It was a long night.
Ria looked exhausted from a restless night’s sleep.
Marian quickly prepared water for washing, helped Ria with her breakfast, and then guided her to the dressing room attached to one side of the bedroom.
When Marian opened the wardrobe, several dresses that Cassius had brought the night before were neatly arranged.
"Young Lady, the spring breeze is warm, so how about a design like this?"
Marian pulled one out from among the hanging dresses, and Ria nodded.
It was an elegant dress featuring a soft lavender hue, delicately embroidered with floral patterns and accented with soft lace.
Ria thought of her mother, who must have worn this dress in her youth.
She would have been a little shorter and a bit more round-faced than the mother in Ria’s memories, yet she would have still smiled brightly with those sparkling gray eyes.
The same thought kept circling in her mind.
Judging by the story Kairen told in the library, it was certain that her mother had spent her childhood at the Duke’s Estate.
"I don't know what the two of them hid here, but I will find it," Ria thought, clenching her small fist.
However, something else was clouding Ria’s mind.
Why was the hair color of her mother, as described by Cassius, different from the hair color in her own memories?
Cassius had said that the reason Anella caught the Duke of Ignis’s eye was precisely because of her hair color, which matched her mother’s.
But the mother in Ria’s memory had light brown hair, just like her own. It was completely different from Anella’s.
Could my memory be wrong?
It made no sense, but there was no other explanation.
Ria quietly recalled her mother’s face.
The memory of her mother sitting in the garden of the Marquess's estate at dusk, teaching her how to read, her hair fluttering in the wind and tickling Ria’s face; the way her mother would burst into a gentle laugh and tuck her hair behind her ears whenever Ria felt ticklish.
The lullaby she would hum softly while patting Ria to sleep.
Ria, not wanting to sleep, would always strain her eyes to stay awake until the very end, and her mother would look down at her with such affection. The candlelight would flicker, and her mother’s brown hair would shimmer.
Even thinking about it again, there was no way she could have mistaken her mother’s hair color. It was completely impossible.
While Ria was lost in complex thoughts, Marian neatly brushed her hair and tied it with a ribbon. She smiled, gently patting Ria’s shoulder.
"Young Lady, it suits you beautifully."
Ria stood before the mirror, looking at herself in the dress. Feeling awkward in such attire, she turned slightly and toyed with the edge of her sleeve with her fingertips.
"You're right, it really is a pretty dress."
Ria whispered softly.
++
"Nothing unusual?"
The Duke’s voice was somewhat cynical.
Marian stood before him, head bowed with her hands folded respectfully.
"Are you certain?"
Marian slowly straightened her posture to face the Duke.
"From what I have observed, that is the case. There was no sign of her secretly consuming anything, nor any trace of it."
The Duke let out a low sigh.
The image of Lloyd smiling brightly kept flickering before his eyes.
A boy who had pretended to be of the Duke’s bloodline while secretly taking a Magical Potion.
Because he looked so much like his kind and gentle daughter, the Duke had no choice but to believe the claim that he was Leila’s son.
They said that after the boy was dragged away, a glass bottle containing a magical potion used to alter one’s appearance was found in his room.
The Duke could trust no one.
He also couldn't understand why Cassius had accepted the child as Leila’s daughter so easily.
Even when he wanted to believe in those kind eyes, the glass bottle that had rolled around in the boy’s room kept pulling him back.
That was why he had ordered Marian to report immediately if Ria showed any suspicious behavior.
Yet, no suspicious signs or traces?
If that were the case, then perhaps that child really is…
His thoughts deepened.
The Duke closed his eyes, pressing both hands against his forehead.
He told himself over and over not to get his hopes up, trying to force himself to stop hoping yet again.
The mere fact that he had lost his daughter was unbearable enough.
But now, his heart was in turmoil because of children claiming to be his daughter’s offspring.
"Leila..."
The Duke called out the name that constricted his heart just by being spoken aloud.
"Tell me, Leila. What is the right thing to do?"
There was no way an answer would come.
Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening, and the Duke sat with his eyes closed for a long time, absorbing the darkness.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, before Ria could even get used to the Duke’s Estate.
The Duke’s Estate was bustling from early in the morning with preparations to leave for the Temple.
It was a day with soft morning sunlight.
Ria, too, finished her preparations with Marian’s help and was doing a final check in front of the mirror.
Marian had chosen the most modest, dark-colored dress from among those Cassius had provided.
It was a demure design suitable for a visit to the Temple, with a length that reached her ankles and lace around the neckline. The decorations were understated, but the fabric and materials were high-quality.
Tension lingered on Ria’s face as she clutched her mother’s Pendant tightly.
Marian smiled as she pinned a large ribbon ornament to the back of Ria’s hair, which was tied into a single bundle.
"Young Lady, don't worry. Once you finish everything safely and return, I will become your official maid."
"Thank you, Marian."
Ria nodded and smiled.
"Are you ready, child?"
It was Cassius who had come to fetch Ria.
Ria took one deep breath, exhaled slowly, and opened the door.
When she stepped out of the lobby with Cassius, the carriage was already prepared. The Duke of Ignis and Eleanor were waiting for Ria in front of it.
The moment the Duke laid eyes on Ria, his frost-like face hardened even further. However, Ria gave him a small smile.
She wanted to leave a good impression on the Duke if possible.
There were two carriages prepared.
They were black carriages used exclusively by the Duke’s household.
The Noctus trees, which grew only in the Tenebris territory of the North, absorbed surrounding light and turned black, unlike ordinary trees. The wood was so hard and dense that it was difficult to process even with standard saws or axes.
The Duke’s carriages, made from such Noctus wood, were exceptionally strong and durable, making them stable and safe.
The Duke and the Young Duke’s couple boarded the first carriage, while the twins, Anella, and Ria boarded the second.
"Are the adults not riding with us?"
Ria asked, looking uneasy in front of the carriage, and Anella answered in a low voice.
"It’s an old custom of the Duke’s household for adults and children to ride in separate carriages. They say it’s a rule because the adults have many important matters to discuss, so the children don't ride with them."
Ria nodded slightly.
Anella is truly amazing. She knows everything.
Ria marveled as she slowly climbed into the carriage.
The inside of the carriage, occupied only by the children, was filled with awkward tension. Ria sat in the innermost seat to remain as inconspicuous as possible.
Leonic did not hide his dissatisfied expression toward Ria. While he thought it fortunate that there was no one here to take Ria’s side, the very idea of having to travel for a long time in a carriage with her seemed unpleasant to him.
Moreover, it was even more so because the trip to the Temple was a schedule solely for Ria’s sake.
As the experience at the Temple last time resurfaced, he felt even worse.
Leonic tapped his foot repeatedly on the carriage floor as if to express his displeasure.
Daniel glanced at Leonic but said nothing. He quietly turned his head toward the book he had brought.
Only Anella, seemingly happy about the outing, smiled brightly and looked at the other three in turn.
"Ria, this is your first time going to the Temple, right?"
"Yes, it’s my first time. Do you visit often, Anella?"
"Yes, since I’m from the Temple, I’m used to it."
At Anella’s words, Ria realized her mistake.
She had heard that Anella was adopted into the Duke’s household from the Temple, and she felt as if she had put Anella in an awkward position. Anella had spoken with a casual smile, but sure enough, Leonic was glaring at Ria with sharp eyes.
"Besides, it hasn't been long since my last visit."
Ria felt uneasy despite Anella’s gentle tone. She already knew the ‘reason’ for that last visit and what the outcome had been.
A fake.
It was something beyond Ria’s control, but the timing was poor.
Another child appearing right after a fake who had impersonated a Tenebris.
Suspicion and doubt were bound to follow a stranger who appeared at such an inopportune time.
But that wasn't the only thing making Ria anxious.
What was the reason her mother’s hair color was different from her own memories?
She kept finding herself imagining the worst-case scenario.
Ria shook her head slightly and repeated a mantra to herself.
There is no need to worry about things that haven't even happened yet.
Regardless, everything would be proven at the Temple today.
Ria’s heart began to pound.
At that moment, the carriage departed.
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