# Chapter 37
“She's with guests. From what I've heard, Lady Judith seems to have received some kind of revelation at the shrine of the Last Priestess.”
"inspiration?"
The Duke was greatly surprised, and Isabella, who had given Judith permission to visit the shrine knowing of her mysticism, jumped to her feet.
“So… something happened. Let’s go and see.”
When the Duke and Isabella quickly descended into the living room, they found Judith accompanied by the Marquis and Marquise Sodin, as well as a burly young man wearing a mask.
“Oh?”
Isabella's gaze fell first on the masked young man rather than the Soden couple, and she paused.
“Greetings, Their Highnesses the Duke and Duchess. I apologize for my sudden and unannounced visit.”
It was not until she heard the Marquis's greeting that Isabella regained her strength and turned her attention to him.
A brief exchange of definitions and clarifications followed. Naturally, Isabella and the Duke heard the purpose of the Soden couple's visit and gave permission to summon the household staff.
“Of course we must cooperate.”
Isabella rang the bell as she spoke, “So we need to gather all the brown-haired and green-eyed employees, right?”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
Marchioness Soden was already on the verge of tears.
"I know my son's distinctive features. I'm the only one who would recognize them. If he were here, I would definitely recognize him. My son has a small birth mark near his left eyelid, near his eyelashes. It's usually not visible, but when he closes his eyes, it's faintly noticeable. Since it's near his eyelashes, he probably doesn't know anything about it..." (Birth mark meaning grain of vinegar)
Isabella held the Marchioness's hand tightly.
For someone who was often seen as cold and aloof, and rarely had close relationships with other noblewomen, this was an unusual act of warmth.
“I understand how you feel.”
“Madam...”
That was enough.
Isabella also had a lost son, specifically a son who ran away….
"Me too... there's something... a distinct trait that I can recognize. Something that only a mother who raised him cloy for a long time would know."
Isabella continued slowly: "Ekian's fourth nail is a little straight. The other nail is round... and it's the same on both hands. Ekian himf may not know it, but I do. After all, I was the one who cut his nails when he was a child."
"exactly!".
The Marchioness of Soden nodded enthusiastically. At that moment, the servant entered, answering the bell. Isabella explained the situation. Since it was simple, it did not pose any difficulty.
The servant, who was now fully aware of the matter, nodded and said, “I will gather all the young men who meet the criteria here.”
"Thank you."
The servant bowed and left respectfully.
Brown hair and green eyes were the most common combination in the empire.
In Maios' large family, there were more than a dozen young men who fit this description.
“I have never been able to watch my son grow up,” said the Marchioness of Soudin, wiping her tears with her fingers. “This is what breaks my heart more than anything else. I cannot even imagine how he has grown up...”
"actually."
Isabella sighed, unusually, with a sympathetic expression.
“I feel pain over the loss of five years of Ekyan’s life. I cannot imagine how sad I am...”
Judith watched Al-Amin silently, smiling faintly.
She couldn't find the real Ekyan, but at least she was able to find Ayud.
The master was sitting quietly next to her, his mask naturally revealing nothing of his facial expression.
'There is something strange.'
Judith thought as she looked at him.
'He seems disappointed in some way.'
Although she couldn't make out his expression or tone, she had this impression.
“But do not lose hope, madam,” said the Marchioness of Soddin warmly to Isabella. “You've found a very nice daughter-in-law. I heard she's expecting a baby soon too.”
Hearing these words, Isabella and Judith trembled slightly. It was not a lie, but the sincerity in the Marchioness's consolation made the matter difficult to deal with.
“Young Duke Eqian will not be irresponsible. I am sure he will return when the baby is born and is healthy.”
“Ah, ahaha…”
“I haven't talked to this young woman much, but she seems very warm and sympathetic.”
The Marchioness of Soden seemed to really like Judith. Isabella nodded enthusiastically.
“Ah! She is certainly a child without any defects, no matter where you look.”
“Indeed, my son Felix has reached an age where it would not be strange for him to start a family. I think I should start preparing for my daughter-in-law as well.”
Felix was the name of Soden's missing eldest son.
Although the son probably doesn't use that name anymore.
The sudden influx of compliments left Judith smiling awkwardly, unable to respond. Marquis Sodin even joined them.
“If we truly find Felix, you, young lady, will be the savior of the Soden family. We will do anything for you.”
“Ahm, we've already provided a lot of support,” Isabella interrupted, raising her eyebrows.
“But she is a really smart, sweet child who inspires such generosity.”
“Haha, if you know your daughter-in-law yourf, ma’am, she must be a gem. It wouldn’t be wrong for Felix to bring home such a wife.”
Shortly after, about ten young men with brown hair and green eyes entered the living room.
'Hmm?'
Judith frowned slightly when she noticed the group.
Before she could express her confusion, Marchioness Soden suddenly stood up and shouted. Her energy was so overwhelming that it was hard to believe that she had been engaged in a quiet conversation only moments before.
“Can you close your eyes for a moment?”
Her face reflected the desperation of a mother who had missed her son for a very long time, and could not wait even for a second. Without giving anyone a chance to stop her, she walked towards the two young men.
'Wait a minute. There's something strange.'
Judith thought, and her frown deepened as she stood up.
As the Marchioness examined the young men, one by one, she finally managed to hold the hand of one of them tightly.
“You...how old are you?”
The young man had a small dot on the edge of his left eyelid, near his eyelashes – barely noticeable unless cloy observed, but undoubtedly present.
"Yes."
The young man whose hand was held by Marchioness Soden blinked, and answered hesitantly: “I’m not sure. I’m adopted. My adoptive parents also died, so...”
"Oh, my God!".
The Marchioness gasped as she held the young man's hand tightly. At that moment, Judith interrupted her, frowning as she rose from her seat.
"Excuse me."
Everyone turned to her as she continued: “Ayod Ramis is not here. From what I know, Ayodh also has brown hair and green eyes, just like…”
“Oh.”
The servant's eyes widened when he realized this.
“Now that you mention it, the doctor was also on the staff. I didn’t think about it and just looked at the list of servants.”
“Should we summon Ayoade immediately-”
"But Ayoade is currently out of the country. He received a letter from his family and left not long ago."
But the Marchioness no longer paid attention to Judith or to the servant's conversation. Marquis Soden rushed towards the young man and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Felix, is that you? Are you really our Felix? Huh?"
“I...I don't really know much, except that I'm adopted...”
The young man who was surrounded by a black couple was stuttering with a puzzled expression.
“After my foster father died, I worked here managing mail delivery. That's all I can tell you.”
The young man rolled his eyes nervously, and continued: “There is an old man in the southern region who was close to my foster parents. If you two excuse me, I can go there right away. Maybe I can learn something...”
"Yes, yes. Let's do that first. Huh? Where is he?"
“Well… As far as I know, the imperial banquet is coming soon… I’ll go alone. I might not be your son, so…”
And it was in that moment.
“Excuse me,” Judith interrupted, standing between them.
Then, without hesitation, she picked up a wet cloth from the table and wiped the young man's eyelid.