The story that Marianne heard was truly shocking.
She wondered what in the world this man was talking about. Normally, she would have looked at him with a cold, piercing gaze and snapped at him not to speak carelessly about her husband.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do that.
It wasn’t because the man in front of her had such a serious gaze or because his words felt sincere.
It was simply because the unease she had felt with her husband up until now, and the things she had let slide in the past, flashed before her eyes like a series of images, and most of the puzzle pieces started to fall into place in her mind.
She had thought for some time that something was a bit off.
The behavior of her husband, who had appeared with some kind of treatment she didn’t even know where he had gotten, and told her with a smile that she would soon get better.
The actions of the man who had brought a doctor she didn’t know, asked him to examine her, and then turned his back with a request.
The bittersweet smile he showed her every time she expressed her gratitude, saying that there was no one else but him.
“Did he really make that choice…?”
“Do you believe what I’m saying?”
“…A little.”
Of course, she still didn’t fully believe it.
His argument was perfect enough that everything seemed to fit together, but it was mostly based on speculation.
In reality, it was also possible that he had just been running around, trying to help his wife by finding a solution.
No, Marianne secretly hoped for that to be the case.
She wanted to believe that it was all just a misunderstanding, and that the truth was something disappointingly trivial.
However, sadly, she couldn’t just hold onto an optimistic view, only because she wanted to believe in her husband, because there was another person involved in this matter.
“So, you’re saying my husband did such a thing in exchange for our daughter?”
“…Only assuming that my guess is correct.”
“Ah…”
He spoke with caution, but the answer was very firm.
Upon hearing this, Marianne almost collapsed, barely holding herself up by the table, sighing deeply.
Where had everything gone so wrong?
“I can’t believe it. Even though he was particularly cold to Sylvia, to that child… I never thought he would give up his rights as a father…”
“The reason I’m telling you this is because of that.”
Kyle nodded in agreement, as though empathizing with her words.
When he had reached this conclusion, he had thought that perhaps Creed Eleanor, the man in question, was just a pitiful human being desperately struggling for his wife.
If that were the case, he might have tried to bury this incident and resolve it in another way.
However, no matter what the reason, attempting to achieve his goals by sacrificing his precious daughter was something that could not be defended.
Even from Kyle’s perspective, this was like provoking his most sensitive spot, and he was determined to expose the man’s true face and set everything right.
But in order to do that, he believed that at least the woman in front of him needed to know the full truth.
No, to be precise, in order to fix everything, her help was absolutely necessary, and that was why he revealed the truth.
“…What do you want me to do?”
“You’re quick to catch on.”
“Well, of course. Since you told me all this, which is nothing but speculation, isn’t it to use me to find evidence?”
Kyle couldn’t help but admire her in silence, seeing her trying to accept the harsh reality calmly.
Even though this was an incredibly shocking truth, and she could have collapsed at any moment, she was sitting in front of him, looking right through him.
“Well, I suppose we can move quickly then. Alright. What I would like you to do is…”
Kyle said, as if he had been waiting for her response.
Marianne, who had been silently listening, nodded with an expression that seemed to give up on everything.
“Alright, I can do that.”
“Are you sure? If this comes to light, it could put not just your husband, but the entire family’s future in jeopardy.”
“That’s true. Of course, I don’t want that. But…”
She gave Kyle a bitter smile and said, as he asked one last time what her true thoughts were.
From the moment she vowed to marry her husband, she had sworn to live as a member of the Eleanor family.
She had promised herself to stay by her husband’s side until the day she closed her eyes and lead the family forward.
That’s why this situation, which could cause everything to fall apart, was not something she welcomed.
This was no light matter that only affected the honor of Creed Eleanor.
However, the reason she decided to act according to Kyle’s request was simple.
“…I don’t think I could just ignore this and move on. I wouldn’t be able to look my daughter in the eye.”
Her daughter, who had been rejected by her father from the moment she was born, and was even refused to be called by his name.
The poor child who, because of her failure to even protect her own body, was unable to show her the love of a mother.
Even if the man she loved with all her heart had done this, treating her like a tool to discard once he had used her—this was something she could never accept.
If he had done that, she wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully even in death, Marianne thought.
Kyle realized for the second time in his life how dazzling a human being could be, as he witnessed the firm resolve of a mother in her frail body.
“I understand. Then, let’s go ahead. You’ll need time to gather your thoughts, I’m sure.”
“Thank you. But before that… may I ask one thing?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Kyle turned his head, momentarily pausing as he heard her voice calling him back.
Her blue eyes blinked a couple of times, and soon Marianne’s dry lips carefully parted.
“It doesn’t seem like you truly have a relationship with your daughter. Am I right?”
“How did you…?”
“If you’re a parent, you naturally come to know these things. Besides, I’ve also experienced love myself.”
For the first time, Marianne saw his expression change, and she felt a strange sense of satisfaction as she smiled.
Of course, that didn’t mean their relationship seemed weak.
Rather, as a woman who had once experienced an intensely romantic and sweet love with her husband, she had a faint intuition.
There was a subtle distance between them, something that should never exist between lovers.
To be precise, Sylvia seemed desperate to express her feelings, while Kyle gave off the impression of maintaining his distance.
But it wasn’t as if Sylvia’s feelings were completely one-sided either.
“Yes, I apologize for lying. The truth is, we are not actually in a romantic relationship.”
As Kyle honestly admitted the truth and apologized, Marianne shook her head.
She wasn’t particularly offended.
The fact that her daughter had agreed to it meant there must have been a reason behind it.
That wasn’t even the point she had intended to bring up.
What she was truly curious about was something else.
“So I was right. But why are you going so far for my daughter?”
That was the real question.
Marianne wanted to understand why he was putting in so much effort for Sylvia despite not actually being in a relationship with her.
If it were just someone else’s matter, he could simply turn a blind eye and move on.
“As I said, it’s not for your daughter but to uncover the misdeeds of Dawn’s Eye…”
“Be honest with me. I won’t tell her.”
“……”
Kyle was about to dodge the question, but Marianne’s firm words rendered him speechless.
Why did both mother and daughter have such an uncanny ability to see right through people?
Still, since she promised to keep it a secret from Sylvia, he thought that maybe—just for this moment—he could be honest.
“…Because she is my everything.”
At those words, a faint smile formed on Marian’s lips.
After finishing his conversation with Marian, Kyle immediately set out to find Sylvia.
She was most likely playing with her younger sister, Rinne, and while he didn’t want to disturb them, Marian had told him, “Go see my daughter right away.”
That made it awkward for him to wander around the castle alone.
“Lord Lyard!”
“Lady Sylvia, here you are.”
Fortunately, he was able to find her quickly after asking a passing servant.
As he approached her by the pond, watching her wave enthusiastically, Kyle suddenly felt a strange sense of discomfort.
The servant had told him Sylvia had gone to the pond with her younger sister—so why wasn’t her sister anywhere in sight?
“Did your sister return to her room? I heard she was with you…”
“Oh, that? Hehe…”
Sylvia smirked mischievously at Kyle’s question.
Then, she glanced behind her and stepped aside, twirling around in the process.
“Come on, Rinne. You should say hello to our guest.”
“Of…!”
At that moment, a small, silver-haired girl who had been hiding behind Sylvia cautiously revealed herself.
When her eyes met Kyle’s, she realized that the barrier shielding her had disappeared. She took a step back, visibly frightened.
Kyle’s naturally cold expression when neutral must have intimidated the young princess.
Watching the scared little girl, Kyle silently lowered his gaze.
Swoosh.
“…You resemble your sister. Such a lovely young lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Kyle Lyard.”
“U-uh…”
With a gentle smile unlike anything he had shown before, Kyle placed a hand on Rinne’s head and greeted her.
The sudden charm offensive from a handsome man caught Rinne off guard.
Even as a child, she wasn’t immune to aesthetic appreciation—her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
“This is insane!”
Sylvia, who had never seen Kyle smile like that before, was equally shocked.
And to make matters worse, he had even said, “You resemble your sister—so beautiful.”
Why did he always catch her off guard like this?
Was he doing this on purpose? Otherwise, it made no sense.
Seriously, this man was impossible.