Chapter 3
Double
“Congratulations, Miss Silvaris.”
“When we first heard the rumor, we thought it would be your older sister instead, hoho.”
“My goodness, to receive a proposal from Duke Asiel, who was like a flower blooming on a cliff!”
Elaria, who had attended the tea party that had been scheduled, forced the corners of her lips upward as she responded to the continuous congratulations.
“…I only received the proposal letter yesterday, so it still doesn’t feel real.”
“Oh my, I completely understand that feeling.”
“That’s right, it’s Duke Asiel we’re talking about, the one who’s never had a single scandal.”
Elaria, who found it unbelievable for reasons different from what they thought, could only keep smiling. How could she possibly say that her mind was in turmoil because of a proposal letter from a former lover she had broken up with two years ago?
To begin with, no one even knew that she had dated him.
The reason there had been no scandals was also because they had been together since they were kids. The fact that they had dated in secret because he wanted it was nothing more than an empty past that could no longer be spoken of.
“The Asiel ducal house is the wealthiest family in the Karserion Empire, so it will surely be a very splendid wedding.”
“Exactly! Miss Silvaris, you must invite us, won’t you?”
“Even if not others, you must invite those who came to this tea party.”
“That’s right, this isn’t some light acquaintance of just a year or two.”
Their tone was so friendly that it was hard to believe these were the same people who had treated Elaria like a maid at every tea party. Their words felt hypocritical, but Elaria could only nod and respond along.
Rather than their duplicity, it was more accurate to say she had no interest in what they were saying because she was too curious about Lucian’s intentions.
She didn’t even know how she had managed to get through the tea party. Only after entering the carriage returning to her family estate did Elaria, whose drooping eyes had sunk even lower, let out a long sigh.
“Lucian…”
She quietly murmured the name of her former lover, who had spread the news across the entire capital in a single day.
*
She had first met Lucian when she was only seven years old. Just when she had reached the age where she could begin to imitate proper etiquette, she received an invitation from the Asiel ducal house. It was a gathering to select playmates for the sole heir of the duchy.
She and her older sister were not the only children of noble families invited. It was such a large number that it seemed as if every noble child based in the capital had gathered there. Being only one among those countless candidates, Elaria had given up any expectations early on.
Unlike her older sister, who stood closest to her, she was not exceptionally beautiful, and as her parents often said, she was slow in everything she did. There was not a single talent she could show.
She thought she would simply remain a faint presence, circling around Lucian from afar.
A total of fifty children were selected as playmates for the sole heir of the duchy. They were divided into groups of ten and assigned specific days to visit the estate. Because so many were chosen, even Elaria, who had no expectations, was able to be selected as a playmate.
Together with her sister, she visited the Asiel ducal manor every Wednesday. It was located at the highest place in the capital after the imperial palace. Pushed aside by the other playmates and her sister, she couldn’t even get near Lucian, let alone stand beside him. Wandering alone, she eventually lost her way and ended up in a secluded corner of the rear garden.
There, she discovered an old iron gate, and in front of it, purple clematis flowers spreading across it. The color looked very similar to her own hair, so her gaze was naturally drawn to it.
As she sat there passing time, Lucian appeared before her as if it were a lie.
After that, Elaria met Lucian there every week, and she noticed one thing. His temperament was more fickle than she had expected.
The young Elaria treated him by dividing him into the gentle Lucian and the cold Lucian. She simply accepted it, thinking that he must be temperamental because his position as heir was difficult, or that it was due to a high standing she could not yet understand.
With each passing year, it no longer mattered to her whether he was gentle or cold. Lucian, who was three years older than her, grew quickly, and before she knew it, he had taken on the appearance of a young man.
By the time she had grown as well, Elaria had come to hold feelings for Lucian without realizing it. No, perhaps it had been inevitable. Anyone would have found him admirable, and since it felt like they were having secret meetings together, how could she not develop feelings?
In their secret place that none of the other playmates knew about, she always waited for Lucian, and he would always come to where she was and spend time with her. Sometimes they would talk about trivial updates, and sometimes they would read the same book together, absorbed in it.
And when she turned fifteen, Lucian asked her this.
“Can you like me, no matter which Lucian I am?”
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