Chapter 23
“My lady, would you mind checking on His Highness? He refuses to leave his office, and I worry he may not be eating properly.”
It had all started when Hyde approached Diana while she was having lunch, whispering his concerns in a cautious tone.
Ersivan had shut himself in his office for an entire day without emerging, and Hyde had requested that she confirm whether he was even still alive.
The master of the house despised having anyone intrude on his workspace—yet he made an exception for his fiancée. It was the only reason Hyde had dared to ask.
Diana arrived at the door to Ersivan’s office and knocked.
The dull thud reverberated against the wood, sending a faint vibration through her fingers.
As before, there was no answer.
Leaning closer to the door, she raised her voice.
“Evan. It’s me.”
Perhaps he would let her in if she identified herself.
But the silence remained unbroken.
…Am I being ignored?
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Diana silently cursed Hyde for putting her in this situation.
How could the head butler shove his responsibilities onto the fiancée of the house?
No, I suppose he had no choice.
How could a mere butler control a master as unruly as Ersivan?
For the sake of his own well-being, Hyde must have sought an alternative solution.
Diana let out a small sigh. If even Hyde’s idea had failed, there was nothing more she could do.
But simply walking away would wound her pride.
Determined to give it one last try, she raised her hand again.
Knock, knock.
She rapped on the door with a bit more force.
Silence.
Now, instead of embarrassment, sheer stubbornness took over.
They say third time’s the charm, after all.
For the final time, Diana knocked again.
Bang…
Just as she was about to strike the door a second time, it abruptly swung open.
Caught off balance, she stumbled forward before barely managing to steady herself.
“Evan?”
The office was empty.
Tilting her head, she scanned the room, but there wasn’t a single soul in sight—not even an ant crawling across the floor.
She had assumed he had been deliberately ignoring her.
But he hadn’t been there at all.
Realizing she had misjudged the situation, Diana felt a slight twinge of embarrassment.
Did he step out for a moment?
Judging by the scattered documents and the lingering presence in the room, it seemed he had left in a hurry.
Her task had been to coax Ersivan out of his office.
But since he had done so on his own, there was nothing left for her to do.
She could simply leave now, and it would be as if nothing had happened.
And yet… her insatiable curiosity took hold.
What could possibly require an entire day’s worth of work?
Having never dealt with official matters herself, Diana suddenly found herself intrigued.
It’s not like I’m planning to steal anything important…
Even if she did stumble upon confidential documents, wasn’t it the fault of the person who had carelessly left them out in the open?
Moving with the subtlety of a spy on a mission, she crept forward.
Soon, she reached the desk, her gaze skimming over its contents.
Surprisingly, what caught her eye wasn’t the scattered stacks of papers.
It was the books—just a handful of them, but their titles piqued her interest.
“Twins?”
A single word on one of the book covers set off alarm bells in her mind.
Drawn in, Diana stepped closer, flipping through the books one by one.
“The Empire’s Longstanding Tragedy: The Existence of Twins,”
“The History of Twins,”
“The Curse of Twins: Truth or Myth,”
“Jennifer Patchlet.”
Each and every one of them was about twins.
Why is he reading this?
Her fingertips trembled as she traced the embossed lettering.
Twins were undoubtedly a subject that could spark curiosity.
But the person who had been reading these books… was Ersivan Valencia.
A man who paid no mind to gossip, rumors, or sensationalist tales unless they directly concerned him.
What reason could he possibly have for poring over such material?
Her motivation shifted from curiosity to something far deeper.
A silent warning rang through her mind, urging her to investigate further.
Her survival instincts screamed at her to look at the documents beneath the books.
And just as Diana reached out to pick up a paper—
“Lily.”
His voice was steady. As if he had expected to find her here.
The sudden presence behind her made her jerk upright in shock.
She turned.
Ersivan stood a short distance away, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
His posture was casual, but his expression was anything but.
His crimson eyes bore into her with an intensity that made her stomach twist.
He had seen her.
For how long?
Had he arrived just now?
Or had he been watching from the moment she opened the book?
…Or worse—had he been there from the very beginning?
The uncertainty gnawed at her.
As he stepped forward, closing the distance between them, fear crept up her spine.
For the first time, Diana understood why people were afraid of his gaze.
It felt like standing before a predator.
Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, rattling her ribcage.
But showing fear would be a mistake.
The moment she let it slip, she would be swallowed whole.
So, with practiced ease, Diana schooled her features into calm indifference and shut the book as naturally as she could.
“Oh, you’re back. I was actually looking for you, Evan.”
She made sure her tone was casual, as if she had no reason to feel guilty.
To make it more convincing, she even mentioned Hyde’s request.
“I just ran into Hyde, actually,” Ersivan replied smoothly. “He told me you had come to check on me.”
“Is that so?”
“Neither I nor he expected you to arrive so soon, however.”
Ersivan’s gaze lowered slightly, scanning the desk as if confirming the disturbance among the once-neatly stacked books.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was curious about their contents, so I took a look.”
“I see. Did you find them interesting?”
Surprisingly, Ersivan showed no anger at having his belongings handled by someone else.
“They were… decent enough. But I never would have guessed you’d have an interest in something like this.”
“I’ve been finding myself with a great deal of curiosity lately.”
“And have you satisfied it?”
“Hardly. What I’ve learned so far is nowhere near enough.”
“…Just how far have you investigated?”
Diana asked cautiously.
It was, in essence, a veiled question—how much did he know about her?
Ersivan, as if aware of the hidden implication, smiled faintly.
“Why? Are you curious?”
“Yes. As long as it’s something I can understand, I’d like to know.”
Ersivan reached past her, his long arm sweeping across the already cluttered table before retrieving a single book.
“This will explain things far better than I ever could.”
Diana reflexively took the book from him. The first thing her eyes landed on was the title.
“Jennifer Patchlet.”
A crimson cover, adorned with intricate golden embellishments. At its center, the title was elegantly scripted in flowing cursive.
“Aren’t I taking a book His Highness was still reading?”
“Not at all. It brings me great joy when someone enjoys the books I favor.”
During her time at the Mernard estate, Diana hadn’t had the chance to research anything about twins. Given that, this book—one he had directly recommended—was a welcome source of information.
Yet something about the fact that he had chosen it for her unsettled her.
Whatever he had discovered, she would soon find out by reading it herself.
“Then I’ll read it gratefully. Also, Hyde has been quite worried about you, so even if you’re busy, try to show yourself now and then.”
“Of course. I’ll be joining for dinner tonight. I’ll see you then.”
With a polite nod, Diana carefully cradled the book in both hands as if it were a priceless treasure and exited the room.
The door creaked shut behind her.
She never saw the way Ersivan smiled as she left.
After leaving the office, Diana leaned against a window in the hallway and began reading.
The book was thick, and it took her quite some time to get through it.
Just before dinner, she finally reached the last page.
“…What was the point of giving me this?”
She muttered to herself as she closed the book.
Despite Ersivan’s claim that it would provide answers, it had revealed nothing of substance.
The book was precisely what the title suggested—a biography of Jennifer Patchlet, a historical figure.
The story unfolded as follows:
Jennifer Patchlet had been an imperial princess born centuries ago, her true identity hidden from the world.
With a promising future ahead of her, she had been the ideal candidate for succession—until, one day, the sudden appearance of a younger sibling revealed that she was, in fact, a twin.
This shocking revelation turned her from the empire’s beloved princess into a witch overnight.
The empire, desperate to quell public outrage, sentenced its only princess to the guillotine.
Thus, her life ended in utter futility.
…Didn’t that sound eerily familiar?
Diana stared blankly at the closed book.
Was this what Ersivan had uncovered?
Was this the twin knowledge he had wanted her to grasp?
Or was she simply overreacting?
“My lady, it’s still quite cold outside.”
A voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Hyde approached briskly, draping a warm shawl over her shoulders.
She had felt a chill earlier, but perhaps it wasn’t just from the cold.
“Were you reading?”
“I received it from His Highness.”
“Ah, yes, I heard you met with him.”
“He came out on his own before I even needed to ask, so your request was pointless in the end.”
She jested lightly, but Hyde merely chuckled good-naturedly.
Then, as if to make up for her trouble, he confided in her with a secret.
“Actually, His Highness ordered me to call you to his office.”
The butler, entirely unaware of the weight of his words, had no idea the impact they would have.
“…Ordered?”
“He instructed me to bring you to his office. He also told me to be subtle about it, so I only pretended to ask for your help.”
Hyde then cheerfully asked if she had enjoyed her time there.
But his voice barely registered.
Diana’s eyes fell to the book she had placed on the windowsill.
So he planned this all along? He called me there, only to leave on purpose?
Her lingering doubts suddenly aligned into a single, undeniable truth.
The reason he hadn’t been angered when she rifled through his things.
The way he had so naturally handed her this book.
Every step of it… had been intentional.
For a fleeting moment, clarity struck her like lightning.
She had walked right into a carefully laid trap.
