I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

At first I thought of saying that Rosaleen didn't have to care about coming to the event. Everything, if only to protect that from new humiliation.

But then it will become that she was again left behind due to their plight.

The only families that didn’t receive an invitation to the reception were nobles far from the capital.

However, I didn't want the nobles to gossip again about Rosaleen, who appeared in front of everyone in a shabby dress. So I just bought her a new one.

The next problem was that I decided to buy that dress in the most expensive salon in the capital.

So I wondered how I could bestow such a gift on her so that Rosaleen wouldn’t break down.

I was happy when the young lady Celine came to me on her own initiative.

So I could give her this gift under the pretext of our contract.

"This is just a gift to celebrate our cooperation, nothing more," I added cautiously if she suddenly suspects the gesture of subtext.

Rosaleen froze for a moment and squinted at the dress with strange eyes.

Let me tell her about the contract, but Rosaleen grabbed it, and immediately noticed that the dress was the best fit for the ball.

It was not just a dress, there was a hint that she couldn’t be disgraced at tomorrow's event.

The ball at the estate was a gathering where the nobles pushed their wealth and power.

So, I wanted Rosaleen to shine tomorrow like a phoenix returning from the dust.

From that day on, Rosa and I will join powers, and Marquisate Celine, in turn, will take a place beside the Duchy.

Rosaleen smiled genuinely.

"Thanks. Tomorrow I'll wear it."

"I'm looking forward to this moment. See you then."

I smiled, letting Rosaleen go.

* * *

Duke Drua now led a reclusive lifestyle.

The gates of his house were tightly locked, no guests were accepted, and rare visitors, seemingly noblemen of lower ranks, arrived in carriages without srests, and immediately disappeared inside the mansion.

Jeremy watched from the window of his room on the second floor, noting everyone who arrived.

"Noble guests in broad daylight. The message here is clear, we should expect trouble."

Since Drua was a Duke who fell out of favor with the Emperor, his life could end at any moment.

And if so, why did all these people come together in an alliance?

Do they even risk standing with Duke Drua?

However, there is always something to fish out from Duke Drua.

And this ‘something' was probably connected with Marquis Sios.

Jeremy quickly painted portraits of those who came on a white canvas.

Arriving in carriages bearing the symbol of the family would have saved Jeremy from titanic efforts.

In addition to the new portrait, several more sheets of paper with the faces of other people are now spread on his bed.

These were mainly nobles from the younger generation.

While Jeremy was looking at these faces, he suddenly had a question.

Why did Marquis Sios suddenly send unknown people to Duke Drua? And what kind are they?

We still don’t know what intrigues the Duke and the Marquis are plotting.

There must have been more secrets in the office, but the entrance has been closed since that day.

The Duke became more cautious, as if he sensed something was wrong.

"I need to find out everything as soon as possible."

Thus, he will get Ellie out of the blow.

It was terrible that Duke Drua, and not someone else, was putting her in danger.

Drua's blood also ran through his veins.

It would be less disgusting if he was a welcome without a drop of Duke Drua's blood.

"If it were so, I would have approached the problem more… decisively."

As Jed said, why didn't he see any attempts to get closer to Ellie?

The blood flowing in him was a bondage that couldn’t be so easily removed.

He was the son of a Duke who had been defeated in a civil war, and Ellie was the daughter of a Duke who rode out of the inferno on horseback.

The only two Dukes of the Empire crossed swords, and after that they were no longer reconciled.

Jeremy sighed.

The gates of the estate opened again.

He went to the window.

Once again, a dilapidated carriage stopped in front of the Duke's mansion.

"Where did they even get all these wrecks?"

Laughing at that old carriage, he looked at the newcomer's face. And his expression calmed down.

"Marquis Sios came himself."

Marquis Sios appeared, hiding his face under a black hat. And so he stomps into the mansion.

"The work is going smoothly, right?" asked Duke Drua.

"Don’t worry. I won't be mistaken twice as with the Croft case."

When Marquis Sios responded, the quivering eyes of Duke Drua sank into calm.

"Then are you ready to return to the center?"

Marquis Sios lifted his chin and looked into the Duke's dark brown eyes, sparkling with greed.

Let them make the tandem happy, because they shared a common goal, but they weren’t friends with whom I wanted to chat a little longer.

"I'll be ready soon."

Duke Drua stand up to lead him.

"Be careful along the way."

The Marquis had already opened the door, but didn’t continue his steps. He saw the man now standing to the side.

"What are you doing?” asked Duke Drua behind the Marquis.

At this time, a pleasant low voice rang out.

"Nice to meet you, Marquis Sios. I’m Jeremy Drua."

"Duke… Is that your son?"

Marquis Sios raised his eyebrows at the tall man in front of him.

The man who introduced himself as Jeremy also lacked the black hair and eyes, the symbol of the Drua family.

Instead, Sios saw platinum hair and amber eyes.

He knew the Duke had a son.

And he knew of the Duke's intention to hide his son.

But what was the reason? This remained a secret.

When the Marquis was about to open his mouth, looking around Jeremy, the Duke hastened to intervene.

"What are you doing here?!"

The Duke stopped yelling at Jeremy and turned to Marquis Sios.

"My prodigal son returned from distant lands."

The Duke couldn’t hide the embarrassment caused by such an insolent appearance.

"I arrived home not so long ago."

"You didn’t tell me that your son was so grown up."

Marquis Sios babbled, looking at Jeremy.

"It is enough for you to roam the continent. Think better of your father. His Excellency is very old. How long can he hide his son?"

"Coincidentally, I also decided that I needed to settle down. We'll see you again, sir."

Jeremy wasn’t fooled by the courtesy of the Marquis. The amber eyes shone with obvious disgust.

The Marquis looked strangely at Jeremy and turned now to the Duke, who was already losing his temper with anger.

"I envy you that you have such a son. I see he will go far in the future. Then that's enough for today."

Waiting for the Marquis to leave the mansion with a laugh, the Duke burst into anger.

"What the hell it was right now?! Do you have any idea who our guest was?! I told you to live as if you were dead!"

There was nothing left on the Duke's face but anger.

Jeremy glanced indifferently at the new drama before him.

"Did you hear what he just said? My father is already in his old age, so how can I stay on the sidelines? I am the only successor to our Honorable Duke Drua."

"What?! How dare you?! I’ve never recognized you as the heir!"

The Duke broke down and hit Jeremy on the cheek.

The ringing was so loud that it swept through the entire corridor.

The Duke's servants lowered their heads with frozen faces, but Jeremy only stroked his cheek as if nothing had happened.

"Well, I haven't been slapped in the face for a long time, but in general everything is as always…"

The Duke raised his hand high, intending to repeat the slap. And at that moment Jeremy grabbed his wrist.

The numb Duke's eyes popped out of their sockets.

"You… how dare…"

"So are you ready to ‘go back to the center' now?"