Chapter 80

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News of April’s arrest spread through high society in an instant.

The news reached Jeff Merrow, April’s uncle, and finally succeeded in drawing him out of his house.

When the Merrow mansion’s door opened, Elenora Merrow never rushed her husband as he paused on the steps. She was already moved just by the fact that he had stepped outside.

Jeff had cut his hair for the first time in seven years and even shaved.

Only after he dressed up to enter the Grand Duke’s residence did Elenora notice that her husband’s face hadn’t changed much from before.

He had been grumbling about becoming old alone due to his completely white hair.

Elenora chided Jeff as he barely managed to walk, tottering with a cane.

“What good is shaving when your body’s that of an old man?”

“Give me a month and I’ll quickly… well, I can’t rebuild my body, but I’ll recover my health.”

Jeff said this while steadily making his way down the stairs.

Elenora glanced at his face and clicked her tongue in disapproval.

They used to say the Lunos family men were so handsome that rumors reached the Empire.

Actually attending Grand Duchy parties proved this wasn’t an exaggeration. While others coveted the Lunos family head, Elenora had liked Jeff Lunos, the second son, from the start.

His somewhat fragile nature, though a flaw to others, appeared as a charm to Elenora.

Still, there were many competitors. Having managed to win this man among them, she felt irritated about him going to the Grand Duchy.

She didn’t even want to honestly say, “There are lots of women there.”

When Elenora sat sulking after they finally got into the carriage, Jeff kept glancing at her face before saying,

“Elli, I’m sorry.”

“What are you suddenly sorry for?”

“Just… everything…”

Then he carefully took Elenora’s hand.

Though Elenora’s heart melted at his touch, she maintained a stern expression without showing it.

He had shut himself in his study for seven years, keeping his mouth shut and worrying her. Though it made sense that his niece could open the mouth that had closed because of his brother, Elenora felt hurt.

She even wondered if he had only accepted her because she liked him alone when they promised to marry.

As the carriage headed toward the Grand Duchy, Jeff, who had been holding Elenora’s hand tightly, suddenly smiled brightly and pointed to the street they were passing.

“Elli, do you remember this place?”

At his words, Elenora looked out to see they were passing the tree-lined street where any noble seeking a match would have visited at least once.

Since the Grand Duchy was the warmest region on the Right Island, flowers that bloomed in spring on other islands would bloom here at the tail end of spring.

There were days when the street’s flowering trees were in full bloom. The Grand Duchy’s spring was more beautiful for being brief.

Jeff said,

“I’ll confess now… I was actually pretending to read.”

At his words, Elenora whipped her head toward Jeff.

Smiling at her once more, Jeff continued.

“I was too shy to speak to the lady I liked… so I just sat in the chair pretending to read.”

At the words ‘the lady I liked,’ Elenora’s furrowed expression softened with his following words.

“Then suddenly, the lady I liked sat next to me. I was so flustered when she asked what I was reading, since I hadn’t actually read any of it because I was just pretending…”

“You hadn’t read that book?”

“No, it was a university textbook, but I couldn’t focus on a single word.”

Jeff tucked Elenora’s hair behind her ear as he continued.

“I never got to thank you for giving me that chance.”

“…”

“Thank you.”

Elenora stared at him silently before bursting out,

“You should say such things while hugging me!”

“Would that be alright?”

“How can you even ask that!”

Jeff pulled the angry Elenora into a one-armed embrace, cupping her face with his other hand. Then, burying his face in her neck, he mumbled,

“I felt sorry toward you, but more than that, I was afraid you’d dislike me for aging so much alone.”

At Jeff’s words, Elenora said exasperatedly,

“The day I dislike you will never come, not until I die.”

At Elenora’s words, Jeff momentarily forgot his worries about his niece and smiled. However, Elenora’s expression darkened instead.

Jeff held Elenora’s hand with one hand and a sword with the other.

In an age where guns were replacing swords, the sword was more symbol than weapon. His bringing the sword showed his determination to protect at least his niece.

Though Elenora disliked this fragile man harboring such thoughts, it was merely out of love for him, and ultimately, she supported her husband.

The Merrow family of Lasa, like the Lunos family, belonged to an ancient lineage. Family naturally came before love.

Soon the carriage stopped at the Grand Duke’s residence.

Noble ladies who hadn’t seen Elenora in a long time came running, forgetting their dignity.

“Elenora!”

With Jeff shut in his study, Elenora had also grown distant from high society. Work was partly to blame as well.

After confirming that Elenora had gone to play bridge with her long-missed friends, Jeff headed to the garden where Grand Duke Miller Deus was.

Miller was talking with his maternal uncle, Devin Meyer, the Grand Duchy Police Commissioner, in the garden pavilion.

The guards stopped him, suggesting it was a private conversation.

“His Grace ordered that no one be allowed in.”

“Step aside.”

The guard noticed the sword Jeff was wearing.

Jeff was prepared to duel here if necessary. Of course, among the young guards, none couldn’t defeat a middle-aged man who hadn’t moved for seven years. However, if by chance they wounded him, it would become a major issue.

Though the Lunos family had fallen, they were still prestigious, and moreover, his wife was an Imperial noble.

As the guards hesitated, unable to act either way, Miller finally sent Devin away first and gestured for them to open the path.

Jeff stood before Miller, swaying unsteadily from side to side, having not walked for so long.

Miller smiled deliberately.

“Please sit.”

“No need, I’ll leave soon.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“You can still make pleasantries?”

Jeff’s voice trembled with anger.

Miller poured a cup of tea from what the servant had brought and offered it to him. Though he knew Jeff wouldn’t drink it, the act of pouring tea mattered more than the result.

“I know you’re here about April. We’re looking into it, so please don’t worry too much.”

“How can I believe that? The Lunos family head was dragged away and executed like that, and now my niece, who barely survived, is missing without proper knowledge of her whereabouts. How can you tell me to wait while you ‘look into it’!”

“Isn’t it a crime that they tried to kill me and my wife then, and used massive amounts of gas without payment?”

“Crime? You frame them with charges that Imperial police have already investigated, and call it crime?”

“If the police say so, what can I do?”

“Are you not ashamed?”

Miller sighed deeply and raised his head.

Looking into Jeff’s eyes, burning red like the Lunos family’s flame, he said,

“No, I am not ashamed.”

“Your Grace!”

“I don’t think anything regarding April Lunos was excessive.”

Miller looked at Jeff with clear eyes and continued.

“Did I want too much? I only wanted to be with the person I loved, and whose choice was it to fall to ruin because they couldn’t allow that?”

Jeff stood frozen for a while, dumbfounded at Miller’s words.

After a moment, he straightened his body that had been leaning on the table.

Miller was secretly surprised that Jeff Merrow, who had been in seclusion for so long, could burn with such anger.

Then Jeff spoke.

“I know something.”