# 30
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Elinor lost her ability to speak.
How did he come to this conclusion at all?
'Did the Duke say that the woman who gave birth to my child lives in the ward?'
But this is not the rural village where she was hiding.
There were no people she needed to hide her identity from, so there was no need to lie that she was the baby's mother, which made the matter even more mysterious.
“I'm sorry I suspected you and thought you were a thief.”
Tidian said sadly.
“You were wearing nice clothes, so I assumed you stole my sister’s clothes. But it seems I was wrong. The clothes you were wearing were bought for you by my brother himf.”
It is true that the Duke prepared clothes for her, but not in the sense that Tidian thinks.
"How long have you been here? How long have you been seeing my brother? Was he gone for months this time because he went to get you?"
Tidian launched a stream of questions.
It was clear that he was trying to contain his excitement, but his curiosity was too great.
Elinor swallowed a sigh.
She was at a loss where to begin to correct the misunderstanding.
She was also confused about how much honesty to reveal.
After thinking, she decided to introduce herf first.
“My name is Elinor.”
“I, I'm Tidian Hilliard!”
Tidian shouted excitedly.
“I am thirteen years old, born in April. My favorite food is steak, and my dream is to become a great knight like my brothers. Also...”
Tidian began to talk about himf at length.
Elinor was inwardly surprised.
Only thirteen years old?
Because of his tall frame, she thought he was at least seventeen.
His age itf was still at a stage that could be considered cute.
Elinor thought that the Duke was just a brother in love with his little brother, so this was an unexpected surprise.
“You can talk to me comfortably. You are my brother’s girlfriend, right?”
“Your brother’s girlfriend...”
Elinor suddenly felt an upset in her stomach.
Tidian's eyes were shining innocently, as if he truly believed it.
Elinor regained her composure with difficulty and said calmly.
"I can't. You are Mr. Hilliard, aren't you?"
“Ah…”
Tidian slumped his shoulders in disappointment.
“So… I have another request.”
“Actually, this is the first time I've seen a younger brother.”
Tidian's face flushed slightly.
“Well, strictly speaking, not a brother but a nephew! I caught a glimpse of him once before, and he was very cute. If you don’t mind, can I see the baby up close?”
Tidian looked at Elinor warily as he moved his fingers.
He glanced at the child behind her.
Suddenly, Elinor felt relieved after being nervous.
Elinor readily agreed to Tidian's request.
“If you promise to be quiet so no one will find out.”
"Thanks!"
Tidian rushed towards the child.
The child laughed merrily upon seeing Tidian's surprised face.
Tidian's mouth twitched in a smile.
“Oh my god, he's really cute.”
Elinor nodded.
My nephew is really cute.
“I've never seen such a cute baby before. It's like a little angel descending from heaven.”
“Oppa.”
The child waved his arms at Tidian.
Tidian looked at Elinor again.
When I nodded, Tidian smiled brightly and extended his finger.
The little boy's hand gripped Tidian's little finger tightly.
“Wow...”
Tidian was impressed.
“His strength is great. Do you want to become a knight like your brothers?”
Apparently Matthias said something similar a while ago.
They both love children, and the brothers seem to have a lot in common.
“By the way, how old is the baby?”
Tidian asked without taking his eyes off the child.
This time, Elinor answered easily.
“He's five months old now.”
"Really? He's quite a baby. Very cute. What's his name?"
“I haven't named him yet.”
"What? She doesn't have a name yet? Why?...Ah."
Suddenly, Tidian lowered his head. Then he mumbled, his voice full of regret.
“My brother didn’t name her.”
Elinor's eyebrows twitched.
“Why do you think that?”
"Because parents are the ones who usually name children. My father is the one who named me. My grandfather is the one who named my father."
There appears to be a tradition in Hilliard's fiefdom that the father names the child.
Elinor felt that correcting the misunderstanding by mentioning Charlotte would be embarrassing, so she remained silent.
Tidian said, trying to sound optimistic:
“Well, my brother won’t leave you in this ward forever. This place is too old to live in. It is not suitable for raising my nephew.”
“Really? Will the Duke really release me?”
“He releases you? Why do you say that?”
“Because I'm trapped here now.”
Tidian was shocked by Elinor's truth and said:
“Detained?”
"Yes."
“But you met me at the training ground.”
“You got here, so you know what that corridor is.”
A hidden secret passage that no one knew existed.
Tidian's expression froze.
Elinor took the opportunity and asked:
“Did you tell anyone you met me outside?”
"no!"
Tidian waved his hands.
"I haven't told anyone. I'm the only one who knows you're here. Well, of course my brother knows too, but…"
“Did you tell the Duke?”
"Not really. My brother was already here. I didn't tell him. I swear."
Fortunately, Matthias doesn't seem to know about the hype yet.
After some thought, Elinor decided to put a safety measure in place to prevent any surprises.
“Can you keep it a secret?”
"What?"
“If the Duke knew that you met me, he would definitely not be happy about it.”
“Why? I’m glad to meet you and my nephew.”
“Why am I being held here?”
Elinor lowered her eyes sadly.
“From the beginning, the Duke had no intention of introducing me and the child to his family. So he put me in a place where I could only get out through a secret passage.”
Tidian's eyes trembled unsteadily.
He asked in a trembling voice.
“Is this… because my nephew is illegitimate?”
Elinor did not answer.
But her silence was Tidian's answer.
“Does my brother really not intend to get married?”
“I don't know. But based on my detention here, that seems to be the case.”
“But he has a baby!”
“Didn’t your sister say that there are relationships in the world that are not recognized?”
In fact, our relationship is not just an unacknowledged relationship, but no relationship at all.
"I don't want the child to be in danger. If others know that I and the child are there, the child will be the first to be in danger."
“The child...”
“Please, keep your meeting with me here a secret. Including from the Duke. I beg of you.”
Elinor decided to take advantage of Tidian's misunderstanding with pleasure.
Tidian remained silent for a while.
Looks like he got a bigger shock than I expected.
After a few moments, he finally opened his mouth.
“I won't tell anyone. I promise.”
"Thanks."
“But he is my nephew…”
Tidian held the child's hand with eyes full of affection.
He realized from Elinor's words that this might be the last time he would see the child.
Elinor watched the scene and made a tempting offer.
“You may visit the child whenever you wish, young master.”
"What?"
Tidian suddenly raised his head.
"truly?!"
“Yes. Since you know the secret passage. But, of course, no one should discover you.”
“I will!”
Tidian shouted energetically after regaining his enthusiasm.
“I won't let anyone find out about me. I promise!”
Tidian is the youngest son of the family of Grand Duke Hilliard.
As a direct descendant, he could move freely in the palace without any hindrance.
'You will help me in our escape in the future.'
Elinor smiled softly, hiding her true intentions.