The next day, I was sitting at my desk, diligently moving my pencil.
- Find out why my mother and the Duke’s relationship soured.
- Look for a safe place where my mother and I can stay. (Including abroad)
- Strike a deal with the Duke to extort money from him. (The more, the better~)
- Learn about Casio. (Discreetly)
- Find out the current state of the relationship between Eretton and Lubanti.
- Write down anything that comes to mind from the novel to make sure I don’t forget it!
“Ucha, all done!”
I smiled proudly while looking at the Korean characters written in a small, neat handwriting on the white paper. Although I struggled a bit, unable to apply much force with my pencil, the result was quite satisfying.
The reason I wrote the to-do list in Korean was simple: I couldn’t let anyone see what I had written.
“The first thing I need to do… is number one.”
First, I had to find out why my mother and the Duke’s relationship had fallen apart. To understand their history properly would help me figure out how to act. Plus, maybe it would give me a chance to extort money from the Duke.
But where could I find out?
My mother?
No, no. My mother, who had kept the Duke’s existence a secret, would never tell me anything about it. If I casually brought up the topic of the Duke and saw my mother’s expression turn sad… I could never bear to see that.
“Hmm…”
I quickly realized that I could never ask her. After all, I was the kind of person who could tell after just a few conversations that someone’s personality was terrible. How could I casually ask her about her history with the Duke?
…The conclusion came quickly: I could never ask.
I didn’t want to end up roasted alive in an instant just by bringing it up.
Right, let’s avoid asking either of them directly. I could gather enough information from the servants who had worked in this mansion about the two of them.
Alright, I’ll dig into their past through the servants. First, I needed to increase my contact with the Duke. That way, I could either find his weakness, make a deal, or extort money from him.
‘Should I go now?’
I immediately got up from my chair, opened the door, and walked down the hallway while quietly muttering the directions Elly had told me about the room.
‘She said it’s one floor down and to the left, right?’
With quick steps, I went down the stairs and turned left, where I saw a room guarded by two knights. It was none other than Herald Eretton’s office.
Maybe it was because the large knights were guarding it, but the grand door exuded an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
Swallowing a dry lump in my throat, I moved my feet.
Arriving at the office with short steps, the knights looked down at me with stunned expressions. They each had golden hair and short black hair, and their first impressions were as different as their hair colors.
The golden-haired knight had a handsome appearance but looked sensitive, while the short-haired knight wasn’t exactly good-looking but had a kind and gentle demeanor.
But one thing they both had in common was that, as knights, they were both tall and their builds were no joke.
‘Ah, my neck hurts…’
Despite the sharp pain at the back of my neck, I didn’t stop looking up at them. The two exchanged glances in surprise and kept staring at me.
“Hello!”
I quickly greeted them. The golden-haired knight’s eyes awkwardly twitched at my loud voice.
In contrast, the short-haired knight immediately knelt on one knee and met my gaze. He then opened his mouth with a gentle smile.
“Yes, Miss. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Silvestan, serving the Duke. Are you here to see him?”
“Yes! Can I see him now?”
“Please wait just a moment.”
After Silvestan entered the office, a brief silence passed. I glanced at the tall man standing beside me.
He seemed to be uncomfortable, sweating profusely.
‘He must be really shy.’
I thought so and turned my eyes back to the office door. Not long after, the door opened and Silvestan reappeared.
“Miss, he says you can come in.”
“Yes!”
When I entered the office, I saw Herald standing by the window, his hands clasped behind his back.
The first thing that caught my attention was his bright red hair, shining under the sunlight. It was the same color as mine, but it looked completely different.
I gently touched the end of my slightly curly hair. My mother always took great care to comb it, but it still felt stiff.
In contrast, Herald’s hair, which reached down to his neck, looked like it would be soft and smooth with just a touch.
‘He must be using some expensive shampoo. Heh!’
For some reason, I felt a sense of defeat, and I let out an involuntary scoff. At that moment, Herald, who had been staring out the window, turned around.
“What is it?”
The pressure I felt was much stronger than when I was with my mother. I involuntarily swallowed. My heart was pounding irregularly.
When I first met him, he had changed his appearance with magic or something, and since then, I had been hiding behind my mother and observing him, so I hadn’t realized just how sharp his presence was.
“Why are you silent? Didn’t you come to say something?”
“Ah… well…”
I had to make up an excuse quickly… but facing those piercing golden eyes, I couldn’t open my mouth.
“So…”
“Ha, speak properly.”
His impatient tone made it even harder to speak. As I continued to mumble, a deep wrinkle formed between Herald’s brows.
“If you have nothing to say, leave.”
“Mom!”
“What…?”
No… I didn’t mean to call you ‘Mom.’ I had been trying to ask about my mother but ended up blurting out “Mom” without thinking.
It was truly an absurd situation.
As expected, he was glaring at me with a terrifying expression. He must have gotten upset that I called him “Mom.”
Just as I was about to force a smile to ease the frozen atmosphere, a loud bang sounded, and the office door opened. Someone rushed inside.
“Duke!”
“What is it?”
Herald continued to glare at me with a cold voice. The golden-haired knight, who had been awkwardly standing next to me, quickly approached us.
“The Duchess has collapsed.”
“What?”
“Eh?”
Both Herald and I turned our heads at the same time.
My mother had collapsed? Suddenly? Why? Could it be that it’s because of me? Is my mother sick because of me?
Countless thoughts and assumptions swirled in my mind. I stood frozen, unable to blink.
My clenched fists were soon damp with sweat. Meanwhile, Herald was talking with the knight in a serious tone.
From what I could hear, it seemed my mother had collapsed while walking in the garden.
“They say they’ve already called Dr. Jayden.”
“Go quickly.”
Herald, with a serious expression, moved towards the door, a slight breeze following him. I tried to follow him immediately, but my stiff body wouldn’t cooperate.
“Just in case, contact the Royal Special Doctor.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, ah…”
Before I knew it, Herald was heading out of the office. I realized I had to follow him and tried to force myself to move, but my legs gave way, and I collapsed to the ground.
“Ouch… I… I need to go with you!”
For a moment, I gasped in pain, but the thought of needing to follow Herald made me jump up.
“Tsk.”
With a click of his tongue, my body was suddenly lifted. The next moment, I saw Herald’s red hair in my field of vision.
He had picked me up in his arms.
“You’re being a nuisance.”
I couldn’t see his face as I was resting my head on his broad shoulder, but I was sure his expression hadn’t changed much from before.
However, his warm hand supporting my back made the fear that had overwhelmed me melt away a little. I buried my face in his shoulder, struggling to hold back the tears that were about to spill.
As Herald walked, his soft, reddish hair brushed against my forehead.
