CH 88

Keira glanced around. Here on this street, no matter how low they whispered, the people around them would hear it. 

Keira: “I’ll just say hello to my grandfather for a moment.”

“See you later.”

Since it was a meeting between a grandfather and his granddaughter, no one seemed to find it strange. 

And so Keira and the Marquis walked to a deserted area. Naturally, they dismissed the servants and knights. 

After walking along the lakeshore in silence, the Marquis finally spoke. 

Marquis: “Was it at Marchioness Francois’ banquet? You said it the last time we met. Please provide a hiding place in case something goes wrong.”

“…”

Marquis: “I was really puzzled. According to my investigation, nothing happened that would have prompted you to look for a hideout. However, I did it because it was your request. I thought it might be the common anxiety of young ladies.”

He suddenly stopped and looked straight at Keira.

Marquis: “Did you know what Weinberg was going to do?”

Keira: “Before that, please answer my question first. Was Rowena Weinberg infertile?”

Marquis: “You…”

Keira: “I won’t answer until you tell me first.”

Simon frowned. Keira wasn’t sure whether he was despondent or angry.

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Marquis: “Yes, that woman wasn’t infertile! She was perfectly capable of having a child, and she actually did!”

She had a child? Keira froze.

Keira: “Then, Rowena Weinberg didn’t die of an illness, did she?”

Marquis: “You’re quick to catch on. That’s right, I did it. At the time of the divorce, that woman was already pregnant! But it seemed like she didn’t know either. I knew it too late, too.”

Keira: “So that’s why you had her silenced.”

Marquis: “… that’s right. I killed her.”

His voice trembled. The Marquis was a cold-blooded man who rarely shed tears, but he could not have been happy to reveal his filthy sins in front of his grandchild. 

She could understand his desire to hide his ugly side to some extent, but Keira had to ask.

Keira: “Why… Why would you do that?!”

Marquis: “Because they’re our enemies!”

Keira: “Grandfather!”

Marquis: “You can say that because you didn’t know the situation at the time! There were only two options– kill or die! She was an enemy, so I removed her. That’s it.”

“…”

Keira was neither naive nor immature enough to accuse him that what he did was wrong. After all, the two families had been at odds for a long time. 

Either kill or be killed.

He would have had no choice but to choose the latter.

Keira sighed and said.

Keira: “… Grandfather’s decision was definitely wrong. But I don’t want to divide the family by condemning past mistakes.”

Simon Edinburgh clearly understood the meaning behind her words.

Marquis: “…Thank you for understanding, Keira.”

Keira: “Because we’re on the same boat. I don’t want to destroy myself in the face of a storm.”

Seemingly nervous, the Marquis added.

Marquis: “Don’t tell Zeke.”

Keira: “Yes, of course.”

It was fortunate that at least he was aware that what he did was a dishonorable act he wouldn’t want to show his only grandson.

Keira: “Is there a possibility that the child Rowena was pregnant with was Cosette?”

Marquis: “No, not at all. Rowena Weinberg tried to give birth in the mountains during the chase, but she was already dead when we found her.”

She, a pregnant woman, was chased by assassins for a long time and had given birth in the cold mountain on her own, without a single person to help her, so she could not have been safe.

Keira mourned her tragic death.

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Keira: “And the child?”

Marquis: “In her stomach. It was a boy. And dead.”

Thinking of the situation made Keira dizzy.

A pregnant woman collapsed in a sparsely populated mountainous area, the clothes and dirt floor stained with blood, a dead fetus, and pursuers cutting her belly. 

She gripped her forehead.

Keira: “Then there’s no chance that Cosette is Rowena’s child, right?”

Marquis: “Yes, I’m sure.”

Keira: “Did her brother, the current Count Weinberg, know that she was pregnant?”

Marquis: “I thought Rowena had cut ties with her family… but now that the situation has come to this, we can’t rule out the possibility that she contacted them. But Keira, I know one thing for sure. Your mother would never betray her husband.”

The Marquis sounded desperate.

Marquis: “My daughter is the one I know best. She would never do something like that! Trust your mother, Keira.” 

Keira: “I believe you.”

Marquis: “Y-you do?”

Keira: “Yes. If I don’t trust my mother, who else will? That’s what I told Zeke, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Then a hint of relief drifted across the old man’s face. At the end of the day, he was still a father, and it was probably unbearable for him to see his daughter accused of infidelity. 

Keira was lost in thought again.

‘If he introduced Cosette as Rowena’s child, he might have known about her pregnancy… No, it was probably just the surest way he could punish Grandfather while restoring his sister’s honor.’

The more she thought about it, the more confused she got. 

It was too complicated. 

Her grandfather’s revelation awakened the increasingly complex theories. 

Marquis: “Now tell me the secret you’re hiding. Did you foresee the same situation today?”

Keira hesitated for a moment before answering.

Keira: “Yes.”

Marquis: “How? Did you know of Cosette’s existence in advance? Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Keira: “I wasn’t sure… I had a prophetic dream. It was around the time I contacted you.”

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He was well aware of his only granddaughter’s personality. It seemed unbelievable that Keira had taken action because of something as uncertain as a premonition.

Marquis: “Really? A prophetic dream, that’s all?”

Keira: “Yes, and as a result, Cosette appeared like a dream. Maybe the goddess came to warn me.”

Was it so inconceivable to have a premonition like that in a world where prophecies existed?

The Marquis looked at Keira’s expression and sighed deeply.

Marquis: “Alright, let’s say that’s the case. Are things progressing according to your dream?”

She was about to answer but stopped. Ludwig’s unusual behavior came to mind.

He didn’t just accept Cosette immediately, he even asked a strange question a few days ago.

Keira: “…it was a dream, so I don’t remember exactly. But I’m sure it’s going the way it did.”

Marquis: “Keira, after this, we’re really on the same boat.”

“…”

Marquis: “If you have anything to discuss, make sure to talk to this grandfather of yours.”

Keira: “Yes, I will.”

Marquis: “Good.”

The Marquis of Edinburgh nodded.

Keira: “Shouldn’t I head back now? I only came to say hello, but if I’m away for too long, they might think it’s weird.” 

Marquis: “Then go back. I’ll be off, too.”

Keira: “Take care.”

Marquis: “If you have any problems, be sure to contact me. Remember. You and I are on the same boat.”

Keira: “Of course.”

After saying that, he began to walk in the opposite direction of the picnic. 

As Keira gazed at her grandfather’s back, she thought.

‘We’re on the same boat…’

Simon Edinburgh was a hard person to trust. But he wasn’t a hand she could discard. 

She didn’t know much about him as a grandfather, but she knew that as a business partner, she could trust him.

“You took a while.”

Since their conversation took a while, it wasn’t surprising that someone would comment. 

Keira: “Grandfather said he was worried. I guess talking about the current situation between Zeke and me took longer than expected.”

“Oh my, I didn’t know, but the Marquis is quite kind to you…”

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The unknown lady, who had said so, stopped abruptly. She must have remembered why the Marquis was worried about the siblings–Cosette Parvis, the woman who recently appeared in the capital like a comet and turned the social world upside down.

Of course, he would be worried that his granddaughter was living under the same roof as her. 

If it turned out that Cosette was the biological daughter, then Keira’s mother would be accused of committing adultery.

As a lady, it was the worst disgrace.

And as a father, the Marquis wouldn’t be able to stand still and do nothing. 

“…”

“Ahem, ahem.”

As the atmosphere got tense, Keira tried to lighten the mood by handing out cards herself.

Her efforts soon paid off, and the mood returned to what it had just been before.

By the time Arabella, the host of the picnic, came to the table to talk, it became friendly like a family gathering.

Keira could proudly say her first outing was a success.

The gathering ended before sunset, and Keira returned home with a pep in her step.

As soon as she got off the carriage, the butler came to meet her. 

‘I told them I didn’t know when I’d be back.’

Even though she said that, he still waited for her.

As Keira approached the butler to tell him she was of age and he didn’t have to wait for her next time, she could see that the butler didn’t come just to meet her. 

The butler looked restless. 

Keira: “What’s the matter?”

Robert: “When Her Ladyship was away, a guest arrived.”

Keira: “A guest? Without prior notice?”

She couldn’t think of anyone who would go to the Grand Duchy without a prior appointment. 

As she was about to enter the front door, she felt fortunate she didn’t have to deal with the visitor.

But then.

Robert: “The guest’s name is Erez Shore. You were waiting to hear from the Shore family last time, right?”