Chapter 84
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84
“I have compiled the opinions of the relevant experts below. They have described it as an overly bold investment. If you wish to proceed, you will need to persuade them. And…”
The old butler, who had been speaking so smoothly, hesitated, unable to continue.
“And? It sounds like that’s your real point.”
“…May I ask how long you intend to remain at the hotel?”
Theodore picked up the glass beside him and slowly savored his whiskey. Coming from the old butler, who never questioned his master’s actions, this was unusually blunt. Since Norman was not one to overstep his bounds, the Dowager Duchess of Battenberg was undoubtedly behind it.
Theodore brushed away his brief annoyance with a sigh. The poor man was just caught in the middle of a disagreement between his two masters. He lowered his gaze and picked up the next proposal.
“I have no intention of returning for the time being. If the Dowager Duchess asks, you may tell her that.”
“…The Dowager Madam is worried, but I am concerned for you as well, Your Grace. Even if the hotel staff behave appropriately, they cannot attend to you as meticulously as the servants at the mansion.”
“That problem would be solved if the Dowager Duchess washed her hands of family affairs and appointed a proxy. Then she could enjoy the rest of her days at her beloved villa in Liege.”
He muttered it like a joke, but he was more than half-serious. Whether it was the castle or the townhouse, everything was managed from top to bottom by the Dowager Duchess.
It was unpleasant enough having his daily life reported in such detail, but most of the family properties were also tangled with exhausting memories. They were all tied to his parents' tedious, long-standing love affair, which ended only when they died in an ‘unexpected accident.’
At worst, he had been dragged around like a trophy by one parent or the other, shuttled between every Battenberg estate and building every other week. He hadn't particularly resented it back then. It was just that, at some point, his desire for a space of his own had simply vanished.
“Why not purchase another townhouse instead? I will handle it quietly so that the Dowager Madam does not find out…”
“There’s no need.”
That was also why he had volunteered for the Navy as soon as he came of age, and why he stayed in hotels instead of the family mansion during his leaves. At some point, all of this had begun to feel like nothing more than an extension of a pointless family game. Even values that had once felt desperately important were bound to fade with time.
“Settling down in one place is a bit… tedious.”
He replied dryly as he signed the document. Marriage or settling down. The mere thought of it made him feel slightly sick. Especially since ‘their’ goal was for him to quietly father an heir to carry on the lineage and remain anchored wherever that child was.
If he absolutely had to marry and take a wife, a relationship devoid of affection was far healthier. A dry arrangement where each pursued their own interests, and whomever the other met was a strictly private matter. A woman who would never, even if her life depended on it, cling to him emotionally.
“I will do anything. As long as Your Grace passes Battenberg down to Edgar's child, whom I will bear.”
Suddenly, Miss Morton’s insolent words sounded appropriate, even desirable. Feeling a sudden wave of fatigue, Theodore loosened the collar of his shirt, which felt tight around his neck. Just then, the telephone rang, breaking the silence that had been filled only by the scratching of his pen.
Norman quietly picked up the receiver. A bewildered expression soon crossed his face, and he hastily covered the mouthpiece with his hand. Theodore was just starting to frown at the unusual fuss.
“A woman has come to the hotel where you last stayed, Your Grace. She’s looking for a man, and from the description, it seems she’s referring to you. The front desk called to confirm.”
“…A woman?”
“They say it’s a Lady Vanessa, looking for a Mr. River Ross.”
* * *
Vanessa clasped her trembling hands together. Her request to find ‘River Ross’ seemed to have been delivered to the Duke immediately. While she waited for news, she desperately hoped this was all just a misunderstanding.
It was a futile hope, but at least it meant hope had not vanished completely.
She bit her dry lip. It was only two days ago that she had discovered the Duke’s signature in her uncle’s safe. To say she had completely sorted out her feelings was a lie. There hadn’t been nearly enough time for that.
Nevertheless, she couldn't wait any longer. According to the books she’d read, signs of pregnancy became distinct starting from the twelfth week. She had already wasted half of her ‘safe’ window.
“I am sorry, but the person you are looking for is not currently staying at this hotel.”
“…I see.”
“However, they said they would send someone to escort the lady looking for River Ross. A car will arrive to pick you up shortly.”
The lady looking for River Ross. She let out a hollow laugh at those words, which felt like a test. As if asking how much she knew, or how far she would pretend not to know. Like actors on a stage coordinating their roles.
Vanessa took a deep breath, trying to soothe her frayed nerves. It was an overreaction. There was no way a hotel employee could be speaking for the Duke.
The car sent by the Duke took her to another luxury hotel nearby. The building, as grand and elegant as The Latz, was intimidating to even look at. Just like the name Battenberg.
“Please wait a moment. I will guide you upstairs shortly.”
“Upstairs… you mean to a guest room?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“I saw a coffee house on the ground floor. May I wait there?”
The employee looked troubled, but after checking something over the phone, he nodded. She was immediately guided to a seat by the window. Her heart pounded with a strange mixture of exhilaration and anxiety. She had finally made it this far.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Water is fine. Thank you.”
The water was served with a level of hospitality she had never experienced. She kept checking her watch anxiously, unable to get used to this unfamiliar situation—waiting for a man on the ground floor of a hotel.
Unused to the way he treated people, making them wait when they wanted to see him.
Even without meeting the Duke of Battenberg, she felt she already knew him. He was aristocratic, authoritative, and arrogant. The thought that he could be the same person as ‘River Ross’ was simply absurd.
The ‘River Ross’ who casually wore commoners’ shirts and pruned rose branches in the garden was the same person as the ‘Duke of Battenberg’? Vanessa swallowed a hollow laugh. She didn't want to judge hastily, but if it were true, then the man she thought she knew didn't exist at all.
Maybe it really was a misunderstanding. Those luxury goods could have been a gift to River Ross from the Duke.
Her mind whispered a convenient escape. Leave now. Pretend you don’t know anything. Trust the man you resolved to love. The more she thought about it, the more appealing the option seemed. Did she really need to tear this entire relationship apart with her own hands?
She bit her lip until she tasted blood. Perhaps she had been anxious all along. What if, in response to the message sent to the Duke, you really do appear, River Ross…
“Vanessa.”
She had squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of approaching footsteps, and then she heard it. A soft voice. It sounded utterly unfamiliar yet intimately familiar at the same time—smooth as satin, yet deep and dark like a midnight wave.
She opened her tear-brimmed eyes. And she faced him with a clear, almost unbelievable smile.
“River Ross.”
At her words, the man’s eyes, which had widened in brief surprise, began to sparkle with the color of the deep sea. Just as wonderfully as the day they had first met.
Demons don't appear with black wings and horns; they come disguised as every moment you have ever desired. If so, then the man before her was the most dangerous and wicked being in the world.