TDATD⋆♱✮

LXXXV

☆ ★ ✮ ★𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊☆ ★ ✮ ★
ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 85

[At Noon]

Vincen, the head of the House of Lipis, turned his stiff neck from a series of meetings that started in the morning. With the connection to the Duke’s house severed, his workload had decreased compared to before. But still, his body felt even more fatigued. Of course, he knew it was due to the worries weighing on his mind.

He put down the documents he had been examining and left his office. As he was about to go upstairs, he met a maid carrying a tray at the foot of the stairs.

“Are you going to Judith’s bedroom?”

“Yes, Master.”

The maid blushed at the sight of the handsome head of the house. Vincen, staring at the tray for a moment, gently took it from her.

“I’ll take it to her. You may go now.”

The maid, surprised at the sudden act, hesitated but eventually obeyed and turned away. Only after she had completely disappeared did Vincen start climbing the stairs.

The once-empty bedroom now had its owner back. Thus, Vincen frequently visited the third floor, a place he rarely went before.

Judith was a difficult sister for Vincen to deal with. From a young age, she was calm and rarely showed her inner feelings or emotions. It was like looking into a mirror as she resembled him in that aspect. It wasn’t that one influenced the other; rather, both siblings took after their late father, the previous Marquis.

Though they lived in the same house, the siblings didn’t interact much. From the moment he could remember, Vincen was busy from morning till night preparing to inherit the Marquisate. He heard from the headmaid that Judith was undergoing bridal training during that time, too.

His sister always calmly accepted whatever was assigned to her by the family. Vincen assumed she felt the same way he did, constantly hearing that he was the next in line.

Everything was decided by the previous Marquis, so the path ahead of them was a single, unbranched road. Vincen speculated that this was why Judith also accepted her marriage to the Duke’s house so calmly.

Knowing that Judith’s marriage partner was the notorious “Derrick Vaisil,” Vincen repeatedly advised his father to reconsider. However, the previous Marquis, blinded by the power held by the Duke’s house, pushed the marriage forward strongly.

If Judith had come to him saying she didn’t want to marry, Vincen would have helped her no matter what. But Judith, as always, obediently accepted her father’s orders without much resistance.

He wondered if she didn’t know about Derrick Vaisil’s reputation, but that was unlikely. Anyone who attended even one tea party or social gathering would know about his notorious reputation. Warnings like “Beware of Duke Vaisil!” were common among debutantes.

“Maybe she likes him?”

Vincen had this thought. Despite her calm demeanor, Judith was still a woman. Derrick Vaisil was as famous for his good looks as he was for his infidelity. There was no guarantee she wasn’t swayed by his handsome appearance.

If Judith genuinely liked him, the Duke’s house wasn’t a bad match in terms of wealth or power. Therefore, Vincen sincerely congratulated her on her marriage, wishing her happiness. To convey his feelings, he even sought her out after the wedding.

“If you ever have a hard time, you can always tell me.”

Judith, seemingly surprised by his words, widened her eyes but soon smiled and said that she would. Vincen firmly believed her.