“Hayen Mine.”

Dominic, who had been getting up, sat back down on the sofa.

A cunning smile formed at the corner of the Crown Prince’s mouth. In truth, this was the real bait.

“You know well that our old man’s life is hanging by a thread.”

Those words meant that all the royal assets, rights, and power would soon belong to Jonathan, the next heir to the throne.

Dominic’s silence and anguish lengthened.

Hayen Mine was a place with enormous deposits of iron ore.

If he could secure the development rights, it would only be a matter of time before his business gained momentum.

‘I’ve spent years working to get that. Jonathan, this snake.’

Dominic wasn’t the only one who recognized the mine’s value. He was engaged in a battle of nerves with Count Rahel, The Queen’s younger brother, over the future business rights.

However,

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that proposal.”

The Crown Prince’s face contorted at this completely unexpected answer.

“Are you serious?”

“I am serious.”

Dominic stood up as if the matter wasn’t worth considering and politely escorted the Crown Prince out.

Dumbfounded, Jonathan kept shaking his head in disbelief even as he boarded his carriage after leaving the mansion.

After watching the royal carriage depart, Dominic entered his office and immediately hardened his expression.

Even for him, who would do anything for business, the Crown Prince’s proposal was absurd.

‘Asking me to get married. He’s lost his mind over Silvia.’

Silvia and now the Crown Prince—clearly, none of them were in their right minds.

Knock knock.

Just as he was about to lie back down on the sofa, someone else disturbed his rest.

‘Now what.’

He frowned as he looked at the door.

“Lady Silvia wishes to see you, my lord.”

“Damn it.”

He was going crazy wondering why they couldn’t resolve things among themselves instead of bothering him.

Then yesterday’s events flashed through his mind.

He needed to hear an explanation about why he became unconscious immediately after drinking the alcohol she gave him.

“Show her in.”

Dominic got up from the sofa and moved to a chair at the table.

If he sat on the sofa, Silvia would undoubtedly stick to him like glue.

“Duuuke~~.”

Silvia called him with a yearning voice as she entered from the doorway.

Her beautiful face had deteriorated considerably overnight. Yet her attire was as splendid as if she was about to attend another party right after leaving this office.

Her eyelids were visibly swollen, probably from crying, evident even from a distance.

“What brings you here so early, Silvia?”

She sat gracefully on the sofa and let out a long sigh.

“My situation is so pitiful. I cried all night.”

She dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief as she continued.

“Actually, I received a proposal from His Highness the Crown Prince yesterday.”

Dominic pretended to be surprised, as though he was hearing this for the first time.

“That’s wonderful news. So you’ll become the crown princess now?”

At his words, she blushed, seemingly wronged.

“Are you serious? When you know…… who I desperately want. Sob sob.“

Dominic sighed briefly and added words as if to console her.

“Silvia. Becoming the crown princess means becoming the future queen. Why would you refuse a position that every lady dreams of even in their sleep?”

“I don’t want to be queen but a duchess! I’ve sworn long ago that I would become Lady Linderto, your wife.”

Dominic pressed his head as if it ached.

“But where did you suddenly disappear to yesterday?”

Her eyes, glistening like rubies covered with moisture, widened as she looked at him.

Dominic asked seriously.

“What exactly did you secretly put in my drink?”

Silvia seemed guilty at Dominic’s question and moved back slightly, pulling her hips backward.

“Th-that……”

Flustered, her purple eyes wavered, seemingly unsure what to do, but soon she looked directly at him as if she had made up her mind.

“I wanted you to see me properly just once. I’m a grown woman now, but you still treat me like a little sister. Sob.”

She bit her lip firmly, trying to hold back tears that were about to burst.

“So…… so…… I was tempted by the claim that it would make you instantly fall for the other person…… They said it was a proven elixir with real effects…… sob.”

Though he had expected it, hearing her words made Dominic feel like his head was spinning.

It clearly wasn’t a love potion but a fake drug with terrible side effects.

“This is all your fault, Duke! Can you imagine how desperate must I have been to do such a thing? Sob.”

She cried out, wailing.

She seemed even more unreasonable than the Crown Prince who had visited earlier.

Dominic was confused about why he was in this terrible situation.

His only crime was attending a party after receiving an invitation from the count and his wife yesterday.

“You should calm down and go home for now, Silvia.”

He said as he walked slowly to the window to cool his head.

Silvia stood up and pleaded.

“The old duchess also said she wanted a daughter-in-law like me and held my hand tightly.”

“……”

“I want only you, Duke, so much that I would refuse even the position of crown princess. How long will you pretend not to know my feelings!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Dominic said to her.

“Silvia. I’ve told you several times already. I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you.”

Silvia approached and gently grabbed his arm.

“Please see me as a woman just once. I’ll work hard to change your heart.”

“If you’ve said all you wanted to say, you should leave now.”

At his cold dismissal, she turned away with a sorrowful face.

Even as she boarded her carriage, Silvia looked up at the window where he stood, her face showing determination not to give up until the end.

After Silvia left, Dominic paced around his office with a serious face.

Upon reaching some decision, he hastily pulled the bell rope.

Jeffrey immediately appeared as if he had been waiting outside the room.

“Call Higgins here right now.”

“Yes, master.”

After Jeffrey left, Dominic opened the windows wide on both sides and placed his hands on his waist.

Unlike his troubled mind, water shot up refreshingly from the garden fountain, piercing the sky.

The magnificent Linderto mansion seemed more peaceful than usual, but the young duke’s mood appeared more uncomfortable than ever.

* * *

“What? Who am I supposed to find?”

Higgins was perplexed.

When he heard the duke urgently needed him, he thought there must be important business matters to discuss.

But suddenly he was being asked to find a woman.

“A woman who attended the party yesterday. Petite figure that fits perfectly in my arms……”

The duke looked into empty space with hazy eyes while stroking his chin.

“Hair color was reddish-brown…… no, pomegranate-colored…… no. Anyway, something reddish. White skin……. Light green eyes. I think she wore a silver-gray dress. No, it might have been blue in the moonlight.”

The faint scenes from that night, remaining only in fragments, flowed from his mouth like puzzle pieces being put together.

“Her eyes were red from crying, and I think her skin had a subtle floral scent. Her lips were sweet and moist like fruit……”

Higgins’s eyes widened at the unexpectedly detailed description.

“Her voice was clear like crystal beads, and her excited, heated breathing……”

Ahem.

Dominic looked up when he heard Higgins’s embarrassed fake cough.

His mind, which had been wandering through the greenhouse that night filled with heat, finally returned to the cold office.

Dominic gave Higgins a cold glance before continuing.

“Judging by her outdated dress, she must be from a humble family. Where do they even buy such things?”

Even for a humble family, coming to a Count’s party in such a dress raised questions about how she got invited in the first place.

“Seeing her eyes red and wet, she must have been crying.”

Higgins, who had been standing and listening quietly, looked increasingly perplexed.

He synthesized the duke’s words and offered his opinion.

“Could she perhaps be a maid?”

Dominic hesitated momentarily at Higgins’s words.

‘A maid. A maid?’

After recalling his memories, he slowly shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. Though modest, she had an air of dignity. Her demeanor wasn’t that of a maid.”

Higgins rolled his eyes and seized the opportunity to ask.

“But where exactly did you first meet this lady, Duke?”

“The greenhouse.”

“Pardon?”

“I saw her in the greenhouse, so we should focus on finding women who weren’t in the hall at that time.”

Higgins nodded slowly.