Chapter 9
"Call it off?" Orion glared at him.
"Break off the engagement with one daughter, then marry the other? That's even worse! People will say the FitzRoy family goes back on their word—breaking engagements and swapping brides, trampling all over both Windsor daughters."
Octavius said nothing.
Orion sighed, muttering under his breath. "How am I supposed to explain this to the Windsor family…"
He looked up at his grandson's expression and sighed again.
This brat rarely took an interest in anyone. As his grandfather, he didn't have the heart to dash his hopes.
"Fine, leave this to me. Let me think it over." Orion waved his hand. "Just don't do anything rash. Understood?"
Octavius nodded slightly, though a deep glint flickered in his eyes.
Just then, his phone rang.
It was his assistant. "Mr. FitzRoy, the information you requested on Seraphine is ready."
Octavius walked to the window, lowering his voice. "Go ahead."
The assistant's voice carried a note of confusion. "Seraphine's background is completely clean. Nothing unusual."
"She majored in fashion design and never took any medical courses during college. The Wipere family also said that in the twenty years she lived with them, she never displayed any medical talent whatsoever."
"But the technique she used to save Mr. Orion FitzRoy—I asked the hospital's specialists. None of them had ever seen anything like it. Especially the precision of her force and angles. That requires at least a decade of practice."
"A twenty-year-old girl with no medical training, performing techniques even experts can't identify—it doesn't add up."
Octavius gripped the phone, silent for a few seconds.
"Keep digging," he said. "The more detail, the better."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Octavius stood lost in thought.
An ordinary girl who'd lived with the Wipere family for twenty years suddenly demonstrated extraordinary medical skills that even top domestic experts couldn't understand.
It wasn't normal.
Unless… she'd been hiding her true abilities all along.
But why hide them?
A memory suddenly surfaced in Octavius's mind.
Five years ago, during a dangerous mission abroad, he'd been gravely injured and nearly died.
A passing girl had saved him—using exactly this kind of rare medical technique.
Her methods had been unusual. Within moments, she'd pulled him back from the brink of death.
He still remembered her eyes—cool, distant, carrying a calm understanding of everything.
Exactly like Seraphine's eyes.
Octavius's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be her?
Orion watched his grandson standing by the window, lost in thought, and couldn't help coughing. "Brat, what are you spacing out about?"
Octavius snapped back to reality and returned to the bedside. "Nothing."
"Don't try to fool me." Orion huffed. "Are you thinking about that girl?"
Octavius didn't deny it.
Orion sighed. "If you really like her, pursue her properly. I'll handle things with the Windsor family."
"No need." Octavius's tone was flat. "I'll handle it myself."
"You'll handle it yourself?" Orion gave him a sidelong glance. "And by 'handle it,' you mean breaking off the engagement?"
Octavius said nothing.
"I'm telling you—the engagement will not be broken off." Orion's tone was firm.
Octavius rubbed his temples but didn't argue further.
He knew calling off the engagement wouldn't be that simple.
And besides…
He thought of those cool eyes. Something stirred faintly in his chest.
Maybe… not calling it off wouldn't be so bad after all.
At the same time, at Windsor Manor.
Valencia was looking through an auction catalog. When she reached a particular page, her eyes lit up.
"Sera, look at this." She handed the catalog to Seraphine. "These HeartRenew capsules are said to have life-extending properties. One will be auctioned at next week's charity event. I want to bid on it."
Seraphine glanced at it.
HeartRenew capsules?
Her lips twitched slightly.
Something she'd developed years ago—and now it was being auctioned off.
"If Mom wants it, go ahead and bid," Seraphine said. She understood Valencia's reasoning. Medicine like this was good to have on hand, just in case.
Valencia hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Sera, will you come to the auction with me next week?"
"Sure." Seraphine agreed without hesitation.
Valencia opened her mouth, then closed it again.
She actually wanted to use this opportunity to bring up the marriage arrangement with the FitzRoy family.
The HeartRenew capsule was meant for Orion.
In her mind, the FitzRoy engagement had always belonged to Seraphine.
Ondine had taken the position before because there was no choice. But now that the biological daughter was back, the engagement should naturally fall to Seraphine.
But she was afraid bringing it up would pressure her daughter. After all, they'd only just reunited. Their relationship wasn't close enough yet for that kind of conversation.
She'd wait. She'd bring it up when they ran into the FitzRoy family at the auction.
Valencia closed the catalog, quietly making plans.
Ondine happened to be coming down the stairs. She caught Valencia's hesitant expression.
She paused mid-step, her eyes darkening.
Mom was taking Seraphine to the auction. And buying HeartRenew capsules.
Clearly, she intended to use the opportunity to connect with the FitzRoy family—and push the engagement onto Seraphine.
Ondine gripped the banister so hard her knuckles turned white. Her nails nearly dug into the wood.
She was the daughter with the FitzRoy engagement. Why should it suddenly go to Seraphine?
An outsider who'd just come back a few days ago—what right did she have to take everything that should've been hers?
Ondine took a deep breath, forcing down her fury.
The next morning, Ondine carefully prepared a nourishing soup, packed it into a thermal container, and drove to the hospital.
She'd found out which room Orion was in and headed upstairs with the container.
Two black-suited bodyguards stood at the door, their expressions blank as they stopped her. "Miss, who are you here to see?"
"My name is Ondine Windsor. I'm the Windsor family's daughter." Ondine's smile was warm and gracious. "I heard Mr. Orion FitzRoy's condition has improved. I specially made soup to visit him."
The guards exchanged glances. One of them went inside to relay the message.
A moment later, the guard returned. "Mr. Octavius FitzRoy says Mr. Orion FitzRoy needs rest and cannot receive visitors. He appreciates your thoughtfulness."
Ondine's smile froze for an instant.
He wouldn't see her?
She'd gone to the trouble of making soup, and Octavius wouldn't even let her in?
"Then please take this soup inside for me." Ondine handed over the thermal container. "I made it myself. It's good for recovery."
The guard accepted the container and nodded politely. "Thank you."
Ondine turned and left, her smile vanishing completely.
She clenched her teeth.
No. She couldn't just sit back and let this happen.
She had to find a way to make Octavius notice her. To change the Windsor parents' minds.
After Ondine left the hospital, Seraphine sat under the ginkgo trees in Windsor Manor's garden.
Her phone vibrated. She glanced at the caller ID and answered.
"Boss, I found something." The voice on the other end was low. "About Ondine."
Seraphine's gaze sharpened. "Go on."
"This Ondine isn't simple. A lot of her information has been deliberately hidden."
"Hidden?" Seraphine's tone was thoughtful. The more someone hid, the guiltier they were.
"Then dig it up," Seraphine said flatly, her voice calm yet carrying undeniable authority. "I want to know exactly what she's hiding."
"Understood."