“Someone’s coming here all of a sudden?!”
The lord jumped up in surprise, his body jiggling as he moved.
His secretary, wiping the sweat from his forehead, replied nervously.
“The Duke will be staying here.”
“…The Duke? Why…?”
Ever since the previous Duke passed away, the current Duke had been a recluse, barely ever leaving his chambers.
There had been recent rumors that the Duke had changed—but they never affected life in this remote estate.
The estate, ruled by the lord, was far from the ducal territory. The Duke had only ever received reports about it while busy with various ventures.
So why was he suddenly visiting?
“Milord…”
The secretary called him anxiously.
“Quiet. Let me think.”
The lord began pacing restlessly around his office, muttering to himself.
“Duke… Duke… Duke…”
Then suddenly, a thought struck him.
“How old is the Duke again?”
“I believe he’s 23 this year.”
“Ah. That age when men like women the most.”
The lord said with a lewd chuckle.
“Get some women ready in the guest manor.”
“W-Women…?”
“No. Better yet—have Roddy prepare.”
“Lady Roddy?”
Roddy was the lord’s daughter, raised delicately as a proper noblewoman.
Was he seriously planning to have his own daughter seduce the Duke?
The secretary looked uncomfortable, but the lord nodded firmly.
“Yes. If the Duke takes a liking to Roddy, she might become the Duchess. And that would be a huge windfall for us.”
The secretary hesitated.
“Do you really think that’s possible…?”
“Of course it’s possible. You know how beautiful my daughter is, don’t you?”
Roddy hadn’t taken after the Lord at all—she was the spitting image of her mother, the Lady of the estate, and a true beauty.
The original plan had been to send her to the capital and marry her off to a nobleman there, securing strong backing for the family.
But now, with the Duke visiting their estate personally, this was a golden opportunity.
“Prepare to welcome the Duke immediately. Serve only the best food. As for the room… right, clear out my own chambers. It’s the finest one we have.”
“Understood.”
The secretary rushed out of the study in a panic.
The Lord gazed out the window, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
***
“Welcome, Your Grace!”
The booming greeting prompted Ian to give a small nod.
The stout-bodied Lord approached with a fawning smile.
“It is an honor to receive Your Grace at our humble estate.”
But Ian ignored the Lord’s flattery and instead turned to lift up Rose, who had been riding with him.
As Edelmar dismounted, Ian called out to him.
“Your Excellency.”
The Lord’s eyes widened.
He had heard the Duke would be visiting—but no one mentioned the Grand Duke would be accompanying him!
“Are you staying the night?”
“Yes.”
Ian looked at the Lord and asked casually.
“And the rooms?”
A cold sweat trickled down the Lord’s back.
The Duke was intimidating enough on his own—someone who had the authority to dismiss him from his post.
But the Grand Duke was even more terrifying… because behind him stood the Emperor.
There was only one truly luxurious room in the estate.
Naturally, it should go to the Grand Duke.
But then… what room could he possibly offer the Duke?
He needed time.
“Y-Yes, everything is ready. B-But first, surely you must be hungry. A banquet has been prepared!”
Rose, nestled in Ian’s arms, lifted her head and asked.
“Uncle, what’s a banquet?”
“It’s like a party. Are you hungry, Rose?”
The warmth in Ian’s voice made not only the Lord, but even the servants stare at him in disbelief.
“A little.”
She replied, patting her stomach with her tiny hand.
“Good. Then let’s go to the banquet hall.”
“R-Right this way!”
The Lord led them to the banquet hall, which had been lavishly prepared.
There was more than enough food for all of the Duke’s party to feast—and each dish had been made with ingredients so rare and luxurious, it was hard to believe they came from such a small, provincial estate.
Edelmar leaned close to Ian and whispered,.
“Is it just the duchy that’s poor?”
“As if.”
Ian snorted and stepped into the hall confidently.
“The Grand Duke should sit at the head of the table…”
The Lord said with a forced smile, gesturing politely.
“No. I’ll sit next to the Duke.”
“Was that really necessary?”
Ian asked.
Edelmar pointed subtly at Rose.
“I need to protect her.”
Ian couldn’t help but scoff. The same man who once said ‘as long as she doesn’t die, it’s fine’ was now acting all concerned? Shaking his head, Ian took the seat next to the head of the table.
Despite no servant pulling out his chair, Edelmar sat down beside Ian and asked.
“What about Lord Bernaba?”
“He said he didn’t want to associate with humans.”
Bernaba, the dragon, rarely left the room the Beast Kingdom had prepared for him—or Rose’s side.
He didn’t mingle with the beastfolk or anyone else.
His attitude made it clear: he rejected other races beyond dragons.
“And Hamil?”
“I’m here!”
Hamil entered the banquet hall, waving cheerfully after leaving her horse at the stables.
“Wow! So much yummy food here!”
“Th-this is…?”
She suddenly grabbed the Lord’s hand and shook it energetically.
“You must be the Lord, right? I’m Hamil!”
“Hamil…?”
Since she didn’t mention her family name, the Lord assumed she was a commoner and frowned slightly.
Before the Lord could embarrass himself, Ian added calmly.
“She’s a princess of the Karlin Kingdom.”
The Lord flinched and immediately forced a bright smile.
“It’s an honor to welcome a princess.”
He turned her hand to kiss the back of it, but Hamil quickly pulled away.
“Shall we eat? I’m starving!”
Scrape.
Hamil noisily dragged out her chair and sat down.
Her improper behavior made the Lord’s cheeks twitch, but he refrained from commenting.
At that moment, the banquet hall doors opened, and in walked a beautiful woman and a young lady.
“Ah, there you are. Your Grace, Your Excellency, this is my wife and daughter.”
“Good day, Duke. Grand Duke.”
Roddy, having received her father’s command to seduce the Duke, offered a graceful greeting as she observed both men.
The Duke and the Grand Duke.
Their presences stood in sharp contrast.
The Duke had a soft, gentle aura.
The Grand Duke radiated cold intensity.
Still, both were strikingly handsome.
And both wielded powers far beyond anything her father—a mere lord of a minor estate—could dream of.
To charm even just one of them would be a fortune.
‘But… who’s that child?’
Roddy’s gaze shifted to the child in the Duke’s arms.
The little girl had sandy-blonde hair tied up into two dumpling-like buns. She didn’t resemble the Duke—but she was undeniably adorable.
‘Who could she be?’
Sensing Roddy’s stare, Ian spoke up.
“This is Lady Rose.”
“Lady… Rose?”
“I never heard the Duke was married…”
Roddy’s thoughts lingered, but Ian left her to her assumptions and turned to the lord.
“Let’s eat.”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
The lord hurriedly took his seat with an ingratiating smile.
The banquet began in an awkward silence.
Ian calmly cut up meat and bread into small bites and fed them to Rose.
“Rose, is it good?”
Rose nodded as she chewed.
“This one’s good too, Rose. Try it.”
“Okay.”
“Here you go, Rose.”
Only Ian and Rose’s voices echoed through the hall.
No one else dared to speak.
The lord was drenched in cold sweat.
Even after going through all the trouble to dress up Roddy perfectly, the Duke had merely acknowledged her with a greeting—and shown no further interest.
As for the Grand Duke, who wasn’t even part of the plan, he hadn’t even looked at her, let alone acknowledged her greeting.
‘Are they insane or what?’
Whenever he brought Roddy to noble gatherings, men couldn’t take their eyes off her.
Some viscounts had even sent proposals after just hearing about her.
But these two powerful men were ignoring her entirely—and the lord couldn’t make sense of it.
Roddy felt the same frustration.
When she heard the Duke would be visiting, she’d put on not just makeup, but also a dress that flattered her figure to the fullest.
The maids had gushed that she looked like a goddess descended from the heavens.
So why—?
Roddy bit her lip, then forced a bright smile.
Fixing her gaze on the Duke and the Grand Duke, she spoke sweetly.
“I hope the food is to your liking.”
“It’s delicious! The chef here must be very talented!”
The enthusiastic reply came not from the Duke or Grand Duke, but from Hamil—who had been happily stuffing her face the entire time.
Her mouth still smeared with sauce, Hamil tilted her head and added.
“But… why aren’t you eating, miss?”
Then, as if something clicked, she pointed at Roddy’s tightly cinched corset.
“Ohh, it’s because you’re squeezing yourself in that thing. It’s so tight you probably can’t even breathe properly. Your waist is really thick, so even cinching it doesn’t help, huh?”
Pfft.
A quiet laugh escaped from somewhere.
Roddy’s face turned beet red.
She quickly scanned the room, but all the servants had their heads bowed, pretending to have heard nothing.
Roddy’s clenched fists trembled atop her lap.
Still chewing her food, Hamil continued obliviously.
“I’ve raised my younger siblings, so I know—if you wear a corset too tightly around a thick waist, your ribs can warp and you’ll suffer later. You have to love your own body, you know? Don’t you think so?”
“Yes. One should love their body.”
Edelmar added with a faint chuckle—the first thing he’d said in a while.
Scrape—
Roddy shot to her feet, shaking with barely contained rage.
“I… I just don’t have much of an appetite…”
Without finishing her sentence, she rushed out of the banquet hall.
The lord and his wife both turned pale, but Ian, Edelmar, and Hamil went on enjoying their meal as if nothing had happened.
“…I’ll go check on my daughter.”
The lady of the estate said with a curtsy before excusing herself.
“I should see to her as well.”
The lord added hastily, turning to Ian.
Hamil nodded cheerfully.
“Be sure to tell her to loosen the corset. If she keeps that on, she’ll seriously suffer when she’s older.”
“Y-yes, of course.”
The lord replied through clenched teeth and stormed out of the hall.
Hamil casually picked up another slice of perfectly cut meat.
“I hope she really does loosen it. It’s worrying.”
Edelmar raised his wine glass and asked.
“Are you genuinely concerned about the corset?”
Hamil nodded.
“Yeah. One of my younger sisters wore one during her growth period and had a really hard time. Seeing that girl reminded me of her.”
“I see.”
Edelmar chuckled softly and sipped his wine, then set the glass down.
Then he looked toward the attending servants and gave a quiet command.
“Everyone, leave.”
~~~
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