- Oh, yes. How is Miss Cecilia, who studies with you at the academy, doing?
As soon as his father finished speaking, Gilbert smiled warmly and started talking about the hated woman.
- Is she still chasing you? Such constant affection. You should treat her well. Where else can you find someone so dedicated? I heard that she even turned down several offers from men with confirmed titles for your sake.
He spoke while carefully watching Ilex's expression, as if worried that the prized stallion would try to escape, or perhaps suspecting that Ilex had other intentions.
After making sure that there was no unusual expression on Ilex's face - a face that knew better than to move from its place on the chessboard, Gilbert addressed his father in a soft voice.
- Father, how is the cooperation between the steel company and the Claytons now?
- Nothing short of impressive! Just yesterday new investors...
While father and son, their voices full of excitement, continued their animated conversation, Ilex looked coldly to the side.
His mother, Seraphina Davenport, sipped her wine, her expression blank. Around her neck, covered by her reddish-brown hair, were red marks that looked like they were made just yesterday.
As far as he knew, neither his mother nor his father had appeared at the mansion last night.
The idea that they could spend the night together was simply delusional and certainly had no basis in fact.
In a family where everyone is lost in their own thoughts, why would they even support such a breakfast tradition?
Sticking with the same original thought, Ilex again ridiculed his father, who tried to maintain an empty semblance of dignity.
However, there was a faint hint of strength in the hand with which he took the cutlery.
Only Serafina, sitting next to her youngest son, noticed the tension, but even this glance was fleeting, and she no longer paid attention to it.
***
“Let’s see... This one is similar to the one I bought before...”
In a used bookstore on the outskirts of the capital, Tilia stood on tiptoe, browsing through books about Ontario.
“This book is similar to the one at home, but maybe I should still read it.”
After some thought, she reached out and managed to pull the book from the shelf. The dirty cover looked shabby at first glance.
Although there were new bookstores around, some even hiding entertainment venues in their basements, Tilia preferred the old, used bookstores.
She didn't know why she found solace in worn and tattered things. Perhaps she felt a kinship with them.
One thing was clear: the more signs of use a book showed, the less it looked like a book that could attract the eye.
Lost in the musty-smelling book, it took Tilia a moment to realize that this was the same bookstore where she had met Ilex Davenport.
Frowning, she remembered his inexplicable behavior.
After his first flower gift, Ilex sent the same arrangement every day. Luxurious baskets filled with the most expensive and impeccable flowers.
The maid fussed, trying to persuade Tilia to look at them, but for Tilia they were no different from flowers on the side of the road.
She appreciated only one aspect of them - their usefulness.
Tilia had an unusually relaxing holiday this summer.
Her father, completely convinced that Ilex Davenport was in love with her, stopped his daily reprimands.
He didn't make a fuss if she locked herself in her room, and if she came out, he greeted her joyfully.
Last week he even offered her a new dress for the first time since one lady pointed out to him the inappropriateness of Tilia's short-sleeved dress.
Not only the father calmed down. George also began to avoid her, looking at her warily.
Several times when they crossed paths in the second-floor hallway, he muttered curses, but did not get involved in the quarrel, stepping aside to let it pass.
This was the first time since George had broken her ribs during the beating.
As perceptive as ever, Tilia decided not to correct their mistakes and enjoyed the rare calm of the summer.
She studied diligently, spent her days usefully and diligently prepared for her departure to Ontario.
But there were still times when she had to run away from home.
“Ah, Tilia! Come here. This is my daughter. What do you think? Isn’t she undeniably beautiful?”
These were the moments when her father paraded her around in front of the businessmen visiting their mansion as if she were a trophy.
“She is so smart and extraordinary. Every day I worry that someone might take her away, haha!”
Baron Ambrose looked at Tilia with pride, but from the eyes of the middle-aged men looking at her with interest, she understood what was really happening.
It was clear that her father, in an attempt to secure an investment for himself, had boasted to his wealthy guests that she had won the favor of the Duke of Davenport's second son.
Therefore, whenever there was a hint of the arrival of guests, Tilia made sure to announce that she had an appointment and needed to leave.
Today was one of those days. When she told Baron Ambrose that she needed to visit the capital, he looked unhappy, but reluctantly brushed her off.
He looked as if he was completely sure that she had gone to meet Ilex Davenport.
"Wait. Tilia, if you meet Davenport's second son this time..."
Just as she turned to leave, Bradley grabbed her arm. Remembering his words, Tilia frowned slightly.
No matter how hard he tried to sell her, things didn't seem to be going well for him.
Even after receiving all these guests, they still had no money. Thoughts of her father's incompetence only strengthened Tilia's resolve as she looked at the books.
With a family destined to collapse, her only way to survive was to graduate from the academy.
But her concentration quickly dissipated, as it always did.
She realized that the book she was holding in her hands was significantly inferior to those bought for her by the man who constantly sent her flowers.
As annoying as it was, she couldn't deny that the books Ilex had chosen from the bookstore were incredibly useful.
In practice conversations, her speaking was weak as she focused on memorizing vocabulary and grammar. There were many examples to be found in these books that improved her skills for the actual interview.
As much as she hated to admit it, he turned out to be a very capable teacher, able to identify her weak points.
Tilia stared at the corner where they stood, noses almost touching, and closed the useless book.
Why did Ilex Davenport send her flowers every day? Why didn't he send a single note or show any signs of taking responsibility for his gifts?
What did the chocolates in that box and the asparagus mean?
Even after thinking about these questions for a long time, Tilia couldn't think of a single reason.
For a moment she even thought that he really wanted her to become his mistress. But if that was the case, why didn't he contact her?
The fact remained that they spent the night together. She couldn't deny that Ilex seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.
But that night was their last interaction. She didn't see him even briefly as the summer holidays came to an end.
“Is this how rich people treat their mistresses? They offer compensation and don’t even want their bodies?”
Her understanding of Ilex had always been unclear and full of confusion.
His actions always remained a mystery to her.
He had no reason to treat her as a lover, but he also did not behave as one would expect in relation to a mistress.
Although she enjoyed the freedom that his gifts provided, whenever she thought about him, she felt lost.
“If he officially recognized me as his mistress, I could structure my actions accordingly.”
She could either despise him or despise him and push him away.
Of course, the comfort that his gifts brought was undeniable.
But behind this comfort lay constant anxiety.
There are few things more unsettling than a gift whose true nature is unknown.
Why did he send her flowers? Why was the breakfast table filled with her favorite foods?
Caught in yet another web of endless questions, Tilia suddenly felt empty.
She realized that these thoughts were ultimately meaningless.
Whatever Ilex Davenport's intentions were, they meant nothing to her.
After all, in six months she will be in Ontario - a place where no one knows her, and where she can live the life she imagines.
He's just a strange person, that's all.
Knowing him, it probably doesn't mean anything.
Remembering her unchanged plan, Tilia made a decision and returned the book to the shelf.