Although the Duke of Sadie's territory was in the north, the Vancent Empire itself was not located that far north, so autumn in the north was not very cold.
The Duke's castle was a vast and spacious place, with over 600 bedrooms. The marble corridors were long and airy, and carpets, painstakingly imported from the Eastern Empire, were laid out.
The high ceilings were adorned with priceless chandeliers, and beautiful scenes from mythology were painted on murals.
As befitting a family with a long history, portraits of the first generation of Dukes were lined up in the hallway, giving off an intimidating feeling just by walking through.
When he entered the reception room, the children of three families were sitting there.
First, he will omit who Marlene of the Marquis de Huppert is.
Next is Lenave, the eldest son of the Marquis Touche.
He has neatly combed blond hair, a narrow forehead, and a beak-shaped nose. He is trusted by the Imperial Household for his sharp and meticulous appearance as well as his perfect work ethic.
Finally, there was Enoch, Count of Blois, a large landowner with over 100,000 acres of land, who had recently amassed a great fortune by receiving dividends from his investments in copper mines.
Enoch was lucky enough to become rich, but he wasn't particularly bright. Even flirting with Marlene seemed ridiculous, as it didn't go as planned.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to go out for a walk with me?”
“I don’t really feel like walking.”
“Then. Shall we sit here together?”
"No, I do not want."
“What should I do if I don’t want to walk or sit...?”
As Enoch awkwardly stuck his butt out, Marlene grabbed her head and moved away.
“Ugh, why do I always get involved with these kinds of people?”
Marlene, who had been avoiding the nagging Enoch, spotted Emily and her husband entering the living room and hurried over.
“Hello Emily! Hello, Marquis Starr.”
Marlene greeted Killian with the utmost respect. Recalling his brutal appearance at the Galerie Molineux made her bow involuntarily.
"I'm Emily's friend, Marlene Huppert. I've met you before, but I'm not sure if you remember."
Only then did Killian seem to recognize Marlene and greet her.
“I heard you’re my wife’s only friend. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, Emily said that?”
Marlene looked at Emily, as if she were surprised again.
“Haha, did I say you were my only friend? I guess I’m out of my mind.”
“Don’t be embarrassed for no reason... I already knew how you felt, kid.”
Marlene smiled and led them through the crowd. The first person she introduced was Lenave.
“Greetings, Viscount Touche. This is the Marquis de Starr, and the one next to him is Madame Starr, my friend, Emily.”
“Ah... yes, nice to meet you.”
Lenave forced himself to meet Killian. An elitist to the core, he was resentful of being invited to the same table as a commoner, a former member of the mafia.
“And this is Viscount Lenave, the eldest son of the Marquis de Touche.”
Killian also greeted Marlene and said.
“I know the Marquis Touche.”
“Are you talking about my father?”
Lenave frowned involuntarily. It hurt his pride to know his father was acquainted with the mafia.
Marlene, who was quick to notice this, was worried that Lenave might be rude.
'What if his head gets blown off on the way home at night?'
Marlene quickly finished greeting Vancent for peace and called Count Enoch Blois.
Fortunately, Enoch did not show hostility towards Killian like Lenave did.
"It's an honor to meet you. I've been to Delina House a few times myself. You probably don't remember me, do you?"
Killian shrugged.
“I don’t have much reason to go to the club.”
"Then please remember my face today. Next time we meet, can I say hello first?"
“Yes, I see.”
Although Killian was not used to such social events, he didn't feel uncomfortable with Enoch's friendly behavior.
“By the way, you two really look good together, just like they say.”
Enoch said that and slowly walked over to stand next to Marlene.
“Don’t you think Young Lady Huppert and I look like a painting?”
“I’m really going crazy.”
There was no normality here or there. Marlene had no choice but to send them out of the reception room.
"Let's end our greetings here. Marquis, and Emily, the butler will show you around the castle. Come with me."
They were guided by the butler to tour the interior of the castle and had free time.
“Marlene, when on earth did you become so close to the Count of Blois?”
Emily whispered quietly to Marlene behind the butler.
"Emily, can't you tell just by looking at it? He just fell for me."
“I didn’t realize he was that old because he looks so young.”
"He's not bad looking, but don't be fooled by that. Just talk to him for a minute and you'll know he's not in his right mind."
The butler continued his explanation, coughing as two people whispered behind him.
"This room has been used as the Duchess's bedroom for generations. It has been empty for several years."
As the butler spoke, he glanced at Emily furtively. His eyes seemed to say, "This room was originally Madam Starr's."
As this atmosphere continued, Killian was overcome by a strange feeling he couldn't quite put into words.
Killian wanted to stop looking around the castle, which wasn't fun anymore, and go home where he could eat, fill his schedule, and get some restful sleep.
But the castle tour took another hour, and it was at dinner that they met the Duke of Sadie.
To impress the Duke, Lenave Touche was the first to make a flattering remark.
"I'm deeply honored to be invited by Your Excellency, who rarely engages in social activities. Both the estate and the castle are of a dignified and prestigious character, befitting Your Excellency's reputation."
“Thank you for saying that.”
Enoch also added something, as if he wanted to say something in the meantime.
"Your Excellency, with such a vast and magnificent castle, I imagine it must be lonely living alone. Come to think of it, aren't other people already at that age with children?"
Enoch's bombshell statement instantly froze everyone at the table. Somewhere, a clattering sound of spoons hitting plates could be heard.
“The Count of Blois!”
Lenave glared at Enoch, who had instantly turned the atmosphere into a mess.
But the oblivious Enoch just wondered why people were looking at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Potato soup tastes bad when it gets cold. Eat it quickly.”
Then, watching Enoch enjoy the soup, Marlene whispered quietly to Emily next to her.
“Look, I told you that guy seemed to have some brain dysfunction, didn’t I?”
"I know."
Emily quietly offered her condolences to the future Madame de Blois.
The next course arrived, and somehow the meal continued.
Lenave pondered how to keep the conversation going at the suddenly quiet table.
As far as he knows, the way to become close to someone is to gossip about someone they dislike.
Lenave, remembering the rumors she had heard, decided to crush Killian together in front of Charles.
"By the way, I didn't expect the Marquis of Starr to be invited. To be honest, you come from a different background than us."
Lenave said Killian was a mafia member, but what? Strictly speaking, Killian, a commoner by birth, seemed to think he was nothing more than an impurity in this place.
Lenave, a highly regarded talent in the palace, had no fear of Killian, as he also had ambitions of one day wiping out the mafia.
But Enoch intervened again without notice, and Lenave's plan was ruined.
"Count Lenave, how could someone so intelligent not know that? I could figure it out easily."
Lenave's face rotted as he wondered what that person was going to say next.
“Count Blois, wait a moment...”
“Madame Starr is the Duke’s former fiancée.”
As he finished speaking, the sound of a spoon falling to the floor was heard from somewhere.
“Perhaps His Excellency summoned you both because he wanted to see Madame Starr and was curious about who she was married to?”
Everyone at the table, except Enoch, closed their eyes tightly. Emily, in particular, was wondering how she could naturally pass out and leave the place.
Even in the midst of all this, Enoch's beak continued to move without stopping.
“Come to think of it, if that happens, we’ll just be hangers-on. Oh my god.”
Lenave looked down at the stockings he was wearing. Should I take them off and shove them in his mouth?
Meanwhile, Charles and Killian, the main characters of the whirlpool, remained silent.
In particular, Killian thought that perhaps the Count of Blois was a highly skilled strategist who pretended to be naive.
'Or are you on my side?'
Well, then, thank you. Killian finished cutting the steak with a much lighter heart.
Even in this situation, only Lenave struggled to somehow fix the atmosphere that was so damaged that it could not be fixed.
When it was finally time for dessert, Lenave once again brought up a new topic.
“Ahem, how about we all go horseback riding together tomorrow?”
Since horseback riding was a hobby enjoyed by the nobility, Lenave thought that Killian, who was of commoner origin, would not be able to ride properly.
Despite the twists and turns, the idea of destroying Killian's spirit to win the favor of Duke Sadie remained unchanged.
“In particular, I would like to face the Marquis of Starr.”
“This will be fun! Please include me in the competition!”
Lenave was on edge because of Enoch, who had been interfering without notice since earlier.
“Ha, I see.”
Lenave now had no energy left to respond. Enoch, who was always cheerful, ignored everyone around him, smiled at Marlene, who was sitting across from him, and spoke.
“I have three horses that I ride.”
Marlene also smiled back.
“It’s a waste of words.”
The Duke's castle was a vast and spacious place, with over 600 bedrooms. The marble corridors were long and airy, and carpets, painstakingly imported from the Eastern Empire, were laid out.
The high ceilings were adorned with priceless chandeliers, and beautiful scenes from mythology were painted on murals.
As befitting a family with a long history, portraits of the first generation of Dukes were lined up in the hallway, giving off an intimidating feeling just by walking through.
When he entered the reception room, the children of three families were sitting there.
First, he will omit who Marlene of the Marquis de Huppert is.
Next is Lenave, the eldest son of the Marquis Touche.
He has neatly combed blond hair, a narrow forehead, and a beak-shaped nose. He is trusted by the Imperial Household for his sharp and meticulous appearance as well as his perfect work ethic.
Finally, there was Enoch, Count of Blois, a large landowner with over 100,000 acres of land, who had recently amassed a great fortune by receiving dividends from his investments in copper mines.
Enoch was lucky enough to become rich, but he wasn't particularly bright. Even flirting with Marlene seemed ridiculous, as it didn't go as planned.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to go out for a walk with me?”
“I don’t really feel like walking.”
“Then. Shall we sit here together?”
"No, I do not want."
“What should I do if I don’t want to walk or sit...?”
As Enoch awkwardly stuck his butt out, Marlene grabbed her head and moved away.
“Ugh, why do I always get involved with these kinds of people?”
Marlene, who had been avoiding the nagging Enoch, spotted Emily and her husband entering the living room and hurried over.
“Hello Emily! Hello, Marquis Starr.”
Marlene greeted Killian with the utmost respect. Recalling his brutal appearance at the Galerie Molineux made her bow involuntarily.
"I'm Emily's friend, Marlene Huppert. I've met you before, but I'm not sure if you remember."
Only then did Killian seem to recognize Marlene and greet her.
“I heard you’re my wife’s only friend. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, Emily said that?”
Marlene looked at Emily, as if she were surprised again.
“Haha, did I say you were my only friend? I guess I’m out of my mind.”
“Don’t be embarrassed for no reason... I already knew how you felt, kid.”
Marlene smiled and led them through the crowd. The first person she introduced was Lenave.
“Greetings, Viscount Touche. This is the Marquis de Starr, and the one next to him is Madame Starr, my friend, Emily.”
“Ah... yes, nice to meet you.”
Lenave forced himself to meet Killian. An elitist to the core, he was resentful of being invited to the same table as a commoner, a former member of the mafia.
“And this is Viscount Lenave, the eldest son of the Marquis de Touche.”
Killian also greeted Marlene and said.
“I know the Marquis Touche.”
“Are you talking about my father?”
Lenave frowned involuntarily. It hurt his pride to know his father was acquainted with the mafia.
Marlene, who was quick to notice this, was worried that Lenave might be rude.
'What if his head gets blown off on the way home at night?'
Marlene quickly finished greeting Vancent for peace and called Count Enoch Blois.
Fortunately, Enoch did not show hostility towards Killian like Lenave did.
"It's an honor to meet you. I've been to Delina House a few times myself. You probably don't remember me, do you?"
Killian shrugged.
“I don’t have much reason to go to the club.”
"Then please remember my face today. Next time we meet, can I say hello first?"
“Yes, I see.”
Although Killian was not used to such social events, he didn't feel uncomfortable with Enoch's friendly behavior.
“By the way, you two really look good together, just like they say.”
Enoch said that and slowly walked over to stand next to Marlene.
“Don’t you think Young Lady Huppert and I look like a painting?”
Marlene let out a deep sigh, as if drawn up from her very core.
There was no normality here or there. Marlene had no choice but to send them out of the reception room.
"Let's end our greetings here. Marquis, and Emily, the butler will show you around the castle. Come with me."
They were guided by the butler to tour the interior of the castle and had free time.
“Marlene, when on earth did you become so close to the Count of Blois?”
Emily whispered quietly to Marlene behind the butler.
"Emily, can't you tell just by looking at it? He just fell for me."
Marlene brushed her arm as if she were horrified. He was thirty-five and his behavior was so clumsy that she didn't like him.
"He's not bad looking, but don't be fooled by that. Just talk to him for a minute and you'll know he's not in his right mind."
The butler continued his explanation, coughing as two people whispered behind him.
"This room has been used as the Duchess's bedroom for generations. It has been empty for several years."
As the butler spoke, he glanced at Emily furtively. His eyes seemed to say, "This room was originally Madam Starr's."
As this atmosphere continued, Killian was overcome by a strange feeling he couldn't quite put into words.
Killian wanted to stop looking around the castle, which wasn't fun anymore, and go home where he could eat, fill his schedule, and get some restful sleep.
But the castle tour took another hour, and it was at dinner that they met the Duke of Sadie.
To impress the Duke, Lenave Touche was the first to make a flattering remark.
"I'm deeply honored to be invited by Your Excellency, who rarely engages in social activities. Both the estate and the castle are of a dignified and prestigious character, befitting Your Excellency's reputation."
“Thank you for saying that.”
Enoch also added something, as if he wanted to say something in the meantime.
"Your Excellency, with such a vast and magnificent castle, I imagine it must be lonely living alone. Come to think of it, aren't other people already at that age with children?"
Enoch's bombshell statement instantly froze everyone at the table. Somewhere, a clattering sound of spoons hitting plates could be heard.
“The Count of Blois!”
Lenave glared at Enoch, who had instantly turned the atmosphere into a mess.
But the oblivious Enoch just wondered why people were looking at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Potato soup tastes bad when it gets cold. Eat it quickly.”
Then, watching Enoch enjoy the soup, Marlene whispered quietly to Emily next to her.
“Look, I told you that guy seemed to have some brain dysfunction, didn’t I?”
"I know."
Emily quietly offered her condolences to the future Madame de Blois.
The next course arrived, and somehow the meal continued.
Lenave pondered how to keep the conversation going at the suddenly quiet table.
As far as he knows, the way to become close to someone is to gossip about someone they dislike.
Lenave, remembering the rumors she had heard, decided to crush Killian together in front of Charles.
"By the way, I didn't expect the Marquis of Starr to be invited. To be honest, you come from a different background than us."
Lenave said Killian was a mafia member, but what? Strictly speaking, Killian, a commoner by birth, seemed to think he was nothing more than an impurity in this place.
Lenave, a highly regarded talent in the palace, had no fear of Killian, as he also had ambitions of one day wiping out the mafia.
But Enoch intervened again without notice, and Lenave's plan was ruined.
"Count Lenave, how could someone so intelligent not know that? I could figure it out easily."
Lenave's face rotted as he wondered what that person was going to say next.
“Count Blois, wait a moment...”
“Madame Starr is the Duke’s former fiancée.”
As he finished speaking, the sound of a spoon falling to the floor was heard from somewhere.
“Perhaps His Excellency summoned you both because he wanted to see Madame Starr and was curious about who she was married to?”
Everyone at the table, except Enoch, closed their eyes tightly. Emily, in particular, was wondering how she could naturally pass out and leave the place.
Even in the midst of all this, Enoch's beak continued to move without stopping.
“Come to think of it, if that happens, we’ll just be hangers-on. Oh my god.”
Lenave looked down at the stockings he was wearing. Should I take them off and shove them in his mouth?
Meanwhile, Charles and Killian, the main characters of the whirlpool, remained silent.
In particular, Killian thought that perhaps the Count of Blois was a highly skilled strategist who pretended to be naive.
'Or are you on my side?'
Well, then, thank you. Killian finished cutting the steak with a much lighter heart.
Even in this situation, only Lenave struggled to somehow fix the atmosphere that was so damaged that it could not be fixed.
When it was finally time for dessert, Lenave once again brought up a new topic.
“Ahem, how about we all go horseback riding together tomorrow?”
Since horseback riding was a hobby enjoyed by the nobility, Lenave thought that Killian, who was of commoner origin, would not be able to ride properly.
Despite the twists and turns, the idea of destroying Killian's spirit to win the favor of Duke Sadie remained unchanged.
“In particular, I would like to face the Marquis of Starr.”
“This will be fun! Please include me in the competition!”
Lenave was on edge because of Enoch, who had been interfering without notice since earlier.
“Ha, I see.”
Lenave now had no energy left to respond. Enoch, who was always cheerful, ignored everyone around him, smiled at Marlene, who was sitting across from him, and spoke.
“I have three horses that I ride.”
Marlene also smiled back.
“It’s a waste of words.”
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