Deccarno's words were as close to the truth as they were smooth. In fact, the story is over if we look at Evangeline's family and social skills over the past two years. She was also the Princess of the tricky and noble Duchy of Nyx in the north, and the only woman recognized by the previous Duchess.
Nevertheless, it was true that it was too eerie to move on as it was.
"Even so, it's a one-time marriage, so take a little more time..."
"This is a woman who has never disappointed me except for this incident."
"Duke."
"I'm tired of being annoying. Let's finish at this point."
The Duke frowned, and even Count Lian had to keep his mouth shut. Deccarno's gaze flashed through his long fingers that supported his head, and he looked at them one by one.
"If you want to tell me that again, you will have to give up not only the jewels you are wearing, but all the land and business rights bearing the name of the Theses."
"...Hmm."
"Then I know you agreed."
If you knew, you should leave now, the Duke said very elegantly. All of the people here, small or large, are living in the craftsman. If he wants to, the family fortune will plummet.
They were quick to make a calculation, so they all walked away without a word. Only Count Lian glanced dissatisfied until the end, but he didn't do much. Only after the sound of the door came along with a slump of footsteps, did the Duke tilt his neck over the backrest.
"Hah."
Love. It wasn't funny
When you are in such a position, you hear all kinds of things, but he didn't expect to hear such nonsense.
Yes, it's ridiculous.
He doesn't know how to express it in any other way. Evangeline O'Hara... It was as simple as it was. This did not tarnish her worth as a Duchess.
If he has to get married anyway because of his age or position, there is no other person than Evangeline. He didn't even need his mother's approval.
Evangeline was elegant, rational, and adept at hiding her feelings. His handling of people and his occasional swinging are flawless. He was knowledgeable and didn't feel out of place in any conversation.
That was all.
"Yes."
Decarno tilted his head and slowly opened his eyes. Of course, he can't say that he likes everything. The recent scar on her cheek is very annoying, but it will soon return to a flawless smoothness. So there is nothing more to it. It had to be so.
That's how this position is supposed to be.
It was a strange conclusion, but the Duke was not a man who looked back on a matter that had been decided. He didn't want his head to be complicated anymore. Without hesitation, Deccarno signed the sales document that he had just looked at.
The southern Rodka plain and vineyards.
Even though it is the most fertile land in the Velice Empire, there is no regret. It was a reasonable amount of money to turn Evangeline back into a perfect Duchess.
***
#2
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency, Duke of Theses. I..."
"I know, Young Lady O'Hara."
When she thinks about it now, her first meeting with him was quite ordinary. To be precise, the two families put in a lot of effort to look ordinary.
His father became an honorary member by donating a huge amount of money to a hunting group that she had never heard of before, and she accompanied him. It was twice as expensive as a membership ticket that only one person could enter, but it was just a small amount of money for his father.
The previous Duchess was not as active as her father, but she did everything she could. She forced her son, who had been forcibly appointed as an honorary member of various organizations, to a party of a hunting group. She used the excuse that there were too many wild animals in the Duke's estate and forest, but it wasn't the animal that her son really wanted to catch.
That's how Evangeline met him.
From the second-floor balcony overlooking the river, Deccarno called out her name. Perhaps that was the beginning and the end. They got to know each other and gradually increased their conversations, and before they knew it, they became the co-writers of Theses.
In the process, Deccarno never disappointed her.
No matter what the situation, he was upright and never committed any disrespect. There was not even a frivolous mistake or a squint of blatant admiration that often accompanies him. Sometimes he smiled faintly, but she never felt any emotion.
Is that so? She even wondered why he decided to marry her.
And only today did she know why...
"Because it's easy."
"...That's what it was."
The story she had heard in front of his study just a moment ago lingered in Evangeline's mind. It is a marriage of money and power, so it is natural to see it, but she doesn't know why it is so empty and empty. Evangeline turned around after hearing that, so she doesn't know what happened after that.
To him, she is just a simple Duchess.
Even If O'Hara's money and background were gone, he would have thought that her value as a Duchess took precedence. Since he was such a thorough man, it was understandable how the calculation was made.
"Hah."
She jumped up, opened the drawer of her dresser, and took out all the jewelry she had. She reached deeper and deeper, and when she touched the hard plank with her fingertips, she suddenly regained her sanity and closed her eyes tightly.
"I still have that kind of value left, so should I like this?"
She leaned down on the chair in front of the dressing table and looked at the Booth mirror. Her white complexion is like a doll in a glass cabinet that her father bought for her when she was a child. If it wasn't for the scar on her reddened cheek, she wouldn't have looked alive.
"..."
Evangeline traced the wound with her fingertips. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it hurts somewhere else. Her hand fell from her cheek and came down to her chest. Perhaps the family that had filled her heart a while ago had slipped away, and there was an infinite emptiness.
'Why did I think he might think I was special?'
Embarrassed in hindsight, she lowered her eyes. Could be... She wondered if there was another reason why he wouldn't throw her out.
If anyone else doesn't know it, it's the Duke of Theses.
If it wasn't for that special reason, she didn't think she would suffer such a loss because of his thorough personality that she had seen for two years. When she thought about it, her heart jumped uncontrollably.
"...It's pathetic."
Her smile, muttering to herself in self-help, faded away. To have such hope at such a moment really made her weak. In fact, she was the only one who couldn't wish him that kind of feeling.
Because she's always thought of Deccarno as a perfect Duke.
Even if it wasn't necessarily her father's stubbornness, she admitted that there was no more groom in the empire than this man. From the first moment she met him, he was nicer and neater than anyone else. Compared to the frivolous and pretentious opponents typical of young men, Deccarno was unparalleled.
She liked him
Even if affection cannot be expected, it is the same for all other nobles. In that sense, she believed that Deccarno, who knew the value of dignity and promise, would keep his duty as a husband. If he could concentrate on his work and time, one-tenth of his time, on his role as her husband, she couldn't ask for anything more.
Therefore, she did the best she could as the next Duchess, and before she knew it, she was three months away from getting married.
Evangeline can't guarantee that day will come.
"..."
The pink eyes in the mirror blinked slowly. She did not take her eyes off of it as if she was trying to capture her reality clearly. There are no more jewels or tiaras to make her shine. She doesn't know how much further it will fall, but so far.
The break-even point of the Duke is who she is today.
***
After visiting the Duke of Theses, Count Lian was sick for three days and nights. She couldn't really feel sick, and the anger she had stored up in her heart swirled more and more.
'Because the young guy in the blue is coming.'
The more he thought about it, the more he gnashed his teeth. Even if he is a Duke, he is his nephew, Deccarno, who is much younger than him. His frowning eyes were arrogant, as if warning them in front of his relatives. He wants to turn off his nerves and never see him again, but he can't.
'Do you know that the Theses family is your own!'
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