Chapter 19
“Dear. We need to talk for a moment.”
The count, who had been preparing to go out, turned around. The countess was looking at him with a grave look.
He dismissed the servants and closed the door. There was only one reason she would look like that.
“…Is this about Adelaide?”
Even as he spoke her name, the count’s face tightened. For the past six years, House Eport had flourished.
He had secured a firm position within the noble council, and Roem, now twenty, had been recommended to train under Duke Bildem.
Roem believed he had earned it all through his own ability, but for the count and countess, who knew the truth, every day was torment.
Everything they had gained had been built on Adelaide’s sacrifice.
“Adelaide is already twenty now. You know this too, don’t you? If this year passes, she’ll never be able to debut in society. We can’t just keep watching this happen.”
Instead of an answer, a long sigh escaped him. After a heavy silence, the count finally spoke.
“…But you know there’s nothing we can do.”
The crown prince had given him a choice.
Adelaide or Roem. An adopted daughter or his own flesh and blood. He told him to choose the one more precious between the two.
And in the end, he had chosen. Everything House Eport now enjoyed was the result of that decision.
“…Let’s talk about this another time.”
“When? After Adelaide leaves this house? Dear, Roem’s marriage is soon. Once his bride arrives, everything will come to light. How long do you think we can keep hiding His Highness’s identity?”
The maids of the estate were dismissed regularly and replaced with new ones; it was a precaution to prevent anyone from remembering the crown prince’s face.
Even then, on the days Killian visited, only a minimal number of servants were kept, the rest sent away.
But unlike servants, Roem’s future wife would be a noble of the capital. This silence could not be maintained forever.
“You know how people speak of Adelaide outside, don’t you?”
The count fell silent again. Of course he knew.
The rumors that she was unfit for society due to her lack of refinement, had spread rapidly, intertwined with the fact that her initial adoption application had been rejected.
It had spread far too quickly to be natural.
And the count knew exactly who was behind it. Madame Shirley.
The etiquette tutor planted by the crown prince. Her relentless criticism, repeated over years, had crushed Adelaide’s confidence.
Whenever Roem’s acquaintances visited, Adelaide would lock herself in her room, unable to face them. Aside from her family and the servants, the only person she could meet without fear was Killian.
“This isn’t normal. We have to help her live a normal life, even if it’s just a little before it’s too late.”
Every night, the countess regretted bringing the child into this house. Like a thief haunted by guilt, she couldn’t even face Adelaide properly anymore.
“So what would you have me do? Go to His Highness and ask him to release her?”
The count snapped, his voice rising. The countess bit her lip.
“I just… want to do at least one thing for her before it’s too late. Even if I’m only a mother in name.”
The countess’ eyes were desperate as she looked at him.
“It’s nothing grand. Just a small social gathering.”
For six years, their meetings had been kept secret. And yet, malicious rumors about Adelaide continued to spread. It was obvious that the imperial family had no intention of acknowledging the relationship between the crown prince and a common-born count’s daughter.
If Killian had been willing to risk revealing his identity to maintain that connection, he would have protected her reputation more carefully.
The countess found it horrifying. The way Killian toyed with Adelaide’s life as though shaping it with his hands.
But even more horrifying was the fact that, knowing everything, she had no choice but to submit.
For six years, she had surrendered her rights as a mother to Killian’s violent possessiveness. But now she was trying, however belatedly, to gather the courage to do something for Adelaide.
“It’s a very small gathering. Only a few people. Please… dear.”
Faced with her plea, the count could no longer bring himself to refuse.
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