#Prolog
In the middle of the night, the quiet moonlight on the large windowsill filled the room. On the elegant marble table and on the velvet sofa, there was a soft light like a painting. However, the situation on the bed was not so subtle.
"No more..."
"I know."
Before Evangeline could stop, he stopped. The man's eyes slowly rose as if he were reading her reaction. It was hard to guess what he was doing just now.
"Is it okay?"
"...Yes, of course."
She nodded, and he stepped back. She thought he would stay like this for a while, but he couldn't. As soon as he checked the time, he stood up and put on his uniform.
Evangeline looked at him in silence.
Deck of the tree.
The fact that it was dawn after sunset did not interfere with the view of this man. The dark gray eyes that were the symbol of the Thesis were frighteningly quiet. He was one head taller than ordinary men, and his broad shoulders weighed on the viewers. He was a man with an overwhelming presence in many ways.
"What's wrong?"
"..."
He casually brushed his black hair away, revealing his marble-like forehead and eyes. The silver gaze came to her completely, and Evangeline shook her head.
"No, I don't. Nothing."
"What's your schedule today?"
"During the day, I check the backlog of documents, and in the afternoon, I have a banquet, so I have to welcome people."
However, it was good that she didn't have to shy away when talking about her daily life like this. As he leaned against the table and smoothed the cuffs on his sleeves, it was understandable why he frowned.
"Isn't it troublesome, isn't it?"
"..."
Something like that.
In just two words, his views on the banquet were fully revealed. Since he was so busy with outside work, it was not unreasonable to think so. Her lips hesitated as if she was thinking about something, and then she curled slightly.
"I'm fine."
"That's a good thing."
"..."
"Is there anything else you want to say to me?"
He should have left the mansion already, but somehow he stood in front of her. Looking at the bed that was messed up with his own traces, Deccarno was extremely calm. Except for the first night they spent half-drunk together, he had never let go of his reason.
"Evangeline?"
"No, I don't."
"..."
"What do you have to say? I don't have that, so I'm good to go."
His eyes narrowed at her graceful smile. But that's all. Deccarno, who turned his shoes carelessly, suddenly regained his perfect Duke's form. Even today, countless tasks to be handled as the president of the Senate that controls the empire, are waiting for him.
'How would I look if I told you that today is my birthday?'
Evangeline thought for a moment and shook her head with a vain smile. No matter how much she thought about it. asking such a man, "Would you come to the celebration if you were okay?" was trivial and funny. Focusing on each other's work was also a tacit promise to them as they were about to get married.
"...Yes. That's enough."
Evangeline smiled and lowered her shoulders lightly. Now that he has returned to the perfect Duke, it is time for her to return to being the hostess of the future, who is also a great future. The bedside bell rang, and the maid entered, and she commanded gracefully.
"Bring my meal and tea. Oh, and the pill."
***
Century combined.
The engagement of Duke Theses's young family owner and Count O'Hara's only daughter was praised by everyone in the social world. It was a combination of a Duke with the highest power and a noble who had all the wealth in the world, and it couldn't have been more perfect.
In the social circles of Loark, where marriage was treated as a business and a transaction, the two were considered to be a match made in heaven, full of mutual benefits.
Except that there is no desperate love.
"Happy birthday, Young Lady O'Hara."
"Thank you for coming, Countess."
"What do you mean? Of course, it should come between us."
All the guests who visited the Duke's Annex showed off their special friendship with Evangeline, who would soon become Duchess of Theses. Evangeline also greeted the guests skillfully as a prospective hostess.
"After a while, the Duchess of Theses will die, so it's a little too late. I don't have anything to offer, but I hope you can enjoy it."
"..."
It was an eye-opening banquet. The dazzling velvet, reminiscent of Evangeline's undulating silver hair, stretched across the ceiling from side to side. Winter-themed ice sculptures and hundreds of silver candlesticks instead of chandeliers were lit to make you feel like you were in a magical castle.
But despite all the decorations, this birthday party was modest.
Compared to the level of Count O'Hara, the greatest denier of the Belice Empire.
"After all, she looks like the only daughter of Count O'Hara. In terms of money, what the hell is this... Phew."
"Then what are you going to do? I don't even see the Duke of Theses."
As the light is strong, the shadow is bound to be thick. Some of the wives, who were overwhelmed by the splendid banquet, began to sneak out from behind as soon as they relaxed.
"No matter how much money you make, if you're a fiancé, you deserve to show your face on a day like this. Moreover, he is about to get married."
"But Young Lady is already acting like a Duchess."
In the open-minded Loark social circle, it was not uncommon to stay at one's flancé's house even before marriage. However, even that fact was meaningless to those who wanted to find fault. It didn't matter that the Duke of Theses was the busiest man in the empire either.
'If you don't do that, your stomach hurts, so what if you stir it with a knife?'
Evangeline O'Hara was the queen of the social world. Even if they added up all the decorations here without having to go to the money or the house, they were not more beautiful than hers.
Her long, waist-length silver hair and clear features were elegant and domineering. Her snow-white skin was as fragile as if it would melt if you touched it, but her pink eyes were firmly centered. In the Belice Empire, where the eyes and hair were mostly dark, her hair color and pupils were rare as they were. They even joked that Count O'Hara must have dug up the snow from his mine.
"Now that I am aware, this marriage would have been difficult if the Count had not found the mines of Kirne. Honestly, before that, would Count O'Hara have dared to be comparable to the Duke of Theses?"
"Yes. Anyway, Evangeline was the one who really bit the diamond spoon. As soon as she was born, things went so well that she rose to the position of Duchess of Theses."
"Then what are you going to do? Does the Duke really care about it... Oh."
As the alcohol went in, their voices gradually increased, but they suddenly felt their gaze sway. It was Evangeline. One of the wives, who had been sweating because she didn't know how she would come out, fell flat with a whimsical laugh.
"I'm sorry. We don't mean that, but that it would have been better if the Duke had come on this good day."
"No, I don't. It's better to be quiet today."
"Hey, Young Lady."
"Quietly, as if there is no existence."
"..."
"If that doesn't work, you can get drunk altogether."
As if it were a smile or a warning, her pink eyes folded beautifully as if they were drawn. The wives' mouths stuck together as they got tired of it. As the sound of gulping continued in the silence, Evangeline returned her gaze with satisfaction.
"The wine is good today. Let's get drunk together on this good day."
"Ha, haha. That's how it should be!"
The enthusiastic followers, who had been watching each other, raised their glasses in cheer. Evangeline took a sip as if she was satisfied, but her head was throbbing today. Even if she wants to go back and lie down quickly, if she doesn't hold a banquet like this on her birthday, there will be a lot of people who will doubt her family's wealth.
Compared to such a mess, that kind of gossip can only be cute.
"Oh, Evangeline! Look over there! Someone must have come!"
"..."
Someone looked at the entrance and made a fuss, and she looked straight up. She wondered if he had come, but it wasn't. He is always busy. It is a marriage that she knows, so she should not be dissatisfied with it.
Fortunately or unluckily, the carriage that stopped was the carriage of her family, the top of O'Hara.
"Oh my God, the Count must have sent a surprise to Youngae!"
"...From my father."
Blinking her eyes, Evangeline received a telegram from a staff member at the top who rushed in. Unlike her, who was calm, only those around her were excited.
"What else is it this time? Is it the most precious diamond in the world?"
"It's your birthday, so he would give a more special gift! Seeing that you sent it in a letter like this, isn't it like a certificate of registration on an island or a document of a resort mansion? The Count is a very big man!"
"..."
"Please tell me quickly."
"What the hell? Young Lady?"
They raised their voices against each other, but eventually turned to the main character, Evangeline. She read the telegram expressionlessly, folded it again, and put it in the envelope. It was definitely a special birthday present that she had never received before.
All the ships on the top of O'Hara that departed from Addis last month sank in a storm.
If it's news that the family has been ruined like this.
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