Chapter 3 – Exploration (Part 7)

‘Found her!’

Deep in the vast garden of the Ducal estate, Ronan finally spotted a young lady standing with her back to him inside the winding path. Unlike the people of the Ducal estate, dressed in entirely somber attire, she wore a sophisticated light blue indoor dress, making her easily recognizable. Ronan slowly approached her, intending to greet her under the guise of coincidence.

“Damn this life!”

Suddenly, the young lady swung her fist at the sky. For a moment, Ronan doubted his eyes and ears, looking around. What kind of noble young lady does that? He even considered the possibility that this young lady might not be Elysia von Serenze.

While Ronan stood there, contemplating, the young lady kicked the base of a nearby tree and screamed, seemingly surprised by the pain.

“Ouch! Why is the tree so hard?”

As she jumped up and down in place, about to turn completely towards Ronan, he had no other choice. He strode forward and greeted her.

“Hello? I’m Ronan Hass. I’m the head of the Haas Trading Company, which deals with the Ducal estate. Are you perhaps the daughter of the quasi-Baron Serenze family, recently engaged to Duke Grendel?”

Surprised by the sudden appearance, Elysia quickly composed herself and looked at Ronan with a steady expression. Upon seeing Elysia’s face, Ronan was certain. She was indeed the eldest daughter he had seen from a distance during his visits to Tobias’s house for business.

Elysia wondered if this person had seen her just now, and tried to calm her pounding heart as she greeted him with a composed demeanor.

“Hello, Mr. Hass. As you said, I am Elysia von Serenze.”

With Elysia’s graceful greeting, Ronan couldn’t determine whether she was hiding her true self or if she had temporarily changed due to the stifling atmosphere of the Ducal estate.

‘In any case, I need to understand her identity and build a rapport for future plans.’

Thinking this, Ronan offered a flattering compliment.

“It is an honor to meet the lady of the Ducal estate. You are as elegant as I’ve heard. The Duke has excellent taste.”

He then gave a smile that had never failed with any woman. Until now, there hadn’t been a woman who didn’t blush or smile back at this smile. Sometimes, it even worked on men.

But something surprising happened.

“I’m a bit worried about what rumors you’ve heard about me. I haven’t attended many social gatherings, so there aren’t any good rumors about me. I just hope not to be a burden to the Duke.”

Amazingly, Elysia responded in the same unwavering manner as before.

Unfortunately, Elysia was already put off by his neat attire before she even saw Ronan’s face or smile.

‘This tiresome black suit. Is there a rule that everyone coming and going from the Ducal estate must dress like its people? I’m tired of seeing these pitch-black human pillars!’

Ronan, a bit flustered that his smile didn’t work, started thinking.

‘That’s strange. That’s not just a polite facade. It’s a genuinely uninterested, no, a rather fed-up expression. What’s the reason?’

Ronan, with his keen intuition and analytical skills as a merchant, was sure that his charm didn’t work on Elysia and pondered the reason. In the short time they interacted, he hadn’t done anything that could have been off-putting.

The only reason he could think of, unless she was blind, was:

‘It seems she’s already fallen for the Duke.’

Even those who criticized Duke Grendel as being like ice or a cold-hearted person acknowledged his appearance. His deep blue eyes without a hint of warmth, jet-black hair like the night sky, and a face seemingly unfamiliar with smiling had a charm that stirred a sense of challenge in women who wanted to capture even a piece of his heart.

The items traded with the Grendel Ducal estate were merely small household goods, so the Haas Trading Company barely made any profit. However, one of the reasons Ronan continued the trade was the expectation that a major renovation would eventually change everything within this old-fashioned house.

Upon hearing that a lady of the house would be coming, Ronan Hass planned to captivate the future lady with his charm and open up significant business opportunities. However, he now needed to revise his strategy.

“Madam, you are very humble. Rather than being a burden, I believe you will be a great help to the Duke. Of course, our Haas family will spare no effort in supporting the future lady and the Duke both materially and spiritually.”

Starting with pleasant words, Ronan smoothly continued.

“Did you like the bouquet and the ring you received during the proposal? They are the finest from our Haas Trading Company. Since the Duke was too busy to choose them himself, my brother and the Duke’s secretary, Aaron, personally visited the company and brought them. I personally selected those items, so I wonder if they pleased you.”

Ronan deliberately shared this information, calculating that Elysia would be greatly disappointed to learn that the Duke hadn’t chosen the proposal gifts himself. As expected, Elysia’s expression changed slightly as she asked again.

“You mean to say that the head of the Haas Trading Company, not the Duke, chose those?”

It was as Ronan intended. Seeing Elysia questioning whether the bouquet and ring presented by the Duke were actually chosen by the head of the Haas Trading Company, Ronan suppressed a rising smile.

“Yes, did they please you?”

Elysia furrowed her brows briefly. She had been a bit puzzled because the items presented then seemed quite different from the atmosphere of the Ducal estate.

‘If the Duke had chosen them himself, wouldn’t he have picked pitch-black flowers? Assuming such flowers even exist. I was curious about whose help he got, but if it’s the Haas Trading Company, it makes sense.’

“I see.”

But with that one word, Elysia’s expression returned to its earlier indifference.

Ronan, who had expected a more intense reaction, was taken aback by Elysia’s indifferent response. It was clear she wasn’t disheartened or disappointed, just acknowledging a fact without much care, which was not what he had anticipated.

However, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to learn anything more or gain more favor today.

“It seems I’ve interrupted your rest, Madam. I’ll take my leave and see you next time.”

“Yes, take care.”

Barely had Ronan returned to the entrance when the butler and Millie rushed over as if they had been waiting eagerly. Seeing their stern expressions, Ronan thought he wouldn’t be getting any tea and sandwiches and went over to his workers.

Elysia was more surprised to learn that the Duke had direct dealings with the Haas Trading Company and that Aaron, the secretary, was the brother of the head of the company.

Elysia had held a preconceived notion due to the historically styled Ducal estate that didn’t follow current trends and Cassius’s stiff attitude towards others. She assumed he shared similar conservative views with high-ranking nobles who looked down on those without noble blood. Elysia revised that prejudice.

‘With rumors about his predecessors, I thought he might not even acknowledge people who aren’t nobles, but it seems he judges people based on their abilities.’

Elysia reflected on whether she had been too biased against the Duke and continued her walk slowly.

***

Millie was quite annoyed with Ronan for deceiving her and going to the garden.

“You act so transparently, Ronan Hass. Did you really want to meet our Madam that much?”

“It wasn’t intentional. The weather is nice, and I just wanted to take a brief walk in the beautiful garden of the Ducal estate. Don’t be mad, Millie.”

Ronan gave a friendly smile. This time, Millie wasn’t fooled at all, but she decided to let it slide once, as she had something she wanted to ask Ronan.

“By the way, Ronan. This is a story of a friend of a friend I know…”

“Oh? Is there an interesting story?”

“Well, it’s someone who just had an arranged marriage through their family… But the couple is still awkward with each other, so they’re wondering how to quickly open up and become close. Since you’re knowledgeable about romantic relationships, do you have any advice?”

Ronan, fully understanding that it was about the Duke and his fiancée Elysia, felt an urge to tease Millie, who was concerned about the two.

In truth, even Ronan had no idea how to get close to someone like the Duke. If he knew, he would have already gained more significant benefits.

“Hmm, there is a way for them to quickly become close when their hearts haven’t connected yet…”

“Really? What is it?”

“Well, they’re young men and women, right? If the physical distance becomes closer, their hearts can quickly follow.”

Ronan Hass said with a sly smile.

‘Though I can’t imagine those two becoming physically intimate before sharing their hearts.’

Millie stood there with a shocked expression, as if she realized something significant.

“I see…”

Ronan didn’t know how the young Millie interpreted his advice, but he left the Ducal estate, leaving the stunned maid behind.