Was it because of the sudden touch of his lips?
Or perhaps it was thanks to his gentle comfort.
Unconsciously, Iona’s tears stopped.
After blinking once, her blurry vision became clearer than before.
Only then did her rationality seem to return as well.
Iona lowered her gaze, overwhelmed by a sense of embarrassment.
Her long eyelashes quivered.
“I apologize for raising my voice.”
“There’s a lot to apologize for, isn’t there?”
“It’s a past I didn’t want to reveal... I think I got overly defensive. I want to apologize.”“What I meant was, don’t apologize for what you just said.”
At Leroy’s restraint, Iona finally closed her mouth.
However, she still felt there were many things to apologize to him for.
He was someone who could easily meet a woman better than herself.
Even though they had redefined the nature of this marriage from revenge to a transaction, she still couldn’t change the fact that she was an inferior bride compared to him.
Iona had struggled all this time to hide that fact.
Did her disagreement show outwardly?
Perhaps sensing that the conversation was going to get long, Leroy took her hand and led her inside.
Leroy sat Iona on the sofa and poured water into a nearby glass.
Offering it to her, he said, “Drink this.”
Though she wasn’t particularly thirsty, Iona quietly accepted the glass he handed her.
She certainly needed to calm her emotions right now.
After confirming she drank the water, Leroy placed the bottle back on the table.
He stared intently at her face for a long time, then only after she emptied the glass did he finally ask the question he had been holding back.
“Do you want to be alone?”
“...No.”
“Do you want me to be quiet and keep my mouth shut?”
“If you have something to say, please go ahead.”
“Then let me ask you one thing.”
Although he started to speak, Leroy’s mouth remained reluctant to open.
Despite having many things he wanted to say or ask Iona, the number of topics he could actually bring up was limited.
Iona seemed to harbor a significant aversion to discussing her past.
Leroy decided to first address the immediate issue they faced.
He asked in a calm voice, “Would transferring this family to me be an act of revenge for you?”
When Iona had guided him through the mansion today, behaving as if she was about to hand over the estate to him, Leroy had been inwardly taken aback.
It was because, in recent times, Leroy had half-forgotten the promise they had initially made.
While the shockingly generous terms had initially caught his interest, the closer he got to her, the more Leroy found himself focusing on Iona as a person.
Leroy now wanted to marry her regardless of those material benefits.
Thus, he intended to leave the spoils of victory entirely to her, believing that she, not he, deserved to be the true owner of this family.
However, the price she had agreed to pay seemed to hold more significance than mere money.
“Taking away everything that someone holds dear would certainly be a fitting revenge. Is that why you proposed this deal to me?” he asked.
“No, it’s more like...” Iona trailed off, lost in thought.
It would be a lie to say she hadn’t considered such calculations when she decided to hand over the Modrov name to someone else.
But that wasn’t Iona’s fundamental goal.
After a brief hesitation, Iona spoke honestly.
“That estate held little meaning for me, and if giving it up meant I could marry you, then I wanted to do so.”
“Why does that estate hold no meaning for you?” Leroy asked without delay.
The unexpected question left Iona slightly flustered.
Why it held no meaning? There were so many reasons that she didn’t even know where to start.
Iona had never been properly recognized as a member of Modrov, nor did she want to be part of that family anymore.
She considered herself and Hayden to be practically strangers, or perhaps even less.
How could she possibly inherit Hayden’s estate?
She had only gained the right to inherit by concealing her true origins, so in reality, she had no legitimate claim to that legacy.
In her past life, she had felt a sense of victory by usurping Hayden’s position, but there was no need to repeat the same thing twice.
Iona believed there were better uses for Hayden’s wealth than keeping it for herself.
Having forced Leroy into an unwanted marriage twice, she wanted to repay her debt to him, at least financially.
“It wasn’t originally mine,” Iona answered vaguely.
She couldn’t explain the events of her past life to Leroy, so naturally, her words were brief.
Her incomplete logic wasn’t convincing enough, and his rebuttal came quickly.
“In that case, it makes even less sense for someone like me, who isn’t part of this family, to take the title.”
“That’s... a different issue.”
“How is it different? If you don’t have a legitimate right, then I, who would inherit what you’ve relinquished, also lack the right, don’t I?”
Iona swallowed a sigh.
Finally, a more honest confession slipped from her lips.
“Your Grace, I’m an illegitimate child.”
“I know. Your sister shouted it loud enough for everyone to hear.”
Leroy responded calmly, looking at her as if it was no big deal, but objectively, this was not a matter to be taken lightly.
Iona added with a sigh.
“That means, fundamentally, it’s impossible for me to inherit the title.”
“You were formally entered into the family registry.”
“By concealing my birth.”
“If you think that way, then this marriage can’t be valid either.”
Since his words weren’t wrong, Iona found herself speechless.
This was about being the Duchess of a realm that encompassed the entire eastern empire.
What she truly wanted wasn’t the title of Duchess but the position beside Leroy, yet it was impossible to separate the two.
Even though she had pointed out her shortcomings first, Iona couldn’t help but feel hurt.
At the same time, she felt a bit wronged.
If an illegitimate child wanted to become the Duchess, wasn’t this the kind of price she had to pay?
She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly clinging to the promise they had made before.
Iona bit her lip and then asked.
“So, what do you want me to do, Your Grace?”
“I want you to stop belittling yourself by questioning your rightful place.”
Leroy spoke with a firm voice.
At his words, Iona instinctively held her breath.
Belittling herself? She had merely stated the facts as they were.
But Leroy didn’t give her time to refute and continued asking.
“Is it so wrong for a father who failed his duties to at least fulfill them through his inheritance?”
“...That’s not what’s important right now, is it? I’m just trying to fulfill the promise I made back then.”
“Thinking about that promise only reinforces that you don’t need to do this. You said you’d transfer the family to make this marriage an equal transaction. That was already established when you became the head of the family. You are now the rightful leader of a family, not just an adopted daughter.”
“...”
“And it’s not like you married a husband who can’t afford to maintain his wife’s dignity.”
Iona finally began to grasp the context of this conversation.
It was a perspective she hadn’t considered.
He was continuously telling her to keep what was hers.
There was no need to find other reasons to give it away; she was equally deserving.
“But... then there’s no reason for you to marry me, Your Grace.”
Iona’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Thinking her trembling voice might be due to tears, Leroy lifted her chin.
Even after confirming her eyes were dry, his gaze didn’t leave her for a long time.
His eyes shimmered with emotions she couldn’t discern.
Eventually, a low voice emerged from him.
“Even if you don’t realize it, I’ve already found another reason.”
--- End Of The Chapter ----
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