Betrayed
Thinking that this question was the answer to my suggestion, Yuri smiled shyly and sat in front of Kalian.
The night view and the gentle breeze were nice too.
"Yes. Leogrunt Anesis, my father."
He had eight other children besides Yuri, born from his legitimate wife, who was a notorious playboy in the region.
"Although it's a humble family, thanks to my great-grandfather's reputation, there are many people in Prihatz who admire Anesis."
"Reputation is hard to build and even harder to maintain."
"Even His Grace the Duke has managed his territory excellently with high reputation and gained the Emperor's trust. Ever since Anesis, I've always wanted to meet His Grace at least once."
In response to Yuri's praise, Kalian gave a faint smile.
"Thanks to having Esika as a friend, my wishes have come true."
When Esika's name came up, Yuri's eyebrows twitched uncomfortably, but Kalian didn't notice.
Yuri paused for a moment, picked up the wine bottle, and poured it into Kalian's glass.
The sound of the wine filling the glass was glug glug glug-.
“Esika seemed to have many things that upset me."
Kalian's eyes darkened.
Esika was a name that felt awkward to say.
Kalian always called her 'you' and referred to her as 'the Duchess' to others.
That was the distance he allowed himself with Esika.
But Esika always tried to cross that line, and when she no longer cared about that line, Kalian started to feel her presence.
"Thinking about it, I guess I was somewhat indifferent to her."
It was my mistake for not even thinking about learning about Esika, just believing my mother's words.
Of course, there must have been some reason for my mother, Leona Klaus, to have done so.
As her husband, shouldn't I have taken care of her a little?
Looking back, it wasn't entirely Esika's fault.
"......"
Seeing Esika openly pushing me away now, my chest felt tight.
No, it was more than tight; it was suffocating.
But while she was resentful, I couldn't question her because I was the one who had done something wrong.
In response to Kalian's words, Yuri lowered her cold gaze and said cautiously.
"As a friend of hers, this is hard to say, but... Esika was always lacking in common sense."
That statement gave Kalian a strange sense of relief.
The comfort that her own friend, whom she had brought in, was vouching for him that he hadn't completely done wrong... It wasn't sweet, but it was pleasing to hear.
Kalian brought the glass Yuri gave him to his lips.
The sharp alcohol scent tickled the tip of his nose gently.
"Instead of acting rationally, emotions came first. When she was eight, Esika had an incident where she helped a first-class wanted criminal from the Empire, causing chaos in the family."
On that day, the Brigate family was in an uproar.
If Esika Brigate at the time hadn't been a child, she might have been treated as a traitor to the Empire and punished severely.
Of course, no one in the Brigate family knew about it.
The person who tipped them off about the incident was Yuri, Esika's friend.
"You hid the wanted criminal?"
"Yes, among the wanted criminals, first-class ones are important figures... for example, those who dare to plot rebellion against the imperial family... Such people. The Brigate family was on the verge of disappearing from history."
Yuri shrugged her shoulders.
It seemed like Esika and Yuri had a boy with messy hair around the same age.
I don't remember the face, but somehow he had a bad feeling in his eyes.
"My heart really pounded. No matter how lacking in common sense, she would do such a thing."
The message she conveyed was clear.
Esika Brigate, who acts emotionally, could be a great harm to the Klaus family as well.
Kalian must have known that.
"So, the problem between Esika and His Grace the Duke is not because of His Grace. I am her friend, but..."
Yuri said with a sad expression, lowering the glasses.
"...There have been times when I couldn't understand Esika's way of thinking and actions. Even now."
"His Grace is a good person, and the position of the Duchess is originally heavy and burdensome. When Esika came to the Klaus Duchy, she naturally had to take on those things, but she couldn't adapt to it."
Yuri poured more wine into the empty glass.
Kalian stared at the black night sky and listened to Yuri's words.
It was a story sweet as wine.
"So, it's not His Grace's fault. It's all because Esika is lacking."
Even though every time I recalled Esika's name, it felt like needles stabbing my heart, a pleasant buzz rose from Yuri's voice like morning.
She was telling me the words I wanted to hear.
"If the you I've always seen from her side has such an opinion..."
Kalian picked up the glass again.
"...Your words are right."
Yes, this wasn't just Kalian's own fault.
The face of Esika, floating in my head and stimulating guilt, suddenly seemed to smile arrogantly.
My insides heated up, and negative emotions like resentment and injustice mixed together.
But originally, was this wine this strong?
"........"
Yuri looked at Kalian's hand holding the glass.
Then, his elegant jawline, the Adam's apple that didn't go down with the alcohol, and the firm chest visible through the slightly open shirt.
Her red eyes, which had been watching Kalian's rising heat in his gaze, darkened.
She had waited for today for a long time.
"His Grace..."
Her red lips parted slightly.
The next day, in the Duke's garden.
Esika was responding to her brother Superot Brigate, who had come to find her since morning.
Superot, who had never set foot inside the Duke's mansion even after his younger sister Esika married into the Klaus family, looked bewildered.
Sella brought tea, and Superot looked around the garden with his eyes.
"The garden of the grand mansion is more beautiful than I imagined."
The Brigate Baron estate in the Prihatz region had a smaller mansion size compared to its wealth.
There were times when they became particularly wealthy in recent years, but no one in the family was interested in being big or flashy.
The only one who complained about the mansion's crampedness was Esika, and thanks to that, Esika got to live in such a magnificent mansion as she wished.
"Sorry I couldn't invite you for so long. There were circumstances and I was a bit busy."
"I thought I could at least see your face outside the mansion for a moment, but it's good that you made time for me."
In response to Superot's words, Esika gave a faint smile.
The reason she hadn't met Superot for so long was because of the aunt.
No matter how close siblings, meeting with a married woman from another family and a man from another family was against etiquette, so she blocked Esika's meetings with her in-laws.
Of course, it was an absurd claim.
She probably just wanted to prevent the abuse of Esika from spreading through meetings with her in-laws.
In fact, the aunt danced freely with foreign men at social gatherings.
"I've always wondered if you're doing well. Still, I didn't go looking for you on purpose because I thought it might make you uncomfortable."
The cool breeze made his silver hair flutter.
"I always know your heart well."
Esika smiled and nodded her head.
"Recently, I've been doing really well. Don't worry."
Looking at the clear light in his sparkling blue eyes, Superot also nodded his head.
And he spoke with a somewhat serious expression.
"However, about the letter you sent last time..."
Esika guessed why he had come, seeing Superot's expression darkening.
"Fufufu," she laughed and answered.
"After that, Yuri sent another letter, right?"
Superot continued, startled.
"Yes, you told me to report anyone who demands jewels in your name, but since Yuri is your friend, I couldn't just report her. Moreover, the letter Yuri sent to us still said that despite needing jewels, she sent it out of concern for the Brigate family's situation, asking to continue sending jewels... That's why I had to come and check on you like this."
"It's a brand new red lie."
Esika cut off her words immediately.
Superot looked at Esika with surprised eyes.
In my memory, Esika was a lively and bright personality but somewhat fragile.
Yuri Anesis, the daughter of the wet nurse, was Esika's childhood friend, and Esika liked Yuri so much that if she had to choose between her brothers and Yuri, she would choose Yuri.
Superot was even jealous of Yuri sometimes, and was a close friend with Esika.
However, at this moment, there was no warmth towards Yuri in Esika's blue eyes.
"Was it because you fought with Yuri?"
"Instead of fighting... let's say I was betrayed."
Superot's gaze became sharp.