That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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That’s not what kissing means!
Episode 106

The engraved candy depressed inward like a button. The ornament on the floor had been a lock mechanism all along.
Evelyn then pressed another spot.
“After the candy comes….”
As she pressed the eye and flower in sequence, a click sounded. The jewelry box had opened.
It was the moment the Previous Duchess’s treasures were revealed.
“How did you solve it?”
When Theo asked, she smiled softly.
“The Fox and the Girl.”
Ah.
Understanding at once, he laughed aloud.
“You remembered that?”
“Of course. I was trembling so much back then.”
The memory of reading the fairy tale in the Duke’s Study while entrusting my wrist to him remained vivid.
The fox bought candy for the girl, gave her eyes, and brought a bouquet of flowers.
All I had to do was press the buttons in the order of the story.
“Thanks to you, I could see the jewelry box.”
Theo praised Evelyn lavishly.
When the jewelry box opened, many memories were revealed.
A blue glass marble, a picture cut into the shape of a flower, a small note.
“I gave those to Mother.”
Theo grew wistful.
His mother had carefully preserved what his younger self had gifted her, calling it a treasure without equal in the world.
“What is this?”
Evelyn asked, picking up the marble.
“It’s a gift I brought from the merchant guild. I chose the prettiest one and gave it to Mother.”
“How adorable.”
Evelyn picked up the note.
“May I read it?”
Theo nodded, and she immediately unfolded the paper.
It was a letter expressing his wish to live long and happily with his mother.
Theo’s wish had never come true.
When Evelyn couldn’t find words to say, he spoke with deliberate playfulness.
“The handwriting is neat, isn’t it? I had quite good penmanship even as a child.”
“Exactly. There’s nothing he can’t do.”
She laughed in agreement.
I touched the interior of the jewelry box lined with crimson velvet.
The compartments for rings and earrings were crafted with exquisite detail.
Though instead of jewels, it held memories.
As I felt the soft texture and pressed the bottom of the box, something seemed off.
There was no solid resistance beneath my fingers—the sensation was light, as if there were empty space below.
“Theo, there’s another compartment hidden inside this jewelry box.”
I handed the box to him.
As Theo took it and explored the interior, he too sensed something unusual.
When he pressed firmly on the edge of the bottom, it gave way slightly. Between the thin velvet-wrapped panel and the box’s base lay a concealed space.
Separating the thin panel proved simple. As it came free, Theo’s eyes widened at the sight of aged paper beneath.
“It’s Mother’s handwriting.”
Had the Duchess also left a letter expressing her love for her son?
“Please, read it.”
At my urging, Theo examined the contents.
He had anticipated a tender expression of maternal affection, but the letter’s contents were shocking.
“….”
His hands began to tremble faintly.
Watching Theo, I sensed something was terribly wrong.
When I gently touched his trembling hand holding the letter, he looked at me.
His despairing gaze made my chest ache.
“Shall we read it together…?”
An offer to share his sorrow. I began reading the letter alongside him.

[My beloved son. If you are reading this letter, I believe you have overcome, at least in part, the grief of being unable to enter this room.]

The letter continued with words meant to comfort him and acknowledge his pain.
Soon, I understood why Theo’s expression had hardened.

[Your father ended his own life. I know this truth.]

Theo spoke.
“The world offered many explanations for why the Previous Duke Ashford made such a tragic choice. But even I, his own son, could not understand it.”
I never imagined Mother knew the truth….
He exhaled slowly.

[This tragedy began with Lionel Orban, your father’s closest friend.
One day, your father told me he had received a talisman because Lionel begged him so earnestly. He said it possessed great power and would surely protect his life on the battlefield.]

It was a talisman intended to sacrifice the Previous Duke to the Envoy.

[After Father went to the Battlefield, his condition began to change gradually. At first, I thought it was fatigue and shock from subjugating monsters. But as time passed, strange thoughts seeped into my mind.]

The talisman contained a brainwashing incantation.
The thought that he must obey the Grand Cleric and devote himself to him took root in his heart.
Yet at certain moments, his mind would become clear again. Each time, the Previous Duke had to hold himself together and endure.

[Your father never told anyone about this. He confided only in me. Especially at night, he couldn’t hide his anguish at the impulses that kept rising within him.
You didn’t know, but he had even surrendered the precious Sacred Artifacts that our family had guarded for generations. He couldn’t overcome the brainwashing.]

But the incantation carved into his heart wielded even greater power. Because he couldn’t find the cause, he continued to keep the talisman close.

[Eventually, your father confided his troubles to Lionel Orban. At that moment, Lionel smiled brightly and said this, or so I’m told. That he had finally become his person… that a strong and upright soul would be put to great use.]

Only then did the Previous Duke realize. He had fallen into the scheme of the friend he trusted.
The Duchess too was shocked when she learned the talisman’s true nature. She comforted her husband, saying they should search for a way to break the incantation.

[Your father tried to endure to the end. Even as his mind crumbled, he struggled to hold onto himself. But his obedience to him only deepened with each passing day.
Then one day, while gazing at you, a thought suddenly struck him. That you too might become a sacrifice…]

Theo’s grip on the letter tightened. Veins bulged across the back of his hand, filled with rage.

[After those words, your father was seen no more. He said he needed time alone to compose himself. And not long after… he made a tragic choice.]

It was the Grand Cleric and Lionel Orban who drove the Previous Duke to his death. Their wickedness destroyed his family and happiness.
Theo once resented his father.
He couldn’t understand why he abandoned him, why he had to leave the family behind.

[That was neither escape nor defeat. It was a choice to protect you.]

After that came the Duchess’s plea.

[I wish to keep this matter secret for the sake of our house. But I wanted you to know. That your father did not abandon you—he was trying to protect you.]

The end held only worry for her son.

[My beloved son, Theo. My body and heart have already grown very weak. When I think of you left alone, my heart aches as if it will tear apart.]

The Duchess had long foreseen her own death.

[I have devoted my entire life to prayer and service to God. Yet lately, such doubts creep upon me unbidden. Is God truly real? If He exists, why has He allowed this suffering to befall us? What have I truly believed in all these years?]

Theo’s eyes glistened with tears. Evelyn leaned against his shoulder, sharing her warmth with him.

[When everything became chaotic and confused, when those doubts plunged me into agony, I could trust in nothing. Yet one truth remained absolute—you are the most precious being to me.]

Even as her body crumbled away, she thought only of her son. The depth of her love for Theo was unmistakable.

[You are righteous and strong, my child. I pray with all my heart that you will protect yourself, that sorrow will never break you. I love you. My son.]

A truth that had long remained hidden finally came to light.
Theo could not speak for a long time.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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