Chapter 236

Richard suddenly halted in place, slowly turning back to look.

Iona wasn’t even sparing him a glance.

From the beginning, the child had never expected help from anyone else.

As if misfortune had become so familiar to her that she’d accepted it as part of her very nature.

“Everyone, step out for a moment.”

The maids obeyed Richard’s command without question, quietly leaving the room.

After a brief glance around the now-silent chamber, Richard walked toward Iona.

A half-wrapped piece of cotton cloth was dangling awkwardly beneath her arm.

Sitting down in front of her, Richard gently unwrapped it again.

Beneath, the exposed skin revealed long scratch marks— no doubt inflicted by her younger sister, Yvonne.

“That’s a rather weak excuse.”

“……”

“In moments like this, you should say some kids picked a fight with you.”

Iona simply gave a small nod, as if silently promising to do so next time.

A quiet chuckle escaped Richard at her reaction.

“Aren’t you angry?”

“About what?”

Iona asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Richard gripped her arm a bit tighter.

She winced slightly at the pain, her brow furrowing, but she didn’t pull away or try to stop him.

He asked her,

“Aren’t you resentful of your real parents? You’re in that house because they abandoned you.”

Gazing intently into her eyes, Richard tried to read her.

He wondered if she knew anything about her birth parents.

Even though he was certain that Count Modrov wouldn’t have revealed his own disgraceful actions, he asked anyway.

Then, all at once, Richard realized something:

The reason he hadn’t allowed himself to grow attached to this child…

was because he didn’t want to face the shame within himself.

He had taken in Iona in hopes of replacing Teresa, but at the same time, he had wanted to avoid the remorse he owed to Teresa.

Just like how he had tried to remain a “good family” to her while avoiding the truth.

“To me, they’re no different than strangers,” Iona said.

“…Have you never missed them?”

“Not even once.”

Her voice was completely devoid of emotion, flat and firm.

To this child, the concept of “parents” meant nothing.

And even if it meant anything at all, it would be nothing but the bitter contempt she felt for the bloodline that had discarded her.

That realization gave Richard an odd sense of liberation.

Staring at her, he murmured,

“You’re completely alone, aren’t you?”

“…Is that such a bad thing?”

A smile, tinged with joy, began to rise on Richard’s lips.

For the first time, he spoke gently—comforting her.

“No… You’re a strong person. To be honest, family can be one of the most meaningless things in life.”

Which meant… from now on, neither of them would have any weaknesses left to be used against them.

Even though she probably didn’t fully understand his words, Iona nodded obediently. That was enough.

Richard no longer needed to feel guilty about past mistakes, no longer needed to live in fear of being exposed or anxiously watching over his shoulder.

With this blank-slate child who knew nothing… he could start over.

And this time—he would not fail.

From that day on, Richard began spending much more time with Iona, slowly building a relationship with care.

Even when it wasn’t necessary, he kept her by his side, declaring himself a friend to the much younger girl.

When she was beaten badly by her father, he told her to think of him as her real family instead.

Calling her “Noona” Richard basked in a peace that asked nothing in return.

In the end, he had created the picture that Teresa had once longed for—and that he had once dreamed of.

And somewhere along the way, Iona had become someone irreplaceable to him.

Iona was a part of Richard, and Richard was her everything.

Even that imbalance in their bond—he accepted it willingly.

Those few years were the most peaceful and happiest in Richard’s life…

Until the pressure began—urging him to marry a noblewoman and secure his future.

***

“Honestly, both His Highness and I may be a little late to the game. Families of this caliber usually decide on matches well before their children come of age.”

Richard nodded without interest, his face betraying no emotion.

Now more a young man than a boy, he kept his gaze fixed on the elaborate hairstyle that sat perched atop the woman’s head like some sort of circus act.

That ridiculous hairdo was the only thing that had caught his attention about the woman sitting across from him.

Every time Richard glanced her way, the woman would blush and launch into serious arguments about why the two of them were destined to be together.

“Come to think of it, perhaps my parents and Her Majesty the Empress were truly farsighted. Who would’ve thought I’d end up forming such a wonderful bond with the prince…”

“It’s just a plan for now. Nothing’s been decided yet.”

Richard cut her off mid-sentence, a polite smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

She was the noble daughter of some prestigious family—his fifth arranged match to date.

Unfortunately, the woman seemed convinced she was the first and only one.

As she blinked in confusion at the sudden rejection, Richard stood from his seat.

Startled, the woman reached out and grabbed at his sleeve.

It was a discourteous gesture, one she would never have made under normal circumstances. But she was too flustered, and her composure had slipped.

“W-Where are you going?”

“Just stepping out for a moment.”

Richard replied gently as he removed her hand from his sleeve.

He left the room and headed toward the nearest washroom.

The moment he stepped into the corridor, Iona fell into step behind him and followed him right inside without hesitation.

Richard hadn’t actually needed to use the bathroom, but the boldness of her actions made him let out a short laugh.

“Isn’t tailing me all the way to the restroom a bit much?”

He spoke to her through the mirror as he turned on the faucet.

Iona responded in her usual calm, expressionless tone.

“My apologies. Orders from above are to stay by Your Highness’s side until the scheduled time is up.”

“Aren’t I your superior?”

“It’s a direct order from the commander.”

“Ever since Dame Saskia became commander, your work ethic seems to have taken a hit.”

“If that’s how it seemed, I’ll make sure to correct it.”

Iona bowed and offered her explanation, her tone unchanged.

“It came from higher up. The commander said even she couldn’t do much about it. She asked for your understanding as well.”

Most likely, that “higher up” was the Empress herself—who had arranged this whole matchmaking affair.

Richard turned off the water and began drying his hands with a towel.

His dismissive attitude toward the meetings wasn’t because he had no desire to marry.

He understood better than anyone that before inheriting the throne, he would need to secure his position by allying with a powerful noble family.

It was just that every part of the process felt utterly exhausting to him.

Political marriages were typically devoid of emotion. But for a man considered the most handsome in the kingdom, things were different.

Every time he saw the starry-eyed looks from women as if they were hoping for a fairytale romance, he couldn’t help but feel irritated.

Richard smirked briefly before turning back toward Iona, who stood silently near the wall.

He stared at her unreadable expression and suddenly said,

“You’ve grown a lot.”

Several years had passed since Iona first came to the palace.

Back then, she’d looked like a scrawny stray cat. But now she had grown tall, almost willowy in stature.

It was enough to cause others to sometimes overestimate her age.

‘She’s just grown into what her real age should’ve been, thanks to eating properly.’

Officially, there was a six-year age gap between Richard and Iona.

In reality, the difference was only four.

That discrepancy existed because the Count had deliberately lied about Iona’s birth year to avoid suspicion.

Only Richard and Hayden knew her true age.

Perhaps that was why, to Richard, her face—praised by others as mature for her age—looked a little different.

“I should just marry my Noona instead, shouldn’t I?”

-- End Of The Chapter --

 

[ TN: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read 5 chapters ahead of the release: https://www.patreon.com/YourNoona

 

Join our Discord server for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]