Knock knock.
There was a knock and the office door opened.
“There you are.”
Caroline stepped inside.
“What brings you to the office, Sister?”
Jeremiah asked about her sudden visit.
“I came because I have something to tell you.”
Caroline often came to the office without notice.
Every time, she made unreasonable demands disguised as proposals.
She wanted to invest in a new company that he had never heard of, sign a contract with a company that had no established credit, and donate to a shabby organization whose use was not properly confirmed.
From Jeremiah’s perspective, these were mostly demands that he did not like.
“I have a lot of work to do. If it’s not urgent, I’ll hear it later.”
Jeremiah, who was not pleased with her visit, indicated his intention to decline. It was clearly an order to oust her, but Jeremiah’s head rose as Caroline continued to speak.
“About Karina?”
“...”
Jeremiah’s hand holding the quill froze at the mention of Karina’s name.
“What’s wrong with the Grand Duchess?”
Jeremiah asked in a flat voice.
When he showed interest, the corners of Caroline’s lips slightly rose.
“I guess I’m worried.”
“What are you worried about?”
“A group of young ladies I’m close with saw Karina outside a few days ago. They said she was alone with her escort in a dark, quiet alley.”
“...”
“They even said that she was wearing shabby clothes that made it hard to tell she was the Grand Duchess. They said that they were having a secret meeting while hiding their identities.”
“A secret meeting? Who would dare say such nonsense?”
Jeremiah frowned at the word secret meeting and pointed it out.
“It’s not important who did it. It’s more important that such things were said.”
Caroline pretended to be worried and touched her mouth with her hand.
“Even though your marriage was not a marriage of love, she is still the Grand Duchess who married the Grand Duke. Wouldn’t it be bad if people around you found out that she has another man by her side?”
Jeremiah answered calmly in a low voice.
“Another man? He is the Grand Duchess’s escort. It is natural for an escort to stay by the person they are escorting.”
“I think so too. I am just worried that people around you might misunderstand something strange.”
“A strange misunderstanding?”
“Oh, didn’t you feel it?”
Caroline said, looking troubled and embarrassed, but as if she couldn’t help it.
“I hate to say this, but that escort is kind of halved. I think Karina likes that kind of thing.”
“...”
“When you were talking to me in the garden before, you couldn’t take your eyes off that escort’s face.”
“...”
Jeremiah’s face, which had been pretending to be calm, cracked.
“Oh my, I made a mistake again. I shouldn’t be saying this to you. I was just worried...”
“...”
When Jeremiah showed signs of discomfort, the corners of Caroline’s lips slightly rose.
“If you have nothing more to say, please leave now.”
“But...”
“Sister.”
Caroline was about to say more when Jeremiah’s fierce gaze fell on her.
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“..”
Caroline’s shoulders flinched at Jeremiah’s sharp attitude.
“That... Yeah. You must be a little flustered too. I’ll take my leave now.”
Even after Caroline left, an unusual aura flowed from Jeremiah.
Jeremiah stared at the same page of the document for a long time, frowning fiercely.
‘Was I this lacking in self-control?’
Jeremiah thought he was not easily swayed by emotions.
However, he didn’t like the fact that he was being swept away by unfamiliar emotions these days.
Jeremiah nervously brushed back his flowing bangs and stood up.
“Your Highness? Is there something you need?”
Jansen, surprised by Jeremiah’s sudden rise, asked.
“I’ll go to the training ground for a moment...”
Jeremiah, who was about to say that he would cool his head, hesitated.
This was because he remembered how he had destroyed the training ground a few days ago.
“...”
That day, Jeremiah was unable to control his strength at all, unlike himself.
When the mention of the martial arts field came up, Jansen, who was in charge of managing the mansion, brought up the status of the martial arts field repairs.
“It seems like it will take more time to completely repair the eastern martial arts field. Considering the procurement of construction materials, on-site work, and finishing, we expect it to take about three more weeks.”
The eastern martial arts field, built for swordsmanship training, was designed to be much more solid and strong than the other martial arts fields. Since the place that had never been scratched by swordsmanship training was now broken, it was bound to take longer to repair.
“Whew.”
Jeremiah furrowed his brow and sighed deeply.
“Then I will use the Western martial arts field. Go and tell Ron to prepare for the duel.”
“Understood.”
Jansen bowed his head politely and went out to deliver the order.
A quiet night with pitch-black darkness falling over the area.
Only the faint moonlight coming in from the window illuminated the empty hallway.
A shadow appeared silently in the hallway where no one was present. She quietly crossed the hallway, making no sound of footsteps. She looked around to see if there was anyone, and that action was extremely careful and cautious.
The owner of the shadow, who was very nervous, stopped in front of a door.
The hand that was raised to knock was floating in the air with hesitation.
However, after taking a short, deep breath to catch her breath again, she moved her hand.
Knock.
“Come in.”
When the words of permission came from inside, she shrugged her shoulders and went into the room.
“You’re here?”
Karina smiled when she saw Charlotte.
“Yes, I..."
Charlotte couldn’t easily continue her words when she faced Karina.
“You still haven’t decided? The longer you delay, the worse it’ll be for you?”
“...”
“If you can’t do it, you can just leave.”
Charlotte’s shoulders trembled at Karina’s words.
Her hesitation was clearly revealed in her hesitant attitude.
Karina suddenly asked Charlotte,
“Do you trust Caroline?”
“Yes...?”
Charlotte asked back at the unexpected question.
“How much do you trust her?”
“...”
Karina’s expression disappeared from her face and her voice dropped to a low tone.
“Do you think Caroline will watch over you all the way?”
Charlotte’s eyes wavered at those words.
Charlotte thought of the former chief maid who had worked for the Grand Duke’s family.
She had served the Grand Duke’s family for generations and had devoted herself to the position of chief maid for over 20 years, but Caroline kicked her out with her bare body.
There was not even a letter of recommendation or a little consolation money.
She was literally kicked out overnight, empty-handed, with nothing.
The reason was that she didn’t listen to Caroline.
“Be careful. You don’t want to end up like the former chief maid, right?”
Caroline’s voice seemed to ring in her ears. Charlotte swallowed hard and opened her mouth.
“You’ll keep my son’s case a secret... and resolve it quietly without anyone knowing, right?”
Charlotte's voice was trembling slightly, whether it was from nervousness or impatience.
Karina smiled coldly.
Before returning to the past, Charlotte, the head maid, was beaten and kicked out penniless.
This was because Charlotte's son had been caught taking out a loan using the Grand Duke's villa as collateral and gambling.
Furthermore, the fact that Charlotte, the head maid, had falsified documents to make it seem like she had received the villa was also discovered, and Charlotte's son ended up in prison.
Karina, who remembered this fact, asked Selena to find Charlotte's son.
To find him and investigate his activities.
As expected, the report she received from Selena contained content that was not much different from what Karina remembered.
After confirming this fact, Karina quietly called Charlotte aside.
And then she threatened her.
She would quietly resolve the matter her son had caused, but in return, she would report to her about Caroline's activities.
Charlotte would have no choice but to accept this offer.
If she didn't accept it, she would have to send her son to prison.
According to her past memories, Charlotte's son was chased by loan sharks after serving his time in prison and was eventually caught and killed without anyone knowing.
'Wouldn't it be a hundred times better to be exploited by me and have your weaknesses exposed rather than die like that? At least you can survive.'
Karina thought so sincerely.
“I’m not like Caroline. I don’t do such mean things as using my people like objects and then throwing them away when I’m no longer needed.”
Karina’s voice gained weight.
“But to do that, you have to become truly mine. You have to prove your loyalty to me.”
After hearing Karina’s words, Charlotte took out a small secret letter from her pocket and handed it over.
There was a knock and the office door opened.
“There you are.”
Caroline stepped inside.
“What brings you to the office, Sister?”
Jeremiah asked about her sudden visit.
“I came because I have something to tell you.”
Caroline often came to the office without notice.
Every time, she made unreasonable demands disguised as proposals.
She wanted to invest in a new company that he had never heard of, sign a contract with a company that had no established credit, and donate to a shabby organization whose use was not properly confirmed.
From Jeremiah’s perspective, these were mostly demands that he did not like.
“I have a lot of work to do. If it’s not urgent, I’ll hear it later.”
Jeremiah, who was not pleased with her visit, indicated his intention to decline. It was clearly an order to oust her, but Jeremiah’s head rose as Caroline continued to speak.
“About Karina?”
“...”
Jeremiah’s hand holding the quill froze at the mention of Karina’s name.
“What’s wrong with the Grand Duchess?”
Jeremiah asked in a flat voice.
When he showed interest, the corners of Caroline’s lips slightly rose.
“I guess I’m worried.”
“What are you worried about?”
“A group of young ladies I’m close with saw Karina outside a few days ago. They said she was alone with her escort in a dark, quiet alley.”
“...”
“They even said that she was wearing shabby clothes that made it hard to tell she was the Grand Duchess. They said that they were having a secret meeting while hiding their identities.”
“A secret meeting? Who would dare say such nonsense?”
Jeremiah frowned at the word secret meeting and pointed it out.
“It’s not important who did it. It’s more important that such things were said.”
Caroline pretended to be worried and touched her mouth with her hand.
“Even though your marriage was not a marriage of love, she is still the Grand Duchess who married the Grand Duke. Wouldn’t it be bad if people around you found out that she has another man by her side?”
Jeremiah answered calmly in a low voice.
“Another man? He is the Grand Duchess’s escort. It is natural for an escort to stay by the person they are escorting.”
“I think so too. I am just worried that people around you might misunderstand something strange.”
“A strange misunderstanding?”
“Oh, didn’t you feel it?”
Caroline said, looking troubled and embarrassed, but as if she couldn’t help it.
“I hate to say this, but that escort is kind of halved. I think Karina likes that kind of thing.”
“...”
“When you were talking to me in the garden before, you couldn’t take your eyes off that escort’s face.”
“...”
Jeremiah’s face, which had been pretending to be calm, cracked.
“Oh my, I made a mistake again. I shouldn’t be saying this to you. I was just worried...”
“...”
When Jeremiah showed signs of discomfort, the corners of Caroline’s lips slightly rose.
“If you have nothing more to say, please leave now.”
“But...”
“Sister.”
Caroline was about to say more when Jeremiah’s fierce gaze fell on her.
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
“..”
Caroline’s shoulders flinched at Jeremiah’s sharp attitude.
“That... Yeah. You must be a little flustered too. I’ll take my leave now.”
Even after Caroline left, an unusual aura flowed from Jeremiah.
Jeremiah stared at the same page of the document for a long time, frowning fiercely.
‘Was I this lacking in self-control?’
Jeremiah thought he was not easily swayed by emotions.
However, he didn’t like the fact that he was being swept away by unfamiliar emotions these days.
Jeremiah nervously brushed back his flowing bangs and stood up.
“Your Highness? Is there something you need?”
Jansen, surprised by Jeremiah’s sudden rise, asked.
“I’ll go to the training ground for a moment...”
Jeremiah, who was about to say that he would cool his head, hesitated.
This was because he remembered how he had destroyed the training ground a few days ago.
“...”
That day, Jeremiah was unable to control his strength at all, unlike himself.
When the mention of the martial arts field came up, Jansen, who was in charge of managing the mansion, brought up the status of the martial arts field repairs.
“It seems like it will take more time to completely repair the eastern martial arts field. Considering the procurement of construction materials, on-site work, and finishing, we expect it to take about three more weeks.”
The eastern martial arts field, built for swordsmanship training, was designed to be much more solid and strong than the other martial arts fields. Since the place that had never been scratched by swordsmanship training was now broken, it was bound to take longer to repair.
“Whew.”
Jeremiah furrowed his brow and sighed deeply.
“Then I will use the Western martial arts field. Go and tell Ron to prepare for the duel.”
“Understood.”
Jansen bowed his head politely and went out to deliver the order.
***
A quiet night with pitch-black darkness falling over the area.
Only the faint moonlight coming in from the window illuminated the empty hallway.
A shadow appeared silently in the hallway where no one was present. She quietly crossed the hallway, making no sound of footsteps. She looked around to see if there was anyone, and that action was extremely careful and cautious.
The owner of the shadow, who was very nervous, stopped in front of a door.
The hand that was raised to knock was floating in the air with hesitation.
However, after taking a short, deep breath to catch her breath again, she moved her hand.
Knock.
“Come in.”
When the words of permission came from inside, she shrugged her shoulders and went into the room.
“You’re here?”
Karina smiled when she saw Charlotte.
“Yes, I..."
Charlotte couldn’t easily continue her words when she faced Karina.
“You still haven’t decided? The longer you delay, the worse it’ll be for you?”
“...”
“If you can’t do it, you can just leave.”
Charlotte’s shoulders trembled at Karina’s words.
Her hesitation was clearly revealed in her hesitant attitude.
Karina suddenly asked Charlotte,
“Do you trust Caroline?”
“Yes...?”
Charlotte asked back at the unexpected question.
“How much do you trust her?”
“...”
Karina’s expression disappeared from her face and her voice dropped to a low tone.
“Do you think Caroline will watch over you all the way?”
Charlotte’s eyes wavered at those words.
Charlotte thought of the former chief maid who had worked for the Grand Duke’s family.
She had served the Grand Duke’s family for generations and had devoted herself to the position of chief maid for over 20 years, but Caroline kicked her out with her bare body.
There was not even a letter of recommendation or a little consolation money.
She was literally kicked out overnight, empty-handed, with nothing.
The reason was that she didn’t listen to Caroline.
“Be careful. You don’t want to end up like the former chief maid, right?”
Caroline’s voice seemed to ring in her ears. Charlotte swallowed hard and opened her mouth.
“You’ll keep my son’s case a secret... and resolve it quietly without anyone knowing, right?”
Charlotte's voice was trembling slightly, whether it was from nervousness or impatience.
Karina smiled coldly.
Before returning to the past, Charlotte, the head maid, was beaten and kicked out penniless.
This was because Charlotte's son had been caught taking out a loan using the Grand Duke's villa as collateral and gambling.
Furthermore, the fact that Charlotte, the head maid, had falsified documents to make it seem like she had received the villa was also discovered, and Charlotte's son ended up in prison.
Karina, who remembered this fact, asked Selena to find Charlotte's son.
To find him and investigate his activities.
As expected, the report she received from Selena contained content that was not much different from what Karina remembered.
After confirming this fact, Karina quietly called Charlotte aside.
And then she threatened her.
She would quietly resolve the matter her son had caused, but in return, she would report to her about Caroline's activities.
Charlotte would have no choice but to accept this offer.
If she didn't accept it, she would have to send her son to prison.
According to her past memories, Charlotte's son was chased by loan sharks after serving his time in prison and was eventually caught and killed without anyone knowing.
'Wouldn't it be a hundred times better to be exploited by me and have your weaknesses exposed rather than die like that? At least you can survive.'
Karina thought so sincerely.
“I’m not like Caroline. I don’t do such mean things as using my people like objects and then throwing them away when I’m no longer needed.”
Karina’s voice gained weight.
“But to do that, you have to become truly mine. You have to prove your loyalty to me.”
After hearing Karina’s words, Charlotte took out a small secret letter from her pocket and handed it over.
“There’s a place where Lady Caroline often writes secret letters and puts them in a chimney.”
“Where is that?”
“It’s the Count Lamberda .”
“Lamberda?”
Karina thought of the unlucky second son of Count Lamberda she had met on the street a while ago.
‘I’ve been hearing that name more often than I thought.’
With a sense of doubt, Karina opened the secret letter Charlotte had given her.
There was no other information written inside the letter, only the location and time.
“I put a chimney in the Count Lamberda a while ago. It’s been happening a lot more recently.”
“...”
“If Caroline puts in the chimney, she will usually get a reply within a day.”
Karina thought for a moment and then handed the secret letter back to Charlotte.
“First, deliver this secret letter as instructed, and when you receive the reply, bring it to me first. Then, report to me every move Caroline makes.”
“Yes, yes.”
Karina advised Charlotte, who was watching her closely.
“Your future depends on what you do. If you follow my orders well, nothing will happen, so don’t worry. I will watch over you for the time being.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Where is that?”
“It’s the Count Lamberda .”
“Lamberda?”
Karina thought of the unlucky second son of Count Lamberda she had met on the street a while ago.
‘I’ve been hearing that name more often than I thought.’
With a sense of doubt, Karina opened the secret letter Charlotte had given her.
There was no other information written inside the letter, only the location and time.
“I put a chimney in the Count Lamberda a while ago. It’s been happening a lot more recently.”
“...”
“If Caroline puts in the chimney, she will usually get a reply within a day.”
Karina thought for a moment and then handed the secret letter back to Charlotte.
“First, deliver this secret letter as instructed, and when you receive the reply, bring it to me first. Then, report to me every move Caroline makes.”
“Yes, yes.”
Karina advised Charlotte, who was watching her closely.
“Your future depends on what you do. If you follow my orders well, nothing will happen, so don’t worry. I will watch over you for the time being.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Go ahead.”
“Yes.”
As Charlotte left, Mikhail appeared.
“The person you asked me to find back then was the head maid’s son?”
“Yes.”
“Did you already know about the head maid’s son and ask them to investigate?”
“I just happened to hear something.”
Karina couldn’t answer that she knew, so she made a vague excuse.
“Hmm.”
Mikhail looked at Karina with a meaningful expression.
Karina said, looking away from his gaze.
“That’s right. You heard earlier, right? I’m a bit concerned about the Lamberda family.”
“When you say Lamberda, you mean that guy who was so arrogant and fearless back then? The guy who tried to extort money from the Grand Duchess and got beat up in the end.”
Judging by the fact that he immediately blurted out who it was, Mikhail must have remembered what happened that day.
“That’s right. So what you sowed.”
One corner of Karina’s mouth went up.
“I’ll tell the flower shop to look into the Lamberda family.”
Mikhail quickly figured out what she wanted.
Karina nodded in satisfaction.
“Yes.”
As Charlotte left, Mikhail appeared.
“The person you asked me to find back then was the head maid’s son?”
“Yes.”
“Did you already know about the head maid’s son and ask them to investigate?”
“I just happened to hear something.”
Karina couldn’t answer that she knew, so she made a vague excuse.
“Hmm.”
Mikhail looked at Karina with a meaningful expression.
Karina said, looking away from his gaze.
“That’s right. You heard earlier, right? I’m a bit concerned about the Lamberda family.”
“When you say Lamberda, you mean that guy who was so arrogant and fearless back then? The guy who tried to extort money from the Grand Duchess and got beat up in the end.”
Judging by the fact that he immediately blurted out who it was, Mikhail must have remembered what happened that day.
“That’s right. So what you sowed.”
One corner of Karina’s mouth went up.
“I’ll tell the flower shop to look into the Lamberda family.”
Mikhail quickly figured out what she wanted.
Karina nodded in satisfaction.
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