My mother had a habit of rubbing her temples when something bothered her.

When I saw Mom putting pressure on the area around her forehead with the bottom joint of her thumb, I guessed that we would be moving soon.

The man was gently pulling down my mother’s hand that was going up to her forehead.

His other arm gently wrapping around my mother’s back and shoulder. The way he naturally stood close to her was like the attitude of a man who already knew the habit ingrained in her body.

He whispered quietly.

“I don’t think it’s me she looks alike with.”

Words filled with a smile that even the person himself might not have been aware of, mouth slightly sagging. An unexpected kindness suddenly emerges from the cold face and cold atmosphere.

I quietly turned my head.

The Duke of Chelsiers was an inhumanly cold-hearted handsome man. Even though we only met for a very short time, he didn’t seem like he would treat anyone more intimately than this.

That kind of person sometimes acted kindly only towards me?

Honestly, weren’t there very few people who would overlook this?

‘I think I know why Mom married him…’

Before I knew it, I had arrived right in front of the carriage.

The waiting driver smiled and opened the door. The interior also looked clean and comfortable.

There was only one problem. The footrest was too high.

Eciel, who was charging forward with great vigor, hesitated.

“Miss, would you like me to lift you up?”

Miss… whoa, Eciel was a miss? Then me too?

Our eyes met. The expressions on both of their faces were spectacular.

However, before the driver who couldn’t wait could pick us up, our mother and biological father approached us.

The man slowly stretched out his hand.

As Eciel was lifted, she stared at the man. Her green eyes, full of curiosity, were fixed on the man and sparkled.

A bright light that made me think it was probably just like this when my mom was young and bright.

The man who helped the child sit down adjusted the hem of her clothes and then leaned over to me. He pursed his lips for a moment.

‘Should I say I can go up alone?’

As I was thinking about it, my body was already being lifted.

The man seemed calm. The expression on his face made you wonder why he was so friendly even when he felt desolate.

Still, the hands that made me sit next to Eciel and smooth my skirt and sleeves like he did to my younger sister were gentle.

While looking at those long, smooth fingers, my eyes stopped on the ring on his left hand.

If it was a signet ring, it would have had the family crest, and if it had been a piece of jewelry, it would have been more decorative.

‘Wedding ring…’

I didn’t know. I didn’t get it.

This person and my mother couldn’t have a peaceful relationship.

When he got married, he got so deeply involved that he even knew the other person’s habits, and he wasted a lot of time chasing the woman who ran away.

What was he thinking as he walked around wearing the  wedding ring he shared with that woman?

The man’s hand left the hem of my  dress and slowly headed towards the woman.

The strong, long fingers twitched as if a little afraid, but then smoothly unfolded to take the woman’s hand.

I could feel the suffocating tension at first glance.

I felt a little pity. It was a feeling that did not suit the famous Duke of Chelsiers.

‘Did she see it?’

Without realizing it, I expected my mother to see the  wedding ring, but she boarded the carriage without any problem and asked a question in a cold voice.

“Where are we going?”

“I have found a place to stay nearby.”

It seemed like the man had no expectations. The answer was very calm.

Then he took a step back from the carriage.

The door closed smoothly.

“Oh, wait a minute.”

Until Eciel suddenly intervened.

Was this truly unexpected? He blinked his eyes and looked at my sister.

Regardless, Eciel separated the bouquet she had been holding in half and handed it to the man. With a unique smile on her face.

“Thank you for the carriage ride. It’s a gift.”

… I really found this girl amazing. Maybe he found her interesting too.

My mother thought seriously sometimes. Why were children born as twins so different?

But now I was curious too.

‘We are twins who have the same parents and grow up in the same environment. How can we be so different?’

While looking at Eciel with those eyes, the man hesitantly accepted the flower.

My younger sister went one step further and innocently told him what the name of this flower was and what color her favorite flower was.

He gathered the bouquet and the words together with an uncharacteristically embarrassed look on his face.

‘It sure looked like a bundle in Eciel’s arms.’

The bunch of flowers was split in half and barely filled a fist when held in the man’s hand.

It was colorful and strange.

‘I gave birth to her, but who does she take after really?’ Mom, who was looking at Eciel with her bewildered eyes, eventually intervened.

“Okay, stop! Eciel, sit up straight now, and you close the door.”

My younger sister straightened up with a regretful expression. Duke Chelsiers also raised his head as if he had suddenly woken up from a dream.

That face was extremely human. It was surprising, but he also seemed like a father.

The carriage door closed slowly and quietly.

I leaned against the wall and looked out the window. Although I did not intend to see him, the carriage window was transparent, and he was extremely visible to me.

The man took out a handkerchief and tied the flowers together to prevent them from scattering.

When he carefully put the well-wrapped bundle into his outerwear pocket, only the flowers stuck out, like the mistake of a sloppy street clown.

A ridiculously friendly response.

The sight of him riding a large warhorse is skillful and natural… a person who didn’t know what to do when his young daughter held out flowers and whispered small talk.

Was this person really a father not worth knowing? If that was really the case, why did our mother name her daughter ‘Eciel’?

‘… I don’t know anything.’

I didn’t know much.

Although my mind was distraught, the carriage moved surprisingly steadily. Eciel murmured happily, burying her back in her chair.

“I would like to ride a carriage like this all the time.”

A horse that would have been professionally trained solely to pull this carriage.

An experienced coachman who steers a carriage without hesitation even while driving on poorly maintained roads.

A material that was strong and absorbed shock.

I paused for a moment to imagine the mind-boggling price of everything that made up this carriage.

It would be something that would happen naturally without the Duke of Chelsiers even being aware that he was spending that much. Our mother must have been a part of that world at one time, too.

‘But not anymore.’

I didn’t want to crush Eciel’s childishness by telling the truth, nor did I want to cause bitter pain to my mother.

With that thought in mind, I glanced at my mother. Since Mom was also looking at us, we made eye contact right away.

“Claire, are you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Mom hesitated a little before choosing her words. Her nervous expression was evident.

“Is there anything you’re curious about or want to ask?”

“I’m okay, Mom. Don’t worry too much.”

“Okay… if you want to ask anything, talk to me anytime.”

Mom nodded subtly, looking both relieved and anxious.

Just because I didn’t ask now didn’t mean I was not curious, because between us, there were definitely things to ask and things to tell.

It was something we both knew. Although the body was comfortable, the mind was extremely uncomfortable. There was a gloomy atmosphere in the carriage.

At that moment, Eciel started making a messy wreath with the remaining flowers.

My mother had to focus on Eciel’s hands and the hem of her clothes, which quickly became dirtied with grass.

I pressed closer to the window to keep my clothes from getting stained.

* * *

When I got off the carriage, the sun had set, and night was approaching.

Eciel had already fallen asleep on my mother’s lap in the carriage a long time ago. My mother and I dozed off, and it was only when the carriage came to a gentle stop that we opened our eyes.

‘It’s all because this carriage is so comfortable.’

In the past, the carriages I rode in were so uncomfortable that I woke up while sleeping.

Duke Chelsiers paused as he opened the door. It must be because of the languid carriage, filled with the strong scent of flowers and the feeling of sleepiness. It could be because of the tattered wreath piled on top of Eciel’s skirt.

Mom said vaguely.

“Please drop Claire off first.”

Even though I woke up, I was still sleepy, and my mind was blurry. The man held my body as lightly and carefully as a fist of cotton or as if it was a flower.

‘He hadn’t held many children.’

No, actually, I guessed he’d never hugged them before. His attitude was very awkward.

While I was thinking such carefree thoughts…

I froze with my arm over his shoulder. I ignored the small whispers of my mother, who was soothingly waking Eciel up behind my back.

There was a sight before my eyes that I had never imagined in my life.

Knights, servants, maids. Besides that, there are many other employees and vassals of various ranks that I didn’t know about.

The silence of people lined up in a regular manner without a single breath was amazing.

‘And…’

I didn’t know much about the overall standard of living for nobles. I also knew that Duke Chelsiers’s power was beyond my imagination.

Still, it was surprising.

The mansion in front of me was brightly lit in the darkness with warm light streaming from every window on every floor, and the people lined up from the white stairs seemed too numerous to be under the command of just one person.

I came to my senses and blinked.

‘… What’s this?’

Behind my back, my mother seemed to have given up trying to wake Eciel and hugged her. The man extended his other arm, which was not holding me, to support my mother.

I was glad my younger sister fell asleep snuggly against Mom’s neck and shoulder.

I couldn’t imagine what Eciel would do if she saw this many people and this big mansion right now.

My mother came out of the carriage and looked around in front of her.

“… You didn’t just find a place to live, you built a mansion.”

She spoke with a startled tone.

My mother glared at Duke Chelsiers with a piercing gaze and began to walk ahead at a stride.

Even though people were lowering their heads like waves, she didn’t care at all.

‘Oh… ‘

I felt it for the first time. My mother was truly once a part of this world.

The man quickly caught up with my mother. The quiet question was a bonus.

“You don’t like it?”

… What were you going to do if Mom said she didn’t like it? Were you going to knock it all down?