"Come out quickly! Don't be cowardly hiding there!"
"Oh my God. How could you raise your face so shamelessly..."
She was instantly deafened among those who were shouting openly. Even though her lips didn't fall off, she couldn't run away. She tried to force herself to say a single word, but the surroundings suddenly became quiet. It was the Duke of Theses who could calm the seemingly unstoppable turmoil with just one appearance.
"What's all this all about?"
"Uh, sir Duke."
After getting off the carriage, many people split into two groups. Removing his black gloves one by one, Deccarno was as graceful as a beast of prey in the grassland. There was not even embarrassment in his innocent silver eyes, which made the onlookers even more stunned.
"Uh, sir. It's not like that, but we're in a hurry..."
"If it was so urgent, you could have come to me through the front door."
"..."
It was absurd. It was Impossible to meet him as the busiest man in the empire without a lot of connections and connections. But what made them hesitate more than anything else was the courage to stand alone with the Duke of Theses. Just looking at it makes them feel intimidated, but there is no guarantee that they will be able to say even a single word properly.
Deccarno was a man who knew this very well.
"If you have something to say to me now, fine. As much as you want."
"...But, sir, we have something to do with Lady O'Hara."
"Why can't you tell this person something to say?"
"..."
"You can either do it now that you're with me, or I'll call my lawyer and we'll make a more reasonable settlement based on the scale of the damage."
His glance at them to choose between the two was indifferent. In the end, those who were hesitant quietly bowed their heads to answer instead. Although it is a little subservient, if the Duke takes responsibility, it would be the best thing for them. Even though the door to the west side of the Duke's palace was wide open, they didn't even dare to enter.
"Why are you here?"
"..."
Deccarno entered calmly and faced Evangeline at the door. He didn't seem to care at all about the stares of people following him. His hand touched her shoulder, and she flinched, and her eyes returned to focus.
"Evangeline."
"I'm sorry. I'll go in."
The barely open words were quickly dispersed. The Duke's hand rested on her waist behind her as she struggled to turn. Debtors surrounded him like that, but he was no different from when he escorted her at a banquet. When he arrived in front of the annex, the Duke's hand returned to its original position, but the pressure was still crushing.
"..."
She wanted to look up at him standing in front of her, but she couldn't. Just as Evangeline has never experienced anything like this before, so will he.
Should I apologize? Did I tarnish your honor with this?
Evangeline's lips clenched again. The Duke, who had been standing there waiting for her reaction, turned away only when Michael told him that a guest had arrived. After Deccarno left, Evangeline was slowly able to raise her head. Even when she finally looked at the back, her heart ached endlessly.
She'd rather get out as soon as possible.
Evangeline has nowhere to go, but it might be better for now. Then she suddenly had a different idea.
Why hasn't this man kicked her out yet?
"..."
When she thought about it, it was strange. In the first place, it was a marriage to make up for each other's shortcomings with money, power, and each other, so it was possible to break up as much as the deal went awry. It's the Duke of Theses. It was strange that he, who could create something that didn't exist, would go on to do something like this.
Perhaps her eyes narrowed.
"...No. I don't think so."
Evangeline shook her head at the absurd thought that came to her mind. With no parents and nowhere to go, it seems that she has all sorts of thoughts. Evangeline, who was pacing around for nothing, did not go inside to see what she was thinking, but followed the path where he had disappeared.
"What's going on here?"
No one knew about the next Duchess's bankruptcy. This was the case even for those who came to him right away and stood by him.
"What happened? What is all this about? Now that you're doing it, the debtors have invaded the Duke of Thesis, right?"
"I want to, what kind of nonsense! I thought I was going to stop breathing when I looked out!"
"...So my uncle kept quiet when he saw it."
"Duke!"
Count Lian, who had been snorting at the Duke's preconceived gaze, took a breath. As a cousin of the deceased Duke Theses, he was one of the closest relatives of Duke Theses. He was a man who took great pride in himself.
"Isn't that Important now? How can a debtor come to the Duke of Theses!"
"Then I think it's acceptable for the next Duchess to be in debt."
"Duchess! Do you really want to get married?"
Really? With such a woman?
He could hear the last words hidden in his wheezing breath even if he couldn't hear them. However, the Duke, who lowered his eyes over the papers, was unfazed.
"Isn't it natural?"
"Huh..."
Their mouths fell open in a daze. As soon as he saw the newspaper, he rushed to the Duke's residence to discuss who should fill the place where the woman had left. Even though they were younger than them, no one suspected that they were like a knife in making and breaking ties.
"...It's ridiculous. Where does the Duchess of Theses usually grow up? As much as you represent our nobles, so should the Duchess! The daughter of a fallen businessman in such a position!"
"That's right!"
Some people who were watching the situation from behind also began to help.
"Only now can Count O'Hara be compared to our Theses? It was Impossible from the beginning!"
"Then you didn't oppose it at that time."
"...Duke!"
"I don't know why you're doing this now."
In the end, Deccarno covered up the documents he was looking at. He looked at them with displeasure again, but instead bent his eyes wickedly.
"Isn't it ridiculous? The people who used to use all kinds of things in the O'Hara family are now talking about it."
"That's It..."
"You should look at the clothes and accessories you are wearing right now and where they came from."
His gray eyes stared intently at Count Lian's tiepin. The diamonds were densely surrounded by sapphires that weighed more than 20 carats. The nobles, who did not know that the Duke knew such a situation, coughed and blushed.
"...How could it be that Count O'Hara first rushed in to take a good look at my daughter?"
"Then keep your promise. Since you received the goods as good, isn't it a fair transaction?"
"Duke! Why?"
Count Lian narrowed his eyes at Deccarno, who did not raise his voice once. This has been wrong for a long time. The Count, who frowned even more at the thought, put one hand on the Duke's desk.
"Do you even love her?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't understand. It may be a matter of your heart that you are willing to marry a woman who is a loss to the Duke."
Count Lian's eyes lit up as he tried to find out something, even though he thought it would never be. As if it were a question that everyone wanted to ask, all eyes fell silently on Deccarno's face. They were filled with tension that they didn't know what answer he would give...
"No way."
"Oh..."
Those who heard the obvious answer let out a sigh of relief or a sigh of relief. In doing so, they missed the sound of footsteps that stopped in front of the door.
"Then why are you so stubborn?"
"Because it's easy."
"..."
"Evangeline O'Hara is a prepared Duchess. It's troublesome to find another woman now, and there's no guarantee that they'll do as well as she does."
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