Chapter 4

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Disastrous Father
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Aileen burst into laughter several times while talking with Rotan. Time flew by as she enjoyed herself. Noticing the sunset outside the window, Rotan stood up.

“I should be going now.”

Aileen saw him off at the front door. She was about to walk him to the garden, but Rotan stopped her with a stern expression.

“The wind is chilly. Please go inside.”

She couldn't understand why he thought the early summer evening breeze was chilly. But Aileen, accustomed to being overprotected, didn't argue and simply saw Rotan off.

“I'll see you next time.”

“Yes, Lady Aileen.”

As he gave a crisp salute, Aileen mimicked the gesture. Rotan burst into a hearty laugh.

“I'll visit again soon with a gift.”

After they said their goodbyes, Rotan waited until Aileen closed the front door and went inside. Only after sensing her presence within the house did he return to the car.

The smile he had maintained in front of Aileen was now completely gone, replaced by a blank expression.

Once in the car, he asked the driver coldly.

“Baron Elorde?”

“He is currently having an audience with His Excellency.”

Thinking of Aileen's father, Baron Elorde, Rotan spat out a vulgar curse. It was harsh enough to make Aileen recoil in shock if she had heard it.

The driver, glancing at Rotan through the rearview mirror, cautiously added.

“I'm worried Lady Aileen will be too shocked.”

That was Rotan's biggest worry as well. He narrowed his eyes slightly and ordered their return.

“Let's go back.”

The black car moved smoothly away. Rotan watched the receding orange tree and the small brick house for a moment before turning his gaze away.

***

The Elordes were originally a family of moneylenders. They had amassed their wealth through loansharking and bought their noble title.

The family, which had been prospering and expanding its influence, began to show signs of decline during Aileen's grandfather's time.

It was because of Aileen's father.

He was infamous for his debauched behavior, but he was the only legitimate heir to the family. All the tragedy began when his grandfather, the head of the family, died, and Aileen's father inherited the title of Baron Elorde.

With no one to restrain him, her father ran wild. He became addicted to gambling and squandered their fortune, causing the family's finances to decline at an astonishing rate.

Her mother was the only one who tried to save the family. She begged her own family for help and sold their mansion to settle their debts. Even after they moved into the small brick house, her father remained lost in alcohol and gambling.

The moment the family was decisively ruined was when Aileen was studying botany and pharmacology at university. By the time she returned to the capital after receiving her mother's letter, everything was already over.

There wasn't even enough money for a slice of bread for the next day, let alone her tuition. They were in a situation where they might have to sell their last remaining brick house, yet her father continued to frequent gambling dens.

Her mother and Aileen tried desperately to at least keep the house, but it was like pouring water into a cracked pot. In front of the frantic mother and daughter, her father nonchalantly mentioned Cesare.

“Why don't you just ask him for help? Why struggle so hard?”

Whenever he said that, her mother's eyes would flash as she warned him.

“Don't you dare think of asking the Prince for a handout. If you say a single word, I'll kill myself.”

Cesare was not unaware of the Elorde family's dire straits. He would gently ask Aileen if she needed financial assistance, but Aileen always replied that she was fine.

However, her reason was slightly different from her mother's, who worshipped the Prince. Aileen didn't want to seem pathetic to the man she liked. But there was a time when she had no choice but to accept his help.

‘I didn't have the money for my mother's funeral.’

If it hadn't been for Cesare, Aileen would have followed her mother in death that day.

The day her mother passed away.

Aileen gave the doctor who pronounced her mother dead all the money she had on hand and sent him away. After that, all she had left was the house.

She didn't know how long she sat alone beside her mother's body. At some point, Aileen shot up and headed for the imperial palace. With no money for a carriage, she walked aimlessly until she luckily ran into Cesare.

He seemed to be on his way back from a hunt, dressed in his hunting attire. The moment Cesare saw Aileen drenched in a cold sweat, he intuited that his former nanny was dead.

“Aileen Elorde.”

He did not comfort her. He called her name in a cold voice, jolting her back to her senses.

“Get a hold of yourself. Where is the Baroness's will?”

The first thing Cesare did was take the will. Only after handing it directly to a lawyer to keep it out of Baron Elorde's hands did he wipe away Aileen's tears. Aileen clutched the handkerchief he gave her and mumbled blankly.

“I have to hold a funeral…”

“And?”

“I don't have any money…”

Please… lend me some money. I'm so sorry. I'll definitely pay you back.

She couldn't remember what he said in response to her incoherent words. It seemed she had lost consciousness, unable to bear the overwhelming grief. When her mind cleared, the funeral was already underway.

Her mother was buried in the most prestigious and expensive cemetery in the capital, surrounded by lilies, her favorite flower.

Afterward, Aileen tried to repay the funeral expenses, but Cesare refused, saying it was his final gift to the Baroness.

“…”

Lost in her memories, Aileen put down the book she was reading. A storm of thoughts about the proposal and the kiss made it impossible to focus on the words. She got up from her chair and walked to the mirror.

The woman in the mirror was plain. Her unkempt, frizzy hair was a drab, mousy color. On top of that, she had bangs that half-covered her eyes, large glasses, and baggy clothes that completely hid her figure.

The young ladies of high society were always perfect. Makeup and styled hair were a given. They wore dresses that cinched their waists and exposed their shoulders and arms. Unlike Aileen, who could talk about little more than plants, they were knowledgeable on various subjects and skilled in dancing and etiquette.

There were countless ladies as lovely as flowers, yet someone as dowdy as her was to be the Grand Duchess. This would truly tarnish Cesare's honor. She couldn't dare leave such a stain on the man to whom she owed more than her life.

How could she avoid execution while also avoiding marriage?

After pondering for a long time how to persuade Cesare, she suddenly felt a wave of anxiety and opened her bedroom door. The house was silent.

Her father still hadn't returned home.

It was common for him not to come home because of gambling or drinking, but today, she had to be concerned.

‘Father must have heard the news that the Triumphal Arch was approved.’

The father she had seen this morning had been all smiles. He had probably heard the news before Aileen.

The thought occurred to her that he might have gone to Cesare and said something foolish. Deciding to confront him firmly when he returned, she went to bed for now.

But her father didn't return the next day either. A week passed, and Aileen remained alone.

***

It was one of two things: he was either dead, or he had gotten his hands on some money and was gambling.

Since there was no news of his death, he was almost certainly gambling, and there was only one place he could have gotten money from.

‘He must have gone to His Excellency the Grand Duke.’

Cesare wouldn't just give her father charity. He was an outsider, beyond Cesare's protection. If Cesare had given him money, he would have surely demanded something of equal value in return. She couldn't imagine what her destitute father could have offered as payment.

She had to find her father, get the money back, and make him promise never to do this again. That was why she had come all the way to the gambling den he was said to frequent, but…

“Hey there, young master! Come on in. Is this your first time?”

“Cute little master, want to play with big sis?”

Aileen stared at the street before her with a helpless expression. She couldn't see the gambling den she was looking for, and women with their chests half-exposed were giggling and making passes at her.

It was because she had disguised herself as a man, however poorly, thinking it would be dangerous to wander the night streets alone. She wanted to ask where the gambling den was, but her voice would give her away as a woman.

Aileen stumbled forward, not knowing where to look. Seeing her obvious naivete, the women in red shawls burst out laughing. They kept trying to grab her, so she was walking away as if fleeing.

Just then, a man entered her line of sight. He looked like a thug and was leaning against the wall of a shop, smoking a cigarette.