I was taken aback, remembering all those insults that had come out of my mouth when I heard that Ray's abnormal behavior was inherited from his mother.
My glare intensified. "Is that another fabricated story of yours, Duke?"
"Thanks for the praise, but no. I am telling the truth." he replied.
In the novel, I don't think I remember ever learning about Ray's mother or the Duke's wife. Perhaps it was mentioned briefly, but I must have forgotten, as it wasn't a significant part of the story.
Ray's family background was not the main focus of the novel, after all. How could I know?
Looking puzzled, I stared at the father of my fiancé.
"Ray didn't tell you about his mother?"
"I wouldn't be so confused right now if he did." I responded to the Duke.
With that, the head of the house was raising both eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected his son to keep me in the dark.
"It would be good if Ray tells you." he suggested.
"No. I really don't like beating around the bush. Just tell me right now."
"Foh. How terrifying you are." he joked, crossing his arms and pretending to be scared. However, I could see his eyes focused on me.
The steam from the tea in front of me had dissipated, and I gracefully lifted the cup, letting the brim touch my lips as I took a sip.
"I enjoyed our talk, father."
"So did I, daughter-in-law."
Setting the tea cup back on the table, I continued our conversation.
"Call me Sama— no, Sabrina. It would be my delight and honor, Father-in-law."
“All right young lady, Sabrina. I will see you more often.” He added, with his hand gesturing something to the butler from afar close to the door of his office.
I withdrew from my seat and stood up. When that old butler finally finished talking to the head of this house, he came to me and guided me through the exit.
And I thought that he would leave me but he followed me till I reached the outside of the room I was placed in.
I simply thought that the duke still maybe had a command ongoing so I let that be.
When I twisted the doorknob, I pushed and opened the door and I took a step back to my surprise to see a servant arranging the luggage. It was Grace.
"Grace, what's happening?"
"Young miss, we have already done what your mother requested. We will be going back to the mansion of House Elsteel." he answered, busy with his task of arranging my luggage.
"We're going back to my house?"
The butler behind me responded since Grace was too preoccupied.
"You can leave now, young lady. But if you wish to stay longer, the Duke told me you are free to remain in this mansion."
"Thanks, but I'd rather no." I replied directly to the butler, shaking my head.
As Grace continued packing, the old butler assisted him, leaving me with nothing to do but watch them suffer from work.
Bored, I slowly reclined on the bed, but before I reached the soft surface, I noticed a silver-haired figure hesitating at the open door.
Being a people pleaser when it came to cute kids, I forced a smile and stood up from the bed.
"Young Master Rehecard, are you here to see me?"
His blue eyes were too shy to meet mine, so I adjusted and approached him.
"I'm leaving now, Young Master. I will be returning to my home."
"Y-you're going out... and never coming back...?" he asked, his voice shaky.
I was skeptical, wondering if this was some kind of trap, or if he was pretending to be cute and innocent. After all, this mansion was filled with villains, and it ran in his blood too.
"Oh my, silly. I'll come back." I reassured him, though I had no intention of doing so.
"R-really...?"
"Of course, when I have the time! But you can also visit our house!" I added with joy.
His face lit up with delight.
".....!"
"What's this, Young Master? Do you like me?"
He nodded vigorously. "Yes! I like Lady Sabrina!"
How adorable! I wanted to squish his cheeks. Observing his behavior, I concluded that he might be similar to Ray.
When he first introduced himself, he exuded confidence, and I couldn't detect any shyness.
But now he had turned into a softie... Perhaps I was overthinking it.
Maybe his "nobility" demeanor was merely a facade, just like my current people-pleasing attitude.
Nonetheless, he was just a child, so he might be different from Ray, and I was probably correct about that. A kid couldn't be cunning, except for me, of course.
Rehecard chatted with me, but I only absorbed some of what he said, letting the rest pass through my other ear.
Eventually, Rehecard stopped talking, and I was relieved. But my relief was short-lived, as the reason for his silence soon became apparent— he was looking at something behind me with a mix of fear and surprise.
I couldn't help but put my palm on my forehead.
"Disappointed? My dear fiancée, let me escort you outside." With hand extened towards me, Ray exclaimed majestically.