Chapter 95

 

“Miss, have you been troubled by something lately?”

 

In response to Marsha’s question, Iona turned her head away from the window she had been gazing out of.

 

Had her preoccupation been so apparent? Marsha’s worried gaze was palpable.

 

Iona tried to appear calm, fixing her expression, but a bigger issue had arisen.

 

Unknowingly, a large ink stain had appeared on the letter she was responding to.

 

Iona hesitated, lifting her pen, and Marsha, as if waiting for this, slid a fresh sheet of paper towards her.

 

“You’ve seemed lost in thought.”

 

“There’s something on my mind.”

 

Iona replied awkwardly.

 

Staring at the blank page, she mentally wrote and erased several sentences, but couldn’t bring herself to actually put them down.

 

Eventually, Iona set the pen back on the desk.

 

She humbly admitted to herself that she wasn’t in the right state to deal with others.

 

Her mind was already muddled with other worries.

 

Since her last encounter with Leroy, Iona had been mulling over his words.

 

‘When I first ran into you in the corridors of the imperial palace, I told you that I was glad to see you again.’

 

‘I remember you saying that, but...’

 

‘Have you ever wondered when our real first meeting was, and how I knew you?’

 

Leroy’s calm voice belied the weight of his story.

 

Iona, too, had pondered when their actual first meeting was, but she had no clue, so it all remained mere speculation.

 

Until now, Iona had assumed they’d simply crossed paths at a public event.

 

But Leroy’s significant demeanor suggested there was more to their relationship.

 

‘Most importantly, he mentioned a time when I didn’t even have a name. That means he knew me then...’

 

This was truly strange.

 

A time when she had no name? That referred to before Iona entered the Modrov mansion, when she was confined, living only with her teacher, Heuser.

 

Back then, Iona was practically non-existent. Except for the teacher and Hayden, no one visited where she lived.

 

Once, there was a single attempt to escape, a fleeting moment of rebellion that proved meaningless when recaptured before a day had passed.

 

‘Could it be... did I meet him then?’

 

Her memory was hazy, understandably so, as it was an incident from nearly 20 years ago for the present Iona.

 

If there was one person from that escape she distinctly remembered, it was a boy who had tried to save her.

 

Though time had blurred his features, the kindness he had shown her remained a vivid memory.

 

The boy, caught trying to help Iona, was brave even then, reassuring her first. He gave up his portion of food to help her conserve strength and bolstered her hope by talking about a brighter future.

 

He was a kind child.

 

And, like many good people, he left the world too soon.

 

Upon moving to a new hideout following an attack, Heuser, waking up, informed Iona, who was searching for the boy, “He’s dead. The building was burnt to the ground; there’s likely nobody to be found.”

 

Heuser explained that the boy continued to resist him after Iona fainted, leaving him no choice but to kill him.

 

Shamelessly, he blamed the boy’s death on Iona.

 

‘If you hadn’t been curious about the outside world and stayed quiet as a mouse, he wouldn’t have died in vain. Isn’t that right? It’s all your fault for trying to escape.’

 

It was an unjust accusation, but Iona couldn’t dare to contradict Heuser.

 

Her failed rebellion had only served to worsen the situation, a harsh lesson deeply ingrained in her.

 

Desiring freedom just once, she had lost the only person who had been kind to her younger self.

 

After that day, Iona erased the option of fleeing from her life.

 

No matter the unbearable trials, she only looked forward, fearing that her weak decisions might again lead to the death of an innocent.

 

If there was a misfortune to bear, Iona resolved to shoulder it alone.

 

‘But if that boy didn’t die, if the boy I met was him...’

 

Halting her improbable thoughts, Iona shook her head absently.

 

It wasn’t impossible for Heuser to have lied.

 

Thinking back, the boy she had met and Leroy seemed about the same age.

 

But such a dramatic coincidence was unlikely.

 

The boy who had tried to help her in the past became her husband and came to save her at the last moment of her life – it was a story too incredible to believe.

 

‘It’s exactly the kind of thing one might mistake for fate.’

 

Iona scoffed at her own ridiculous expectations.

 

Maybe she had met Leroy during that brief, unsettled period before she was officially taken in by the Modrov family.

 

Back then, she was so overwhelmed by the sudden change in her environment that it was plausible she wouldn’t remember meeting him.

 

She could get a clearer answer from Count Modrov, but with him away from the capital, verification was tricky.

 

For the first time, Iona felt the absence of Hayden keenly, as he would undoubtedly remember a meeting with someone as significant as Leroy.

 

Her thoughts twisted and turned, but ultimately, she ended up back at square one.

 

No matter how much she speculated, there was nothing she could be sure of.

 

Iona sighed in frustration.

 

Unable to bear the suffocating feeling, she impulsively revealed her thoughts.

 

“What if I can’t remember a past that someone else recalls?”

 

“Do you mean the Duke said he had met you before?”

 

Marsha was quick to catch on, as expected.

 

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Iona nodded.

 

“He said to think hard until we meet again, and that he’d be disappointed if I couldn’t remember... But I don’t have the slightest recollection.”

 

“Disappointed? Must have been a memorable encounter, huh?”

 

“Seems like it, doesn’t it?”

 

Iona asked, seeking confirmation.

 

She realized, albeit reluctantly, that her heart was leaning more towards baseless hope than realistic possibilities.

 

Iona muttered in a barely audible voice.

 

“I should be past the age of believing in things like fate...”

 

“What?”

 

Marsha asked as if she hadn’t heard properly, but she didn’t get the chance to clarify her confusion.

 

Suddenly, the door burst open as someone entered the room abruptly.

 

Both Marsha and Iona’s gazes shifted instantly towards the door.

 

The uninvited guest was none other than Nils.

 

It seemed he had rushed in from outside, as he was catching his breath hurriedly.

 

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Iona couldn’t help but express a natural concern.

 

“Has he finally lost his mind?”

 

Her question wasn’t really directed at Nils.

 

Turning to Marsha for agreement, Iona received only a reproachful look in return, as if Marsha wanted no part in the apparent tension between employers.

 

Marsha, sensing correctly, knew Iona’s remark was intended to provoke Nils. However, Nils seemed too preoccupied to rebuke Iona’s brazen attitude.

 

With an urgency that betrayed no irritation, Nils quickly requested a conversation with Iona.

 

“Iona, come out for a moment. We need to talk.”

 

“State your business first.”

 

“It’s not something to discuss where others can hear.”

 

Nils glanced at Marsha, clearly implying she should leave the room.

 

Although Iona was curious to see how Nils would react if she refused this rude intrusion, her curiosity about why he had sought her out was even greater.

 

Iona silently nodded to Marsha, who was seeking her opinion with her eyes. Marsha promptly exited, closing the door behind her.

 

Once alone with Iona, Nils wasted no time in getting to the point.

 

“Do you know that Lord Leroy has bought the Siam mines?”

 

It seemed about time for a response from this end.

 

Iona reached across the table to casually turn over an unfinished reply. It was a letter meant for Jerome, the mine manager, which couldn’t be exposed to Nils’s eyes.

 

While tidying up her desk, Iona responded nonchalantly.

 

“The silver mine that used to belong to our family? I heard you gambled it away a while back.”

 

“What? Who told you such nonsense...”

 

“I mingled with your friends while you were busy with heir training. They’re quite talkative.”

 

With her smooth insinuation, Nils clenched his teeth, not doubting her words for a second.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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