Chapter 10
“Aaaah!”
The moment Helena returned home, she threw herself onto her bed and screamed.
– I’ll be going first, sister.
– Why? Why not stay a little longer?
– …It’s not polite to keep someone who’s sick company for too long. I’ll leave now.
– Oh dear, how unfortunate. Then let’s meet again when you’re healthy, Helena.
As Helena remembered Roella calmly seeing her off, her stomach twisted in anger.
She’s crazy. She must be crazy.
Otherwise, how could a person change so drastically overnight?
Helena’s eyes widened as she hurled a cushion with all her strength.
Even that didn’t calm her anger.
She had gone there to provoke Roella—but instead of Roella getting upset, she was the only one left fuming.
She was still grinding her teeth in frustration when a knock sounded at the door.
“Who is it?!”
“Miss, a letter has arrived.”
“A letter?”
“Yes. It looked like the one you were waiting for…”
The one I was waiting for?
Could it be…
“Bring it here, quickly!”
“Yes, Miss!”
Seeing Helena wave urgently, the maid hurriedly delivered the letter and left the room.
Helena tore it open eagerly.
…This!
After reading the contents, a crooked smile spread across her red lips.
She immediately stood up and began writing something on a fresh sheet of white paper.
“So you dared to humiliate me today.”
“Just wait until next time, Roella.”
Let’s see if she could remain so relaxed after this plan succeeds.
Her blue eyes flashed viciously.
Meanwhile – The Duke’s Office
“It sounded noisy outside.”
The Duke asked Graham, who had just entered and closed the door.
“Lady Dioter visited.”
“…Was there an appointment?”
“No. It seems she came to visit the young lady while she was ill.”
At the mention of a visit for illness, the Duke nodded casually.
Helena did want to become closer to Roella, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to visit.
“However, Your Grace. I happened to overhear part of their conversation… It seems rumors about the young lady are spreading.”
“Rumors? What rumors?”
“About the Organ investment. People are saying the young lady might have been scammed.”
“And apparently the rumor has even reached Young Duke Kellyan.”
“Hah.”
“And the young duke reportedly expressed his disappointment in the young lady in front of others.”
“What does he mean ‘disappointed’? Who does he think he is!”
“Well, Your Grace often expresses disappointment in the young lady too.”
“That’s because I’m her father!”
“Ah, I see.”
Graham replied with a warm yet completely soulless tone.
The Duke avoided his gaze.
Right. That’s not what I should be worrying about.
The Duke also knew about Roella’s obsession with Demos Kellyan.
If she heard that the young duke was disappointed in her…
“Hmm. Roella must have caused another scene. Why would Helena bother telling her something like that?”
“No, that’s not what happened.”
Unlike the troubled Duke, Graham answered calmly.
“In fact, she seemed not to care at all.”
“What? Roella?”
The Duke asked in disbelief.
“Yes. Rather than being shaken, she seemed concerned about something else.”
“What?”
“She lamented the foolishness of those spreading rumors despite Your Grace’s arrest order being a clear warning.”
“She seemed to understand Your Grace’s true intentions surprisingly well.”
Suspicion deepened on the Duke’s face.
He couldn’t believe it.
His troublesome daughter had always been obsessed with Demos Kellyan.
And now the rumor of her being scammed had spread everywhere—and even reached the young duke—yet she didn’t get angry?
Moreover, she even understood his intentions and criticized foolish nobles?
“…Perhaps she only acted calm in front of others and is secretly planning something else.”
“I don’t think so. Honestly, if the young lady were going to cause trouble, she would have done it immediately. Especially since it concerns Young Duke Kellyan.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
The Duke nodded.
If Roella were going to explode, she would have done so right then and there.
Has she really come to her senses?
If so, that’s a good thing…
While he was lost in thought, Graham spoke quietly.
“Actually… I think I know the reason.”
“What?”
“The reason the young lady might remain calm despite the rumors.”
Graham smiled slyly.
His neatly groomed mustache twitched slightly.
“The young lady said that Your Grace doesn’t pretend to care for her. After that, she mentioned that your arrest order was actually a warning to those who dare challenge the family.”
“…What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means the young lady finds Your Grace reassuring.”
“To be honest, before this, the young lady didn’t trust or rely on you. Instead, she relied heavily on Young Duke Kellyan.”
The Duke reluctantly nodded.
He didn’t like hearing it, but it was true.
Encouraged, Graham continued confidently.
“But after those two recent incidents, it seems her heart has changed.”
“She has decided to trust and rely on Your Grace.”
“As proof, she perfectly understood the true intention behind your arrest order. Understanding someone’s true feelings is impossible without trust.”
“Is… that so?”
The Duke nodded awkwardly.
Graham continued enthusiastically.
“In any case, because she now trusts Your Grace, she seems much more stable.”
“She doesn’t even react angrily to rumors anymore.”
“And since she now relies on the closest person—Your Grace—perhaps her obsession with Young Duke Kellyan has also decreased.”
“Huh… well.”
That actually makes a lot of sense.
The longer Graham spoke, the more impressed the Duke became with his butler.
What a capable man!
I really do have a good eye for people.
So Roella has decided to trust and rely on me now…
“Ahem. That girl… worrying me over something so trivial.”
“I’m almost worried she’s opening her heart too easily.”
Despite his words, the corners of his mouth kept twitching upward.
Seeing this, Graham smiled warmly.
“Your Grace.”
“Yes?”
“Why not have dinner with the young lady today? It might cheer her up.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes. Even if she appears calm, hearing those rumors must still bother her.”
“And if you dine together, you can also confirm whether she has truly changed.”
Hmm…
“That is quite reasonable.”
The Duke closed the documents he had been organizing and stood up.
As Roella’s dependable father, it seemed it was time for him to step forward.
Not that he had any other motive.
He simply wanted to confirm whether Roella had truly changed.
Yes, that’s all.
“Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
Just as the Duke was about to leave the room, Graham called him again.
Graham pointed at the clock with a gentle smile.
“…Dinner is still quite a while away.”
“……”
“It’s only 3 PM.”
“…I see.”
Embarrassed, the Duke quietly returned to his seat.
Later
Why suddenly dinner?
I glanced at the Duke in confusion.
Since our meeting in the office, this was the first time I’d seen him up close again.
Hmm.
He’s handsome.
As expected of Roella’s father—owner of those insane looks—his face was also dangerously attractive in a good way.
Despite being middle-aged, he had the sturdy build typical of the heads of the Brietta ducal family, who had long been holy knights.
A strong body.
Sharp, well-defined features.
Deep blue eyes and neatly combed navy hair.
Now that I look at it, Roella really does resemble her dad.
Especially the slightly relaxed yet sharp eyes.
I had been secretly glancing at him when his sharp blue gaze suddenly turned toward me.
I immediately lowered my eyes.
Handsome or not—
He was terrifying.
…This meal is going to give me indigestion.
A few hours earlier…
The head butler suddenly visited me and asked,
“Would you like to have dinner with His Grace the Duke?”
Of course, I wanted to refuse.
Why would I willingly sit down for a meal that might give me indigestion?
But from my experience in office life, when a secretary personally comes and casually mentions dinner…
That means the order came from higher up.
No one can refuse a meal recommended by the boss.
When your superior speaks, even on weekends you’re expected to jump up and go hiking with them—that’s both the virtue and tragedy of being a subordinate.
And the Duke wasn’t just a superior.
In terms of authority, he was basically the CEO who controlled my funding.
So in the end, I smiled brightly and agreed.
And thus—
This suffocating dinner meeting was born.
