The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 76

“Hey, little human, call him quickly.”

“Shioni.”

At the sound of the child’s characteristic short pronunciation, Zion blinked. Standing in front of Libe, spreading his wings wide, he shouted threateningly.

“Say it properly! It’s Zion, not Shioni!”

Libe laughed, her mouth forming a triangle as she called her friend’s name.

“Shioni, Shioni.”

It seemed like it would take at least ten years for Libe to properly pronounce his name. Zion glanced around and then looked at Arthas, his eyes gleaming as they met Arthas’s hazel eyes. As their eyes met, Arthas trembled.

“Hey, little cub, humans make friends by calling each other’s names.”

“But Zion is not human! And if you’re going to nitpick about names, at least pronounce mine correctly first!”

Ignoring Arthas’s grumbling, Zion set off to find new prey. He smirked as he watched Sophia and Evelyn chat away.

Just as he was about to fly over to where the two were, they heard a knock on the door. Only one person would visit the annex unannounced at this time of evening. Sophia quickly ran to open the door. As Ilya entered the reception room, everyone stood up and bowed.

“Your Grace, have you come?”

As Evelyn approached him and stood, Ilya felt a moment of tension. It was strange how the face of the woman, who had regained her usual complexion after a few days, now felt so unfamiliar.

“Now… are you feeling better?”

Evelyn looked up at him. Seeing her completely recovered complexion, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes, I’m all better now. When I was sick, having someone by my side…”

Evelyn seemed like she wanted to say something more but then closed her mouth.

“I came today to speak with you. I’ll only stay for a moment before I leave.”

When Ilya gestured with his eyes, everyone in the reception room hurriedly left.

“Master, let’s go eat with Sophie.”

“Let’s go with Mom.”

As Sophie tried to lift Libe, she stood her ground with both legs. When Libe started to run towards Evelyn, Sophie and Zion quickly grabbed her. Libe looked at Evelyn with a face that seemed like he could burst into tears at any moment. Evelyn quickly approached and began to soothe the child.

“Libe, after eating with Sophie, Mommy will…”

“Leave the child and the animal and go out.”

At the unexpected words, everyone’s eyes widened. Evelyn, too, looked at Ilya with surprise. As everyone stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do, Ilya burst out.

“Do I have to say it twice?”

People quickly left, like a tide receding.

With only four remaining in the reception room, Zion glared at Ilya. Libe, finding comfort in being with her mother, clung to Evelyn’s skirt. Seeing Evelyn’s discomfort, Zion glanced at Libe and nodded his head.

“Hey, little human, come here.”

Libe let go of Evelyn’s skirt and ran straight towards where Zion was. Evelyn shot a glare at Zion before turning back to Ilya.

Ilya leaned back deeply into the sofa, watching Zion and Libe. Evelyn sat across from him, scrutinizing his face. The expression of a man looking at a child and an animal was consistently cold. With a bitter feeling inside, Evelyn asked him.

“Your Grace, would you like some tea?”

“Should I drink tasteless tea while I’m with you?”

Ilya finally tore his gaze away from the two and stared intently at Evelyn. At his blunt reply, Evelyn chuckled.

“You look completely recovered, thankfully.”

Evelyn’s cheeks flushed slightly. Her face still burned from the memory of asking if she could hug him. After hesitating for a moment, Evelyn spoke again.

“I know you’ve been watching over me every night. I want to say thank you.”

Ilya spoke awkwardly with an uneasy expression.

“I may not be the best husband… but I’m not so heartless as to ignore when my wife is in pain.”

An awkward silence settled between them. After a moment, a whispered voice reached her ear.

“Don’t be in pain. If you’re hurting, I’ll…”

Evelyn looked at him with surprise, but he avoided her gaze. He turned his head towards where Libe and Zion were. Libe, who seemed to be sleepy since early evening, kept yawning with her mouth wide open. Watching Libe, who wanted to play more and was keeping her eyes wide open, Evelyn smiled softly.

“It’s really strange.”

“What? What is?”

Pure curiosity flickered across Ilya’s face. Whether it was the eagle mumbling strange noises in the study or the child who looked exactly like him, nothing seemed to make sense.

Aside from any prejudice against the child, Ilya is simply curious.

No matter how he looked at it, that little one with his bloodline was not supposed to have escaped the curse. It couldn’t be because he was young… Thinking back to his childhood with his different-than-him brother, it was not the case.

Unconsciously, Ilya muttered to himself.

“There’s no way the Ajauntice bloodline could be like that.”

For a moment, all expression vanished from Evelyn’s face. Seeing his wife’s face, which seemed like it would shatter at the slightest touch, Ilya was taken aback.

“Evelyn, I didn’t mean it that way.”

I should have sent them away earlier.

Regret filled him as he bit his lip, looking only at the child. Receiving a fierce glare from those hazel eyes,Ilya regretted it even more.

“Little human, I’m hungry. Let’s go to the maid.”

“Yeah, kaka.”

Zion nibbled on Libe’s clothes and went outside. He stood by the door, making sure to glare at Ilya once more.

With only the two of them left, an uncomfortable silence descended again. After eyeing Evelyn for a while, Ily finally spoke about the reason he came here. Talking about the child would only hurt his wife, so it was better to talk about something else.

“I wish you would invite a guest.”

Evelyn looked at him quizzically at the sudden statement.

“Do you know Lady Edith, the Countess?”

Evelyn had never actually seen her. The only cousin of her husband, who was also the Countess Edith, did not even attend their wedding.

“She’s my cousin, but… it feels strange to invite a cousin I married into the family. It would be more natural for you to invite her.”

Evelyn nodded her head.

Meeting the noblewomen from the northern regions was intimidating, but if it was Lady Edith, she felt relieved. And above all, she heard that the Countess Glen treated her illegitimate daughter like dirt. Thinking about the Countess Glen’s likely reaction to seeing her daughter wandering around the ducal estate, her heart felt like it was being pierced with a needle.

“Should I send a letter to Lady Edith then?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell my mother, so you can send a letter to Lady Edith tomorrow.”

As Ilya finished his business here and stood up, Evelyn stood up to see him off. He cautiously spoke as he observed Evelyn’s reaction.

“Evelyn, earlier, I…”

Evelyn reached out and lightly grabbed her husband’s hand.

“You’re making an effort; you don’t have to try so hard.”

Evelyn genuinely appreciated her husband.

He was a man who kept his word once he said it. Since he mentioned the child as a problem to be solved, he would try his best somehow. He would increase the guard personnel to protect the child from external threats and carefully select the servants to take care of the child. But there was no affection for the son there. Emotions couldn’t be changed through effort; it was just an inevitable fact.

Now Evelyn vaguely understood that her husband’s indifferent attitude was actually protecting their son’s life. If the Duke showed any favoritism towards a son mixed with the blood of the Marquis of Madus, the Duke’s vassals would immediately send poison and assassins to the annex.

It was never his intention, but Ilyas was handling things appropriately for their son.

When Evelyn glanced up at him and smiled faintly, Ilya furrowed his brow.

“What are you thinking?”

“I just thought… the time I spend with you feels like a gift.”

He tightened his grip on her hand. In an instant, Evelyn found herself enveloped in his strong embrace. She felt a slight tremble in his sharp jawline against her forehead. Gently, she patted the back of the man’s back, who seemed unusually anxious today.

As Ilya released her and looked down at Evelyn, he teased.

“Your aunt might frown upon this.”

“I’ll pray for your smooth return.”

Even after he left, Evelyn stood there for a while.

****

“Visiting the mistress’s chamber at this late hour… isn’t that terribly rude?”

As Lady Glen grumbled, the maid standing beside her wore an ambiguous expression.

In fact, now wasn’t the agreed-upon time for Ilya’s visit. After she continued to refuse his invitations due to an afternoon appointment, Ilya gave her a final ultimatum to visit at midnight.

Lady Glen rubbed her bare neck where she didn’t wear a necklace and muttered.

“You fool, you couldn’t even bring a single ring properly to make this necklace.”

The maid sighed, remembering the maid who was arrested for trying to steal the Thousand Days Red Ring on Evelyn’s birthday.

“I hope the servant was dealt with properly.”

“We couldn’t confirm if the jailer was one of ours.”

Lady Glen’s face twisted. After employing several guards to protect the underground prison, Ilya ordered the captured maid from the annex to be guarded by the Blackwood Knights. They couldn’t even confirm whether the maid was alive or dead now. Lady Glen couldn’t sit still for a moment, fidgeting with her hands.

“They say all the children we planted in the annex were expelled.”

“It seems our children weren’t detected. And fortunately, the gardener remains.”

Lady Glen’s expression brightened.

“It’s said that Madam saw someone wearing the Thousand Days Red Ring near the pond.”

“Was his name Hans? I’ll just tell him to bring the ring.”

Smartly, the sound of vigorous knocking on the door was heard.

“It seems His Grace has arrived.”

The maid quickly went out to greet Ilya. As Ilya entered the room, Lady Glen remained seated, greeting him. A flicker of discomfort passed over the faces of the guards standing behind the Duke. Ignoring them, Ily approached Lady Glen. She said it in a weary voice.

“Looking at my nephew makes my neck ache. Please, take a seat.”

“Aunt, are you feeling unwell?”

Ilya whispered affectionately.

“Then it’s all the better. When you’re in pain, the first thing you think of is family, isn’t it?”

At the mention of family, Lady Glen’s face twisted with disgust.