The moment he loosened his grip, the butterfly left the boy's hand.
Because her wings had been held for a while, their fluttering was weak at first. Having escaped from the boy's hands, the butterfly fell onto the garden grass, trembling its wings, as if trying to catch its breath.
For a moment, Aylex wished that the wings were damaged, and then she would remain under his care.
But his wish did not come true. After crawling hesitantly through the grass for some time, the butterfly finally spread its delicate wings and flew away behind the fountain.
As if blessing her newfound freedom, the spring sun shone brightly on this white afternoon.
Ilex rubbed the faint white powder that remained on the pads of his fingers, remembering the sensations of just a moment ago.
For a moment, the butterfly was under his protection. She trembled, tickling her fingers, trying to escape.
No matter how tenderly he held her, this beautiful creature would not stop fluttering desperately.
This must have been the signal to let her go. A struggle that meant she longed for freedom.
An unexpected wave of frustration and irritation rose within him, and Ilex stamped his foot again.
However, the feeling of the butterfly leaving his hands and flying away was so vivid that it did not want to disappear from his memory.
- Well done, Ilex.
In contrast, Preston smiled softly, patting his grandson on the shoulder, he took his hand and led him back to the mansion.
When they arrived in the bedroom, Preston placed into Ilex's hand a ring in the shape of a butterfly that he had just released, encrusted with amethyst.
- This was one of Agatha’s favorite accessories. I give it to you.
As the boy looked in wonder at the gems in his palm, Preston spoke kindly.
- This is a sign of promise.
- Promises?
- Yes. Promises that you will continue to live with kindness like you did today.
With an expression of quiet melancholy, Preston looked at Ilex, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening.
- I believe in you, Ilex.
-……
- I sincerely believe in this. That you look like my second son, and not my first.
Ilex, looking at his grandfather, who looked strangely sad, looked down at the ring again.
His grandfather always gave his grandson whatever he wanted, but with his grandmother's property it was always different.
Preston took great care of his late wife's belongings.
Thus, this was the first heirloom from his grandmother that Ilex had ever received. After watching the butterfly's wings flicker for a while, the boy nodded slowly.
-...Yes, I will do so.
Hearing this answer, Preston smiled, his smile was both bitter and satisfied, and he stroked the child's head for a long time.
Perhaps, even to his death, Preston never understood. That because of the sign he had so easily accepted that day, Ilex had to endure so many moments of helplessness.
That because of a promise made in his naive childhood, he spent years suppressing his own worth.
After the death of his grandfather, in a life where no one else praised him, Ilex consciously tried to never surpass his brother.
He pretended that he was incapable of doing something that he could easily do. He deliberately refrained from violating boundaries that he could overcome without effort.
Because of a promise made to my grandfather. Because of the vow to be like my uncle and not like my father.
Because of the warmth that was once a ray of light in his lonely childhood, but eventually turned into shackles.
Entering the Royal Academy as a top student was nothing more than an act of rebellion. After the death of his grandfather, he revealed his true abilities for the first time.
And this will be the last time. Because he decided so a long time ago.
Just as his father, regardless of merit, decided to make his eldest son a duke, Ilex also decided never to cross the established line.
However, even knowing that his fate had already been decided, Ilex never held a grudge against his grandfather.
Never until he met Tilia Ambrose and his heart was shaken to the core.
- …Grandfather.
Lost in deep thought, Ilex slowly walked back to the portrait. The promised sign of that day was still in his hand.
- The butterfly hates me.
There was a note of childish capriciousness in his muttering voice, reminiscent of the spring days of his childhood.
- Is love always...
Words that he had never spoken to anyone, words that he did not even dare to admit to himself, came out in a quiet whisper.
-... so unhappy?
But even the simple realization of this thought made him feel unhappy.
There was no answer.
As did Preston's countless greetings to portraits that went unanswered.
So no one answered the greetings of young Ilex, who no longer had a grandfather in the annex.
Having ceased to be a child, the man stood for a long time in front of the silent portrait with a devastated expression on his face.
- …Forget.
After a moment, he turned away without hesitation, muttering gloomily.
- I didn’t expect anything anyway.
Knock. The door closed.
The bedroom was empty again. In the portrait, the former Duke and Duchess held hands in harmony and simply continued to smile gently without changing.
***
Tilia Ambrose's contempt for him and Ilex's feelings for her were completely different things. Even after he fully realized that Tilia despised him, his heart remained unchanged - she still seemed infinitely beautiful to him.
No, it had nothing to do with personal feelings. That she was the most radiant being in Acansis was an undeniable truth that no one in the world could deny.
But despite this, what mattered was that even though he knew his feelings would never be reciprocated, Ilex couldn't stop looking at her.
The intensity of his gaze only grew over time, never weakening. Sometimes Ilex wondered if his feelings were fueled by neglect and indifference, growing stronger the more he was ignored.
If not, how else could he explain the madness of what he was doing?
Finally, Ilex sighed heavily and closed the thick legal volume he was reading.
On the wide table, among stacks of books, were scattered sheets of paper, densely filled with notes. They contained various legal provisions, which Ilex researched, looking for cases similar to Tilia's.
From what he learned, Tilia's father, Baron Ambrose, planned to sell her to some elderly count as soon as she graduated from the academy.
If that's the case, she'll really have to bet everything on the Foreign Affairs Consulate in Ontario. There was no other way to escape from the clutches of the mad father.
But even if she manages to escape to Ontario, this does not mean that all her problems will be solved.
As he had long suspected, her damned father might follow her.
Under normal circumstances, Ilex would have spent the holidays lying lazily in bed, indulging in fantasies of a naked Tilia. And yet here he was, never missing a day at his desk, all for one reason.
He needed to find a way to get Tilia out of Akansis safely. To do this, it was necessary to make sure that her family would never be able to follow her.
For this he needed legal measures.
For a moment he wondered if it would be easier to just kill them. But no matter how much he thought about it, the idea left him feeling uneasy.
A man who kills the family of the woman he loves in the name of her success and happiness, isn’t this the same thing he did as a child when he trampled all the spiders, thinking that he could put a butterfly in a cage?
The more mature Ilex was looking for a more moderate solution.
If no legal means exist, he will simply create the necessary laws.
Even though the Foreign Affairs Consulate in Ontario would be where she would build her career, Tilia would still technically be an employee of the Acansis Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Diplomatic protection and foreign relations were stated goals, but another important function of diplomatic missions was security. And Ilex intended to exploit this fact.
While the exterior of a diplomatic mission is guarded by the host country's police, its interior is guarded by its own security personnel.
If Baron Ambrose had caused a stir by breaking into the Ontario Consulate in pursuit of his daughter, it would have been easy to get a blanket ban on entry into the country.
The problem, however, was whether the consulate would consider Baron Ambrose, the employee's father, an external threat.
To make matters worse, there were still many laws in place in Acansis that could support Bradley Ambrose's claim to "ownership" of his daughter.
Although the Queen introduced sweeping reforms upon her accession to repeal many outdated laws, resistance from Parliament meant that the process was far from complete.
“If I can find a way to stop Baron Ambrose from Acansis from entering Ontario, this whole problem will be solved...”
After flipping through countless books for a long time, Ilex finally found something promising. Opening the book, he began to write down the sections related to victim protection laws.
If he could get a restraining order early, Tilia wouldn't have to deal with Baron Ambrose once she got to Ontario.
Tilia Ambrose living a happy life. Tilia Ambrose, who no longer wanders alone at night and cries, but simply goes to bed peacefully and comfortably...
Having muttered these words, which still seemed distant and unreal, Ilex pulled out a sheet of letter paper, which he had not used for a long time.