Edited

17. Because it’s the Duke’s only blood (1)

“Hey.”

It was on the way back to the guest room after a late lunch.

A man leaning against a pillar called out to me.

Pretending not to hear, I ignored his words. There were always guests at the party who flirted with the maids.

Most of them reached out to the young maids with words of threats and persuasion, boasting of their status.

Suren also said that she had already been touched by the hands of nobles twice.

Fortunately, as a noble, no man had yet spoken harsh words to me.

“Hey, aren’t you going to stand there?”

The man standing there persistently followed me.

I’ll give up once I pass that corner.

While I was thinking about that, I quickened my pace. However, my thoughts were in vain as the man grabbed me by the hair and pulled me back.

“Ow!”

My head was jerked backward. I was defenseless and dragged along by the man’s hand. The pain was so intense that it felt like my hair was being pulled out.

“Let go of me …!”

I barely managed to pull his hand away.

The man looked defiant and angry in my eyes.

“What’s wrong? Can’t recognize your brother anymore? Or did you decide to ignore me now that you have gained wealth?”

Brother?

Oh, it’s you. You’re the one who abandoned me.

The man scowled, revealing his freckled face. Deep wrinkles lined his forehead. He had brown hair and brown eyes.

There was no resemblance to Leonie at all.

“What are you doing here? … Did you get an invitation or something?”

“As if I would come here if I wasn’t supposed to! My little sister is staying in the Duke’s castle, so, of course, I had to come! You should have told me beforehand if they were going to have a party!”

He shouted loudly.

His voice echoed through the hallway as if it were about to tear apart.

“Even when your mother became a concubine, being from a minority group didn’t sit well with me. I never thought that bloodline would be of any use. But to think you were chosen by a duke. But…”

He let go of the hair he was holding. As soon as he let go, I stepped back three steps away from him.

I straightened the crooked hairpin on my head. The hair that Suren had carefully braided was loosely hanging down.

Grabbing your younger sister’s hair so ignorantly. I can imagine what kind of treatment Leonie received at the Baron’s.

“It seems like you’re doing better than I thought. I thought you wouldn’t be able to move because you were being sucked dry. Isn’t the treatment supposed to be bad?”

After looking me up and down for a while, he shrugged his shoulders.

“I didn’t have to think that I sold my family with such good treatment. Looks like you’re being treated like a close aide. Doesn’t it remind you of your family every time you see the Duke’s face?

“What?”

“Have you ever thought about raising a family by using flattery in your career? Do you have about 3 years left? You look healthier than I thought, so if you do well, you will live five years.”

He scrutinized my face as if trying to measure my lifespan.

Every time our eyes met, it made me uncomfortable.

Does he know that his younger sibling will die before the end of two years?

No, did he even attend my funeral?

Judging by the fact that I was buried here, it meant that he didn’t even claim the body.

Bastard.

He chuckled lightly.

“Your gaze is impudent. Do you not like the way things are? Leonie, my younger sibling, don’t hold yourself in such high regard. That’s how children from insignificant households live, sacrificing themselves for the eldest son, and for the family. If I prosper, you will prosper too.”

That’s how our family’s prestige remains intact. He shrugged laughing.

Even if things go bad, your grave will shift from a cold courtyard to a respectable hill.

Perhaps the tombstone will change from stone to silver.

That’s as far as it goes.

“Which position is considered a good one?”

His foul face showed a trace of excitement.

“The position of an advisor is good, as is the secretary’s office. They say that if you work in the secretary’s office and get promoted to an aide, you automatically occupy a major position. Or, since it’s risky now, when the duke is officially appointed as a prince, it’s also good to inherit one of his positions.”

He rambled on and on.

“Who gave it to you? It was pathetic to see you drinking only plain broth.”

“No, I was about to sit there. That seat.”

“What?”

His face contorted fiercely.

“I don’t know much about the protocol here. So, is that seat a good one? I’ll take note, thanks for the recommendation.”

I lifted my dress and swiftly turned around.

Among the guests of the Duke, there were members of Leonie’s family.

Their appearance seemed impeccable on the surface, but after observing the documents through the maids for a few days, I could distinguish their true status.

They pretended to be upper-class, even though they had nothing, and came to the Duke’s residence dressed as such.

It was comical to see them wearing fake cubic zirconia jewelry and capes made of leftover silk, crawling into the aristocratic circle.

They didn’t come because they missed their younger sibling.

Certainly, there must be some other reason.

The grip on my hair still stung.

As I entered the reception hall, a man approached.

Brown eyes with brown hair, just as expected. His body was thin and gaunt.

The stern impression of his square jaw was chilling.

“Leonie, where have you been all this time? Come here. Quickly.”

The man reached out his hand to me.

Beside me, the freckled man who belatedly followed me stared at me with hostility.

“You were told to bring your younger sister quickly. What were you doing that made you come late?”

“Father, that girl…”

“Lower your voice! Have you forgotten where you are?”

The aged man must be Leonie’s father.

Hesitant, I took the man’s extended hand.

He roughly pulled me to the side.

It wasn’t the kind of behavior one would expect from a man who hadn’t seen his daughter in a long time. My impression naturally soured at his unpleasant actions.

Without considering my expression, he spoke to me.

“Have you greeted the Duke?”

“I greet him every day…”

“No, no. Haven’t you greeted him with your family before? Step forward quickly.”

He seemed oddly anxious. The hand he held was trembling.

We made our way forward, pushing through the crowd.

Deon was surrounded by guests who had come to greet him, in front of the chair adorned with gold.

Hastily, the Baron who held my hand, bowed his waist before the duke.

To the esteemed duke, infinite glory. It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

“Baron Sien, it has indeed been a while.”

Deon’s languid voice echoed through the hall.

“It has been four months, Your Grace. I offer my respects on your birthday. I apologize for not visiting more often to see my daughter, who is lacking.”

Even after the greetings were over, he didn’t step back and lingered in front of Deon.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“Yes… Your Grace, it’s not something to bring up on this fine day…”

After hesitating for a while, the baron opened his mouth.

“Why… I’m curious why you withdrew the funds, the monthly funds.”

This is it, this is the reason, it was difficult to say these things alone and there was no reason to approach Deon so easily, so he put me first.

“Leonie’s body price was already paid as a lump sum, and the money that was not originally needed was sent ethically for your daughter’s welfare. But you wasted it and went around doing frivolous things.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean…?”

“You used it for gambling.”

Upon hearing those words, the Baron broke out in a cold sweat.

“It was just a little bit of fun gambling, really… Actually, I wanted to raise some more money, just a little bit more, to buy a new mine. But it didn’t work out as well as I thought it would…”

The Baron looked nervously at Deon and wiped his hands anxiously.

“It’s not a frivolous investment. I truly believe there’s a diamond mine deep down there. I heard it from a trustworthy source.”

“According to my sources, just the amount of money I have given you so far would be enough to live a life of leisure. Yet, I hear you’re struggling with debt from loan sharks, and that the local residents are beginning to resent you.”

Deon responded with sharp words.

After listening to him for a while, the Baron who had been hesitant finally spoke up.

“Your Grace, so here’s what I propose. What if you give me some extra money? I won’t ask for anything else. I really mean it! If we succeed in mining this particular mine, we’ll be able to make up for all the money we’ve lost!”

The Baron’s eyes glimmered with greed.

Deon, who had been calmly observing him, spoke up.

“Lord Sein, do I have a reason to do so?”

“Pardon me?”

“I asked if it was worth doing.”

“Well…”

You have nothing, do you? No collateral to offer, no guarantor to present.”

The Baron, who had been hesitant, turned to look at me.

Then he grabbed my shoulder tightly.

“Your Grace, my daughter is more useful than you think.”

Then he pulled my shoulder towards him with force.

He was rough and inconsiderate, and I stumbled, stepping on my dress.

“I heard that the previous victim was a man… However, since Your Grace is such a principled person, even if you had called her into your bedroom all this time, you would have treated my daughter with politeness, wouldn’t you?”

A bad feeling crossed my mind.

What was he trying to say?

“In fact… isn’t there a purpose for sharing a bed with someone other than drinking blood? Leonie is young. She may not be a great beauty, but… isn’t she a decent enough condition to enjoy casually?”

The Baron scanned my body up and down. I shuddered every time his dirty gaze touched every part of my body.

“I’ll pay you for it with this. This child has received a proper education from her mother. You’ll be satisfied.”

I couldn’t breathe.

“Moreover… her body is weak, she cannot have a child. If, by any chance… if she gets pregnant, we will take care of it. There will be no problem with the illegitimate child. Don’t worry about the aftermath. As long as Your Grace takes good care of Leonie.”

Disgusting.

It felt like I had hit rock bottom.

Even if it was not me, but Leonie’s family.

Even though it was her bloodline that I saw for the first time today.

I couldn’t easily get angry. There were many people around.

If I raised my voice, everyone would pay attention to this side, and the conversation that just happened would be heard by them.

I tried to hold my fists tightly and endure it, but I couldn’t control my trembling body.

How did she endure this embarrassment?

Her family trampling on her in front of the person she loves.

“You can do as you please. We are always ready to be loyal to the Duke. Right, Leonie?”

He patted my shoulder and brushed off the decoration on my shoulder.

It wasn’t the attitude of a father towards his beloved daughter.

Go, go bring the Duke.

Sell everything you can, not just blood.

He wasn’t saying it explicitly, but he was implying it.