All the attendants had turned in for the night.
Only a small light flickered in the dark hallways of the Count's manor.
Hailey, Elena's personal maid, was walking somewhere with a lit candlestick. Her ladyship, Elena Edelweiss, was also beside her.
What are they doing this late at night one might ask. It wasn't to steal the count's valuables of course, as Duke Edelweiss was the second richest man in the North.
The two of them stopped in front of a room. They opened the door very slowly to prevent anyone from hearing the noise, and went inside.
It was a cozy windowless room, consisting only of a bookcase, a fireplace, a few cushioned chairs, and a single desk.
There was one person already seated in one of those chairs; he was Count Kraus, the one who had called them there. Standing next to him was Ken, a wrinkled old butler who gave off a kind impression, and a middle-aged maid with quite the gray hair.
"It must've been hard to navigate your way here since all the lights were off. I'm glad to see you."
"Hailey has great eyes for the dark. It also wasn't that difficult since you had explained it to us well, Count Kraus. We just had to find a room with a light leaking from the door cracks."
Truthfully speaking, Elena simply needed to find the room where she felt the strongest energy. The darkness was not a problem for her. No matter how close Count Kraus was to perfectly concealing his presence, he could not escape her senses so long as she was a transcendentalist.
"Count Kraus…sounds too formal. Just call your father-in-law, father. We're going to be family anyway."
"Yes, Father."
The two of them smiled and responded to each other.
Perhaps it was because of the count's youthful appearance, there was a sense of oddity with this picture. Hailey was the only one who minded it because she was not used to the man's appearance yet.
Joachim Edelweiss, head of House Edelweiss, was also the same age as Count Kraus. Joachim did look younger than his actual age. The count, however, looked to be a young man in his twenties. Hailey would also find it strange since the count looked exactly like Damian, her ladyship's fiancé.
Count Kraus introduced his attendants to Elena one by one.
"This is Ken, and the woman beside him is Maria. These two were the ones who raised that boy. They've been with Damian ever since he was a child, so they probably know more about him than I do."
"That is not true. He grew up on his own. All we did was stay by his side."
"I couldn't be by his side that much either. Even when he had to say his farewells to his mother."
Neither Maria nor Ken could reply to the count's self-deprecating words. He was a good father, but the count thought otherwise. He saw himself as a bad father who couldn't do much for his children.
In Elena's previous life, she heard about Count Kraus from Alphonse and Damian directly, so she was aware how they truly feel about their father.
There was nothing Elena could say to the count now, perhaps in the future she could. Her regression applied to her and her only meaning she was the only one who remembered their past.
The current Elena Edelweiss, was only here to meet her soon-to-be fiancé, an arrangement which was made under the influence of their fathers.
"Oh my, I almost showed you a disagreeable side to me. Kindly forget what happened."
Elena wondered if it was okay to offer consolatory words as a soon-to-be fiancé.
She didn't deliberate for long.
"I may have met Lord Damian for the first time today, but I don't believe he bore any resentment for his own father. I've never seen those from a noble household converse so comfortably during mealtime."
Elena wondered if she was able to provide a little bit of solace. He loosened his hardened expression, and thanked her.
"Yes. If that's how it appears in your eyes, I suppose so. Thank you for telling me. Geez, maybe it's because I'm getting old, I'm not like how I was back then."
"My father would be furious if he heard you say that considering how you look."
"Heh? Tell him to get as angry as he wants or develop a magic spell that makes him younger. The bloke keeps taking it out on the innocent. Tsk tsk. I'm glad you take after your mother instead of him, Elena. What a relief."
As soon as the count laughed, the cozy mood returned to the room.
Hailey, in particular, tried her hardest not to express how tense it had been. It felt like she could finally breathe now.
The count noticed her expression though, slightly raising the corners of his mouth to contain his laughter.
"Ahem! Why don't we get down to business then."
Count Kraus, Ken, Maria, and Elena were present. If they were to include Hailey, who stayed by Elena's side, there were five people there in the room.
There was only one reason why they gathered there, and it was to figure out how to get Damian and Elena to grow closer.
That was the sole reason why the count sent a telegram to Elena after dinner.
"Elena, from what I observed during our meal, it appears that you already have your heart set on Damian."
Elena wondered if she was that obvious to others. Her face started to burn up when a third party directly called her out.
"Yes. Um…"
She prepared several answers in advance in case the count questioned her love.
However, the count waved his hand, as if to indicate she didn't need to explain.
"No, you don't need to tell me why. There are numerous reasons as to how people fall in love even if it is their first time meeting. If you want to tell me in the future, then you may do so then. He may be my son, but he sure is lucky. A sweet and pretty lass like you is taking an interest in him yet he can't take the clue. I seriously wonder who he takes after sometimes."
"For starters, I don't believe he takes after you since your expression reveals everything."
"That's right. It's all Ken's fault. It's because of you. I shouldn't have let you near Damian when he was little. You turned Damian into a stone. How are you going to take responsibility for blocking my son's engagement?"
"Wait, how has this become my fault? The young master has always been that way."
"Nonsense! He was just like me when he was a kid. He was full of expressions!! Didn't he mature too quickly because you were so strict!?"
"Strict you say, but Count Kraus, you were the one who…."
"Anyways! Do any of you have any plans?"
No one had an immediate answer.