CHAPTER 048
Seeing his serious face, it was clear there was no way out. This was definitely not something I could laugh off.
I hadn't told anyone yet. Should I tell him?
Even while I hesitated, Lewis's unwavering gaze remained fixed on me.
Do I have no choice...?
I had promised, so it seemed I couldn't just let this go without saying anything.
In the end, I confessed.
"The thing is, my mother from the estate has come to visit..."
I told Lewis everything—why I was troubled and what was making me struggle.
A moment later, my story concluded.
"That's how it is."
Sigh, I feel relieved after saying it!
But Lewis's expression grew even more serious.
"You sent her down to the estate, and your stepmother came back to the capital?"
"Yes."
"I should have prevented her from coming up at all."
Lewis muttered quietly.
"So, your family that tormented you is still giving you trouble."
"It's not really tormenting, just... tiring. It’s something that bothers me."
"Then stop worrying about it."
Lewis spoke bluntly.
"I'll make sure you don't have to worry about it."
"You don't have to. They’ll give up soon if I keep ignoring them."
So, I just need to endure being tired for a while. I wanted to get through this quietly.
"If I intended to ask for help, I would have told you sooner. It's fine."
"Why deal with something the hard way when it can be solved easily? You can accept this kind of kindness."
"...."
Lewis indeed had the ability to resolve what I was suffering over in an instant.
An enemy to be feared, but the most reliable ally?
"Really, it's fine..."
"So you want to keep being bothered?"
Lewis, as a friend, simply wanted to offer this kind of kindness.
It was hard to keep refusing when he assured me that I only needed to say the word.
"Then... I'm sorry, but I'll ask for your help this once."
In the end, I decided to accept Lewis's kindness.
I really didn't want to make such a request. It was depressing, but I had no choice.
With gratitude, I added,
"As quietly as possible! I don't want Bella to find out and get more upset than I am. I haven't told her yet."
"Only told me about this?"
"Yes? Ah, yes. I haven't told the Duke or anyone else yet."
"I'm the first one you told?"
"...?"
Why was he focusing on that? Lewis’s voice seemed a bit excited.
Was it my imagination?
"I tried to ignore it, but you asked me to tell you."
"I’m the only one you told?"
He wasn’t asking me. It was as if he was talking to himself.
Then, his lips curled up into a smile.
"That feels good."
Really? Something like that could make him feel good?
Because I told him and no one else?
To think he would express such positive feelings so straightforwardly. It was a rare sight of Lewis, and I felt puzzled.
At least the serious mood had lightened, so that was good.
"Don’t worry. I'll handle it quietly."
"Oh, I didn't mean for you to kill her!"
Worried about potential misunderstanding, I quickly clarified.
"Got it. I won't kill her, so don't worry."
Lewis stood up.
"Leaving already?"
"Got to solve this quickly."
His swift actions were remarkable.
It was as if he wanted to immediately follow through on his promise to resolve my problem.
After that, I didn't see my mother in the capital again.
Just as Lewis had assured me.
* * *
When Lewis heard about Selina's situation, he wasn't in a good mood.
Acting up again? They had troubled her before.
Selina often looked bitter when reminiscing about her family. It was because of such family members.
And yet, they were tormenting her again, trying to get what they wanted.
Honestly, if she hadn’t stopped him, Lewis might have quietly eliminated them from the world.
Lewis's task was clear, and the problem was quickly resolved once he took action.
Selina's family members quivered in fear at the mere sight of him.
"Please, spare our lives! We won't do it again!"
If they were going to act like this, why did they come to torment her? He couldn't hide his disgusted expression.
Her family considered Selina very weak.
Was it because she always smiled so brightly, seeming like a pushover?
They wouldn't know how much pain she hid behind that smiling face. Hence, they came to the capital to torment her.
They would not step into the capital again.
"The moment you set foot in the capital, I'll get a signal. When that signal goes off, I'll understand it as you wanting to die."
No excuses are needed. Whatever the reason, Lewis would immediately cut off their breath.
Lewis was a man who could carry out his threats of killing.
"Thank you so much, Marquis."
After handling the issue with Selina's family, she was the first to express her gratitude.
"I haven’t done anything for you, Marquis..."
She smiled, but her face was mixed with evident guilt.
She really didn’t know how to accept a favor boldly.
"It’s fine."
Lewis replied nonchalantly, implying she needn't worry.
Selina laughed.
"Wouldn't it have been better to have a harmonious family, even if not affluent?"
Lewis was drinking tea when she suddenly asked.
"Are you talking about my family?"
"Not just your family. Sometimes there are families like that, right?"
Was she envious?
Given Selina's nature, it seemed she would be more suited to a family like his rather than hers.
"At least they wouldn't exploit their children and harm others. Honestly, I have no luck with family!"
What began as curiosity ended in a sigh.
Though her tone was bright, Lewis could sense her emotions. Regret, loneliness—something like that.
She shook her head with a sigh.
Then, Lewis extended his hand to her.
His index finger lightly touched her forehead.
Selina stopped moving and looked at him with a bewildered gaze.
"Thanks to that, you’ve found a new family."
"The Marquis?"
"Bella."
"Oh."
"And I'm someone even more special."
Lewis grinned.
Selina asked, looking puzzled by his cheeky remark,
"If Bella’s family, what’s more special than that?"
"Who knows? But not family."
Lewis genuinely believed that. His relationship with her was definitely different from that.
Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing.
"Isn't my aunt treating you better than your mother?"
"That's an understatement. There's no comparison!"
"Then it’s good. Don’t be down because of people you’ll never see again. They're not worth it."
At his sharp words, Selina let out another deflated laugh.
But this time, her smile seemed genuinely brighter.
"Okay. I’ll cheer up, Marquis!"
"Glad to hear it."
He didn’t want to see Selina looking gloomy.
He only wanted to see her smiling like this.
He found himself thinking about her more often.
In the past, he would focus on work, enduring the noise instead of meeting her, but now he was regularly meeting her using the noise as an excuse.
It was a change that had crept up on him.
Today, he hadn't visited the Duke’s estate just to meet her, though.
"Is my aunt in her office?"
"Yes. If you go now, she'll be there."
From her reaction, Selina seemed to understand why he wanted to see his aunt.
"Are you going to ask today?"
"Yeah. I should have asked sooner, but I’m a bit late."
When he first heard about his father from Boden, he wanted to meet the Duke immediately.
But he had calmed down quickly. Thanks to Selina.
The Duke was not a difficult person to meet. Lewis could meet her anytime he decided to.
Handling the tower’s matters and Selina’s issues had pushed his conversation with the Duke to the back of his priority list.
Now that he had some leisure, he decided to ask.
"I'll tell you afterward."
When he went to the Duke’s office, she looked curious.
"It's unusual for you to come to my office. What brings you here?"
"I have something to ask."
The Duke calmly looked at Lewis's face.
Her nephew, whom she had raised since childhood, always had an indifferent expression, but today he seemed quite serious.
She guessed he wanted to discuss something important and smiled softly.
"What does my nephew want to talk about?"
"I’ll get straight to the point."
Lewis was about to pour out his questions but then paused for a moment.
The Duke waited silently until Lewis spoke again.
"Do you know anything about my father?"
The Duke’s eyes widened slightly.
Lewis had never asked about this before.
"When I went to Boden, I heard about my father."
"Boden? Oh, right. You all went to Boden together. I thought it was just a trip."
The Duke spoke, recalling the memory.
"What did you hear there?"
"They said my father went to the capital as a child. Thanks to someone who discovered his talent."
"..."
"If that's true, you would know. He was your sister’s husband, after all. You wouldn’t say you know nothing, right?"
It wouldn't make sense to claim ignorance.
A noblewoman marrying a commoner, and the Duke’s family knowing nothing?
"If I don't tell you, what will you do?"
"If you don’t tell me, someone else will. There must be at least one person in this empire who knows him. Are you not going to tell me?"
The Duke realized that Lewis would find the answer no matter what.
This meant there was no need to hide anything.
"I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell you. You're so impatient."
The Duke’s following words surprised Lewis.
"Someone took your father to the capital, right?"
"Yes."
"That person was probably a mage."
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