I forced myself to smile slightly, narrowing my eyes to hide my surprise.
“When we arrive, should I introduce your younger brother as a commoner knight?”
“As you wish, Countess.”
Would they even believe it? That noble and beautiful man, a commoner?
“By the way, the unmarried women in the territory might bother him.”
Edmund frowned slightly, as if wondering what I was talking about.
“Like the baron’s daughter we met during our summer retreat—she seemed quite interested.”
He still had the same untouchable aura, but the difficulty of approaching him differed between when he was a duke and when he was a commoner.
“…Interested?”
Edmund narrowed one eye slightly, as if hearing something strange.
‘Then was that actually a duel challenge?’
I had momentarily forgotten.
Not only was Edmund completely indifferent to women, but he was also biologically incapable of feeling any interest in them.
At the same time, he was someone who couldn’t recognize a woman’s affection.
‘He probably didn’t even have the luxury to think about such things for the past nine years.’
Edmund gazed at me calmly before turning his head away.
“…You always speak as if I am perfect.”
“If my younger brother isn’t perfect, then who is?”
“I am not as perfect as you think.”
“…If you say that even with that face, people will throw stones at you, little brother.”
I lowered my voice, my expression stiffening. I was caught off guard by his uncharacteristically vulnerable words.
He let out a dry chuckle, rubbing his lips with a subtle expression. The graceful curve of his lips slowly disappeared.
His face soon darkened, as if he had swallowed something bitter.
“Do you remember when I mentioned I had a flaw?”
“A flaw?”
“It was the day we went to meet your lawyer.”
Ah, back then.
In the end, I never got to hear what he meant. It had only been two months, yet it already felt like a faded memory. What he said next surprised me even more.
“I am afraid of the dark.”
“The dark…?”
My eyes widened. It was unexpected. How could someone who shone like an embodiment of light be afraid of the dark?
I opened my mouth but could only move my lips silently, stunned by his confession. Finally, I managed to squeeze out a question.
“Is it… nyctophobia?”
Even as we spoke of darkness, fragments of light still fell around him.
“Does Lilien know about this?”
Edmund simply looked at me with a calm gaze. It was both an answer—no, she didn’t—and a silent request—not to tell her.
I took a deep breath and spoke with a serious tone.
“But… when we first met, you were in a pitch-black room. You didn’t seem to have any aversion to darkness.”
I was speaking in a confused voice when our eyes met. I shut my mouth. His steady gaze seemed to say:
It’s not just physical elements that trigger trauma.
Lowering his gaze, he spoke in an even tone.
“I have nightmares. Every night.”
“…”
“They are filled with regrets for what I failed to protect and anger at my own helplessness.”
Edmund’s thin eyelids lifted slightly. His usually strong amber eyes wavered faintly as they looked at me.
“And remnants of guilt.”
His subdued voice carried a sorrow so calm yet deep that it made my heart ache.
“So you fear the darkness because of nightmares?”
A faint, fleeting smile touched his smooth lips.
“More precisely, I fear waking up from the darkness. It reminds me of the storage room where my mother hid me from the monsters.”
“…”
“I fear what I might find in the light when I open my eyes.”
His voice trailed off into a blur.
A moment later, he furrowed his brows slightly but quickly returned to his usual blank expression, as if brushing away any traces of emotion.
Even after learning about his past at the banquet, I never truly considered the pain he carried. No, I didn’t even try. I had neither the time nor the right to concern myself with his wounds.
But now, things were different. Now, watching him confess so calmly made my heart throb.
A flaw? Could you really call wounds a flaw?
I had foolishly reduced his past nine years to merely a time when he was too busy to notice women.
‘He never even had the luxury to tend to his own wounds.’
How foolish. My throat felt hot, but I forced myself to turn towards the window and speak as casually as I could.
“Are you sure it’s okay to tell me this? What if I use it against you later?”
I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but my voice trembled slightly.
Edmund turned to look at me. I could feel his quiet gaze. Eventually, I met his golden eyes, which seemed to be waiting for an answer.
I was captivated by that clear gaze for a long moment. Then, in a voice slightly hoarse, he finally spoke.
“It’s fine. You won’t.”
For a moment, his cold lips curved into a faint smile. He still shone brilliantly under the sunlight.
I stared at him, mesmerized, before quickly turning away.
‘Ah, I must be feeling motion sick.’
And before I could dwell on the lingering emotions, we arrived at the portal.
“The Lord has arrived!”
I was overwhelmed by the extravagant welcome.
All the way to the manor, the cheers and blessings of the territory’s people rang out, leaving me flustered.
Some even clapped enthusiastically, congratulating me on my divorce, and I heard curses directed at Devon here and there.
When we finally reached the company, the knights held them back, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
Feeling my face burn, I deliberately ignored Edmund’s gaze.
“You are a well-loved ruler.”
“…So it seems.”
How embarrassing.
How terrible a lord must I have been for them to react this way? I sighed, avoiding the eager stares.
As the carriage pulled up to the company, I saw senior executives waiting outside to greet me.
Among them was my uncle.
When the carriage stopped, Edmund stepped out first, and a murmur rippled through the crowd—curiosity about my companion.
I took Edmund’s hand and stepped down, facing my uncle, who took a step back and began to bow. I quickly stopped him.
“Uncle, please don’t. It makes me uncomfortable.”
He hesitated, then smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“You refuse even the formality of addressing a vassal. You’re an odd one.”
“It runs in the family.”
I shrugged playfully, making him chuckle.
I exchanged greetings with the executives, but their gazes kept drifting to Edmund.
My uncle hesitated before pointing politely at him.
“Etricia, this man is…?”
I sighed inwardly. No one’s going to believe he’s just a knight.
Despite the sharp gazes on him, Edmund stood completely still, staring straight ahead without any change in expression.
It was because he knew that, as someone disguised as a guard rather than appearing as a duke, he had no right to speak unless I introduced him first.
When I silently smiled, my uncle narrowed his eyes, sensing something unusual.
“Is he perhaps your new fiancé—”
“No, he isn’t.”
I cut him off cleanly. My uncle looked surprised and turned his gaze back to Edmund. Then he stepped forward, ahead of the executives, and whispered softly.
“Then… a lover, maybe…”
“It’s not that either,” I replied, narrowing my eyes slightly.
If Edmund ever found out that my uncle had referred to him as a lover, he might faint from the shock.
But the executives still looked curious.
Honestly, I wanted to show off Edmund’s stunning looks a little, so I pointed at him.
“This is my guard, assigned to me by Duke Mipedian.”
Only then did Edmund’s eyes fall on me.
When I gave him a little wink as if to say, “I did well, right?” he gave a small scoff and turned his head, as if hiding a smile.
I thought I heard him mutter, “Ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, my uncle and the executives, though still doubtful, seemed to accept the explanation.
Gasps came from here and there, and the executives’ eyes lit up with interest.
What I had said basically showed off a connection with Duke Mipedian, the only one of his kind in the Empire.
They probably already knew I was receiving help from the Mipedian family.
As the head of a family, it didn’t look good to be indebted to another house, but if it was the Mipedian family, it was a different story.
It was definitely a benefit to the Buell family as well.
One of the executives came over and told me that the meeting would start soon, and that he had summarized the documents I had requested.
Normally, I would have unpacked and rested first, but I had already asked to hold the meeting as soon as I arrived.
“I’d like to look over them before the meeting, is that okay?”
“Of course. You’re the one we should serve now.”
The executives were more welcoming than I expected.
Of course, some of Devon’s people were probably still mixed in.
They were likely the ones sweating at the back of the line right now.
‘Ah, looks like I’ve got more work to do.’
I made eye contact with my uncle and the executives and naturally turned to head into the building—but then I stopped.
Oh, right. Edmund.
Since he wasn’t an official member of the company, he couldn’t attend the meeting.
I couldn’t just leave him standing outside for the whole meeting—it would feel awkward, even uncomfortable.
‘What should I do?’
When I looked back, Edmund seemed to have already guessed what I was thinking.
He gave me a faint smile and blinked slowly, as if to say, “It’s okay. Go on.”
He probably didn’t mean anything special by it,
but it felt strangely intimate—almost like a secret exchange between lovers.
I turned my head quickly, flustered.
“Countess.”
When I suddenly stopped walking, one of the executives following me looked back with confusion.
“I’m coming,” I said, quickly picking up my pace with a calm smile—
though all my focus was on the intense gaze I could still feel on the back of my head.
