A Letter (3)

Meanwhile, in a separate room, Rheannon tried to figure out the letter from Chas.

The first part of his letter was casual, but as soon as he entered the second paragraph, Rheannon was wary. The entire content left questions and doubts in her mind. So Rheannon burned the letter from Chas later.

Now Rheannon would just shut up after reading Chas's letter?

I'm curious about Uncle's letter to Desmond, Rheannon thought over dinner.

She noticed how Desmond's expression was. The boy was acting normal. Desmond remains cheerful and calm. He didn't seem bothered at all by the first letter he got this morning.

"I've written a reply to Duke Colton," Desmond told him. "How do I send it?"

"Tomorrow morning, we will hand it over to the post office. Do you want to come along?" Hadrian offered.

"Yes, I want to!" Desmond replied excitedly.

It looks like just an ordinary letter, Rheannon thought.

"What about your letter?" Hadrian asked Rheannon. "Do you still need time to write the reply?"

"Yes," replied Rheannon. She was silent for a moment, then continued. "Chas asked if he could come here near Desmond's birthday."

Desmond's face immediately brightened. He looked up at Hadrian with a twinkle in his eye.

Hadrian let out a long breath. "We can send an invitation to Lord Chas if he doesn't mind."

Rheannon stared at Hadrian in disbelief. "Okay. I'll write a reply to Chas tonight."

"Don't push yourself if you're too tired."

"Then will you help me write the reply?"

"Sorry?"

So that night, Hadrian entered the room early. Rheannon had just changed clothes and the maids had not yet come out. The atmosphere between the servants and Hadrian became awkward for a moment. Everyone in the Melchoir residence knew their master had not touched his wife for various reasons. But suddenly, Hadrian, who likes to work late, entered the room early. The thoughts of the maids were all over the place.

She let out the small laugh that Rheannon was holding back as soon as she was alone with Hadrian.

"Seeing you can still laugh, looks like you're not sleepy yet," said Hadrian. He walked over to Rheannon, stood behind her, and looked at her in the mirror. "Are we going to have a long discussion?"

Rheannon smiled through the mirror at Hadrian. "It's about a letter from Chas."

"About Desmond's invitation?" Hadrian picked up the comb on the dressing table and gently brushed Rheannon's hair.

"It's more than that, really," Rheannon said. "Can Chas stay here after the party ends?"

"You're plotting my murder, aren't you?"

"Oh my, it's not like that, really."

"Well, if we invited him here, it would be fitting for Lord Chas to stay here. He is your family, which means he is my family." Hadrian ran his fingers through Rheannon's hair now. "You don't need to ask permission to go like this."

"This is your home."

"Our home."

They both met eyes through the mirror.

"Hadrian, be honest with me. You don't like Chas, do you?"

Hadrian's silence made Rheannon chuckle again.

"It's not that I hate him," Hadrian corrected, then ruffled Rheannon's hair again. "His candor sometimes makes me uncomfortable. He likes you too."

"Then, do you love me?"

"You are my wife."

"Did you develop certain feelings for me?"

Finally, Hadrian finished with Rheannon's hair. "I'm always confused about my own feelings. People say I love Princess Luciell, and I remember that I wanted Princess Luciell to look my way at any time in my life. I did a lot for her. It's just… the memory of that feeling is blurry and painful, as if it was wrong." Hadrian was silent for a while again. "There are always images of other people passing through my mind."

The other person's image Rheannon could see through Hadrian's mind. The shadow of a person in a flower field, his silver hair waving in the wind, and a warm smile.

Axelle Rexton.

Rheannon wondered why people thought Hadrian liked Luciell even though it was clear that Hadrian was more special to whom.

"But with you," Hadrian continued slowly, "the person's image becomes different. When with you, the image of that person sometimes passes, but I feel comfortable when I think of you. There's no pressure, burden, or anything like that." Hadrian played with Rheannon's hair. "Can that be called a certain feeling?"

Rheannon looked up at Hadrian. Her hand grabbed Hadrian's long hair. "No matter where you look, there doesn't seem to be… anyone who can replace Axelle's place in your heart."

"Wait." Hadrian stopped Rheannon's hand from playing with his hair. "How did you know that the person I was referring to was Prince Axelle?" Rheannon just smiled at that. "Rheannon, how many times do I have to tell you not to read my mind?"

"Oh, Your Grace. Any sane person would notice that you're more special to Axelle," Rheannon said. "Uncle, Chas, maybe even Desmond knows that too."

Hadrian looked at him in disbelief. "Never mind, I first prepared an invitation for Lord Chas. What else would he need besides an invitation and a room here?" he asked, then moved away.

"My dear, why did you dodge like that?" Rheannon called teasingly.

"So that this matter will be over soon and you can sleep quickly."

"Geez, I'm not sleepy yet, really."

Hadrian ignored her, while Rheannon just laughed.

Was Rheannon jealous? Of course not. He had no time to be jealous.

The important thing now was that he got an invitation for Chas.