Following the Viscountess who descended with dignity and an excited Beth, Leah carefully stepped down from the carriage, her face a mixture of fear and hope.
And at the sight before her eyes, she could barely breathe.
It was an overwhelming magnificence that couldn't be simply described as 'large'—an authority that could not be challenged. Built from jet-black basalt, Rasnov Castle stood as majestic as the shoulders of a massive giant, and the silence steeped in deep history and solitude seemed to declare this the domain of an absolute ruler. The castle walls, carved with the marks of time, were as solid as diamonds, exuding a cold sanctity severed from the mundane world.
The towering spires rose sharp enough to pierce the sky, and ancient trees hundreds of years old wrapped around the castle like silent sentinels standing guard. The green hedges in the garden, without a single common flower, were trimmed with mathematical precision—a beauty as exacting as the Duke's own will.
Leah was completely mesmerized by the grandeur of Rasnov Castle.
She realized that the viscount's estate where she had lived until now was nothing more than an ordinary country manor.
'This is... the Duke's castle. This incredible place... am I even allowed to enter?'
Leah unconsciously looked down at the dress she wore.
It was a fancy dress the Viscountess had forced her into. Adorned with expensive silk and lace, it was clothing she could never have worn normally. But at this moment, that very splendor only made her feel more shabby.
She felt as if she had stolen someone else's clothes.
No matter how fancy the dress, she was still just a fallen aristocrat's daughter. Even the uniforms worn by the maids of this castle seemed more dignified than her dress.
Her chest felt tight.
'Someone like me... am I even allowed to set foot in a place like this?'
Fear washed over her. She was deeply reluctant to intrude upon that great man's domain.
"Welcome to Rasnov Castle."
Alex, the butler who appeared to be in his late thirties, came out to greet them along with the other servants. The Viscountess arrogantly lifted her chin and followed Alex into the castle.
As Alex opened the heavy doors to the drawing room and announced their arrival, Leah drew in another breath the moment she crossed the threshold.
The Duke's drawing room was like him—cold yet noble and pristine.
The space was filled with the weighty dignity unique to the historic Rasnov family, and that austere beauty, stripped of all excess, dominated everything. Instead of lavish floral decorations, there were dark wood furnishings that spoke of deep history and dark stones framing the fireplace that exuded a heavy majesty. Only the late afternoon sunlight poured in long streams through the high arched windows onto the marble floor.
Eugene, who had been standing by the window, slowly turned around.
Sunlight draped over his broad shoulders like a halo. His pale face was shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to read any expression. The shadow stretching long across the floor made Eugene, already tall, appear even more massive and imposing.
He remained expressionless.
Yet in his perfectly sculpted face and glass-cool blue eyes dwelled a beauty so chilling it was unsettling.
His perfection, which seemed to transcend the human realm, silenced the entire drawing room in an instant.
Despite her displeasure toward him, the Viscountess felt jealousy at the authority and elegance he possessed. When Beth swayed with dizziness, the Viscountess quickly caught her.
Then, Eugene's gaze turned toward Leah.
In that instant, the world stopped.
The moment her deep green eyes met his ocean-deep blue gaze, all surrounding noise vanished.
Her breath stopped.
It felt as though only the two of them remained in this vast drawing room.
Why?
Under his gaze that fixedly watched only her, Leah was swept up in a wave of unfamiliar emotion.
He was seeing through everything about her.
Her nineteen years of life, the sorrows she'd hidden, and even the turbulent, confused emotions surging through her right now.
She had first seen him only yesterday. He was still a stranger. She knew nothing about him except that his appearance was perfect.
So why was she so drawn to him?
A fallen aristocrat's daughter and a great duke. The difference in their status was as vast as heaven and earth. Coming to his castle had made her feel that gap once again.
Yet when she looked at him, something felt strange.
A peculiar sense of reassurance washed over her, as if he would protect her. At the same time, an inexplicable fear came with it.
She couldn't understand this emotion at all.
That's when it happened.
Someone roughly grabbed Leah's arm.
"Ugh!"
A small groan escaped. The invisible thread that had been taut between Leah and Eugene snapped in an instant.
Startled, Leah hurriedly turned her head.
It was the Viscountess.
Her aunt's face was frozen like ice, and the hand gripping Leah's arm was clenched with full force.
"Did you forget what I said?"
A low voice seeped into her ear.
"I told you never to catch his attention, didn't I?"
Her whole body froze.
'Oh no, she noticed.'
Her aunt had seen her exchange glances with the Duke, had seen her captivated by that intense gaze. Leah quickly lowered her head in panic.
Her heart pounded wildly.
She felt like a sinner who had coveted something forbidden. Her whole body trembled as if she'd been caught with a secret that should never be discovered. Had her aunt perhaps even noticed her feelings? These surging emotions whose nature she couldn't even identify.
Leah unconsciously pressed her nails into the hand clutching her skirt until they dug in. Her cheeks were still burning hot.
She stood still with her head bowed.
She couldn't look at him anymore. No, she shouldn't.
Then, Eugene's gaze slowly moved.
It left Leah and quietly turned toward the Viscountess. His icy blue eyes fixed on the Viscountess's hand. That rough hand gripping Leah's slender arm.
Silence fell.
Though he said nothing, that gaze alone seemed to freeze the air.
The Viscountess instinctively released Leah's arm. Eugene remained expressionless, but his gaze held a clear warning.
Just then, maids quietly entered and gracefully served tea, finally breaking the suffocating tension in the drawing room.
Eugene left the window and slowly approached the sofa.
Then he spoke in a low but firm voice.
"Everyone, please be seated."
That short phrase was an absolute command that could not be refused.
Leah barely managed to move her trembling legs and sat in the farthest seat.
She tried to hide outside his field of vision. But every time she raised her head, she met his gaze. As if determined not to lose sight of her existence, his eyes persistently followed Leah.
Leah lifted her teacup with trembling hands.
The tea, rich with rose fragrance, filled her mouth with its aroma, but wouldn't go down her throat. The air was so heavy she could barely breathe.
A moment of silence passed.
Eugene leisurely took a sip of tea, then slowly set down his cup. And he looked at the Viscountess.
A smile spread across his lips.
But it wasn't a smile. It was sharp, like a blade.
"I thought my letter had been delivered incorrectly, Viscountess."
At Eugene's cold sarcasm, the Viscountess's shoulders trembled slightly.
But she forcibly lifted her chin higher. As if armoring herself with arrogance to avoid revealing her agitation.
Eugene smirked at her display.
It was the expression of someone watching an absurd clown.
The Viscountess's face flushed red in an instant.
The letter received this morning had clearly stated he wanted to see only Leah. He hadn't summoned her. But she wouldn't back down.
"As Leah's guardian, naturally I had to come along."
The Viscountess spoke as confidently as possible.
She was Leah's aunt, her only family. It didn't matter if Eugene didn't acknowledge her. The truth wouldn't change.
"Ah, guardian."
Eugene slowly nodded as if accepting the Viscountess's words.
Then suddenly his expression changed.
A kind smile spread across his face that had been frozen cold. It was a gentle, warm expression, as if greeting an old friend.
The Viscountess was flustered by that abrupt change.
After seeing only his cold face, suddenly meeting this kind expression made her heart beat strangely. Her face flushed.
'As expected... the Duke is...'
But before that thought could finish, Eugene opened his mouth.
"Then."
His voice remained gentle.
But the next words were ice-cold blades.
"As guardian, did you spend all the fortune Lady Brennen's parents left behind like that?"
The air in the drawing room turned ice-cold.
"What? What are you saying...!"
The Viscountess looked at Eugene in shock. The teacup in her hand rattled. A few drops of tea splashed onto the saucer.
'How... how did he know?'
That she had managed her brother's fortune. No, not managed—almost completely spent it. How did this man know?
Leah looked between the two with bated breath.
'My parents'... fortune?'
Leah hadn't even known her parents had left a fortune.
Her aunt had always said 'your parents died leaving only debt.' That Leah was indebted to the viscount's family and should live gratefully—she had ceaselessly drilled that into her.
Leah's hands trembled. The strength drained from her hands holding the teacup.
Eugene's gaze briefly turned to Leah.
Her pale face, trembling hands, disbelieving expression. After confirming all of it, Eugene's eyes turned even colder.
Then he looked at the Viscountess again.
"Viscount Brennen left behind 50,000 gold (a fortune that would be the entire wealth of an upper-middle class noble family)."
Eugene spoke slowly, deliberately.
"Including the estate revenues, it would have been at least 80,000 gold over the past ten years (enough to bankrupt even a count's household)."
He paused briefly.
He lifted his teacup and took a sip.
It was a leisurely motion, but that silence tightened around the Viscountess even more.
"How much money remains in Lady Brennen's account now?"
"That, that's..."
The Viscountess's voice trembled.
"Can't you answer?"
Eugene's voice dropped even lower. There was no mercy in his voice.
"Then I'll answer for you."
A brief silence.
"Not a single penny remains."
Bang!
The Viscountess slammed her teacup down on the table roughly.
"Your Grace! Are you insulting me right now?"
Her voice shook.
"When Leah's parents died, I didn't send her and her brother to an orphanage—I raised them myself. Do you have any idea how much money it cost me to raise those children?"
"I do."
Eugene remained calm.
"The cost of providing food, shelter, and education. Roughly 500 gold per year."
He paused.
"Ten years would be 5,000 gold. Even generously, 10,000 gold would be more than sufficient."
He looked straight at the Viscountess.
"So where did the remaining 70,000 gold go?"
Silence.
The Viscountess trembled, lips quivering, unable to say anything.
"Perhaps your daughter's luxury purchases? Or did you use it to pay off the viscount's debts?"
Eugene paused, then added.
"Oh, right. I heard the new carriage you bought last year was quite expensive."
Eugene's words cut into the Viscountess like knives, one after another.
Leah could only stare at the scene in a daze.
Only one fact circled in her mind—everything her aunt had said was a lie.
That her parents had left a fortune.
That her aunt had spent it all.
That she hadn't been indebted to them—rather, she had supported the viscount's family with her own money.
She couldn't believe it.
Tears welled up in Leah's eyes.
"Your Grace."
The Viscountess spoke in a trembling voice.
"This... this is a family matter. It's not something for an outsider to interfere with..."
"Outsider?"
Eugene scoffed.
"Someone who used the excuse of guardianship to abuse and extort from her nieces and nephew is a legal guardian?"
He added coldly.
"Then shouldn't you have fulfilled a guardian's duties?"
Eugene slowly glared at the Viscountess.
His eyes were as cold as a midwinter wind. Contempt and anger swirled in those deep blue eyes.
"I have a question for Lady Brennen."
At Eugene suddenly addressing her, Leah flinched.
"Lady Brennen."
Eugene called quietly.
And asked in a cold yet resolute voice.
"Now that you know of the Viscountess's misdeeds, make your choice, Lady Brennen."
A brief silence passed.
"Do you wish to continue living with that family?"
At Eugene's question, a heavy silence settled over the drawing room.
The Viscountess bit her lip. Then she glared sharply at Leah.
It was a silent threat—answer wrong and there would be consequences.
"Lady Brennen."
Eugene had noticed the Viscountess pressuring Leah. So he quietly called to her.
Leah took her eyes off her aunt and looked at him.
"Come here."
At his kind words, Leah hesitated for a moment. Eugene smiled gently and extended his hand.
"It's alright, come."
Leah had no choice but to comply with the Duke's words. On one hand, she was relieved to escape her aunt's gaze.
Leah quietly stood and went to Eugene's side.
When Eugene flicked his finger, Alex hurriedly brought a chair and placed it next to Eugene.
Eugene took Leah's wrist and gently helped her sit in the chair.
Leah was startled by the coldness of his brief touch.
As soon as Leah sat, Eugene quickly released her hand. He bent slightly at the waist, resting his elbow on his knee. Only then were Eugene and Leah at eye level.
"Lady Brennen."
Eugene called quietly.
"If you don't wish to live with your aunt's family, you don't have to."
"Your Grace, that's...!"
When the Viscountess cried out, Eugene's hand rose.
A gesture for silence.
The Viscountess closed her mouth.
She glared at Eugene and Leah, frustrated and resentful.
Leah drew in a breath and opened her mouth.
"I..."
"…."
Eugene gazed down at Leah quietly. He waited for her to answer.
"I wish to be independent from my aunt."
"Leah!"
At the Viscountess's cry, a smile spread across Eugene's face.
Leah's decision was what mattered most. If Leah wanted it, he intended to look after her and her brother.
"Very well, then..."
"Absolutely not!"
It was a sudden outburst from the Viscountess.
"Leah cannot be independent."
At the Viscountess's words, Leah and Eugene turned to look at her.
The Viscountess was smiling.
Eugene's brow furrowed. What scheme was she plotting?
"Actually, Leah is getting married next month."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
"?!"
"Mother!"
"Aunt!"
Beth and Leah cried out simultaneously.
Eugene scoffed in disbelief as he looked at the Viscountess.
A triumphant smile was spreading across the Viscountess's face.