Chapter 106

 

Iona turned her head unintentionally to where Leroy’s gaze rested.

 

There, where his eyes had fallen, the ring he had placed on her finger was dazzlingly sparkling.

 

When had he prepared this?

 

Iona was not usually interested in jewelry, but even she could easily guess that this was no ordinary piece.

 

“Could it be, you had this planned since you ordered the clothes for the ball?”

 

“No comment on that,” Leroy replied, his expression unchanging.

 

In truth, Leroy had started preparing the ring before that event.

 

Once the word was out, the wedding had to be held as quickly as possible to avoid interference or checks from the crown prince.

 

Time would be tight, even for the bare minimal requirements.

 

Iona didn’t seem to care about the scale of the ceremony, but as the groom-to-be, he wanted to put effort into at least the wedding ring.

 

Fortunately, ordering the ring could be done in secret, unlike booking the wedding venue or inviting guests.

 

Merely by adorning her finger with a jewel, he had become her official man.

 

Was there a more effortless and efficient way to mark his territory?

 

After today, the nobles of the capital would involuntarily recall his existence when they thought of Iona Modrov.

 

Leroy was very pleased with this fact.

 

“And to correct a misconception, my decision was not at all hasty.”

 

“......”

 

“So, have you thought about the question I asked you last time?”

 

It was an indirect reference, but Iona fully understood what Leroy meant.

 

He was asking if she remembered anything about their first meeting.

 

At that, Iona almost let out a sigh without even realizing it.

 

She had yet to uncover any clues about their shared past.

 

Hearing the news of his daughter, Hayden had hurriedly set out for the capital, but solving her curiosity through him was still a distant task.

 

Since he had been near the border searching for Robert, his return would take some more time.

 

Iona apologized sincerely.

 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t recall anything.”

 

“I guess I didn’t have that much of an impact…”

 

Leroy muttered just audibly enough to be heard.

 

Iona felt embarrassingly flustered by his seemingly shocked reaction.

 

Thankfully, they were dancing, which spared her from creating a fuss in this situation, as they were already occupied enough.

 

“Could you give me a hint, at least? A brief explanation of the situation might help jog my memory.”

 

Iona asked for a hint, pushing past her awkwardness.

 

Considering he had waited for her to find the answer herself, it seemed unlikely that he would readily reveal it.

 

Fortunately, he seemed to consider giving her a small clue as he pondered deeply.

 

“You and I...”

 

“......”

 

“We slept together.”

 

Iona, caught off guard, stumbled in her step.

 

If not for her quick reflexes, she would have fallen embarrassingly.

 

Seeing Iona nearly twist her ankle, Leroy tightened his grip on her waist, looking surprised.

 

His eyes, which had widened slightly, soon narrowed playfully.

 

He seemed to find amusement in her reaction.

 

“Also, you fed me.”

 

“That’s absurd, that makes no sense...”

 

“I still can’t forget the feeling of your fingers in my mouth. The force you used to pin me down was so strong...”

 

“Don’t lie. I would never do such a thing.”

 

Iona protested hastily.

 

During her isolated life, Iona only vaguely knew the man who occasionally visited her was her father, with no knowledge of who he really was.

 

Even after officially becoming a part of the Modrov family through a natural progression, Iona couldn’t quite adapt to her new status.

 

It made sense, considering she had lived in conditions far worse than the average commoner.

 

But, it seemed implausible that she, in her former state, would have committed such an absurd rudeness towards the Duke.

 

“Are you calling me a liar just because you don’t remember?”

 

“You were the one who started with an unbelievable story, accusing me of sleeping with you and overpowering you with force…”

 

Iona, rambling incongruously, suddenly paused.

 

Doubts she had buried resurfaced.

 

It was impossible for Iona to have committed such an outrageous act towards someone of Leroy’s noble standing.

 

But that didn’t mean the same was true for everyone else.

 

Iona remembered a boy to whom the earlier mentioned actions could be attributed.

 

‘It can’t be, it just can’t be…’

 

Observing Iona’s confused face, Leroy teasingly said,

 

“It’s troubling if you’re this repulsed by just this much. I still clearly remember the first question you asked me.”

 

“Wait a moment, Duke. Just a second…”

 

“You asked me if I had any money…”

 

Iona quickly lifted her hand from his arm and covered Leroy’s mouth.

 

While he could have easily continued speaking through the small gap, Leroy remained silent.

 

With a mix of shock, relief, disbelief, and distrust in her eyes, Iona looked up at Leroy.

 

Perhaps he sensed that she had realized something.

 

She felt the curve of his lips forming a smile against her palm.

 

Before the surrounding gazes converged on them, Leroy swiftly took Iona’s hand and guided it back onto his arm.

 

Realizing her lapse, Iona quickly apologized, “I’m sorry. I was just... startled.”

 

Yet, the confusion hadn’t completely dissipated.

 

Iona, trailing off mid-sentence, looked down at the ground, feeling the need to organize her thoughts.

 

The boy she had met then was really him. That implausible coincidence had actually happened...

 

Did he know this fact in their past life too?

 

Did he choose not to tell her because revealing the past wouldn’t change anything?

 

Iona suddenly remembered Leroy’s face when he came to save her at the last moment.

 

That image overlapped with the memories of her childhood.

 

She had struggled to understand why he risked his life to save a wife in name only, but now, it started to make sense.

 

He had once leaped into danger to save a girl he barely knew.

 

Even if they weren’t a proper couple, saving his wife in danger would have been a natural response for him.

 

He was always kind-hearted. No matter what time it was, he was always like that...

 

“Isn’t this enough to make me feel sad that you didn’t remember me?”

 

Leroy asked with a gentle smile.

 

His tone suggested mild reproach, but there was no real blame in it.

 

Still, Iona felt guilty.

 

She had failed to recognize someone she should not have forgotten.

 

Trying to justify herself, Iona said, “I thought you were dead. That’s what I heard, and I believed it.”

 

It was a bit unfair for Iona.

 

Although the years had blurred his features in her memory, she distinctly remembered his existence.

 

Because there was no other person who had made a more memorable impression on her during her childhood.

 

Back then, Iona was too young to doubt the words of her teacher, who was an absolute figure in her life.

 

Her childlike faith had been firmly rooted in her subconscious, maintaining its place even as she grew up.

 

That’s why she never thought to question or look for him again.

 

Leroy, hearing Iona’s confession, asked with a slightly open mouth, “Did they say they killed me?”

 

“...They said they had no choice but to act because of continuous defiance, and that the building was burned down so completely that nobody would be found... That’s what they told me. With all that had happened, I never thought it could be a lie. Back then, I didn’t even know who the Duke was, so I couldn’t comprehend how absurd it sounded.”

 

Iona let out a hollow laugh.

 

Now she somewhat understood why he was so confident about escaping.

 

He probably didn’t reveal his identity to avoid burdening her.

 

Being introduced as a well-bred noble to a child who believed she had no name or family would have been too much. He wasn’t someone lacking empathy.

 

Yet, Iona felt an unreasonable resentment towards his excessive consideration.

 

If she had known his name at least, she wouldn’t have taken so long to recognize him.

 

Perhaps Leroy shared this sense of regret.

 

He readily admitted his oversight.

 

“I should have told you my name back then.”

 

“What would you have done if I remained a pawn of the Crown Prince? I could have approached you with bad intentions, using our past as an excuse.”

 

“No, you wouldn’t have done that. You’re not the kind of person who could do such a thing.”

 

“...Then, Duke, you don’t know me well enough.”

 

“Then do something really bad to me. I’m curious to see if it changes my opinion of you.”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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