Chapter 222

“…Are you saying that my father truly had a relationship with Her Highness, the imperial princess?”

At Iona’s cautious question, the Archduke let out a hollow laugh.

It was certainly a difficult pairing to believe.

Even he had been utterly shocked when he first learned about their relationship.

He had only found out who Teresa had been involved with long after her funeral had ended.

It was a handmaid, who had kept her silence at Teresa’s request, who finally spoke out in fury after seeing Hayden, now under the empress’ command.

It was only after Teresa had closed her eyes for good that the remaining people finally learned the whole truth.

That Hayden Modrov was a despicable wretch unlike any other.

And that even the empress, whom they had believed to be on Teresa’s side, was actually no different from him.

“My sister was confined because she was carrying that bastard’s child.”

He had intended to speak with indifference, but as soon as the words left his mouth, his jaw tensed.

The Archduke clenched his teeth silently.

Spending his entire life under the watchful eyes of the emperor and empress, he had never been able to personally bring an end to Hayden—a regret that haunted him.

He couldn’t afford to hand the imperial family a weakness when they were already waiting for an opportunity to seize him.

“So the imperial family simply allowed my father to take the princess’ child?”

“No, the child was secretly killed at birth. However…”

The Archduke trailed off, furrowing his brows.

After Teresa was imprisoned and their father grew weak, the current emperor wasted no time seizing power, exiling the Archduke to a distant border.

As a result, he had barely been able to meet with Teresa, who had been locked away.

But the few conversations they did have remained vividly in his memory.

Biting his lip hard before releasing it, the Archduke continued.

“My sister used to speak as if the child were still alive. Back then, I thought she had gone mad. But later, I started to wonder if she truly meant it.”

“Do you believe it could have been true?”

“When Teresa gave birth, one of her handmaids went missing. It was a maid she trusted deeply. Teresa herself kept quiet about the matter, so it was buried without much fuss… But isn’t that strange? My sister was not the type of person to do that.”

As he spoke, the Archduke pictured his sister’s gentle smile in his mind.

Having been raised in warmth and affection, she had been bright and pure, untouched by darkness.

She had always carried kindness in her heart, never imagining that others could harbor malice toward her.

As long as she had been there, even the imperial palace had seemed less tainted.

For someone like her to turn a blind eye to her beloved maid’s disappearance—there had to be a reason.

“More than anything… my sister left behind a letter meant for me before she died.”

The information had come from the same maid who had warned him of the empress and Hayden’s collusion when he had returned to the capital to stand by his sister’s final moments.

Sensing the significance of this clue, Iona’s expression grew serious.

With keen eyes, she asked, “Was she trying to tell you that the child was alive?”

The Archduke slowly shook his head.

“I don’t know. I never received the letter.”

“…What?”

“It’s an amusing thing. She had gone through the trouble of secretly entrusting someone to deliver it to me, yet it never made it into my hands.”

His gaze, fixed on empty space, darkened with a weighty silence.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“If it seems impossible, you may choose to give up.”

After all, even he had suggested it on a mere impulse.

He had long since convinced himself that the child must be dead—if not, then lost forever.

Perhaps it was because he had come to share the same sorrow his sister had endured that he suddenly found himself fixated on this lingering regret.

A remorse that he had carried with him all his life for failing to protect his sister.

Maybe this was simply his burden to bear.

As the Archduke slowly closed his eyes in resignation—

A firm voice shattered his despair.

“No. I will find them.”

A clear and resolute declaration.

The Archduke turned to Iona, a trace of surprise in his gaze.

It had already been months since she had completed the succession process and inherited Hayden’s estate.

If the current head of the family had yet to uncover any trace of another illegitimate child, it could only mean that Hayden had gone to great lengths to hide the truth before his death.

The chances of finding Teresa’s child were slim—yet, for some reason, the Archduke wanted to believe in Iona’s unwavering confidence.

As if sensing his hesitation, she repeated herself with even greater conviction.

“I will find both Your Grace’s son and your sister’s child. I promise you that.”

As Archduke watched Iona for a long moment, a quiet chuckle escaped his lips.

Shaking his head as if scolding her, he remarked,

“You, I see now, are the type who goes looking for trouble.”

“If you want to succeed at a young age, you have to take on the jobs that others avoid.”

“A young person who already speaks like an old man, I see.”

It had been a lighthearted joke meant to ease the tension, but for some reason, Iona looked at him with an expression of quiet betrayal.

That reaction—so much like those of others her age—caught the Archduke off guard, and before he knew it, he burst into laughter.

And then, he found himself thinking.

That despite a troubled childhood, this young woman had grown into someone strong and capable.

If his nephew was still alive somewhere, he wished the same for them.

They could not have escaped misfortune entirely, but he hoped they had at least found happiness beyond it.

He prayed that his nameless, faceless nephew did not resent his long-lost sister.

It was a selfish, impossible hope.

***

It was deep into the night by the time Iona returned to her chambers.

Waiting for her, still awake, was Leroy.

And beside him, Marsha as well.

It seemed she had stayed behind to assist with Iona’s bath. Without needing to be told, Marsha moved to lead her toward the bathroom.

Knowing that sending Marsha away would be futile—she would only insist on staying—Iona let herself be guided without resistance.

Besides, she had something she wanted to ask her.

As Marsha worked to undo the knot at the back of her dress, Iona caught her reflection in the mirror and spoke.

“Masha, how many years have you worked for the Modrov family?”

“Hmm, it’s been so long that I can’t quite remember.”

Marsha responded nonchalantly, her hands still busy with the task.

But Iona knew.

Marsha had been working at the count’s estate long before she was formally adopted into the Modrov family.

At the very least, her years of service had to exceed a decade.

If anyone could speak of past events within the household, it was her.

After all, every other servant who had once been loyal to Hayden had been dismissed.

She could attempt to track them down for information, but that was not something she could do in the middle of the night.

So, in a voice that carried little expectation, she asked,

“Did Hayden have any other illegitimate children besides me?”

Masha’s hands, which had been undoing the final button, suddenly froze.

She turned to face Iona properly before replying.

“…That’s an odd thing to ask out of the blue.”

“Is it, though? Isn’t it stranger to think I was the only one? That a man as depraved as him wouldn’t have others?”

“There were plenty of women who got pregnant with his child. At least once every few years, the steward would be sent out. With a purse of money… and a doctor.”

“So he forced them to get rid of the child.”

“A rumor even spread among the women on the streets. That getting pregnant with the Count of Modrov’s child would only ruin your life. That they should give up on dreams of becoming noblewomen and focus on squeezing as much money out of him as possible.”

With a wry smile, Marsha added,

“Thanks to that, the last few years before Hayden died were relatively peaceful.”

Iona’s face, which had been expressionless, hardened slightly.

She asked again, as if confirming,

“Were there ever cases where the woman ran away?”

“That happened too. But in the end, the steward always handled it. The money that was meant for the woman would just be given to a private investigator instead.”

So even if they fled, he made sure to track them down and erase any trace of his bloodline.

It made sense.

For all his debauchery, Count Modrov had never let his lust interfere with his power.

Disgusting as it was, he had been a shrewd head of the family.

He had meticulously eliminated any threats that could cause chaos inside or outside the household.

Except for one.

Staring blankly into the mirror, Iona murmured to herself,

“Why wasn’t I?”

-- End Of The Chapter --

 

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