The Grandfather's Tears
It was in the middle of the night when Duke Klaus finally awoke.
He regained consciousness from the pitch-black void as if jolted back from the brink of death. The moment his eyes fluttered open, he scanned the room frantically, searching for the face he had seen before losing his senses.
"Your Grace."
Theodore, who had been sitting at the head of the bed, called out in a cautious voice, as if afraid to startle him. The Duke blinked, looked at him once, and then surveyed the room again.
Inside the unfamiliar guest chamber, four people sat in chairs. Aside from Theodore, there was the Duke’s personal physician, who had been summoned in a hurry, and a doctor from the House of Krut.
The last person was the eldest son of Marquis Krut. Because it was so late, the Marchioness had already left to change and remove her makeup, and the Marquis had gone to his office to send letters of apology and gifts to the guests who had attended the party. The eldest son had remained to show proper courtesy.
But the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found.
With a desperate heart, Duke Klaus grabbed Theodore’s arm. Unaware of the turmoil in his mind, Theodore calmly signaled for the physician to step forward first.
After checking the Duke’s complexion and finishing his auscultation, the physician spoke.
"Do you remember what you were doing before you collapsed?"
"I... I remember."
How could he not? He had come to meet Gisela’s daughter, and he had witnessed Princess Roella’s vile behavior.
And Gisela’s daughter was... she was...
The Duke suddenly wondered if he had been hallucinating. He stammered through an account of his arrival at the party and the incident with Princess Roella, omitting the part about the girl, and the physician replied with a look of relief.
"That is a relief. It seems there is nothing particularly wrong."
"Is that so?"
"You must be careful not to get excited, as it is harmful to your heart. There is no separate prescription; you simply need to rest. It would be best to stay here tonight and return tomorrow."
Duke Klaus thought that was impossible and looked at Theodore. He needed to meet Gisela’s daughter as soon as possible—wasn't this just a waste of time?
However, Theodore nodded as if he understood and spoke to the heir of Marquis Krut.
"There is no cause for concern now, so you should go and get some rest as well, my lord."
"I shall remain by his side until the Duke falls asleep."
"His Grace will be more fatigued if there are strangers present. You may withdraw as well."
Theodore said the same to the doctor from the Marquis's house. The heir of Marquis Krut hesitated for a moment, but deciding that the Duke’s health took precedence over social etiquette, he rose from his seat.
"If anything happens, please do not hesitate to call for me."
"I will gladly ask for your assistance."
The heir bowed to Theodore, then offered a deep, respectful bow to Duke Klaus on the bed before exiting the room.
Only then could the Duke grab Theodore and ask the question that burned in his throat.
"That child... what about that child?"
"Please calm your heart, Your Grace. You will collapse again."
But he could not easily settle down.
Just as he was struggling to lift his body, the door opened quietly without a knock. A beautiful woman, wearing a black cape that reached her waist over a red dress, entered without a sound. Her face was half-hidden by the hood attached to the cape.
Duke Klaus gasped at the sight of her. Even just seeing the shape of her lips, he felt he knew exactly who she was.
"You have awakened, Your Grace."
"Show me... show me your face."
He said, waving his arms weakly. Olivia sat in the chair Theodore had vacated and gently lowered her hood. She had stepped out briefly to remove her makeup, intending to reveal herself to him.
As she revealed her face, Duke Klaus struggled to breathe, his chest heaving like a drowning man. He opened his mouth like a child on the verge of wailing.
Olivia reached out softly and placed her index finger to his lips.
"You must not, Your Grace. There are many ears listening."
The Duke nodded. But he could not stop the tears from flowing.
The face without makeup was now undeniably similar. Twenty years had passed, so there were few who would remember, but he—he alone could never forget those eyes, that bridge of the nose, those lips...
She said calmly.
"I am Gisela’s daughter. I wanted to see you."
Unlike her voice, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. They were clear, turquoise eyes that looked exactly like her mother’s.
Duke Klaus collapsed back onto the bed as if he had lost all strength. He bit into the edge of his quilt and sobbed silently. Olivia pulled his head into her embrace.
In her first life, and in her second, it would have been better if she had relied on her grandfather. Not for her own sake, but because she could have been a comfort to him at the end of his life.
***
The next morning, as soon as it was a respectable hour that would not cause an inconvenience, Duke Klaus bid farewell to the Marquis and Marchioness of Krut.
"Please, rest a little longer before you go. If you are worried about being a burden, my husband and I can go to our villa for a day or two so you can have the place to yourself."
The Marchioness of Krut said with genuine concern. While she had initially hoped to garner social attention by hosting the Duke and was curious about the reason for his sudden visit, she was truly worried about his health.
Even after resting for a night, the Duke’s face was clearly marked by illness. His eyes were bloodshot, his face was swollen, and his voice was so hoarse he could barely speak. By all appearances, he looked as though he had spent the entire night writhing in pain.
However, Duke Klaus calmly shook his head and spoke in a cracked voice.
"Thanks to you, I have rested well. I wish to apologize for last night. I barged in without an invitation and ruined what was a wonderful party."
"An apology? Not at all. Both my husband and I consider your visit an honor."
"Please, do not worry about the party. We are just relieved that you are safe, Your Grace."
The Marquis and Marchioness spoke in turn. Duke Klaus shook his head with a grave expression.
"That was clearly my fault. I will surely repay this debt someday."
The Marquis and Marchioness bowed politely.
"That is too generous. We have already been rewarded simply by your visit. We only wish for your good health."
It was not an untrue statement. If they desired to raise their standing in society, the fact that they were the first house the Duke had visited after breaking his seclusion was already half the battle won, and the same applied if they sought information.
The mere fact that Lady Laila had not returned home last night but had waited for the Duke to wake up before meeting him and leaving was enough to put them a step ahead of everyone else with shocking information. The minds of the Marquis and Marchioness were spinning with complexity as they considered how to use that information.
Should they report this to the House of Schwaben immediately, or should they earn the favor of the House of Klaus by keeping the secret?
They could not ponder for long. There were many people at the party last night, and surely some of the staff knew the truth as well.
But Duke Klaus did not utter a single word about Laila. With a stoic demeanor, he nodded once more, offered his farewells, and boarded his carriage. The Marquis and Marchioness watched him go with polite deference until the very end.