Chapter 16

Chapter 16

‘Let’s go back.’

The fact that I was suddenly unable to do anything for three months made me briefly suspect that my brain was malfunctioning. And at that point, Cain mounted his horse to return home.

Tak. Tak. tak.

The sound was of footsteps. Cain turned his head in the direction of the sound.

A young blonde male was on the verge of entering the home. Cain immediately dismounted and approached him.

“Are you residing in this mansion?”

“Yes I am… but… who are—”

The blonde guy regarded Cain with watchful eyes. Cain wanted to request that he deliver the letter. A guy who is similar to Berlia. Possibly because they resembled Berlia’s family.

“Do you know anything about the daughter of Kinderton? Berlia Kinderton.”

Cain inquired about Berlia.

“Do you have anything to do with my sister? It’s very late, so you should go back and return tomorrow.”

As Cain anticipated, the guy before him was a member of Berlia’s family. Cain caught him as he was about to enter the mansion and gave him a note, instructing him to return tomorrow.

“Are you able to deliver this letter to the Young Lady?”

Lancel Kinderton, the brother of Berlia, received a letter from Cain.

“Yes.”

“Thank you very much.”

Cain expressed gratitude. Even if I were to write her this letter, it seems he would not be forgotten by Berlia. Cain regarded the baron for a little while. Berlia must have existed someplace inside this palace. He continued to examine the structure and then turned around.

Lancel entered the residence with a letter from Cain. He examined the letter in his possession. The letter was sealed with the Duke Hildayden’s seal. Lancel acknowledged Hildayden’s pattern and widened his eyes in response.

“From Duke Hildayden to my sister?

That individual was a Hildayden. Lancel turned and hastily opened the door to confirm the letter’s sender. However, Cain had already vanished into the night on horseback.

The next day, Cain departed for Candell. And after three months of waiting for her response, Cain never received a letter.

* * *

“Cain, your brother is getting married.”

“Yes?”

Cain was unpacking on the day he returned from Candell when he heard a strange tale. The news was about his brother’s wedding.

Cain had no idea who his future sister-in-law would be from the minute his mother informed him that his brother was getting married. I just believed she was a noble girl from a respectable family.

“Today, I just stopped by the mansion to say hi. You should introduce yourself to her since she will be your future sister-in-law. Come down to the dining room when you’re done, Cain, as we’re going to have supper together.”

“Acceptable. I shall descend shortly.”

Cain nodded in agreement with his mother’s statement. When he arrived at the dinner table a short time later, he spotted the back of a blonde lady seated next to his brother.

Cain had an awful sense of uneasiness at that time.

Tak. Tak.

Cain approached her slowly and methodically. Bang. Bang. Bang. The closer I got, the quicker my heartbeat increased.

‘No… there’s no way.’

It ought not to have been her. It must have been a lady since the back had a similar aura. In consideration of this, Cain stopped walking in front of her.

Cain’s heart stopped the instant he glimpsed the face of the blonde lady who was to become his sister-in-law.

“Cain… Her name is Berlia Kinderton. She is the daughter of Baron Kinderton and the future Duchess Berlia Hildayden.”

Dean placed his hand on Berlia’s shoulder before introducing her. Cain could not speak till Berlia addressed him.

It was difficult for me to accept the reality in front of me, that Berlia was seated next to my brother, and that the guy with his hand on Berlia’s shoulder had to be Dean, my elder brother.

‘I was first met by Berlia.’

“Greetings Young Master. I am Berlia Kinderton.”

Berlia nodded her head. Her face was hidden from view because she bowed her head. The lips of Berlia were quivering.

I believed the day would come when I would encounter him in this manner. From the time I accepted Dean’s proposal, I had been prepared for this eventuality. I will get married to the brother of my love interest. Soon I have to look at Cain as a brother and not as a man. When I got the necklace, I was so happy that I had to conceal it so no one would notice.

Five months ago, no one as exceptional as Cain could recall the shabby girl who passed by. Berlia feigned to know him on purpose and did not bring up the incident during the dinner.

“Hello… How are you? I’m… Cain Hildayden.”

Cain sat down and introduced himself to her. Berlia welcomed Cain and said that this was their first encounter.

‘Didn’t the letter get delivered?’

As he left for Candell, Cain believed she had forgotten him, as he had feared.

I finally saw her, who I had yearned to see. When we first met face-to-face and exchanged our respective names. It was the moment they had both desired.

However, their time had already diverged, and the connection had become impossible to attain.

A month passed in this manner. Dean and Berlia enjoyed a magnificent wedding with the blessings of everyone.

Prince Cain Hildayden and the soon-to-be Duchess Berlia Hildayden.

They shared the same surname.

* * *

Approximately two years have elapsed since Dean and Berlia’s wedding.

Cain was still unable to accept that Berlia lived under the same roof as him and that they interacted daily.

Two years may not have been sufficient for him to accept the reality that he had to refer to the lady he loved as his sister-in-law.

Therefore, Cain began searching for women who resembled Berlia. His attention was drawn to the blonde woman. Cain, who was previously seen as a guy with a simple image in the social sphere, has been labeled as a man with a prodigal image who encounters several women.

The ladies I encountered changed every few months or at most every few weeks. Without exception, all of them were blonde.

Cain did not only meet them outside; instead, he welcomed them inside his home and pulled them into the chamber.

I did not know why they were all blondes, but I may have intended Berlia to notice it. Because Cain himself cannot express his affection for her.

However, there was no lady who could take her place. Cain discovered Berlia solely via the ladies he met.

In addition, contrary to the perception of depravity, Cain was never associated with them.

“Today, I do not want to return to the mansion, Cain.”

“What are you talking about, Young Lady?”

“However, the fact that you invited me into the room indicates that—”

Another blonde female who followed Cain inside the room gave him a sideways hug and spoke in a lovely tone. Her luscious breasts brushed Cain’s back, but he was emotionless.

“If you entered here with such expectations, it would be best not to meet you again.”

“Wait, hold on a moment, Cain. No, I’m willing to wait longer.”

Because he did not want to marry, reports circulated that he dated women everywhere.

Because no father would want their daughter to marry a guy who constantly dates other women.

Berlia remained inside his heart.

Cain had no plans to marry another lady as long as she was in his thoughts. No matter how the marriage was organized, it was impossible to marry another individual. He lacked even the confidence to treat the woman he would marry with respect.

Obviously, he does not know when he will be able to determine how he feels about her.

“My Lord! The Duke… The Duke and the Duchess! They both died in an accident!”

Then, one day, the horrific news that the Duke and Duchess of Hildayden had been killed in a carriage accident was released. The Duke and his wife were on their way to a seaside holiday property, which required a half-day journey by horse-drawn carriage. Due to the distant position of the estate, the road was uneven, and the wheels seized a huge stone, causing the carriage to shake severely. Unluckily, the whole vehicle tumbled down the slope.

“What? Are you sure that they are no longer alive?!”

Dean questioned the individual who delivered the news in a loud voice.

“They were killed instantly… they confirmed the deaths.”

The pair perished instantaneously. Duke Hildayden was distressed. Even though his parents always put my elder brother first, he was nonetheless saddened to learn of their passing.

Dean, Cain, and Berlia buried them. After the burial, Dean inherited the title and became Duke Hildayden, while Berlia became Duchess Hildayden.

Since then, Dean, who became a duke, has changed even more.

Even before the wagon disaster, Dean would meet other ladies in private on occasion. After becoming a duke, however, his conduct went much beyond the norm. Dean became a duke because there was no longer anybody for him to protect.

“Hahahaha, do you know who I am? Duke of Hildayden. A Duke!”

“Oh, as anticipated, Duke!”

“Come on over, huh?”

“I’m a Duke!”

Dean was drinking and engaging in sexual activity with these two women. Occasionally, he would lie to Berlia and say outrageous things just to go out and have fun. Berlia was unaware of this, but Cain knew everything.