Chapter 497: What do you think of him
Thaddeus' golden eyes darkened, his patience once again thinning. "Then tell me, Lucavion. Who was she?"
Lucavion remained relaxed, still resting his chin on his hand, but the way his dark eyes flickered showed he had anticipated this reaction.
Thaddeus continued, his voice firm. "What was her name? Where can we find her?"
For the first time, Lucavion's smirk faded slightly.
He looked at the Duke—not with amusement, not with mockery, but with something almost serious.
Then—
He sighed. "Mister Duke, you know…"
His dark eyes locked onto Thaddeus', steady and unwavering.
"I trust you. Truly, I do."
A pause.
"But this—this is something I will not reveal for the time being."
Silence.
A slow, creeping tension filled the room.
"What?"
Thaddeus' voice was low, quiet—but it carried weight. Warning.
His golden gaze sharpened, flickering with restrained frustration.
Lucavion, however—
He merely shrugged.
"It is my Master's will," he said simply. "That I take care of his daughter."
His smirk returned, but it wasn't quite as sharp as before.
"And for the time being—" he continued, his tone light, "she's in safe hands. That's all that matters, isn't it?"
Thaddeus exhaled sharply. "That is not for you to decide."
Lucavion met his gaze without flinching. "Isn't it?"
Thaddeus' jaw tightened.
This boy.
This infuriating boy.
Lucavion leaned back slightly, stretching his arms. "Besides, Mister Duke…" He gave him a lopsided grin. "You'll have your hands full with the things I'm about to bring you in the future, so rather than worrying about her—"
His dark eyes gleamed.
"I suggest you prepare for that instead."
Thaddeus exhaled slowly, pressing his fingers against his temple.
A headache.
This boy was a walking headache.
Thaddeus exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face.
He wanted to push further. He wanted to know who this girl was, where she was, what ties she had to Gerald beyond blood. But—
There were too many things on his plate already.
The recent expedition had been a disaster. Countless adventurers had died, and that meant dealing with compensation claims, disputes, and political backlash. The noble houses who had invested resources in the venture would demand explanations, and there would need to be formal assessments regarding the appearance of the Kraken.
Then, there was Aeliana's return.
His daughter had barely survived, and the news of her recovery would ripple through the capital. He would need to handle the reports, the rumors, the flood of inquiries that would inevitably come from both his allies and his enemies.
And now—
Now, he had this.
Lucavion.
His backing of this reckless swordsman would soon come to light, and when it did, there would be consequences. The Royal Family's eyes were already on the Thaddeus Duchy—this would only increase their scrutiny.
Thaddeus sighed heavily, rubbing his temple.
The sheer fact that he had spent hours talking to this boy—when he had an empire's worth of responsibilities to deal with—was almost laughable.
But here he was.
Instead of preparing military reports or drafting letters to the capital, he had sat through this conversation, through every twist and absurdity that Lucavion had thrown at him.
And somehow—
Somehow, he had ended up agreeing to sponsor him.
'My god… Please do not make me regret this decision.'
Finally, he looked back at Lucavion and exhaled sharply.
"Fine," he muttered. "I'll drop the topic for now."
Lucavion's smirk widened, as if he had expected the Duke to give in.
"But don't mistake this for me forgetting," Thaddeus added, his golden eyes narrowing. "We will revisit this conversation."
Lucavion chuckled, tilting his head. "Of course, Mister Duke."
Lucavion stretched slightly, rolling his shoulders as he exhaled.
"One way or another," he said smoothly, "you'll come to learn about her identity."
Thaddeus narrowed his gaze at him, already irritated at how casually Lucavion was handling this.
"I simply deduced that, for the time being, it's not optimal to reveal her," Lucavion continued. "Hence, I decided against it."
He threw a quick glance toward Aeliana.
She was glaring at him.
He sighed internally. 'Ah, of course. That look again.'
"And with that," he said, stretching his arms before lazily placing a hand on his hip, "if that is all, I shall take my leave."
But before he could turn—
"You should stay here for a while," Aeliana said abruptly.
Lucavion blinked.
Aeliana crossed her arms, her amber eyes unwavering. "You must have exerted yourself after fighting the Kraken. You should take a proper rest."
For a moment, Lucavion just looked at her.
Then—
"Ahaha…" He let out a short, amused laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "You and your father certainly didn't hesitate to nearly kill me, though?"
He arched a brow, smirking. "You definitely didn't look like you thought I exerted myself back then."
Aeliana's lips curled slightly. "Of course not."
She turned her head slightly toward Thaddeus, her expression almost playful.
"We were just playing around, weren't we, Father?"
Thaddeus, without missing a beat—
"Yes."
Lucavion blinked.
Then narrowed his eyes.
Then exhaled, shaking his head.
"Hah. You two really are alike."
Aeliana tilted her head slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
"I just spoke in a way you liked," she said smoothly. "You certainly enjoy speaking in ways that can be misunderstood, don't you?"
Her amber eyes gleamed with something dangerously close to amusement.
"Is there a problem?" she asked, arching a brow. "Or is it only acceptable when you do it?"
Lucavion exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair.
Ah.
So this was happening.
'I suppose this is what I get for existing, huh?'
With a sigh of pure resignation, he shook his head. "I guess you can never escape from a woman's grudge."
Then, with a raised hand, he gave her a small, half-hearted shrug.
"I'm sorry, okay?"
Aeliana simply turned away with a soft—
"Humph."
Lucavion sighed, shaking his head before glancing back at Thaddeus.
"Is there anything else you want to say, Mister Duke?" he asked, raising a brow.
Thaddeus was still glaring at him.
For a moment, Lucavion wondered if he had unknowingly committed another crime in the Duke's eyes. But then—
Thaddeus simply exhaled and shook his head. "There is none."
Lucavion smirked. "Oh? No more lectures?"
Thaddeus shot him a look that could have incinerated a lesser man.
"None." His voice was edged with finality.
Lucavion decided—for once—not to push his luck.
Instead, Thaddeus shifted to something more practical. "The maids will be informed of your presence. You'll be given meals as needed. You may stay here for as long as you require."
Lucavion blinked, a little surprised. "Oh? How generous."
Thaddeus gave him another look, unimpressed.
Lucavion laughed lightly and placed a hand over his heart. "Then I shall thank you for your grand hospitality, Mister Duke."
He turned, stepping toward the exit. "If that is all, I shall take my leave."
And with that, he left the room.
The moment the doors shut behind him—
Thaddeus exhaled, shifting his gaze.
Then—
He turned to Aeliana.
"Aeliana."
His voice was calm, measured. But she recognized that tone.
The one that meant he was done playing around.
Aeliana straightened slightly, meeting his gaze. "Yes, Father?"
Thaddeus watched her carefully for a moment. Then, finally—
"What do you think about him?"
Chapter 498: Don't do this right now
"What do you think about him?"
Aeliana remained silent for a moment.
Her father's golden eyes were sharp, unwavering, waiting for an answer. But she didn't speak immediately. Instead, she let her thoughts settle.
Because this wasn't a simple question.
This was him asking her to measure Lucavion. To weigh him. To decide what he was.
And that—
That wasn't easy.
Her fingers curled slightly against her sleeve as her mind drifted back.
To their first meeting.
To the ridiculous way he had introduced himself.
To the way he had looked at her—not with pity, not with hesitation, but as if she was just another person.
To the way he had infuriated her within minutes of knowing him.
'He's annoying.'
That had been her first impression. And it had remained true.
He was pushy, he was reckless, he had no sense of restraint.
But…
That wasn't all he was.
Aeliana thought of the way he had fought.
How he had thrown himself at danger without hesitation.
How he had never treated her like something fragile.
How he had understood—far too much, far too quickly.
He had seen right through Madeleina. Had torn her apart with words alone.
He had known about her illness when no one else had. Had understood it, explained it, unraveled the mystery surrounding it with an ease that should have been impossible.
He had saved her.
'He's dangerous.'
Not in the way her father was. Not in the way the nobility played their games.
No—Lucavion was dangerous in an entirely different way.
Because he knew things.
Because he made things happen.
Because the moment he stepped into her life, everything—everything—began to shift.
He didn't move with caution.
He didn't move carefully like a noble weighing their steps.
No.
Lucavion moved with certainty.
And that was what made him terrifying.
Aeliana exhaled slowly, her gaze flickering toward the door where he had just left.
'What do I think of him?'
She already knew the answer.
'He's someone I will never forgive.'
And yet—
'He's also someone I will never let go.'
Her lips curled ever so slightly before she turned back to her father, her expression schooled into something unreadable.
"He is…."
Aeliana's voice trailed off, her mind unraveling the countless memories, the weight of their words, the unshakable presence he had left behind in her life.
Lucavion.
That bastard.
The one who had infuriated her from the very first moment.
The one who had seen her—truly seen her—without hesitation, without fear.
The one who had given her anger when she needed it most.
The one who had made her fight.
Her fingers curled tighter against her sleeve.
She thought of his smirks, his arrogance, his reckless insanity.
She thought of his impossible strength, the way he never faltered even when his body was breaking.
She thought of the fire he had ignited inside her, the way he had made her want to live, to fight, to stand.
And more than anything—
She thought of his words.
"Just listen to me once."
"I prepared this solely for you."
"Don't you dare go hollow on me."
He had never let her go.
Not when she was sinking, not when she was lost, not even when she had screamed that she hated him.
Lucavion had forced his way into her life, into her carefully built walls, into every part of her that she had wanted to keep untouched.
And now—
Now, she could never undo it.
Aeliana exhaled softly, her golden eyes flickering up to meet her father's, steady and unwavering.
"He is…"
She paused, the weight of her own realization pressing down on her.
Then, quietly—
"Different."
Her father's gaze sharpened.
"Different?"
Aeliana nodded slowly.
"Yes."
There was no better way to describe it.
Lucavion was unlike anyone she had ever met.
Unlike the nobles with their careful words and hidden daggers.
Unlike the knights who bowed and obeyed, who never questioned the world as it was.
Unlike the people who had pitied her, who had whispered behind her back, who had waited for her to break.
He was different.
And that difference had changed her.
Her father's expression remained unreadable.
He studied her carefully, as if weighing something in his mind.
Then, after a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Do you trust him?"
Aeliana hesitated.
Because that…
That wasn't an easy answer.
Trust?
No.
Not entirely.
Not yet.
But—
She couldn't let him go.
Aeliana's lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Do I trust him?
Her first instinct was to say no.
She couldn't trust him.
Not after everything.
Not after the lies, the manipulation, the way he had played her, used her, forced her to hate him.
Not after the way he had thrown himself between her and death without hesitation.
Not after the way he had stood there, injured to his bones, still fighting.
Not after the way she had held his cold hand, listening to him mumble in his sleep, hearing a piece of the weight he carried.
Not after all that.
"I don't trust him."
The words left her lips, quiet but firm.
Her father's golden eyes didn't waver.
And then—
"You're lying to yourself."
Aeliana's gaze snapped up, eyebrows furrowing.
"What?"
The Duke leaned back slightly, studying her with that same cold, analytical expression he always wore. The one that stripped away every mask, every excuse, every carefully constructed wall.
"You say you don't trust him," he murmured.
"You showed him your face."
The words were quiet. Steady.
But they struck.
Aeliana flinched, her fingers tightening slightly against her sleeve.
Her father's golden eyes didn't miss a single thing. "Indeed, you did. And you did it willingly, even when your scars were still there."
Aeliana's lips parted slightly, but she said nothing.
Because—he was right.
She had never shown anyone.
Not her father.
Not the healers.
Not even herself, if she could help it.
She had hidden. Beneath veils, behind doors, away from the world that had once adored her.
And yet—
She had shown him.
Lucavion.
"You never showed them to anyone," her father continued, voice unwavering. "You even hid them from me."
His words carried no resentment. No blame.
Only fact.
Aeliana inhaled sharply, her mind drifting back to that moment.
That night.
The cold air against her skin.
The way she had expected disgust.
And the way he had given none.
'He didn't even blink.'
He had simply spoken. Steady. Resolute.
That had been the first time she had let someone see her.
Because he had made her listen.
A heavy sigh left her lips, her shoulders sinking slightly.
"Haaah…"
She was lying to herself.
But—so what?
It didn't matter.
None of this mattered.
Lucavion was just—just—
"Do you know how you look when you look at him, Aeliana?"
Her father's voice broke through her thoughts like a blade cutting through silk.
Aeliana's eyes snapped up, her expression tightening. "What?"
Duke Thaddeus tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes sharp. "Even though you were in your room all that time…"
"I wonder why?"
It was a cold snap back.
Aeliana's breath hitched at her father's words, but her glare only sharpened. "You don't get to say that now."
Duke Thaddeus exhaled quietly, his golden eyes holding an unreadable weight. "Even then, you are still my daughter."
Her lips twisted. A scoff, sharp and bitter, nearly escaped. Now he wanted to play the part of a father? Now, when the damage had already been done? The hypocrisy was almost laughable.
"And I know you well," he added.
Aeliana's fingers curled against the fabric of her sleeve, pressing hard enough that her knuckles ached. 'Do you, really?'
For years, she had been nothing but a political piece to him. An investment, a fragile thing that needed to be placed somewhere useful before she broke completely. That had been his way of "knowing" her—through value assessments, through careful calculations of worth.
"Really? Now you're my father?" Her voice was dangerously quiet, but the fury coiling beneath it was unmistakable.
The Duke's expression didn't waver. He had always been a man of control, a figure who moved with precise, deliberate weight, but for once, there was something that almost resembled… regret. Almost. But it wasn't enough.
"Aeliana," he murmured, a hint of warning in his tone. "Don't do this right now."
Chapter 499: Mother
"Don't do this right now."
"Do what?" She let out a hollow laugh, her chest rising with uneven breath. "Speak my mind? Tell you exactly what I think, just like he does?"
His gaze sharpened.
There it was.
The moment Lucavion's presence entered the conversation, even unspoken, the air shifted.
Aeliana took a step forward, chin lifted in defiance. "What are you really trying to say?" she pressed. "That I should let him go? That I should forget all the things he's done? That I should just—just comply like I always have, because you have already determined my future?"
She could feel the fire in her chest, the way the words cut into her as they left her lips. But she didn't stop. She couldn't.
"After all, you already arranged my marriage, didn't you?" Her voice turned razor-sharp, laced with venom. "You decided that I needed to be useful—that if I couldn't bring value through strength, then I could at least serve as a convenient piece in your political game."
The Duke's jaw tensed. He didn't deny it. He couldn't.
And that was the worst part.
Aeliana swallowed the knot forming in her throat, her breath trembling as she forced herself to meet his gaze. "You didn't care about what I wanted. You never have." She inhaled sharply. "But he did."
The words left her before she could stop them.
The admission tasted like something bitter, something raw, something she had never dared to say aloud before now.
Lucavion saw her. Not as a noble's daughter, not as a fragile thing to be handled delicately, not as someone to be pitied or controlled.
He saw her—in all her rage, in all her brokenness, in all the pieces she had tried so hard to bury.
And he had never once looked away.
Aeliana's fingers trembled at her sides. She wanted to take the words back. Wanted to deny them.
But she couldn't.
Aeliana's breath came quicker, uneven, her chest rising and falling as if she had just come from a fight. But wasn't this a fight? One that had been waiting—lurking beneath years of unspoken words and expectations—just waiting for the moment to break free?
Her father remained still, his golden eyes steady. Unreadable.
But she knew what was coming next.
It would be the same as always.
He would say that Lucavion wasn't suited for their family. That he was reckless, unstable, dangerous. That her future had already been set in stone, her path decided long before she had any say in it.
That her marriage had already been arranged.
That she owed it to the family.
That she had to be useful.
Her fingers clenched into fists. 'I already know. I already know what you're going to say, so just say it. Just—just get it over with.'
"I won't listen," she said, voice tight, her jaw locking. "I won't sit here and pretend to care about another lecture about duty and honor and responsibility. I know what my purpose is supposed to be, but for once, just—just let me choose—"
"Aeliana."
Her father's voice was quiet.
Steady.
Almost... weary.
"Please," he said, "listen to me. Just this once."
She stiffened.
No sharp rebuttal. No cold reminder of obligation. No immediate dismissal of her words.
It threw her off balance, just for a moment.
Aeliana's lips parted—then shut.
But the hesitation lasted only a second before the fire inside her surged back to the surface.
"Listen?" she echoed, a sharp, breathless laugh escaping her throat. "Why? So you can tell me he's unworthy? That he's not a part of our world? That he's just another mistake I need to correct?"
Her father exhaled through his nose, but his expression remained unreadable.
"Or maybe you were going to remind me," she continued, her voice gaining momentum, "that I already belong to someone else, that I have no right to want anything because I was already promised away before I even had a say in it?"
Her voice cracked slightly at the end, but she pushed forward, stepping closer, her golden eyes burning.
"Just admit it," she snapped. "That's what this is about, isn't it? That no matter what I do, no matter what I want, my life isn't really my own. It never was."
Her father closed his eyes for the briefest second, as if steeling himself. But it didn't matter.
Aeliana was too far gone now.
"And it's always the same," she continued, voice thick with something close to desperation. "You tell me I should understand, that I should accept it, that this is how things have to be. But why? Why do I have to accept it? Why do I have to be the one to give up—"
"AELIANA!"
The Duke's voice lashed through the air like a whip.
Sharp. Commanding. Final.
Aeliana flinched.
The entire room fell into silence.
Thaddeus remained silent.
Aeliana frowned slightly, unsure of what to make of the moment.
Just a second ago, her father had spoken with firm intent, questioning her. And yet—
Now he simply looked at her.
No glare. No stern lecture. No impatience.
Just silence.
Her fingers twitched at her sides.
This wasn't normal.
"Father?" she asked carefully.
Still, nothing.
She watched as his golden eyes remained fixed on her, but at the same time—
They weren't.
They were looking past her.
At something distant. At something long gone.
Then, at last, he spoke.
"You really look like her."
Aeliana's breath caught.
The shift in the air was immediate.
Her lips pressed together, a faint tension settling in her shoulders.
"She was like you, too," Thaddeus continued, his voice quieter now.
Aeliana didn't need to ask who he was talking about.
He never spoke about her.
Never allowed himself to.
Her mother.
The woman who had shaped the Thaddeus Duchy alongside him. The woman who had always smiled so softly, yet carried strength beneath it. The woman who had been the light of their house—
And the woman who had been taken from them.
Aeliana swallowed.
Thaddeus' gaze grew distant, as if the weight of memory had settled over him entirely.
"It was by accident that I met her," he murmured. "Back then, I was just a fool obsessed with war. With proving myself. I had no intention of thinking about marriage, nor did I care for the court's whispers about suitable matches. And yet—"
His golden eyes flickered.
"She was there."
His lips pressed into a thin line, as if even recalling the past felt foreign to him now.
"She was never supposed to be part of my world," he muttered. "And yet, from the moment she stepped into it, she refused to leave."
Aeliana inhaled softly, standing still, watching.
Her father never spoke about this.
Thaddeus exhaled, his gaze slipping past the present, back into something distant, something long buried.
"It was during one of my father's campaigns," he murmured. "I was sent to the northern borderlands—just another political gesture, a show of power to ensure the loyalty of our vassals. I had no interest in it. No interest in diplomacy, in playing the perfect son, the perfect noble. All I cared for was war."
His fingers twitched slightly, as if remembering the weight of a sword.
"But then—" He let out a quiet breath. "Then I met her."
Aeliana said nothing. She only listened.
She had never heard this story before.
Her father never spoke about her mother.
Not ever.
Thaddeus' golden eyes flickered, lost in the memory.
"At first, I didn't realize she was the heir of the Viscounty," he admitted. "When we arrived, I expected to be greeted by the lord of the house. That was how it always was. The head of the family, or the eldest son—not a woman."
Aeliana's brows furrowed slightly.
She could already imagine it.
A gathering of armored men, all standing tall and stiff, waiting for the proper exchange of words, for the ceremonial gestures of loyalty.
And instead—
Instead, there she was.
Her mother.
Standing among them, completely at ease.
At home.
Thaddeus exhaled softly.
"I mistook her for a knight at first," he continued. "She wasn't dressed like a noblewoman. No silks. No jewels. Just a tunic, riding leathers, and a sword at her side."
His voice dropped slightly, almost amused.
"She looked as though she belonged on the battlefield, not in a court."
And that alone had intrigued him.
Even if he hadn't admitted it at the time.
Aeliana could picture it—the way her mother must have stood there, arms crossed, unimpressed, meeting Thaddeus' arrival not with timid greetings but with quiet defiance.
The Duke's lips twitched.
"I remember the first thing she ever said to me," he murmured. "She took one look at my armor, at the way I carried myself, and said—"
His voice shifted, his tone lowering just slightly, imitating hers.
"Oh. You're the Duke's son? You look like you have a stick up your ass."
Aeliana blinked.
Chapter 500: Permission
"Oh. You're the Duke's son? You look like you have a stick up your ass."
Aeliana blinked.
Wait.
What?
She stared at her father, half expecting him to say he was joking.
But Thaddeus remained perfectly serious.
Aeliana's lips parted, then shut.
Slowly—slowly—her expression shifted into something incredulous.
Her mother had said that to the heir of the Duchy? On their first meeting?
No wonder her father had fallen for her.
Aeliana bit back an unexpected, almost bewildered laugh, forcing her lips into a thin line.
She should have known.
She should have known.
This was the woman who had raised her, after all.
Thaddeus shook his head slightly, his eyes still lost in memory.
"I had never met a woman like her before," he admitted, almost grudgingly. "She didn't care who I was. She wasn't impressed by my title, wasn't interested in playing the usual games. She spoke to me as if I was just another man."
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his chair.
"And that," he murmured, "was the beginning."
Thaddeus exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly, as if still begrudgingly baffled by the memory.
"At the time, I didn't take it well," he admitted, his voice low. "I was raised on tradition, on honor, on the ways of nobility and war. The idea that some… no-status woman could speak to me like that—"
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
"I was offended."
Aeliana could already picture it.
Her father—young, arrogant, trained since childhood to be the perfect heir, used to respect and reverence—standing stiff and indignant as her mother, with all the grace of a hurricane, insulted him to his face.
Aeliana pressed her lips together, trying—trying—to suppress the laugh bubbling in her throat.
But Thaddeus wasn't done.
"And then," he muttered, rubbing his temple, "she did something worse."
Aeliana raised an eyebrow. "Worse than calling you stiff?"
Thaddeus let out a short, humorless chuckle.
"She challenged me to a fight."
Aeliana blinked.
What?
She straightened slightly, her interest piqued. "She what?"
"She called it 'solving things the soldier's way,'" he muttered. "Said that if I had a problem with her words, I should prove myself on the training field. Settle it like men do."
Aeliana stared.
Her mother had… challenged the future Duke of Thaddeus to a duel?
That was insane.
That was really insane.
"And you actually agreed?" Aeliana asked, incredulous.
Thaddeus' expression darkened slightly. "She mocked me, Aeliana," he muttered, his tone heavy with the memory. "Said that if I refused, then I was admitting I couldn't handle being talked down to by a woman."
Aeliana couldn't help it.
A small laugh escaped her.
"That sounds exactly like her."
Thaddeus gave her a dry look, but she could see the flicker of reluctant amusement in his eyes.
"It was a matter of pride," he grumbled. "I was a trained warrior. A man who had been raised for battle. I thought, how hard could it be?"
Aeliana smirked. "And?"
"And," he exhaled slowly, "I almost lost."
Silence.
Aeliana's smirk froze.
"...What?"
Thaddeus looked vaguely insulted at having to repeat it. "I almost lost."
Aeliana gawked at him. "But—you're you. How—?"
His expression turned deeply unamused.
"Because," he muttered, "the woman fought dirty."
A beat.
Aeliana blinked.
Then—
She snorted.
Thaddeus sighed.
Her mother.
Her mother.
Of course she did.
Aeliana could already imagine it—the grand, noble heir of the Duchy, poised and trained for honorable combat, stepping onto the training field, only for her mother to immediately throw sand in his face.
Thaddeus pinched the bridge of his nose, as if the memory physically pained him.
"She fought dirty," he muttered. "Kicked my shin, threw sand in my eyes, tripped me, used every underhanded trick she could think of."
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "And then, when I called her out on it, she just grinned and said—"
His voice shifted, mimicking a higher, confident lilt—
'So what? As a woman, I may lack the body strength, but you men are simple. It's easy to predict what your pride allows you to do.'
Aeliana sucked in a sharp breath, pressing her hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter.
"Oh gods," she wheezed. "Oh gods."
Thaddeus did not look amused.
Aeliana, however, was struggling.
Her mother had scammed her father in a duel.
And he fell for it.
No wonder he had fallen for her.
"Didn't you look down on me because I'm a woman?" Thaddeus quoted bitterly. "She knew exactly how I would react. And I—"
He stopped himself, shaking his head.
"I lost my temper," he admitted, voice lower. "I had never fought someone like her before. Someone who wasn't trying to impress me. Someone who didn't care about fairness or image. Someone who just wanted to win."
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest again, slower this time.
"And the worst part?" His lips pressed into a thin line. "She was proud of it. Didn't even try to act ashamed."
Aeliana inhaled deeply, trying—trying—to compose herself.
But gods—
This was too much.
This entire story was too much.
"Let me get this straight," Aeliana managed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Mother insulted you, challenged you to a fight, fought dirty, almost beat you, and then rubbed it in your face?"
Thaddeus' golden eyes flickered toward her, expression unreadable.
"Yes."
Aeliana paused.
Aeliana's smile softened.
It had been a while since she had truly smiled. Since she had tried to smile.
And yet, here she was.
She hadn't expected this conversation to bring out something warm—something almost lighthearted. But as she sat there, listening to her father speak of a woman she had only ever been allowed to remember in silence, something eased inside her.
She could see it so clearly.
Her mother.
The woman who had raised her with laughter, with sharp words, with hands that were always firm but never cruel. The woman who had never hesitated to bend the rules if bending them was more convenient than obeying them.
Gentle—but like a storm when she was angry.
Not like the noblewomen of the court, who draped themselves in silk and spoke softly while cutting each other down with honey-laced words. No—her mother was different.
She was genuine.
She was honest.
And she stood behind her choices.
Even when those choices made no sense.
Even when they defied everything expected of her.
'So this is the kind of woman she was…'
Aeliana exhaled slowly, the warmth in her chest settling into something steady, something real.
And then—
"Now," Thaddeus murmured, breaking the silence, "you may be wondering why I told you that story."
Aeliana's eyes flickered back to him, sharp and expectant.
Thaddeus studied her for a long moment. Then—
"You are free to do whatever you want with him."
Aeliana's entire body went still.
"...What?"
Thaddeus' golden eyes met hers, unwavering.
"I saw your gaze," he said simply. "And I know that…" His voice lowered slightly, quieter, but no less firm.
"Your mother was the same."
Aeliana inhaled sharply.
A sudden, sharp pang shot through her chest—not pain, but something else.
Aeliana's breath hitched.
She wasn't sure what stunned her more—his words, or the ease with which he had spoken them.
She stared at her father, searching his face for any hint of deception, any sign that this was some kind of test. But no—his golden eyes remained steady, unreadable as ever, but not cold.
Not dismissive.
Not commanding.
Just… stating a fact.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to find her voice.
"What about the marriage?"
It was the obvious question. The unavoidable one.
Her engagement.
The man she had been promised to—an arrangement made for the sake of alliances, a deal forged long before she had a say in it.
Aeliana had never met him. Never even seen him. Though she knew he was quite a bit of a playboy, and he was an indecent man.
And to be honest… she had always assumed that he hadn't cared much either.
Who would want a sickly wife? A dying noblewoman who never showed her face, whose existence was little more than a whispered footnote in the grander schemes of court politics?
Even as a Duke's daughter, she had been more burden than prize.
Until now.
Thaddeus met her gaze. "I will annul that engagement."
Aeliana stiffened.
"...Why?"
Her father exhaled slowly, his fingers pressing together in thought before he spoke.
"Now that you are no longer ill," he said, "you deserve someone better."
Aeliana's lips parted. A strange, almost hollow laugh slipped from them. "That means Lucavion deserves me?"
There was something bitterly amusing about it.
Thaddeus' expression didn't change. "He doesn't deserve you."
Aeliana blinked.
"But," Thaddeus continued, "if you want him, then I will not speak on the matter."
Silence.
Aeliana's fingers curled into fists against her lap.
'If you want him.'
"I don't want him."