“Indeed, the Duke’s words are correct. I was too narrow-minded in my view. I apologize, Baron Frost.”
“No, Count. I’m just glad you now understand how I feel.”
With the situation turning in Frost’s favor, Malrus quickly retreated.
Victor, who had believed Malrus would side with him, parted his lips to say something and stared at him intently, but Malrus ignored him completely, treating him as if he was invisible.
“I hear you’ve made some scented soap? I’ve been curious ever since I noticed some good soap at the hotel. Could we perhaps talk about it later?”
“Of course. For someone like you, Count, I’m available anytime. Is there anyone around you suffering from cosmetic toxicity?”
“Hmm…”
Malrus recalled his wife, who hadn’t been able to attend the wedding with him.
She had only recently discovered that her cosmetics were toxic, and her skin had flared up badly.
He could still vividly remember her sobbing, saying she couldn’t attend the wedding looking like that.
“Well, yes, I do know someone. But why do you ask?”
“I have a very good product. One of the scented soaps I developed has a rapid soothing effect on cosmetic toxicity.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Medicine may detoxify, but it doesn’t quickly calm the skin issues that have already appeared. But with this, you should see noticeable improvement.”
“Baron Frost is correct. Thanks to his help, we were able to produce the treatment quickly.”
“Oh…”
Malrus was beginning to understand why Icarus held Derrick in such high regard.
He couldn’t help but wonder if things would have been different if he had recognized Derrick’s potential before Icarus.
‘That’s something to work on gradually.’
“I’ll send a letter to Frost soon. I look forward to working with you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Count. I look forward to it as well.”
With that, Malrus left, and Victor, in a fluster, hurried after him, but Malrus paid him no mind.
‘He’s been cut off.’
It was satisfying. Before the regression, Victor had been so cocky, riding high on his connections with the Humphrey family, that just thinking about it made her sick.
‘One of the biggest obstacles has finally been removed. What a relief.’
Derrick chuckled to himself as he watched Victor walk away in disgrace.
“Duke, I really appreciate your help. But you seem different from what you said yesterday. Did you have a change of heart?”
“I initially planned to step in and fix things, bringing it all back to how it was and wrapping it up.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Originally, Icarus had planned to smooth things between Derrick and Victor, resolving the tension between them.
In other words, he intended to return the tolls Derrick had imposed and the increased transport fees Victor had charged to their original state.
But Icarus hadn’t done that.
“Thinking about it, I realized that Frost has done so much for me that it didn’t feel right to end things that way. And besides, you’ve had a lot of unresolved complaints with Baron Harbor, haven’t you?”
Derrick could only respond with an awkward smile, unable to deny it.
“Most importantly, I owe you a great debt.”
“Debt? What do you mean by that?”
Derrick tilted his head, unable to grasp the meaning, while Icarus smiled and lowered his gaze.
As Icarus’ eyes met hers, Hestia flinched and instinctively clung to Derrick’s leg.
Icarus knelt down on one knee to meet Hestia’s eye level.
When the Duke, who ruled the South, showed such respect to a mere Baron’s daughter, not only Hestia but also Derrick and the people who had been watching the scene widened their eyes in shock.
“D-Duke?”
“Thank you, Hestia.”
Though Hestia was startled, Icarus gently took her small hand, holding it as if it were something precious, and briefly kissed the back of it in gratitude.
Hestia, who had never experienced romance before, even before the regression, blushed at the unfamiliar sight.
“Thanks to you, I realized something I had overlooked. I’m sincerely grateful. Without you, we might have lived with the misunderstanding forever.”
Hestia finally understood why Icarus was acting this way.
“How is Lord Luciard doing?”
When she mentioned Luciard, Icarus’ face darkened. For a brief moment, deep anger flashed through his red eyes.
“He’s not… well, but Flora and I will do everything we can to make sure he recovers. I had entrusted him to someone else because I feared he might feel uncomfortable around me, but I never imagined things would turn out like this.”
“He mentioned that too. He said he thought his brother didn’t like him. I told him that was strange, especially since yesterday you asked me to get along with him.”
“Yes, you’re right. Thanks to you, we cleared up the misunderstanding and caught those traitors.”
“I’m glad the misunderstanding was cleared up!”
Hestia smiled brightly.
She was excited to see how the newly repaired relationship between the two brothers would change in the future.
Icarus looked at the innocent girl with a slightly different expression.
“Hestia.”
“Yes?”
“Are you engaged by any chance?”
“No?”
“Do you have someone you like?”
“N-not really…?”
Sensing something strange, Hestia hesitated. Icarus’ face brightened.
“Then, how about my brother Luciard?”
*Cough!*
Though she hadn’t been drinking anything, she suddenly choked.
Her heart pounded with shock, and she instinctively tried to pull away, but Icarus still held her hand.
“My brother hasn’t been eating well lately, so he might not look his best, but he’s quite handsome. I’m also planning to support him in whatever he wants to do in the future.”
‘Is he serious? Please, tell me he is joking! Just say it’s a joke!’
Even with her eyes screaming for help, Icarus showed no signs of relenting.
“He won’t inherit the duchy, but I’ll ensure he has enough assets to last for three generations. I think that makes him a fairly good suitor. What do you think, Our Hestia?”
‘Who’s your “Hestia”?! Since when did we become “we”?!’
Though Hestia screamed internally, she couldn’t say a word.
Her mind was in shock, unable to process what was happening.
This was nowhere near what she had planned for her future.
“My brother Luciard seems to like you too. I’ll make sure you two have a proper chance.”
‘He likes me? No way.’
Though she had helped Luciard, not once had she felt any hint of the chemistry Icarus was talking about when they were together just a moment ago.
Hestia, desperate, reached out for help.
“D-Dad…”
She turned to Derrick.
With a pleading look, she clung to Derrick’s trousers. Only then did Derrick, who had been half out of his mind, finally snap back to reality.
Instinctively, he pulled Hestia behind him and stared at Icarus with wary eyes.
Though the expression was rude, the seriousness behind it nearly made Icarus burst out laughing.
“Ahem. It’s not such a bad proposal for a Baron, is it? After all, Hestia isn’t blood-related to you, so there’s no issue with her marrying Luciard.”
In fact, Icarus and Derrick weren’t closely related either.
In a world where even sixth cousins could tie the knot, an engagement between Frost and Winston, who were basically strangers, wouldn’t be a big deal.
In reality, if Hestia and Luciard got engaged, Frost would gain strong support from Winston’s family as an ally.
For the head of the Frost family, it was a fantastic offer.
However…
“My, my daughter… said she would marry me!”
Derrick, clearly showing his displeasure, pulled Hestia into an embrace, leaving both Icarus and Hestia stunned.
“Engagement at just 8 years old…?!”
“I was engaged at 6…”
“Still, our daughter is too young! Just a moment ago, seeing her as a flower girl felt like we were already sending her off to marriage, and it nearly broke my heart…”
“Uh, um…”
Icarus was at a loss for words, unable to respond to Derrick’s heartfelt, non-negotiable comments.
“…But Hestia is not your biological daughter, right?”
“She’s my child by heart! Have you ever seen Hestia at 5 years old? She was so adorable, I was so anxious I might make her cry just by touching her!”
Derrick continued to passionately express how much he cherished Hestia, stating she was even more precious to him than his biological son, Elvin.
As Derrick’s words continued, Icarus’s initially amused eyes grew increasingly vacant, while Hestia, feeling embarrassed, covered her face with her hands.
“And just a few days ago, Hestia…”
“Dad, stop. I’m embarrassed.”
Seeing Hestia’s face turn red with shame, Derrick finally came to his senses.
“Ahem, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was rambling.”
“…I now know just how much you value Hestia. It’s quite clear.”
Derrick awkwardly cleared his throat, trying to compose himself.
“Thinking it over, I suppose I did get carried away. But my words are sincere, so please consider them.”
“…If you put it that way, I’ll reconsider.”
Icarus smiled and turned his attention back to Hestia.
“Hestia, would you like to visit Luciard?”
“…Me?”
“Yes, Luciard wants to thank you.”
“Um… Yes, I’ll go.”
Icarus extended his hand, and Hestia naturally accepted his escort. Though, in reality, it was more like a child holding an adult’s hand.
Leaving a restless Derrick behind, they entered the Duke’s residence.
“Hestia, I am serious.”
“Yes?”
“About your engagement with Luciard.”
…Wasn’t he supposed to have given up on that?
Seeing Hestia’s uneasy expression, Icarus laughed.
She hurriedly tried to mask her expression, but it was too late.
“That just shows how highly I think of you, so don’t worry too much about it.”
How can I not worry? This is the Duke of Winston talking, after all!
“If anyone disrespects you in the future, feel free to use my name. Unless it’s a major incident, I will handle it all.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
Hestia unconsciously spoke her true feelings and then quickly covered her mouth.
Icarus burst into laughter, holding his belly.
“Hahaha! You certainly don’t seem like you’re just 8 years old. I like that.”
“…Ahem, I haven’t said anything.”
“Well, think of it as you like.”
Icarus’s tone and his smirking lips were not entirely convincing, but with nothing else she could do, Hestia resigned herself to the situation.
Soon, they arrived where Luciard was.
When the door opened, they saw Luciard, shirtless, being examined by a doctor, with Flora crying softly by his side.
The sight was so strangely mismatched that Hestia was momentarily taken aback, but Luciard quickly noticed her.
“You’re here?”
‘What is this reaction?’
Seeing Luciard’s emotionless eyes, just like their first meeting, Hestia couldn’t help but click her tongue inwardly.
