Chapter 3.3

“My son is truly gifted. I taught him, but… sometimes, he comes up with ideas even I wouldn’t think of. Yet, he hasn’t been able to step into the industry. It’s because of his disgraced father and teacher.”  

Daniel let out a deep sigh.  

“Working with me would only tarnish your new plans, Lady. New wine should be put into new wineskins. Please, take my son instead. He’ll meet your requirements.”  

It was an unexpected suggestion. While Ariana hesitated to respond, the door opened, and a young man walked in.  

“Father, I heard you called for me…”  

His calm voice trailed off, sensing the strange atmosphere. He was tall and slender with a kind expression. His light brown hair and warm green eyes were striking.  

“Dylan, introduce yourself. She’s the one who will hire you.”  

Both Ariana and Dylan reacted in confusion.  

“What?”  

“Excuse me?”  

As the two exchanged bewildered glances, Daniel stood up and bowed deeply.  

“Father!”  

Startled, Dylan rushed to his side, but Daniel didn’t lift his head.  

“I guarantee his skill, Lady. Please, take him with you.”  

Faced with Daniel’s sincerity, Ariana could no longer refuse. After all, this was the endorsement of a man once called the “Hand of God.”  

‘Daniel wouldn’t exaggerate his son’s abilities, not even for family.’  

If the skill was genuine, Ariana had no reason to decline. A talented individual unconnected to Rowen was exactly what she needed. Ariana made her decision and took a deep breath.  

“…If he’s incompetent, I’ll hold you accountable.”  

Her playful tone lightened the heavy atmosphere. Daniel smiled as he raised his head.  

“Of course. I have full confidence.”  

With exchanged glances, the deal between Daniel and Ariana was finalized. It was a transaction where everyone gained what they wanted.  

“Well, what exactly is this all about…?”  

Only one person remained clueless amidst the situation.  

***

Bang! Bang! Bang!  

“Ariana!”  

Bang! Bang! Bang!  

“Ariana Astaroth!”  

Rowen Astaroth was pounding on the door aggressively. It was Ariana’s room. However, no response came from inside. There was no sign of movement either.  

‘Where could she have gone?’  

At this hour, she was usually in her room reviewing documents. As Rowen furrowed his brows, a familiar voice came from behind him.  

“She went out earlier.”  

“What?”  

Turning swiftly, he saw Flory standing there with a sulky expression.  

“Maybe she went out to have fun with that handsome guy. They even went to the auction house together recently.”  

“A handsome guy? Went to the auction house together? What are you talking about?”  

“So, you didn’t know, huh?”  

As Rowen approached her with a scowling face, Flory quickly grabbed his arm.  

“That woman must be crazy. She boldly brought her lover into the house, even when her mother-in-law is still here. She has no shame.”

“Lover?”  

“They said he’s a businessman from the Principality. Wasn’t it Baron Seir? The way they looked at each other with such heated eyes…”  

Though their gazes weren’t quite as passionate as Flory described, her memory had exaggerated the scene into that of fervent lovers.  

“They even held hands without hesitation while I was watching… I can’t imagine what they might have done in the parlor if I hadn’t been there.”  

“Ha! The Countess, behaving so disgracefully!”  

Rowen trembled with anger, conveniently ignoring his own indiscretions with a maid. Flory, encouraged by her brother’s fury, eagerly added fuel to the fire.  

“And that Baron? He treated me with such contempt, mocking me for lacking refinement. Can you believe it? A mere Baron sneering at me, the Earl’s sister?”  

“That’s absolutely unacceptable.”  

“Right? And if her lover insulted me like that, shouldn’t she have stepped in to stop him or demanded an apology? Instead, she just stood there, looking amused.”  

Flory exaggeratedly slumped her shoulders.  

“How much must she have badmouthed me to her lover for him to treat me like that the first time we met? It’s not as if I chose to be born this way…”  

As Flory sniffled and lamented her birth, Rowen’s anger boiled over. He could tolerate his wife’s lack of respect toward him, as he could internalize that. Whatever Ariana thought of him, the fact that the Earl’s name was “Rowen Astaroth” would never change. However, he could not stand her looking down on his mother or sister as if they were commoners.  

An arrogant woman, blinded by her own sense of superiority!  

Rowen stormed down to the first floor, determined to confront Helen and find out who this so-called “handsome Baron Seir” was.  

“Brother? Where are you going?”  

Flory, fully aware of her brother’s intentions, feigned ignorance and followed him. She often felt a sense of superiority herself when Rowen raised his voice at Ariana or the Earl’s household staff. This was a spectacle she couldn’t miss.  

However, just as Rowen reached the first floor, he realized he didn’t need to interrogate Helen. Ariana had already returned, laughing and chatting with a tall, brown-haired man as they entered the mansion. 

Was this Baron Seir?  

But Flory made a different observation.  

“Huh? That’s not Baron Seir today… How many lovers does she even have?”  

At her bewildered tone, Rowen finally exploded.  

“Ariana Astaroth!”  

Rowen stormed toward Ariana, grabbing her arm roughly.  

“How shameless can you be, dragging your lover into the house like this?”  

Ariana was utterly dumbfounded.  

‘A lover? Dylan?’  

She had brought Dylan to the mansion to show him a business item she was planning, along with a statue to be restored. Yet, the moment she arrived, she was bombarded with absurd accusations. Ariana twisted her body, trying to free her arm from Rowen’s grip, but his hold was unexpectedly strong, leaving her in pain.  

“Ugh.”  

She let out a small groan and frowned, but Rowen was so agitated that he didn’t seem to notice. When she looked at him in disbelief, she saw Flory sticking out her tongue mockingly behind him.  

‘Flory must have fed him some ridiculous story to rile him up.’  

It wasn’t surprising, as she was used to such antics.  

“What are you doing?”  

“Ah!”  

At that moment, Dylan’s voice and Rowen’s cry rang out simultaneously. The grip on Ariana’s arm loosened as Dylan twisted Rowen’s wrist, forcing him to let go.  

“You insolent fool!”  

Embarrassed at being so easily overpowered, Rowen’s face turned red as he jumped up in rage. However, Dylan didn’t spare him a glance and instead addressed Ariana.  

“I didn’t realize the security at the Earl’s mansion was this poor. To think there’d be a madman here.”  

“Who are you calling a madman? Ugh!”  

Rowen, infuriated by being called a madman, tried to lash out, but Dylan easily subdued him by twisting his wrist further.  

“Mr. Dylan, though he’s acting like a lunatic, this is still the Earl. You must be mistaken, so please let him go.”  

“… What? The Earl? This man?”  

Dylan blinked in disbelief, unable to fathom that someone behaving so irrationally could hold such a title. Although he had seen people mock others with intent before, Dylan’s reaction seemed genuinely naive, as if he had a natural talent for unintentionally provoking others.  

“My apologies. I truly thought an intruder had broken in…”  

Dylan quickly released Rowen’s wrist and bowed courteously. Rowen, trembling with indignation, could barely contain himself, while Ariana found the situation so absurd that she burst into laughter. Her laughter only made Rowen’s face turn redder.  

“You’re laughing at this?”  

“Are you trying to control even my laughter now?”  

“How many lovers do you have? Shamelessly inviting them into the house? Who’s Baron Seir, and who’s this man?”  

Ariana glanced at Flory, who was peeking from behind her brother.  

‘The nonsense about Baron Seir being my lover obviously came from her.’  

It seemed Flory had also misunderstood Dylan’s relationship with Ariana. While it wasn’t true, even if it were, Rowen had no right to act this way. After all, wasn’t he the one who had fathered an illegitimate child and openly housed a mistress in the guestroom? Ariana sighed deeply, feeling exasperated.  

“Fine. I was wrong. I should’ve followed your example and found a lover within the house instead of bringing one in from outside.”  

“What are you talking about…!”  

“Alright, calm down. From now on, I’ll take your advice and look for a lover inside the house.”  

***

Dylan, led by Ariana into her private study, sat down hesitantly, glancing around. 

Had I caused trouble by subduing the Earl so abruptly? 

The atmosphere on the first floor had been tense, but Ariana seemed completely unbothered as she introduced her study.  

“I’ll clear up the misunderstanding.”  

“What misunderstanding?”  

“Well, my husband seems to have mistaken you for my lover.”  

“What?!”  

Dylan’s eyes widened in shock, as if he couldn’t believe she would say such a thing. Ariana shrugged, as though she understood his reaction.  

“I know. You didn’t do anything to warrant such an assumption. But my husband is like a dog covered in filth. He assumes everyone else is just as dirty as he is.”  

“Uh…”  

Dylan’s head spun, overwhelmed by the complexity of her domestic issues.