The moment they stepped into the garden, Digory appeared as if he had been lying in wait.
‘Does this man truly not know the meaning of giving up?’
Lowell had felt an ominous chill during their first encounter, but by now, he was just plain annoyed.
‘Unless he’s trying to make an enemy of Felix by picking a fight with me, this behavior is hard to understand.’
If the man had eyes and ears, he should have realized that Lowell and Felix were not the type of nobles who lacked integrity or tolerated infidelity.
In high society, it was a silent rule to leave such couples alone—not out of morality, but out of the pragmatic conclusion that there was nothing to gain by provoking them.
Furthermore, the moment anyone even looked like they were hovering around Lowell, Felix’s eyes would flash like an angry hound’s.
Anyone with a shred of instinct would know to back away.
The sole exception was the man before him. Lowell wondered what kind of “connection” they could have possibly had for Digory to persist so dangerously, but he shook the thought away.
He was a man who valued domestic peace far more than idle curiosity.
“I didn’t expect to see you again. I apologize if we’re interrupting your walk.”
It was a polite way of saying he hadn’t wanted a reunion and that Digory should be on his way.
There was no way Digory missed the subtext, yet he didn’t budge.
“He’s quite adorable.”
Digory actually knelt down to get a look at Edwin.
Just as Lowell was about to pull the shy child behind him, Edwin stepped forward, holding Lowell’s hand and standing protectively in front of him—exactly like Felix.
Seeing the child, who looked just like Felix, mimic his father’s protective stance nearly made Lowell burst into laughter, but he managed to suppress it given the gravity of the situation.
“I am Edwin Lucas.”
The boy was clearly straining to speak clearly and formally.
Lowell felt a surge of pride at Edwin’s brave front, but he also worried the child might be feeling too much pressure.
‘Did he sense that I dislike this person?’
Realizing the boy was likely reacting to his own discomfort, Lowell decided to cut Digory off without any more dancing around.
Even if he didn’t want to make an enemy, there was no reason to endure this excessively.
“Forgive my bluntness, but I truly have no memory of you, Lord Digory. Even if I did, I have no desire to socialize. I hope we won’t have to engage in such private conversations again.”
“Oh, dear.”
At Lowell’s borderline-rude finality, Digory merely shrugged with a look of feigned bewilderment.
Lowell fought the urge to grimace.
‘Once you dislike someone, even their smallest gestures become eyesores.’
Just as Lowell tried to brush past him, regretting having come out at all, the silent Digory spoke up.
“Even if you’ve forgotten me, surely you haven’t forgotten the fact that I was your fiancé?”
“Pardon?”
Lowell’s steps came to a dead halt.
It was a claim so outside any possibility he had considered that he couldn’t help but be shocked.
“It wasn’t a grand engagement ceremony or anything, but didn’t our parents exchange words when we were young? We saw each other quite often, so it hurts that you’ve forgotten.”
Sensing Lowell’s emotional agitation, Digory poured out his words like he’d been waiting for the opening.
This time, it was Lowell who was driven into a corner.
‘If there was a fiancé, someone should have told me!’
After venting silent frustration toward the original Lowell—with whom he could no longer speak—Lowell took a deep breath.
Since there had been no mention of a fiancé when his marriage to Felix was being discussed, he concluded it must have been an old arrangement that never materialized or simply wasn’t that important.
“It was just words exchanged in our youth. It must not have been very important to me, as I don’t even recall who it was with.”
“Then I suppose it remains a fond memory for only me.”
“It would seem so.”
Lowell figured Digory might be exaggerating, but he wasn’t likely lying entirely.
There was no reason to tell a lie that could be easily debunked, and the man wasn’t claiming they had been deeply involved.
‘The engagement probably fell through because the Tian family distanced themselves from the noble faction during their political maneuvering. Not that the man in front of me seems to have much talent for such politics.’
Having made his harsh assessment, Lowell decided he’d done enough and prepared to leave.
The knights, sensing the mood, moved in to ensure Digory couldn’t get any closer.
“You seem very different from back then, Lowell. I found that so intriguing that I simply wanted to use our past connection to have a deeper conversation.”
When Lowell looked back, Digory’s eyes were glistening with an intensity unlike before.
It wasn’t the gaze of a man feeling lust; it was a look of genuine madness.
Even Lowell, whose nerves had been hardened by everything he’d been through, felt a shiver run down his spine.
“Papa.”
Thankfully, Edwin tugged at his hand, urging him to go.
Shaking off the unpleasant feeling, Lowell decided to deliver one final blow.
“People change. This is a large banquet; I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other people to talk to.”
With that, Lowell walked away with long strides, never looking back.
He had barely started his walk, and already he felt drained.
“Papa, what’s a fyan—fiancée? What is it?”
Edwin, who had been quietly listening, asked with genuine curiosity.
‘What do I even say to that?’
Lowell, who usually tried his best to answer the child’s questions sincerely, was stumped.
He had told Edwin that marriage was a lifelong promise between people who love each other, like Papa and Your Highness.
Edwin had loved that explanation so much he’d spent days explaining marriage to everyone in the castle.
‘Mawwiage… no, marriage is for people who love each other. But you know what? I can’t marry Papa or His Highness. They married each other first, and you can only marry one person.’
It was impossible to tell a child with such a logic-driven (if slightly skewed) view of marriage that there had once been someone else promised to him.
Lowell decided a small white lie was better than shocking the boy.
“It’s… a promise to be very good friends.”
“Papa… so, are you good friends with that person?”
Edwin asked with his lips pouted like a little beak.
It was clear he would be upset if the answer was yes.
Lowell had no intention of affirming that.
“No. That person is remembering it wrong.”
“Why? Why does he remember wrong?”
“I don’t know. Some people are just like that. When that happens, you just say you don’t know, like Papa did.”
The boy’s eyes were narrow and sharp with irritation.
Lowell was secretly surprised, as he’d never seen Edwin like this.
‘Is it just me, or is he stomping his feet harder than usual while walking?’
Lowell watched Edwin follow him in silence for a while.
Fortunately for Lowell, the child’s patience didn’t last long.
“Um… you know…”
Edwin called out in a hesitant, tiny voice.
Lowell, who had been waiting for the boy to speak his mind, knelt down to match his eye level.
“Yes? You can whisper it in my ear if it’s a secret.”
“I… I don’t like it. I don’t like Papa being with that person…”
