Chapter 44: The Resolution

It was too close to escape. Fiene instinctively closed her eyes, and a gust of wind blew through.

“What are you doing to Fiene?!”

When Fiene cautiously opened her eyes, she saw that Noah had grabbed Muge’s arm.

Immediately, three attendants rushed in and restrained Muge.

It seemed everyone had been watching over Fiene out of concern.

Muge looked at Noah in shock.

“Fiene, who is this man?” She asked, genuinely puzzled.

“This is His Grace, Duke Noah Stein. He’s a wonderful person.”

“You’re lying! There’s no way he looks this handsome. Oh, I get it, Fiene; you’ve become this man’s mistress, right? The so-called ‘eccentric duke’ can’t possibly have such a beautiful face! He’s probably the son of some big merchant. You shameless woman!”

Muge’s face turned red with anger as she berated Fiene.

“No, that’s not true. Sister, don’t say such horrible things. That was just a rumor. Noah is an amazing person. I’m living a happy life that’s more than I deserve.”

The commotion outside grew louder, and the military police entered. It seemed Fernan had called them.

Muge was immediately arrested on charges of attempted assault.

As she was dragged away by the officers, she screamed and cursed at Fiene. Fiene, watching her sister being taken away, collapsed in shock.

“Fiene, are you hurt?” Noah hugged her tightly.

“I thought I hated her so much. I wanted to get back at her so badly, but now…”

She felt pity for Muge. She didn’t understand why. Tears flowed uncontrollably.

She had thought Muge was a much stronger person, like an insurmountable wall.

“The scar on her face is probably from when she was caught in the magic surge. I’ll look into your family’s whereabouts, but for now, let’s go home.”

Noah supported Fiene as they left the site of her former home.

◇

In three days, Fiene had calmed down.

During that time, Noah was sometimes by her side, while other times Lizzie or Fernan supported her. Noah was busy with the trial and the upcoming announcement of the real elixir.

One day, as Fiene was having tea in the salon of the mansion in the royal capital, Noah entered.

“Fiene, this is a letter addressed to you from Hausen.”

Noah handed it to her.

“How are my father and mother doing? It seems they never considered me family,” Fiene said quietly.

No one had informed her of their whereabouts.

“Your parents are working as commoners in a neighboring country. They probably don’t have a place in this country anymore. They seem to be struggling, working for others.”

“What?”

Fiene looked at Noah in surprise.

“And Rolf, he worked with your parents for a while but eventually ran away. Whether he died on the streets or fell into ruin, I don’t know. He was quite shocked that he couldn’t inherit the title.”

“That’s typical of my brother.”

Perhaps being a noble was his only pride. Despite not being able to forgive him, she felt a pang of pity.

“Your sister is in a sanatorium in this country.”

“What?”

“She was in a terrible facility, but I’ve had her moved to a better one. Was that unnecessary?”

Fiene shook her head.

“No, thank you. Does Maggie have any scars on her face?”

She was grateful for Noah’s actions and worried about Maggie’s fate.

“The one at the center of the explosion is uninjured.”

“That’s good…”

Noah frowned slightly at Fiene’s reaction.

“Fiene, just so you know, I have no intention of taking her in. Don’t let misplaced sympathy sway you. Once someone has betrayed you, they’ll do it again and again.

Soon, I will arrange for a treatment for her magical power excess syndrome and send her to your parents. That will be the end of your relationship with your former family. In fact, it ended long ago. None of them ever cared for you, even when you were bedridden with a severe illness.”

Noah spoke firmly. For some reason, he seemed angrier than Fiene.

“Hehe, that’s right. I was abandoned at the doorstep of your house, wasn’t I?”

Though she had once been furious, now Fiene felt only emptiness.

“And as for Muge, she will soon be exiled.”

“What?”

“Your old home now belongs to someone else. Muge has repeatedly trespassed there, selling off the furniture and decorations. She’s angered the current owner.”

“So my sister has fallen that far,” Fiene said, her chest tightening with pain as she looked down.

At the same time, her eyes fell on the letter from her father in her lap. She was afraid to read it. It would probably contain indifferent words or excuses.

But with Noah by her side, she felt she had to face her family and sever ties. Using a letter opener, Fiene slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter.

—

“Fiene, I’m sorry. Our family is about to fall. This is the result of our actions, and we must accept it.

I didn’t know about your limited lifespan until Dr. Wymain told me, as Rolf and Muge kept it secret. Rolf confessed about the binding magic.

Fiene, please believe this one thing. If I had known, I wouldn’t have sent you to the frontier.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t properly love you, even though your appearance wasn’t your fault.

I just pray for your peaceful end.”

—

The letter was short and hastily written.

Noah gently rubbed Fiene’s back, sensing her silence.

“I don’t know when they learned about my limited lifespan, but in the end, no one came to get me. Being abandoned didn’t change, and they never truly loved me. The only solace is the apology and the wish for a peaceful end.”

Fiene said this with a small smile.

“You did nothing wrong.”

Noah gently took Fiene’s hand.

“Noah-sama, I once yearned for my family’s love. I worked hard to gain their approval. But now, I no longer need their love. Why is that…?”

Fiene murmured, and Noah grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer.

“Fiene, do you not need my love either?”

“What?”

Fiene looked at Noah in surprise.

“It goes without saying, but I love you.”

Noah said the words Fiene had longed to hear.

“Of course, I wanted to hear that. I love you too, Noah-sama.”

“Then, will you marry me?”

Noah’s straightforward proposal shook Fiene’s heart. She couldn’t be happier, and tears flowed suddenly.

However, thinking of his future, she hesitated and looked down.

“My family deceived you. And I pretended to be under the binding magic, not telling my parents about my six-month prognosis.

At that time, I didn’t have the strength to resist my brother and sister. I might have been scared of clinging to my parents and being told to go away.

So, I’m just as guilty. Noah-sama, you’ve achieved success, but the Hausen name will drag you down.”

Fiene wiped her tears and looked up at Noah.

“Fiene, I’m glad I was deceived. It may have been a misfortune for you, but I’m grateful for this encounter. Come to me just as Fiene, no pretenses.”

Noah’s words touched her heart, and her feelings for him overflowed.

Looking back, he had accepted everything about Fiene selflessly from the moment they met.

“Noah-sama, I love you.”

Fiene held onto him tightly. In response, Noah embraced her.

“Fiene, we’ll be together forever.”

One month later, Jurgen was found guilty and sentenced to indefinite forced labor.

Noah Stein, thanks to the development of the elixir, achieved splendid success and was once again awarded honors.