RVMPT Chapter 59

Chapter 59

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Time passed, and the Marchioness left. After seeing her off, I wandered through the garden, feeling unsettled.

<…Did Harold really say that?>

<That’s what I heard. I wasn’t there during the conversation, so I don’t know exactly what was said. But…>

<…>

<The Duke wouldn’t make such an offer unless it was for the Duchess, the estate, or its people.>

The conversation I had with Lady Mayer kept echoing in my head.

‘Harold said he cooperated with His Highness to settle a debt…’

The ones who could have told the Marchioness were either Prince Andrew or the Marquis. Neither of them had a reason to lie to her.

I suddenly recalled the prince’s cryptic words of gratitude. At the time, he said he wasn’t just thanking me for helping him avoid dancing with the noble ladies.

‘If Lady Mayer’s story is true, then what the prince said makes sense.’

It felt like I had finally pieced together a puzzle I hadn’t known how to solve before.

“…So Harold really worked with the prince because of me?”

Since the festival incident, he probably noticed what I cared about. Maybe that’s why he took action.

The more I thought about it, the more my heart felt ticklish. I couldn’t quite define the feeling, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

It was just… confusing in a completely different way.

‘Why would Harold do all this for me?’

He once said he takes good care of his people, and he had always treated me well.

But this… this was too much to simply brush off as him taking care of “his person.”

This time, it carried a different weight. It had been risky.

I felt like a tangled mess of threads inside my head. The more I tried to unravel them, the more they twisted into an even bigger knot.

‘Ugh. I really don’t get it…’

My head throbbed, and I let out a small groan, lowering my head.

“Phew.”

At that moment, I saw a pair of men’s shoes stop in front of me. I already knew who it was before I even looked up.

The cool scent of the wind coming from him was unmistakable.

I lifted my head and met Harold’s gaze.

“Why are you walking with your head down, Diana?”

“…I was just thinking about something.”

“Hm.”

Harold stood next to me and held out his hand.

“Shall we take a walk together?”

“I was about to head back to the mansion.”

“Then I’ll walk back with you.”

“Aren’t you going to continue your walk?”

“No.”

“…Alright then.”

When I nodded, Harold casually said, “Excuse me,” and slipped off my glove.

I blinked in surprise, staring at him. He gave me a sly, fox-like smile.

“You were going to let me do this anyway, weren’t you?”

“…That’s true.”

Before I could say anything else, he tucked my glove into his jacket and intertwined his fingers with mine.

I opened my mouth, searching for the right words to express my disbelief, but in the end, I just gave up.

“Did you have a nice tea time with the Marchioness?”

“Yes, I did. She’s fully recovered now, so I was relieved.”

“She’s quite healthy for her age.”

As we walked side by side, I glanced at Harold’s sharp side profile.

Talking about Lady Mayer only made my tangled thoughts resurface.

Harold once told me he was curious about me. Now, I wanted to say the same to him.

I was curious about Harold.

‘He can read my expressions so well, but I can’t read his at all.’

He was skilled at masking his emotions, making it hard to tell what he was thinking.

Occasionally, his emotions showed through, but not often.

‘And I can’t just ask him directly about this.’

There must have been a reason Harold didn’t tell me. If I let him know I had found out, it might put Lady Mayer in a difficult position.

‘Maybe I should ask someone else for advice.’

Someone completely unrelated to Harold.

Fortunately, someone came to mind.

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“The Duchess has arrived, Guild Master.”

The guild master, Aneis, who had been lounging lazily in his chair, straightened up at the report.

“The Duchess…?”

“Yes, she says it’s urgent.”

It wasn’t a scheduled reporting day, so what was going on?

Despite his confusion, he quickly gave instructions.

“Let her in.”

He hurriedly cleared away the scattered documents on his desk. Though it looked messy, he had his own way of organizing things and quickly separating them.

For a moment, he grimaced at the towering pile of papers.

‘If only it weren’t for the Duke’s orders…’

Aneis couldn’t refuse Harold’s requests. Because of that, he had been forced to cooperate with the ‘Black Hawks’ and had been drowning in work lately.

Just then, there was a knock, and Diana entered the room.

“Welcome, Duchess.”

Aneis stood up to greet her.

A guild member placed the tea in front of them and quietly left, closing the door behind him.

“This isn’t about your investment reports, is it? Do you have another request for me?”

“Yes. Actually, I want to consult with you about something.”

Diana sat down and pulled back her hood.

Her soft pink hair cascaded over her shoulders like waves of cherry blossoms.

“…Wait, you want to consult with me?”

Aneis blinked in disbelief. No one had ever asked him for advice before.

“I’ll pay you well for your time.”

“Fair enough. Here at Aneis, money can solve anything. What do you need advice on?”

He nodded, noticing the serious expression on her face.

Perhaps he’d have something interesting to report to Harold later.

Diana hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“This is a story about… a friend of a friend.”

“Wait, a friend of a friend?”

…Usually, that meant it was about the person telling the story. And in most cases—

“…Is this about romance?”

“No!”

Diana’s voice rose sharply, and she looked startled by her own outburst.

“…Sorry for yelling.”

“No problem. I did poke at it first.”

“Ahem. Let me continue. So, my friend’s friend made a deal with this man. He’s always been good to his people, but lately, he’s been too good to my friend’s friend. Like, really over-the-top.”

She fiddled with her hands as she explained.

By the time she finished, a faint blush had spread across her cheeks.

“And now, they don’t understand why he’s being so nice.”

“…”

“What do you think?”

Yep. Definitely her own story.

Aneis sighed internally.

‘Why did she come here of all places for this?’

Of all the people in the world, why me?

Suppressing a groan, he stood up.

“…Guild Master?”

“Apologies, Duchess. I’ve given it some thought, but this really isn’t my area of expertise. However!”

He placed extra emphasis on the word before continuing.

“I have a subordinate who is an excellent advisor in matters like this. Would you be willing to wait while I bring them here?”

“Oh, uh… As long as they’re good at counseling. But they must be someone who can keep a secret.”

“Don’t worry. Every member of Aneis Guild is tight-lipped.”

“Alright, I’ll trust you.”

“It might take some time, so please wait comfortably.”

The guild master nodded and left the room.

‘…A relationship problem, huh.’

Just because the issue involved a man and a woman didn’t mean it had to be romantic.

‘There’s no way Harold would like me that way.’

Even though their relationship had improved, the past couldn’t be erased—back then, Diana had openly told him to die.

She didn’t want to make a second embarrassing mistake.

‘Anyway, it’s taking a while!’

Nearly 30 minutes had passed, but no one had come in yet. Though it was a bit long, she was still willing to wait.

Receiving advice from someone who didn’t know Harold was already good, and if they were skilled at counseling, that was even better.

By the time she finished her now-cold tea, there was a knock at the door.

Knock knock.

A man wearing a white mask entered.

‘Huh? That person…’

Diana immediately recognized him—he was the guild master’s proxy she had met last time.

Then, his deep blue eyes—the only visible part of his face—turned to her.