Chapter 5
"Don’t say something so ridiculous. What possible reason could there be to call you now, after three years?"
"If you find it hard to believe, why don’t you ask the Duke yourself?"
"......"
"Or you could inquire with the butler if you prefer."
Barak must know the truth. The only reason I stand here with confidence in the Duke's house is because Duke Alexis summoned me.
"For the record, it was Brother Lian who brought me here."
As he tried to maintain his composure, his body suddenly froze.
Barak's sunset-colored eyes, which had been averting my gaze, creaked as they turned toward me.
"Your brother brought you here?"
"Yes."
In other words, it was something known only to the Duke and Lian, while Barak was kept in the dark.
Even the butler, Patrick, was aware, leaving Barak as the only one made a fool of.
At those words, Barak, who had been walking towards me with his dirt-stained shoes, stretched out his hand.
"Young Master!"
Patrick tried once more to stand in his way, but the crazed madman of the Duke’s family, with eyes half out of focus, shoved him aside and grabbed me by the collar.
"It doesn’t make sense that Father would call back someone like you, a worthless wretch!"
"Exactly, a wretch like me was needed, so I was summoned."
There had been times when I almost lost my wrist, so being grabbed by the collar was nothing new.
"Young Master, please release her."
As the menacing atmosphere lingered, it was Kana who grabbed his wrist and pushed him away.
"Watch your words."
"Step aside."
"The Duke has ordered that the young lady be treated as the noblewoman of this household."
"Who dares to call her a lady! The noblewoman of the Ryze family is...!"
"April Hill Ryze."
In contrast to his enraged voice, my tone was perfectly calm.
And Barak would undoubtedly be even more infuriated by my composed demeanor.
Seeing him unable to control his emotions and seething with anger made me want to clutch my stomach and burst into laughter.
"Only Lady April is the true noblewoman of this house."
"How dare you even speak her name."
As Barak attempted to act violently again, Kana shielded me and responded sternly.
"If you have any complaints, please take them up with the Duke, Young Master."
If I had to choose the strictest and most inflexible person in this household, it would undoubtedly be the head maid, Kana.
To put it bluntly, she is unyielding and inflexible, but that also means she strictly adheres to principles and possesses a strength and courage that refuses to bow down to anyone stronger.
"Head maid, isn’t the one you should be serving someone else, not that woman?"
"That does not mean you, the second young master, should be prioritized above all else."
"......"
"The one to follow in this mansion, where the mistress is absent, is the Duke."
"Young Master, please calm down and see the Duke first."
In contrast to the situation, Patrick's gentle voice caused Barak to bite down hard on his lip.
His sunset-colored eyes blazed like the midday sun.
"Where is Father?"
"He is in the study."
"Even if Father did call you here, it seems you’re not as important as you think."
It seemed his words were meant to remind me that despite the commotion shaking the Duke's house, Duke Alexis had yet to show his face.
Since I had no intention of denying it, I merely smiled lightly.
His displeasure at my lack of rebuttal or denial was clear as he turned abruptly and brushed past me.
Only after Barak left did everyone in the hall finally exhale.
The collective sound of exhaled breaths made me chuckle softly. People don’t change so easily.
"You should not have come."
Though her voice was barely a whisper, it was close enough that I could hear it clearly.
All the servants had left, leaving only Kana by my side.
She wore the same stern expression she had when dealing with Barak, her eyes slightly furrowed.
Was her displeasure directed at me? Or at Barak?
"I warned you that you wouldn’t like what you’d see."
"This much was expected."
"Ha......"
Kana closed her eyes tightly and bowed her head, looking utterly frustrated.
"It would have been strange if Brother Barak had welcomed me, wouldn’t it?"
I spoke with a small smile, as if making a joke, though I also hoped for affirmation.
If Barak had simply ignored me, that would have been even stranger.
Would he have thought I had only days left to live?
"No one is unaware of how much Brother Barak treasures April."
Because it was Barak's fault that they had lost April.
* * *
With a loud bang, the door burst open without so much as a knock, causing Duke Alexis to furrow his brows.
The distant commotion seemed to have followed Barak into his study.
Looking at his second son, who was brimming with anger, the Duke couldn't help but wonder whose temperament Barak had inherited.
Neither his late wife, who passed away years ago, nor he himself, had been anything like Barak.
"Father, why is she in this house?"
He recalled seeing Irina Devin just a few minutes ago.
Her body had become frail, her long beige hair tinged with ash, and her grayish-blue eyes bore no resemblance to the child she once was.
Her face had grown far more mature and refined.
"I called her here."
"Father!"
The Duke took a short breath as Barak's loud voice filled the room.
"Why on earth did you call her? There must be a reason for summoning her after three years!"
Although Barak tried to control his emotions, the volume of his voice betrayed his struggle to remain calm in front of his father.
After three years of no contact, they suddenly called Irina Devin?
The same girl who had pushed April down the stairs and even threatened her?
The one who had wished April wasn’t a true daughter?
"There’s no need for such agitation. She will only stay here for a year."
"What do you mean, only a year? Father, it’s not just one year!"
Barak approached the Duke’s desk with a face full of frustration.
A year, he said. An entire year.
Including the year she would now spend at the Duke's residence, that girl would have lived here for nine years.
Yet April, who was his actual sister, had only lived here for five years...
Even now, April felt out of place in this house and was always anxious. If she found out that girl was staying here, she would be deeply hurt.
"For an entire year, that girl will be living in this house."
Barak took a deep breath.
"Has she blackmailed you with something?"
"Watch your tongue!"
He had indulged his son, but now Barak’s insolence had crossed the line.
Barak bit his lower lip as he recoiled from the Duke's sharp rebuke.
"April... she’s still at the villa because of her leg."
Barak thought of April, who had been unable to walk properly for more than a month after the landslide accident, and his heart ached.
April herself must have been the most affected by the accident, but Barak, who had been by her side, suffered almost as much.
He had spent years without his sister, years during which April hadn’t received what she deserved.
It had only been five years since she began to find some semblance of happiness, and now he couldn’t bear the thought of that girl living in this house again.
"I know it’s because of her leg. And I understand that’s why you brought her here, but I’m also searching for every possible way to heal her leg...!"
"......"
"Please, just wait a little longer, Father."
Barak looked at Duke Alexis with pleading eyes.
Though the Duke’s gaze was directed at his own son, his gray-blue eyes were devoid of warmth, causing Barak’s heart to sink.
He had seen that expression before.
"April wants to come home. She wants to see you too, Father."
"This decision has nothing to do with her physical condition."
"Father."
It was the same expression Duke Alexis Hill Ryze had worn three years ago when Irina left this mansion.
Cold, indifferent eyes devoid of affection or interest in the world, causing Barak to harden his expression.
"What do you mean?"
"I just told you. Her physical condition has nothing to do with it, and Irina will stay here for a year."
"......"
"As April’s substitute, and as the noblewoman."
"Then what about April? Are you telling her to spend a year at the villa because of that girl?"
Each word was sharp as broken glass.
"Are you now going to abandon your own daughter, April, because of a girl who doesn’t even share your blood?"
Patrick, who had followed Barak into the room, thought to himself that Barak had just said the perfect words to pierce the Duke’s unyielding heart.
"Barak Hill Ryze."
Duke Alexis called his son by his full name as he slowly rose from his seat.
With his long silver-gray hair and sharp gray-blue eyes, Barak inhaled sharply.
Though he had retired as a knight, the Duke’s presence, once formidable on the battlefield in his youth, remained undiminished.
"Do not think that just because you are my son, I will forgive your insolence."
He wanted to ask how a father could speak so coldly to his own blood.
"Irina will remain here as the noblewoman of this household, regardless of what you or anyone else may think."
His voice grew stronger with every word.
The Duke of Ryze was determined to carry out his will.
"What kind of person is she?"
"She’s a despicable child, one you should never have gotten involved with."
"You’ve forgotten yourself, Barak."
He was once again losing his temper with the Duke.
In that moment, Barak knew he wouldn’t win this argument.
"Three years ago, you made a decision based on a situation, and now you must bear the consequences."
He would not give in to his son’s demands.
This was a battle the Duke intended to win, no matter what.
"This time, you will obey me."
"Even if you’re the Duke of Ryze, it’s impossible to hide the sun with your bare hands."
Barak did not stand down.
"Are you really going to ignore the entire Ryze family and the countless people who respect you, just because of that girl?"
"Don’t be foolish. No one will say a word, because no one will know."
In the end, it was Barak who lost.
He turned his gaze downward, grinding his teeth.
"Father, even if this is something you won’t regret, I am absolutely against this."
"If you wish to preserve your father-son relationship, you will not voice that opinion to anyone else."
Barak, who had been shaking with anger, bit his lip, his hands balled into fists.
"How could you do this to us?"
"If you have any affection left for me as your son, please reconsider."
But Duke Alexis’ response was as cold as a winter’s breeze.
"Irina will stay at this mansion for a year, and you will treat her as a guest."
That was his father’s decision, and he had no intention of changing it.
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