Her hand, covered in thin lace gloves, trembled slightly under his lips.

“Surely it’s not true?”

Dominic straightened up and answered in an emotionless voice.

“It seems impolite to gossip when the subject of the rumor isn’t present.”

Seeing him unable to firmly deny it, Silvia’s face contorted painfully.

“So the rumor is true?”

Instead of answering, Dominic simply brought his wine glass to his lips.

“This can’t be.”

Wanting to deny the situation, she slowly shook her head.

“Something’s wrong. How could the duke know a woman even I, who’s conquered society, barely know, and how could such a rumor spread?”

Reasonable doubt pierced Silvia’s upset heart.

That was the truth. Rumors needed some plausibility, didn’t they?

“Does the old duchess know about this?”

She who had seemed to be bearing all the world’s sorrows suddenly regained her reason.

“Silvia. Today is a celebration of the royal event. This conversation doesn’t seem very appropriate.”

Dominic said dryly.

Just then, the celebrated architect and protagonist of the event passed by them, and Dominic brightened, extending his hand first.

“Benjamin Rosso.”

“Your Grace.”

Benjamin smiled brightly at the duke and paid his respects.

“I pay tribute to your work. How could such an ordinary old building be transformed so magnificently?”

“You flatter me.”

Benjamin beamed at the thought of being recognized by the duke.

Given the Duke of Linderto’s character as he knew it, such praise was rare, so he felt truly acknowledged.

“Actually, I’ve been looking for you. I want to renovate an old mansion. Could we discuss that matter briefly?”

“Of course. It would be my honor.”

The natural flow of conversation between the two men left Silvia’s presence awkwardly hanging.

“I apologize, Silvia. We’ll talk again next time.”

Dominic left Silvia behind and walked to a quiet place with Benjamin.

“How could he do this to me.”

The duke’s behavior toward her showed not even a speck of affection.

Jonathan watched Silvia struggling to contain her resentment from a short distance away.

The Crown Prince, who had been waiting for the right timing, naturally approached her with two wine glasses.

His heart was heavy approaching Silvia, as this matter was not entirely unrelated to him.

“Silvia. You don’t look well, are you alright?”

Hearing his gentle, caring voice, Silvia turned her head.

The Crown Prince was looking at her with concern, his eyes warm like sunshine.

“Your… Your Highness.”

“If you’re not feeling well, shall I take you somewhere to rest?”

“No, no. I’m fine.”

Silvia shook her head with her head lowered, but she surrendered to the feeling of Jonathan’s warm hand comforting her back.

She had been hurt by the duke’s indifference and coldness, but she never knew the Crown Prince’s warm words could be such a comfort.

Silvia looked at Jonathan with sincere eyes for the first time.

The tall, blonde crown prince was smiling brightly, looking only at her.

* * *

A few days later, early in the morning at Baron Nilson’s residence, the baron and his wife were having a private conversation.

“Honey. Could the rumor be true? People are whispering, but honestly, I find it hard to believe.”

Rosana shook her head slowly while lifting her teacup.

“Honestly, why would someone like Duke Linderto be interested in a girl like Ellin……”

The baron’s face hardened at her typical remarks.

“A girl like Ellin? She may not dress up, but she takes after her mother and has looks that wouldn’t be out of place anywhere.”

When Ellin’s birth mother was mentioned, a spark flashed in Rosana’s eyes.

“I notice you gaze wistfully at that child Ellin sometimes. Does your heart ache with thoughts of your dead wife?”

The baron sighed deeply at Rosana’s sarcastic words. Then he shifted his gaze to the newspaper and cleared his throat unnecessarily.

Rosana’s mood instantly soured when Ellin’s deceased mother, Marisa, was mentioned.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, Rosana knew well how beautiful Marisa had been in her youth.

Her captivating red hair, skin vibrant like a peach blossom, looking infinitely delicate yet somehow resolute and dignified……

Even she, another woman, had once stared entranced at Marisa on the street.

Many men admired Marisa, so people were puzzled when she married the unremarkable Baron Nilson.

Ellin resembled Marisa as if she had been reborn.

That was partly why she disliked the child every time she saw her, without giving anything.

“I’m going out for a while.”

The couple jumped and turned around, thinking they heard Marisa’s voice.

Perhaps because they had just been talking about Marisa, Ellin standing in the corridor momentarily looked like her.

Dressed more neatly than usual and wearing a hat, she briefly announced her departure and left the house.

Rosana, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly followed her.

“Ellin! Where are you going? Why don’t you take the carriage?”

The baron shook his head in defeat, seeing Rosana’s changed attitude, who had never offered a carriage for Ellin before.

* * *

Ellin arrived at the duke’s mansion after walking for quite some time.

The sky, which had been cloudy for days, cleared to blue and the weather was bright.

Large trees lined both sides of the road leading to Duke Linderto’s mansion.

Whoosh.

A bird flew up, and when she raised her head, the luxurious mansion beyond the forest drew closer to her.

Last time, she didn’t even notice how she walked this path due to worry, but today every detail of the scenery captured her attention.

Just then, she heard horses galloping from behind.

‘Is there another visitor?’

She stepped aside to wait for the horse to pass, but the horse raised its front legs and stopped abruptly in front of her.

Ellin squinted slightly from the brightness as she looked up at the rider.

The duke was looking down at her, his black hair fluttering in the wind.

“You made your decision faster than I expected.”

He grinned as if he knew she would return.

Seeing this, Ellin felt somewhat ashamed.

The fact that she, who had firmly refused and left last time, had come back here on her own feet to stand before the duke.

“The weather is nice, let’s walk together.”

He lightly jumped off his horse and briefly kissed the back of her hand.

“If you’ve taken the wrong path or didn’t want to meet me, you can just turn back now.”

His smile, confidently curling at the corners of his lips, exuded composure.

He seemed to already know what she would say.

Looking at him, Ellin felt a bit hurt in her pride, but now wasn’t the time to assert her insignificant dignity.

“No. I have something to tell Your Grace.”

So the two began walking side by side.

The fresh summer forest sparkled like bubbles of light.

Ellin walked silently with the duke for some time.

It felt strange to be walking with him in broad daylight.

The duke standing beside her was much taller and more robust than she had thought.

Her head barely reached his shoulder.

The sensation of his large body pressing its full weight on hers suddenly came back to her.

The memory of that night in the greenhouse returned so vividly that Ellin hastily opened her mouth.

“I’ve thought about what you said last time.”

When Ellin stopped and spoke, they naturally turned to face each other.

“It’s embarrassing, but everything you said is true. That my situation isn’t good.”

Dominic simply nodded slightly without much response.

“When you said… you needed… someone to marry, I thought you were mocking me.”

Speaking the word ‘marriage’ before the duke with her own lips didn’t come easily.

The duke patiently waited for her to finish speaking.

Ellin continued, lowering her gaze slightly from him.

“If Your Grace hasn’t changed your mind, I would like to accept that offer.”

It was a moment when she gathered every bit of courage within her.

Seeing her hands trembling while gripping the front of her dress, Dominic gently lifted her chin.

Eyes like summer forests looked up at him innocently.

Seeing that gaze suddenly made Dominic feel like a nasty bastard, so he immediately removed his hand.

“You’ve made a wise choice, Ellin Nilson.”

Looking at him smiling businesslike, Ellin felt a strange sensation that couldn’t be explained in words.

A numbing pressure on her chest and an emptiness like her heart had been pierced.

The duke she had secretly loved for so long saw her only as a business partner.

There was no emotion in his eyes.

Not even hatred or disgust.

To him, she wasn’t even worth expending such emotions.

Dominic noticed the momentary sadness in Ellin’s eyes.

His face quickly grew cold.

“Are you already regretting it? If your resolve is that weak, we can forget this ever happened. I won’t force you.”

His dry tone pressed down on her heart even more.

Ellin shook her head with a complicated smile.

“No. My resolve isn’t wavering. I’m just worried whether I can do well.”

Hmph.

When she heard a small laugh from the duke, she looked up at him.

“I understand. It won’t be easy to play the role of a duchess, even if it’s just for one year. But the servants will do their best to help you so you won’t have any difficulties.”

Dominic reassured her, misunderstanding Ellin’s dark gaze.

“Yes.”

Ellin also pretended, as if that was fortunate.

“I’ll take care of everything else, so you just need to focus on making your family understand.”

Ellin gave a bitter smile at Dominic’s words.

If her stepmother learned she was marrying Duke Linderto, she might really faint. Probably from excessive joy.

It meant she would become the duke’s mother-in-law.

What a business deal compared to sending her to the viscount.

What about her father?

He would put even more effort into his failing businesses.

Relying on the duke’s strong backing, though he wasn’t even a real son-in-law.

He would walk around with his head held high now.

And Janice?

Her stepsister would purely burn with jealousy.

The fact that the husband of her despised and ignored stepsister was the Kingdom’s most eligible bachelor might make her writhe in stomach pain for days.

‘She probably won’t believe it until the moment I walk into the wedding hall.’

What about Edward?

He would be happy.

That she met a more splendid man than Royce. That he knew it all along.

While thinking about her family’s different reactions, Ellin soon became worried.

What about her… great-aunt?

She didn’t know how her great-aunt in Castia would react when she learned about this.

Though elderly, she was very clear-headed and perceptive.

She would certainly be suspicious first when hearing the marriage news.