Chapter 46 : A Night of Understanding Each Other’s Hearts a Little More

Two days later, at a late hour when twilight had settled, Sylvia was strolling alone in the castle for some reason.

It was because she had been summoned by Kyle.

It was quite rare for Kyle to call for her first, so she walked through the corridor with a rather light step, heading to the place where he was waiting.

“Ot…!”

As she finally reached the small garden near the annex, she spotted Kyle, who had arrived earlier, in the distance.

Sylvia happily waved her hand to greet him but then hesitated.

Kyle was admiring the flowers alone, which was unusual, so she wanted to observe him a little longer.

Flowers usually suit a beautiful woman, but with the moonlight starting to rise in the background, the sight of a handsome man appreciating flowers also seemed like a picturesque scene.

It would be perfect if she could paint this and display it in her room.

With such a silly thought in mind, she hid behind the bushes and watched Kyle.

Then, for some reason, he let out a faint sigh and raised his voice as if speaking to someone deliberately.

“If you keep hiding like that, even Rine will notice you.”

Only then did Sylvia realize she had been caught.

Brushing off the small bits of grass that had stuck to her dress, she revealed herself with an awkward expression.

“Hehehe… Sorry. I just thought it was rare to see the esteemed Lord Lyard admiring flowers.”

“I was just curious since I had never seen these flowers before. Anyway, I apologize for summoning you at such a late hour.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I actually wanted to go out for a walk. Besides, it’s been a while since you’ve called for me.”

Sylvia looked at him with eyes full of anticipation, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

Meeting her gaze, Kyle felt a bitter sensation.

She had no idea what she was about to hear, and her smiling face reminded him of cherry blossoms, soon to fall away.

“Anyway, the reason I called you here is…”

“Ah, wait a moment, Lord Lyard.”

“……?”

Just as he was about to speak, Sylvia urgently stopped him with her voice, making Kyle look puzzled.

Then, with a rather strict and serious expression, she raised her hand in a peculiar manner and added, as if calming the mood,

“Since the moon is bright tonight, why don’t we take a walk before we talk?”

“But the matter at hand is more important than a walk…”

“So, you summoned me in the middle of the night, and now you’re refusing my request? Hmph.”

“…Fine. Let’s walk for a bit.”

Kyle instinctively realized that if he didn’t comply, he would surely be labeled a complete scoundrel.

Satisfied with his response, Sylvia approached with a pleased expression and clung to his arm.

“Uhm, Lady? Is it really necessary to hold on like this?”

“My shoes are a bit uncomfortable.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to sit and talk…”

“I said I wanted to take a walk, Lord Lyard.”

If he said this, she would counter with that, and if he said that, she would counter with this.

It was pointless to argue.

In the end, Kyle reluctantly allowed Sylvia to cling to his arm and continued walking silently.

Rather than a stroll, it felt more like he was dragging around an extra weight attached to his arm.

Still, since they were technically moving their legs while walking through the small garden, it counted as a stroll.

“Hehe, my little prank was a bit much, wasn’t it? Sorry.”

As they walked, a long silence stretched between them before Sylvia finally spoke.

She was probably referring to her behavior earlier as a “prank.”

Kyle, thinking that if she kept teasing him like this, his heart wouldn’t survive, tried to respond as indifferently as possible.

“I did think you were a bit more mischievous than usual, but since it was very much like you, I didn’t mind.”

“Aaah, that’s too much! So, you always think of me like that?”

“I suppose so.”

“Ugh…!”

Sylvia puffed up her cheeks and shot him a sharp glare.

But Kyle didn’t find it particularly intimidating.

If anything, he found it rather cute.

Was this what people meant when they said love makes one blind?

“…I’ll let that slightly rude thought slide. Anyway, I just wanted to lighten the mood a bit because you looked so gloomy, Lord Lyard.”

“My expression looked that way?”

“Yes, your eyes were like this… You looked like you were about to cry.”

Sylvia grabbed the corners of her eyes with her hands and pulled them downward, vividly reenacting Kyle’s expression from earlier.

Kyle blankly stared at her for a moment before letting out a wry smile.

He had tried his best not to show it, but apparently, she had noticed anyway.

“You suddenly called me here… Something is wrong, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Is it about me?”

“Yes.”

“I see…”

Without asking further, she simply nodded, as if she understood.

Kyle stared at Sylvia with sunken eyes for a long moment before finally parting his lips.

After all, he had to be the one to say it.

“Lady Sylvia, the truth is…”

“It’s about my father, isn’t it?”

Just as he was about to force the words out, Sylvia, who had suddenly let go of his hand and walked a little ahead, turned around and cut him off.

Kyle’s eyes widened, while Sylvia’s gaze sank even further as if she had already expected this.

“I had a slight suspicion.

For the past few days, whenever I visited my mother, she oddly avoided mentioning my father.”

“……”

“And now that I think about it, when you tried to stop me from leaving last time, it was right after my father had summoned me.”

There must be some discrepancies, but it would be difficult to intuitively connect them to Creed Eleonore and conclude that something has happened.

Nevertheless, the reason Sylvia could be so certain was likely because, deep in her mind, she had an uneasy feeling that her father might have done something.

Kyle found that truly unfortunate.

Just as he once had, she had naturally come to distrust the one who was supposed to cherish and nurture her—such an absurd situation.

“So, what happened? You spoke as if you knew everything, but in the end, I’ll have to ask Lord Lyard directly for the details.”

Kyle wondered whether she was trying to sound indifferent or if she had already prepared herself for this, but her voice seemed remarkably calm.

“…The truth is, Lord Eleonore made contact with the Dawn’s Eye and attempted to lay a hand on you.”

“Because of this right eye?”

“That is our assumption.”

“I thought so. Honestly, I did find it a little strange. That my father, who wasn’t even that devoted to my mother, would go so far as to summon a sorcerer just to solve my cursed eye…”

To think that Sylvia had already suspected as much.

One could call her sharp, but the fact that she couldn’t simply accept her father’s goodwill revealed something about her past, making Kyle feel even more pity for her.

“But how did Lord Lyard find out about this…?”

“I heard it from Vermilion. Additionally, I received cooperation from Lady Marianne.”

“…Hmph, you call both of them by their names? Yet, you never even called me that for ten minutes.”

“…?”

Kyle wasn’t sure why she suddenly seemed upset, but since she looked satisfied enough with the explanation, he decided not to dwell on it.

“So, what did my mother say?”

“She said she would set everything right. By tomorrow, the truth will likely be revealed to everyone.”

“…She must have been heartbroken. She loved my father more than anyone.”

“…Yes.”

Kyle merely nodded, feigning indifference, as he couldn’t bring himself to mention that Marianne had shed tears before him.

To be honest, he hadn’t expected Marianne to comply so readily.

Knowing how attached she was to her husband, he had even considered the possibility that she might try to cover it up instead.

However, as she had said herself, if she overlooked Creed’s actions, it would mean turning her back on her beloved daughter, who had suffered under him for so long.

At the same time, the family itself must have been just as important to her as her husband.

She wasn’t just a woman who had taken on the Eleonore name through marriage—she was a true member of the household, and she couldn’t allow its reputation to be tainted by such a man.

‘But above all, she must have realized that her husband’s heart was gradually changing.’

As Kyle narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, Sylvia, who had been watching him quietly, finally spoke.

“Lord Lyard, may I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, please ask whatever you wish.”

Was she going to ask for the full details of the case? Or perhaps why her father had changed so drastically?

There were so many possibilities that it was difficult to guess her exact question, but Kyle assumed it would fall within an expected range.

However, the question that followed completely exceeded his expectations.

“Why are you helping me?”

“Helping…?”

“Please don’t try to deny it after everything you’ve done. If you say you weren’t trying to help, I’ll have no choice but to get angry.”

As she demanded an answer with a voice full of conviction, Kyle momentarily froze.

Why?

There was no way he could answer that question now.

No—perhaps he should never answer it, not even on his deathbed.

“I wasn’t really trying to help. I was simply curious after hearing about it from Vermilion and decided to investigate.”

“Just out of mere goodwill?”

“Would that explanation satisfy you?”

“No, but…”

Of course, she couldn’t accept that.

As she had already pointed out, if Kyle truly intended to join the Dawn’s Eye, his current actions contradicted that goal.

She knew better than anyone that he wasn’t the type to risk himself over mere goodwill.

However, if she considered one particular possibility, she might understand.

Yet, that possibility was both the most comforting and the most heartbreaking for her.

‘If Kyle came back here because of me…’

If he was trying to save her out of guilt.

That would be something she deeply appreciated—but also something she deeply regretted.

Because what she wanted was for Kyle to love her, not to pity her or feel guilty.

“…Never mind, that was a slip of the tongue. I’m sorry.”

She had wanted to say more, but in the end, she bit back her words and shook her head.

There were so many things she wanted to ask him.

Why he treated her so kindly, whether he had experienced the same miracle she had, and if so, whether he could set aside his guilt and simply love her.

But she couldn’t bring herself to voice those thoughts.

Instead, she withdrew the hand she had unconsciously reached out and looked up at him again.

Even if she couldn’t ask him everything now—couldn’t he at least answer one thing honestly?

“Then, Lord Lyard, can you answer this one question truthfully?”

“What is it?”

Facing Kyle’s characteristic calm gaze, Sylvia hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking.

“To you… am I someone precious?”

Whoosh.

A gust of wind blew at that very moment, carrying Kyle’s response away.

The moon, hidden behind the clouds, obscured his lips, making it impossible to see what he had said.

“Ah…”

But as the wind settled and the moonlight returned,

Sylvia’s wide eyes gleamed with realization—and on her lips, an undeniable smile formed.