But Winfred soon realized the reason. Unlike Ophelia, who always had a kind smile, Aila had an expression on her face that was completely inscrutable.
How much influence do facial expressions have on impressions?
“I, Duchess...?”
When Winfred cautiously called Ophelia, Ophelia, who had been looking out the window, smiled and turned her gaze toward Winfred. There was not a trace of the tears that had welled up.
“What is it, Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
“You said the Duchess was originally from the Republic of Tamora?”
Winfred cautiously brought up the subject. Ophelia nodded quietly, although she didn't know why the topic of her hometown was suddenly brought up.
“Then the other families... are they staying in Tamora? Or did they move to the Empire with the Duchess?”
Not only did he ask about her hometown, but he also asked about the well-being of her family, whom young Winfred had never seen before. At this point, Ophelia couldn't help but feel that his questions were very suspicious.
“My family is in Tamora. I came to the Empire alone.”
Even though she answered the suspicious questions obediently without hesitation, Winfred looked somewhat disappointed when she told him that her family was in Tamora.
“Oh, I see. So... what kind of family is the Hailing family? Do they all have silver hair like the Duchess?”
But the pause was only for a moment. Winfred's interrogation, or rather questioning, continued.
As Ophelia stared at Winfred, pondering the intent of her question, Winfred made an anxious expression. It was as if his life or death depended on Ophelia’s answer.
“...No. My silver hair is like my mother’s.”
“Ah... Then what about the Duchess’s siblings? Are you an only daughter?”
“...”
His questions were truly endless. If she answered one question, he would ask another. He was on the verge of asking how many spoons there were in her hometown.
"Your Highness."
"...yes."
When Ophelia called out in a stern voice, Winfred realized that he had been too excited and had been nagging, so he lowered his gaze.
It was the expression he made whenever he got scolded by his parents or the Duke and Duchess.
“Why are you suddenly interested in my parents’ home?”
“...”
Unlike his expression, which seemed like he would explain the reason and apologize at any moment, Winfred's mouth was stubbornly shut.
"Your Highness?"
Ophelia tilted her head and met Winfred’s eyes, who was looking at the floor. Winfred’s heart kept wavering at the sight of Ophelia like that.
Wouldn't it be okay to tell Ophelia? They've been sharing a secret for a long time that he couldn't even tell his parents.
And the thought that she might know about Aila kept making his mouth itch.
“...Actually.”
Winfred opened his mouth with difficulty. Ophelia smiled and nodded, signaling that she was listening to his story.
“I met a silver-haired girl named Hailing a while ago.”
“A girl?”
“Yes. I heard she was twelve years old.”
Ophelia was deep in thought at Winfred's answer. A twelve-year-old silver-haired girl with the surname Hailing.
'My brother's daughters have silver hair.'
Since Winfred had never been abroad, they must have met in the Peles Empire. Her nieces were all living in Tamora. Above all, they were not twelve years old.
This was because Ophelia's brother was quite old and her nieces were quite old.
“What was her name?”
Since she had no clue who the girl was, Ophelia asked Winfred for more information.
At her question, Winfred's mouth moved. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, but it seemed like his mouth wasn't opening properly.
“...Aila. Her name is Aila Hailing.”
“Just now... what did you say?”
Ophelia's face turned pale when she heard Aila's name.
“Aila. The child’s name was Aila.”
Winfred, who couldn't understand why Ophelia was saying that, said Aila's name again with a puzzled expression.
“When? Where did you meet?”
Now it was Ophelia, not Winfred, who was asking questions. Winfred answered with wide eyes and a puzzled look on his face.
“We met last time on the way to Mount Primus. We met in two places... Grunfeld and Bahaite, I think.”
He tried to keep his memories of Aila a secret from others.
Because Ophelia somehow felt like he had to answer, the answer came out smoothly without him knowing it.
Ophelia sat quietly in thought after hearing Winfred's answer.
Aila Hailing.
A silver-haired girl who was twelve years old at the time.
Time has passed since then, and her birthday passed in the fall, so she must be thirteen now, but doesn't she have too much in common with Ophelia's daughter, Ayla?
“By any chance, what color is that child’s eye...?”
“They were blue eyes. Blue eyes that shone mysteriously in the moonlight. Now that I think about it, they look a lot like the Duke of Weishaffen...”
Winfred, who was answering Ophelia's earnest question, suddenly closed his mouth.
He wondered why Ophelia was suddenly asking so urgently, but before he could even ask, he found the answer himself.
A small, oval-shaped face, small, plump lips, and silver hair that gave off a soft glow. Overall, she looked like Ophelia, with a high nose, intense eyes, and blue pupils, a girl who also resembled Roderick.
"..no way."
Could Aila be the lost Princess of the Duke of Weishaffen?
Then all the questions were resolved. The sight of Ophelia suddenly looking as if she was going to collapse, and the homework that Aila had given him.
“Could it be that Aila is... the Duchess’s daughter?”
Winfred let out the questions that had been filling his head.
Ophelia didn't answer, but Winfred could tell that what he said was true.
Ophelia had a mysterious expression on her face that made it hard to tell whether she was smiling, angry, or crying, and hot tears were flowing down her face.
“Your Excellency! Your Excellency, the Duke!”
Roderick, who had said he had urgent business to attend to but had nothing really urgent to do, was just making excuses and was just sitting in the study, looking through some papers.
He raised his head at the urgent male voice calling him, and it was Jacqueline, the knight guarding Ophelia's room.
“What's going on?”
“That’s it, His Highness the Crown Prince is looking for you urgently.”
Roderick stood up from his seat, closing the document he was reading, and asked with a somewhat confused look on his face.
“Your Highness? For what reason?”
“He just said it was a very urgent matter.”
How long has it been since he stepped aside to tell him he wanted to talk to Ophelia alone? And now he's looking for him again, on urgent business.
Since Winfred was not the type to be so temperamental, Roderick's steps as he returned to the reception room where Ophelia and Winfred were were quite hurried.
And when Roderick entered the living room, he couldn't help but be amazed by the scenery that unfolded inside the room.
Because Ophelia was crying silently, and Winfred was fidgeting, unable to do anything.
“That, that... I didn’t make her cry on purpose...”
His wife had a scared look on her face, knowing that Roderick was a terrible person, and she was afraid that he might get in trouble.
“What happened?”
Before he left the room, Ophelia clearly looked delighted to have such a welcome guest after such a long time.
Although she had been shedding tears a lot lately due to various things going on, Ophelia was not the type of person to break down like this in front of young Winfred.
“...”
Winfred looked embarrassed as if he didn't know where to start explaining, and kept gasping for breath as if he was about to open his mouth.
“Roderick, Aila, our Aila...”
Aila? When the name of his lost daughter was suddenly mentioned, Roderick sat down next to Ophelia with a very serious expression. It was as if he was embracing his crying wife.
Ophelia had difficulty speaking and could only sob.
She believed that Aila must be alive somewhere. She guessed it was a mother's intuition.
Clearly, Aila was alive somewhere. No matter how far away she was, Ophelia could feel her daughter.
But contrary to her clear feeling, there was no report of her missing daughter. But she had just heard from Winfred that Aila was alive.
When Ophelia was unable to continue speaking, Roderick looked at Winfred, demanding an explanation. Winfred sighed deeply and repeated what he had said to Ophelia.
“...Grunfeld and Bahaite?”
Roderick frowned slightly. Both Grunfeld and Bahaite were major cities in the western part of the Empire. It was hard to believe that he had seen Ayla in such a large city.
Meanwhile, Roderick had been searching for Byron, who had plotted a rebellion and disappeared to track down Aila. There was no physical evidence that Aila's disappearance was related to Byron, but the suspicion was that it was.
Because the day the nanny disappeared with the child while the parents were away was the morning after Byron had failed to assassinate the late Emperor.
Byron believed that it was Roderick's fault that his father had chosen his younger brother, Hiram, to be Crown Prince instead of him.
It was thought that he had advised the late Emperor to appoint Hiram as Crown Prince out of resentment for the love triangle he had with Ophelia.
And the Byron he knew was someone who would not have been surprised if he had kidnapped his daughter as revenge.
But Byron's idea was a ridiculous misunderstanding.
How much influence do facial expressions have on impressions?
“I, Duchess...?”
When Winfred cautiously called Ophelia, Ophelia, who had been looking out the window, smiled and turned her gaze toward Winfred. There was not a trace of the tears that had welled up.
“What is it, Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
“You said the Duchess was originally from the Republic of Tamora?”
Winfred cautiously brought up the subject. Ophelia nodded quietly, although she didn't know why the topic of her hometown was suddenly brought up.
“Then the other families... are they staying in Tamora? Or did they move to the Empire with the Duchess?”
Not only did he ask about her hometown, but he also asked about the well-being of her family, whom young Winfred had never seen before. At this point, Ophelia couldn't help but feel that his questions were very suspicious.
“My family is in Tamora. I came to the Empire alone.”
Even though she answered the suspicious questions obediently without hesitation, Winfred looked somewhat disappointed when she told him that her family was in Tamora.
“Oh, I see. So... what kind of family is the Hailing family? Do they all have silver hair like the Duchess?”
But the pause was only for a moment. Winfred's interrogation, or rather questioning, continued.
As Ophelia stared at Winfred, pondering the intent of her question, Winfred made an anxious expression. It was as if his life or death depended on Ophelia’s answer.
“...No. My silver hair is like my mother’s.”
“Ah... Then what about the Duchess’s siblings? Are you an only daughter?”
“...”
His questions were truly endless. If she answered one question, he would ask another. He was on the verge of asking how many spoons there were in her hometown.
"Your Highness."
"...yes."
When Ophelia called out in a stern voice, Winfred realized that he had been too excited and had been nagging, so he lowered his gaze.
It was the expression he made whenever he got scolded by his parents or the Duke and Duchess.
“Why are you suddenly interested in my parents’ home?”
“...”
Unlike his expression, which seemed like he would explain the reason and apologize at any moment, Winfred's mouth was stubbornly shut.
"Your Highness?"
Ophelia tilted her head and met Winfred’s eyes, who was looking at the floor. Winfred’s heart kept wavering at the sight of Ophelia like that.
Wouldn't it be okay to tell Ophelia? They've been sharing a secret for a long time that he couldn't even tell his parents.
And the thought that she might know about Aila kept making his mouth itch.
“...Actually.”
Winfred opened his mouth with difficulty. Ophelia smiled and nodded, signaling that she was listening to his story.
“I met a silver-haired girl named Hailing a while ago.”
“A girl?”
“Yes. I heard she was twelve years old.”
Ophelia was deep in thought at Winfred's answer. A twelve-year-old silver-haired girl with the surname Hailing.
'My brother's daughters have silver hair.'
Since Winfred had never been abroad, they must have met in the Peles Empire. Her nieces were all living in Tamora. Above all, they were not twelve years old.
This was because Ophelia's brother was quite old and her nieces were quite old.
“What was her name?”
Since she had no clue who the girl was, Ophelia asked Winfred for more information.
At her question, Winfred's mouth moved. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, but it seemed like his mouth wasn't opening properly.
“...Aila. Her name is Aila Hailing.”
“Just now... what did you say?”
Ophelia's face turned pale when she heard Aila's name.
“Aila. The child’s name was Aila.”
Winfred, who couldn't understand why Ophelia was saying that, said Aila's name again with a puzzled expression.
“When? Where did you meet?”
Now it was Ophelia, not Winfred, who was asking questions. Winfred answered with wide eyes and a puzzled look on his face.
“We met last time on the way to Mount Primus. We met in two places... Grunfeld and Bahaite, I think.”
He tried to keep his memories of Aila a secret from others.
Because Ophelia somehow felt like he had to answer, the answer came out smoothly without him knowing it.
Ophelia sat quietly in thought after hearing Winfred's answer.
Aila Hailing.
A silver-haired girl who was twelve years old at the time.
Time has passed since then, and her birthday passed in the fall, so she must be thirteen now, but doesn't she have too much in common with Ophelia's daughter, Ayla?
“By any chance, what color is that child’s eye...?”
“They were blue eyes. Blue eyes that shone mysteriously in the moonlight. Now that I think about it, they look a lot like the Duke of Weishaffen...”
Winfred, who was answering Ophelia's earnest question, suddenly closed his mouth.
He wondered why Ophelia was suddenly asking so urgently, but before he could even ask, he found the answer himself.
A small, oval-shaped face, small, plump lips, and silver hair that gave off a soft glow. Overall, she looked like Ophelia, with a high nose, intense eyes, and blue pupils, a girl who also resembled Roderick.
"..no way."
Could Aila be the lost Princess of the Duke of Weishaffen?
Then all the questions were resolved. The sight of Ophelia suddenly looking as if she was going to collapse, and the homework that Aila had given him.
“Could it be that Aila is... the Duchess’s daughter?”
Winfred let out the questions that had been filling his head.
Ophelia didn't answer, but Winfred could tell that what he said was true.
Ophelia had a mysterious expression on her face that made it hard to tell whether she was smiling, angry, or crying, and hot tears were flowing down her face.
***
“Your Excellency! Your Excellency, the Duke!”
Roderick, who had said he had urgent business to attend to but had nothing really urgent to do, was just making excuses and was just sitting in the study, looking through some papers.
He raised his head at the urgent male voice calling him, and it was Jacqueline, the knight guarding Ophelia's room.
“What's going on?”
“That’s it, His Highness the Crown Prince is looking for you urgently.”
Roderick stood up from his seat, closing the document he was reading, and asked with a somewhat confused look on his face.
“Your Highness? For what reason?”
“He just said it was a very urgent matter.”
How long has it been since he stepped aside to tell him he wanted to talk to Ophelia alone? And now he's looking for him again, on urgent business.
Since Winfred was not the type to be so temperamental, Roderick's steps as he returned to the reception room where Ophelia and Winfred were were quite hurried.
And when Roderick entered the living room, he couldn't help but be amazed by the scenery that unfolded inside the room.
Because Ophelia was crying silently, and Winfred was fidgeting, unable to do anything.
“That, that... I didn’t make her cry on purpose...”
His wife had a scared look on her face, knowing that Roderick was a terrible person, and she was afraid that he might get in trouble.
“What happened?”
Before he left the room, Ophelia clearly looked delighted to have such a welcome guest after such a long time.
Although she had been shedding tears a lot lately due to various things going on, Ophelia was not the type of person to break down like this in front of young Winfred.
“...”
Winfred looked embarrassed as if he didn't know where to start explaining, and kept gasping for breath as if he was about to open his mouth.
“Roderick, Aila, our Aila...”
Aila? When the name of his lost daughter was suddenly mentioned, Roderick sat down next to Ophelia with a very serious expression. It was as if he was embracing his crying wife.
Ophelia had difficulty speaking and could only sob.
She believed that Aila must be alive somewhere. She guessed it was a mother's intuition.
Clearly, Aila was alive somewhere. No matter how far away she was, Ophelia could feel her daughter.
But contrary to her clear feeling, there was no report of her missing daughter. But she had just heard from Winfred that Aila was alive.
When Ophelia was unable to continue speaking, Roderick looked at Winfred, demanding an explanation. Winfred sighed deeply and repeated what he had said to Ophelia.
“...Grunfeld and Bahaite?”
Roderick frowned slightly. Both Grunfeld and Bahaite were major cities in the western part of the Empire. It was hard to believe that he had seen Ayla in such a large city.
Meanwhile, Roderick had been searching for Byron, who had plotted a rebellion and disappeared to track down Aila. There was no physical evidence that Aila's disappearance was related to Byron, but the suspicion was that it was.
Because the day the nanny disappeared with the child while the parents were away was the morning after Byron had failed to assassinate the late Emperor.
Byron believed that it was Roderick's fault that his father had chosen his younger brother, Hiram, to be Crown Prince instead of him.
It was thought that he had advised the late Emperor to appoint Hiram as Crown Prince out of resentment for the love triangle he had with Ophelia.
And the Byron he knew was someone who would not have been surprised if he had kidnapped his daughter as revenge.
But Byron's idea was a ridiculous misunderstanding.
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