Thank You For The Confinement, Grand Duke! - Chapter 75.1

Enfrise said that he didn’t resemble his father at all and that his younger siblings looked exactly like their father. But looking between the two of them, I couldn’t really understand that.

“They look a lot alike.”

“….”

It was just a small comment, though for some reason, both of them stopped talking and looked at me.

‘…What’s going on? This is creepy.’

Wasn’t it usually the case that when a female lead muttered to herself, even if people could hear it, it didn’t really register in their minds? How many misunderstandings and confusions have been caused by that?

But why could they hear my words?

“Chaperil?”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean by ‘they look alike’?”

And it wasn’t even like the usual ‘…Yes’ response. They clearly heard it. I thought they wouldn’t have noticed since they were talking, but now they were both listening to me…?

Were they only paying attention to me?

Suddenly, I couldn’t help but chuckle. The image of the two of them, like rabbits, with their ears perked up towards me was amusing.

“…Ah, ahem. I just thought you both looked alike.”

“Both?”

“Enfrise and… Lord Elmare.”

For a moment, I hesitated about adding the title, but it slipped out without thinking as I spoke. Perhaps it was because of the position? Or maybe it was because, to me, Lord Elmare was more like a young master… It felt awkward.

I couldn’t speak as casually as I would with Jaha. Or maybe it was because I’ve had my suspicions about the hidden agendas?

Earlier, I called him Elmare. I wondered if that sounded strange.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

Enfrise smiled bitterly. While Elmare… was smiling with a mysterious expression, one I couldn’t quite read. Still, it seemed neither of them paid much attention to the ‘Lord Elmare’ part.

“I’m hearing it for the first time as well, but it’s a nice thing to hear.”

Enfrise slightly lowered his head at Elmare’s words. It was clear that no one had ever said something like that to him before.

“Still, to me, Enfrise is the most handsome.”

I whispered softly in Enfrise’s ear, and he chuckled before gazing at me. The angle from which he looked up at me, slightly from a diagonal, was unusual for him… it made my heart flutter. Ah, he was so beautiful.

‘He’s beautiful, cute, just the whole package. ‘

Now, I hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with pain or hardship.

“I’m envious.”

As Elmare spoke and smiled, his expression seemed almost mask-like. Perhaps that was simply what it was like to be royalty—to conceal oneself, to hide behind pleasantries, to speak in ways that made others think well of him.

“Seeing you two getting along so well, I really think I made the right decision when I spoke to my brother that day.”

“….”

That day.

This likely referred to the day the Rivette family was burned to the ground. Enfrise’s appearance had come after this man had spoken to him.

While I pretended not to understand and stared blankly at the two of them, I could feel Enfrise carefully watching my expression. Could he still be suspicious that I might have memory loss…?

What was he thinking?

“Elmare, Chaperil…”

“Oh, you lost your memory. I apologize. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

I felt a bit uncomfortable.

There was something beneath his words… he said that to confirm something about me. Enfrise’s intentions were clear, and while Elmare’s were harder to read, they were still noticeable. To be honest, this was the first time I’d seen this man, so I wasn’t sure, but…

‘…Something about this feels deeply uncomfortable.’

“It’s fine. I don’t really care.”

I smiled, trying to mask my discomfort, and grabbed Enfrise’s hand tightly.

It was the only way to steady my trembling body and keep my unease from showing on my face. I wondered how it appeared to him. Enfrise glanced between my face and the hand gripping his, then pressed his lips into a tight line.

“Rather, you should continue with what you were saying. Something about being able to leave the mansion?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that my brother has given Lady Rivette some explanation.”

“About my condition?”

Despite the fact that the explanation was about that and my name, I wonder if he intentionally didn’t mention anything about the Rivette family.

Well, it made sense. He probably didn’t want to bring up something so traumatic and cause me more stress especially when I was someone who had lost their memory due to stress.

“Yes. The forces targeting Lady Rivette are divided into three main groups: the Church, the Magic Tower, and the rebels.”

“Rebels?”

I could understand the other groups, but what about the rebels? Was there ever a setup like that?

“The late emperor, my father, was a conqueror who greatly expanded the Empire by conquering various kingdoms. A significant contribution to this was the wizards. The Empire, with its powerful wizard army, was able to defeat even the most impregnable fortresses, ones that couldn’t be breached even after days of siege, and take control of enemy territory.”

As the Empire expanded rapidly, the power of the rebels must have also grown.