Chapter 79

By the time I made my way to the guest room where Paul was staying, he was already awake.

His hair was that distinct, rounded silvery-white, and he was still wearing the same outfit typically worn by the men of House Eventail. It seemed the maids had been busy looking after him, as a selection of juice and light snacks had been laid out next to his bed.

The moment I stepped into the room, Paul squared his shoulders and stomped over to confront me.

He seemed as indignant as ever, but I was someone who had been disowned by House Eventail.

No matter what he said to me, it wouldn’t have any effect…

Before he lost consciousness, he had claimed that Mother and Father had gone crazy because of me, but those two had always been crazy.

I’d had that feeling back when I lived at the estate, and distancing myself from them had only made it clearer.

“Paul, what did you come here for? Are Father and Mother with you?”

“Shut up! It’s my business what I do, and this is all your fault anyway, Sister! It’s because you did something worth getting disowned for! Ugh… I can’t take it anymore!”

As he shouted, tears began to spill from Paul’s eyes, dripping down and wetting his tights.

Faced with the crying face of my usually aggressive brother, I was utterly bewildered and exchanged a look with Lord Nazel, who was standing behind me.

“What happened, Paul?”

However, Paul remained sullen and refused to speak, doing nothing but glaring at me.

As I struggled with how to move the conversation forward, Lord Nazel smiled and said, “Leave this to me.”

“But I can’t just push House Eventail’s troubles onto you, Lord Nazel.”

“It’s fine, really. Agnes, would you mind heading back to your room?”

Lord Nazel reached out and patted my head gently, as if soothing a child.

“…Understood. But please call for me immediately if anything goes wrong.”

“Yeah, will do.”

Sent out of the room, I headed back to my own quarters feeling restless. I was incredibly anxious about leaving my brother in such a state with Lord Nazel.

On the way, Kelly, who had been waiting in the hallway, joined me. She nodded as if sensing the situation with Paul.

“Lady Agnes, please don’t look so down. Lord Nazelbert will be fine.”

“But I’ve forced him to deal with my brother.”

“I cannot say what the circumstances are, but sometimes it is easier to talk to a stranger than to someone close to you.”

Despite my lingering unease, I nodded obediently and opened the door to my room.

I sank into the cushioned sofa, my mind racing with worry.

“Still, I wonder who on earth brought Paul all the way here?”

I had initially thought my parents were with him, but the insular House Eventail rarely ventured into other territories without good reason.

On the other hand, it was unthinkable that my brother came to Sutrena alone, and I doubted there were any servants willing to help him run away…

As I sat there groaning in frustration over the lack of answers, Lord Nazel entered the room, having finished his talk with Paul.

I immediately stood up from the sofa to greet him, but Lord Nazel simply scooped me up in a bridal carry and sat back down on the sofa with me. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this position.

Being settled sideways across Lord Nazel’s thighs made it rather difficult to relax.

“Um, Lord Nazel… how is Paul?”

“I’ve finished listening to his story. It seems he’s at an age where he’s facing various troubles.”

Lord Nazel explained that my brother was bewildered by the changes in his environment. It appeared that Paul, who had been so fiercely loyal to House Eventail, had begun to harbor doubts about the family’s policies.

That was precisely why he couldn’t bring himself to talk to me—the very person he had spent years mocking as a “disgraceful sister who defies the Eventail way.”

Apparently, even though House Eventail had been banned from social circles, my brother alone was later exempted. However, when he actually showed his face at a party, he ended up enduring the exact same treatment I once had.

“Paul seemed desperate to pin the blame on you, claiming everything went wrong because you were disowned. I made sure to tell him that wasn’t the case. He likely felt that if he didn’t have someone to blame, he wouldn’t be able to bear the realization that his entire identity up to this point was being rejected.”

“Lord Nazel…”

Sitting sideways in his lap, I gazed up at my dependable husband.

What an incredibly skilled counselor he was. As expected, he handled everything perfectly, no matter the task.

“Furthermore, based on what I heard, it seems the ones who brought Paul here were Prince Bertrand and Lady Latrice. Apparently, they’re still playing at being merchants.”

“Lady Latrice… if I recall, isn’t she the Crown Princess?”

“Indeed. She is Prince Bertrand’s wife, and the rumors among the nobility were always of a devoted woman who selflessly tended to her sickly husband. However, she seems to be quite a peculiar lady.”

“Well, she is Prince Bertrand’s wife, after all. I was wondering how Paul could have possibly made it this far on his own, so I’m relieved to know he wasn’t being used by some shady character… But where is His Highness now?”

“I’m not sure myself, but at this rate, I imagine we’ll be crossing paths again soon.”

Whenever the topic turned to the First Prince, Lord Nazel’s eyes took on a distant, faraway look.