“Ma’am! Outside the door, His Highness the Grand Duke...!”
The maid’s words could not continue.
It was because of Cedric, who personally kicked down the drawing-room door and entered.
“How could you suddenly...”
Rebecca blinked her eyes again and again with an innocent expression that said she had never imagined it.
At that moment, for the first time since he fell in love with Rebecca, Cedric felt resentment toward her.
The sight of Adrian Monter facing each other at the table, the innocent eyes looking at him with wonder as he appeared here, and...
Even the fact that her time continues to pass by in his absence.
He hated everything.
The woman, who would have ridiculed the desire for exclusiveness by saying it was an immature emotion, also remained silent as if she had already given up on him.
The anger that boiled in his heart gradually rose up to the nape of his neck.
Cedric wanted to crush Adrian's stupid face right now and scream at Rebecca that he was the one who should be here, not that man.
But the only thing that kept him in place was the fear that Rebecca might leave his side if he showed such possessiveness.
Cedric tried to suppress his anger and managed to squeeze out a relaxed voice.
"I... Have I come to a place I shouldn’t have?”
The tip of his lips vibrated slightly when he asked that question.
Rebecca, who did not know the true intentions of Cedric, who was collapsing miserably, could only blink her beautiful eyes over and over again.
“Oh, that’s it, right? You know, we decided to be careful about meeting each other so as not to get caught up in some unnecessary scandal...”
Of course, she was right, but it wasn't a very good answer to quell Cedric's furious anger.
As Cedric's expression grew colder, Rebecca seemed to realize it too late and hurriedly opened her mouth again.
"Ha...But I'm always welcome to see you. You're the person I care about the most.”
“...”
“That’s natural, Cedric.”
A soft voice echoed throughout the living room.
It was an oasis that would quell Cedric's flames, and at the same time, it was the firewood that would kindle Adrian's fire.
The interior of the living room was as quiet as the calm before a storm for a while.
How much time has passed?
It was around this time that Cedric finally regained his sense of reason.
“It’s been a while since I saw you, Your Highness.”
Adrian's soft voice sharply passed through Cedric's nerves.
“This is a sudden visit. Since you’re here, let’s have a meal together.”
He seemed to be offering food as if he were the owner of the place.
Cedric tried hard to suppress the urge to punch that person in the face.
“... I never even imagined you would be here.”
As he continued speaking, he walked towards the table, feigning a relaxed attitude.
Then he sat down with his long legs crossed on the empty chair between the two and raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at Adrian.
“Now that you’ve come this far, I hope Sir Monter has a good time.”
“...”
“If you need anything else, feel free to tell me at any time.”
Cedric tapped Adrian on the shoulder and smiled slightly.
Although it was a light action, it clearly concealed great coercion.
However, Adrian's response was not easy.
“This in itself is satisfactory enough. It’s a dinner that Rebecca prepared especially for me.”
Cedric's black eyebrows twitched for a moment.
Adrian's expression became even calmer after seeing that.
“I hope to spend time like this with Rebecca more often in the future.”
Adrian lifted his slightly downcast gaze and stared at Cedric.
“I was lucky enough to become Rebecca’s neighbor.”
A smile slowly crept onto his lips after he finished speaking.
“I was lucky... Ha.”
Cedric, who was thinking about his words, soon laughed briefly as if he was dumbfounded.
But Adrian did not give in and continued to speak.
“By the way, I understand that the Western Empire has a negative view on scandals between divorced couples... It seems that His Highness the Grand Duke is not very concerned about the opinions of those around him.”
“...”
“I wonder what kind of reputation Rebecca will receive from those around her.”
Adrian's blow made Cedric's expression harden for a moment.
A new, more relaxed voice flowed from Cedric's lips.
“...Ah, yes. Of course, I have to care. Like you said, Rebecca’s reputation is at stake.”
“...”
“So I must thank Sir Monter in advance. Thanks to you for settling me in the mansion next to Rebecca...”
After pausing for a moment, his mouth curved into a long arc.
“With the excuse of coming to see you, I’ve been able to visit this area more often.”
***
Meanwhile, an hour ago.
Lobelia was left alone in the place where Cedric suddenly left.
Cedric's aide looked at her with a troubled expression as she calmly turned on her tea.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am. Because His Highness the Grand Duke suddenly had an urgent matter...”
“...I’m fine, so don’t worry.”
Lobelia answered as she calmly put down her teacup.
Cedric, who had heard the aide's report a little while ago, looked like a person paralyzed by anger.
‘Hah, that fox-like guy...'
As he looked up at the ceiling, tendons bulged above his forehead as if they were about to explode.
Cedric stopped like that for a moment and left the office, leaving only a message to his aide that he would return.
It was as if he had forgotten the existence of Lobelia, whom he had been talking to just a moment ago.
“It doesn’t look like he’ll be back soon, so I guess you'll just have to go back now.”
Lobelia went straight out of the Grand Duke's office.
She had just passed the central staircase and entered the Princess's hall.
"Ah! You are here, Lobelia. I was already looking for you.”
“...Nanny Agnes.”
She was Princess Bianca's nanny.
As she approached Lobelia with a happy face, she held a bundle of letters neatly wrapped in brown paper in her hands.
“This is a letter from the Count of Bart’s family addressed to the Princess. I think I collected all the letters addressed to Lobelia and sent them all at once...”
Lobelia accepted the bundle of letters the nanny gave her.
As the nanny had said, the brown kraft paper that wrapped the bundle had the seal of the Count Bart family stamped on it.
As the sole owner of the Count's family, she e stays here, but who is using the seal now?
‘Sir Robert, the most powerful of the vassals? Or my father-in-law?'
A slight twitch occurred at the corner of Lobelia's mouth.
The nanny seemed to think the same thing, and she looked at Lobelia with a bit of pity.
“I thought it would be better in many ways to deliver it myself rather than through another maid.”
“...Thank you so much, Agnes, for taking such great care.”
"You're welcome. Then I’ll leave.”
The nanny returned to the Princess's drawing room, and Lobelia stared at her back for a moment, then took her steps again.
Lobelia finally entered her room and lightly threw the bundle of letters on her table.
A long sigh flowed from her lips.
“... My head hurts."
Lobelia, who was muttering softly, held her hair close to her scalp.
It seemed like her terrible headache had started again.
After lowering her head and fighting a silent battle with her headache for a moment, she approached the table again and slowly untied the string that was tied to the bundle of letters.
The stack of letters was about the size of an average book, but there were no particularly important letters.
She was sorting through the letters, skimming over the sender and address on the envelopes.
― Duke Bold. South, St. Ports
The hand that had been moving ceaselessly stopped for an instant.
After looking down at it for a while, she calmly opened the opening of the envelope.
This was the beginning of that unexpected letter.
“Hello, Countess Lobelia Bart.
I am James Bold, the Duke and head of the Bold family living in the southern region.
And he is also the father of the former Grand Duchess Rebecca.”
Lobelia pressed her temples and continued to read her letter.
“I’ll write it straight.
I need help right now, and she is the best person to give me that help... Since you are the only one at the moment, I would like to propose a secret alliance.
Of course, the case will not be disappointing.
I heard that you are going through hardships recently because all your family's wealth has disappeared."
What he said next was that if Lobelia joined hands with him, he would give her not only wealth but also a high status and power.
‘I am from the South, but by the time this letter arrives, I will probably be staying in the North too.
If you accept my wishes, please come to 181A, 3rd Street, Northern Lord Allen.”
Lobelia glanced down at the Duke of Bold's signature carefully written on the edge of the letterhead.
And then for a while.
Soon, a cool smile spread across her lips.
“The situation is quite... It’s going to be fun.”
Lobelia finally entered her room and lightly threw the bundle of letters on her table.
A long sigh flowed from her lips.
“... My head hurts."
Lobelia, who was muttering softly, held her hair close to her scalp.
It seemed like her terrible headache had started again.
After lowering her head and fighting a silent battle with her headache for a moment, she approached the table again and slowly untied the string that was tied to the bundle of letters.
The stack of letters was about the size of an average book, but there were no particularly important letters.
She was sorting through the letters, skimming over the sender and address on the envelopes.
― Duke Bold. South, St. Ports
The hand that had been moving ceaselessly stopped for an instant.
After looking down at it for a while, she calmly opened the opening of the envelope.
This was the beginning of that unexpected letter.
“Hello, Countess Lobelia Bart.
I am James Bold, the Duke and head of the Bold family living in the southern region.
And he is also the father of the former Grand Duchess Rebecca.”
Lobelia pressed her temples and continued to read her letter.
“I’ll write it straight.
I need help right now, and she is the best person to give me that help... Since you are the only one at the moment, I would like to propose a secret alliance.
Of course, the case will not be disappointing.
I heard that you are going through hardships recently because all your family's wealth has disappeared."
What he said next was that if Lobelia joined hands with him, he would give her not only wealth but also a high status and power.
‘I am from the South, but by the time this letter arrives, I will probably be staying in the North too.
If you accept my wishes, please come to 181A, 3rd Street, Northern Lord Allen.”
Lobelia glanced down at the Duke of Bold's signature carefully written on the edge of the letterhead.
And then for a while.
Soon, a cool smile spread across her lips.
“The situation is quite... It’s going to be fun.”
Comments
Post a Comment