, that is…….”

Just as the butler was about to answer, a maid walked into the drawing room where the three men were.

All three pairs of eyes focused on the letter in her hand.

“The young lady has sent a letter.”

Naturally, questions arose on the faces of Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail as to why she had sent a letter instead of returning.

“……!”

Duke Amaterasu and Mikhail, having checked the letter’s contents, couldn’t hide their shock.

The butler, sensing something serious had happened, quickly gestured for the maid to leave.

And only after the maid had left the drawing room did he ask.

“What is the matter?”

At the butler’s question, Duke Amaterasu grimaced fiercely, and Mikhail, gauging his mood, said in a greatly lowered voice.

“Giselle is staying out overnight.”

“……Pardon?”

To the butler’s surprised repetition, Duke Amaterasu added.

“And at Duke Cardia’s residence, no less.”

The letter contained other shocking facts as well.

It stated that Lady Greykin was currently staying at Duke Cardia’s residence, and that she was with her, so they shouldn’t worry.

Even Duke Amaterasu, who had always been on Giselle Grante’s side, and Mikhail as well, couldn’t simply let this pass.

“I must go to Duke Cardia’s residence immediately.”

As Duke Amaterasu shot up from his seat, Mikhail also agreed.

The two men’s demeanor was unsettling, as if they would chase to Duke Cardia’s residence immediately and grab Kavelaseth by the collar.

“But Your Grace, this might actually be a good thing.”

Duke Amaterasu glared at the butler, who had said something unbelievable, his brow deeply furrowed.

“A good thing, you say. Do you think that makes sense?”

Giselle Grante wasn’t even engaged yet.

If it became known publicly that an unmarried woman was staying at a man’s residence without being married, it would surely damage Giselle Grante’s reputation.

And the butler was not unaware of this fact.

Instead of strongly asserting his opinion, the butler bowed his head slightly.

Mikhail, who had likewise been growling with his brow deeply furrowed, suddenly widened his eyes.

“Father!”

Only then did Duke Amaterasu turn to look at Mikhail, still with his brow deeply furrowed.

“Now that I think about it, this might really be a good thing. At least for Giselle…….”

The butler picked up where Mikhail left off.

“That’s right, Your Grace. Though it’s a practice that has disappeared in recent times, in the past, weren’t there quite a few young ladies who received bridal training at their fiancé’s residence before marriage?”

Even at the butler’s persuasion, Duke Amaterasu’s furrowed brow showed no sign of relaxing.

“Given Kavel’s bold personality, he might have grand intentions of making their courtship a fait accompli.”

Mikhail added, but Duke Amaterasu remained lost in thought.

His wife had also prepared for marriage at the Amaterasu ducal residence before their wedding.

Of course, it was truly to receive teachings from the previous Duchess Amaterasu.

However, after the previous Duke Cardia died, the Duchess Cardia had long since returned to her family home.

So it didn’t make sense to bring her into the family early before marriage to teach her as they had done in the past.

****

As she blinked while lying on her side on the bed, the interior of an unfamiliar bedroom came into view.

Giselle Grante stared blankly at the inside of the unfamiliar bedroom for a while.

Though her body wasn’t tired at all, she didn’t want to get up from the bed, so she just remained lying still.

Until Kavelaseth came to the bedroom he had given her.

Knock knock.

The sound of knocking echoed, but she didn’t answer and curled up on her side on the bed.

But contrary to her expectation that he would leave soon if there was no answer–creak–the bedroom door opened.

“This is quite hard to understand.”

Kavelaseth said as he approached the bed where she lay.

His voice was slightly lower than usual. His tone also seemed a bit more gentle.

Perhaps it was because he thought the situation had arisen from her heart being too tender to face the truth.

Before she collapsed, she had just heard an important fact from Kavelaseth.

Soon, Kavelaseth’s voice brought her back to reality once again.

“Was the fact that I’m the current Emperor’s son such a great shock to you, my lady?”