Chapter 4 – Suspicion (Part 7)

Cassius looked at the five pairs of pills before him and asked Emiliano.

“Is this all the stock you have?”

“Yes. I have no plans to continue the research, so this is the last of it. The materials used for mental resonance aren’t common, either.”

“I’ll take them all.”

Emiliano looked at Cassius in surprise for a moment.

“All of it, despite its limited application?”

As Cassius gathered the pills into the wooden box, Emiliano asked.

“Who do you intend to use them on?”

“It’s unrelated to the royal family. Just record that the remaining stock was completely discarded after the research ended. You can say I inadvertently caused an issue during my visit.”

“I’ll handle that. But is something going on? Is there a threat to the Duke’s estate or to your safety?”

When Cassius didn’t respond and began to leave with the box, Emiliano grabbed his arm and glared at him. He was determined not to let him leave without an answer.

Knowing Emiliano’s persistence once he set his mind on something, Cassius reluctantly answered honestly.

“I’m going to use iton my fiancée.”

Emiliano stared blankly at his friend for a moment before exploding.

“What are you talking about? You’re planning to use this on the woman you personally chose to propose to and make your wife?”

Cassius knew there was no point in trying to sugarcoat things with Emiliano.

“I thought she was a suitable woman from a family without ambition, but after she moved into the Duke’s estate, some suspicious points surfaced. There’s evidence she might be a spy for Earl Kumaran. I can’t uncover her true intentions through ordinary means, and I can’t openly interrogate her since she’s the prospective mistress of the Duke’s estate.”

Cassius met Emiliano’s eyes, which still looked at him as if he were crazy.

“I just want to thoroughly investigate anything that raises suspicion. It might even turn out she’s completely innocent.”

“Why not try to learn about her through normal conversation?”

“If she truly has ulterior motives, would she honestly reveal them in a conversation? I don’t want to argue with you about this any longer.”

“Excessive suspicion isn’t always the right approach. Professor Haylen from the psychology department has been interested in you for a while. Maybe you should…”

Cassius left the room before Emiliano could finish speaking. As the Duke’s back disappeared, Emiliano shouted after him.

“Make sure to meet the professor next door! You need to know that you’re the one acting strange!”

After Cassius left, the researchers cautiously re-entered the room, not knowing the full situation. Emiliano thought his friend was overreacting. Sure, there was a slight chance that Serenze’s daughter could be a dangerous individual, but had Cassius forgotten that choosing the Serenze family was the result of a roll of the dice among four candidates? What were the odds that a dangerous person would end up in the Duke’s estate by sheer coincidence?

Emiliano hoped Cassius wouldn’t excessively suspect and scrutinize his wife as his father did, but it seemed things were already off track.

***

Elysia had once again managed to evade the servants for a walk in the garden, only to let out a sigh upon seeing Ronan Hass smiling at her. As the capable head of Haas Trading Company, Ronan seemed eager to make an impression on the prospective mistress of the Duke’s estate, but Elysia found it burdensome. Moreover, having her limited alone time constantly interrupted made it hard to appreciate his handsome smile.

Ronan Hass opened a box to reveal a very ornate and beautiful brooch.

“Miss Serenze, or rather, Madame Grendel, this is a small token of our Haas Trading Company’s esteem. I hope you like it.”

“It doesn’t seem like an ordinary item, and while I appreciate the gesture, I must decline. The Duke wouldn’t want me to accept such things.”

However, Ronan was not flustered. He had anticipated that the gift might be declined.

“I seem to have overstepped in my eagerness to congratulate your union. My apologies. Is there anything else you might desire?”

Elysia intended to refuse everything Ronan offered. Even though she entered the Duke’s estate without affection, solely for her family’s sake, she didn’t want to cause harm to either her family or the Duke’s estate.

Ronan Hass was notorious for being a playboy, and there were rumors that getting involved with him could lead to financial ruin. So, it was best to avoid any entanglement with him.

However… there was something she needed at the moment.

“Then, I have a small request, if you don’t mind…”

“Of course, anything you need.”

Ronan replied with a bright smile, expecting she might ask for a pretty hair ribbon, a fragrance of her liking, or perhaps even the latest trendy accessory.

As Ronan anticipated her request, Elysia rummaged through the pocket of her casual dress and pulled out a letter.

“Haas Trading Company does business with my father, right? Could you deliver this letter to him when you meet? It’s not urgent, so you can give it to him when he visits your office.”

‘Oh?’

To Ronan, it was clear that the Duke’s fiancée didn’t trust anyone here. Asking a third party to deliver a secret letter was proof of that.

‘Even if she’s smitten with the Duke, it shouldn’t be too hard to win over the heart of a lady isolated and lonely in the mansion.’

Ronan suppressed his smile and accepted the letter politely.

“So you wish to deliver it without the Duke’s estate knowing. I’ll ensure it’s delivered discreetly and securely. Feel free to use me for such matters anytime.”

Ronan’s seemingly innocent, dazzling smile only heightened Elysia’s wariness. Upon reflection, Aaron Hass, Ronan’s brother, was the Duke’s closest secretary, and Haas supplied goods to the Duke’s estate.

Calculating the situation, supporting the Duke rather than her would be more advantageous for Ronan Hass and the trading company.

However, she had already handed over the letter, and there was no one else in the Duke’s estate she could discreetly ask for such a favor.

Elysia pushed aside her uneasy feelings and returned Ronan’s smile with a polite one of her own.

***

Upon arriving at his office, Cassius took out the pills from the box. He had five pairs of pills, meaning five chances to uncover his fiancée’s true identity. With limited opportunities, inconsistent duration, and usage limitations, he had to be cautious. Knowing he could only hear thoughts directed at others, he worried there might not be much to learn that way.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door. At the sound of Aaron’s voice from outside the door, Cassius quickly put the box containing the pills into a drawer.

“Come in.”

“I’ve brought the letters from the housekeeper. There’s a letter from Earl Kumaran inviting you and your new fiancée to dinner. Should I send a refusal?”

Cassius was about to say yes, as usual, but paused. His mind changed.

“We will attend.”

“Yes, as usual, we’ll decline… What?”

Aaron couldn’t believe his ears. It was surprising that the Duke, who declined all invitations except those from the royal palace, accepted the Earl’s invitation.

“Inform them we will attend. They seem quite curious about the relationship between me and my fiancée, so it might be better to show them directly.”

While he said this to Aaron, Cassius was actually curious about Elysia’s reaction when facing the Earl’s family. If Elysia were indeed acting on the Earl’s orders, she might think something in her mind when meeting them. It was an excellent opportunity to find out the nature of their relationship.

Aaron realized belatedly that the Duke accepted the invitation to understand the relationship between the Serenze and Kumaran families. However, he hoped that his boss would become more involved in social circles from now on, regardless of the reason.

***

Sera van Kumaran was deep in thought in her room at the Earl’s estate. She pondered why someone like Elysia von Serenze had become a marriage prospect for the Duke’s estate. As she was lost in thought, she heard a knock on her door and turned to see her father, Earl Kumaran, entering the room.

“Sera, the Duke’s estate accepted the dinner invitation.”

“What? Didn’t you say they would surely refuse?”

“Yes. In the past, they would have declined, but now that he’s about to have a mistress, it seems he wants to show his face around. However, this puts a wrench in our plans… Since the Duke has accepted, we can’t withdraw now.”

Sera bit her lips as she thought. She had sent a letter to Elysia asking for an invitation but received no reply. Anticipating that, she had sent a letter inviting the Duke from their side instead. This action was also taken with the expectation of refusal.

After being rejected by both sides, the plan was for Sera to use that as an excuse to visit the Duke’s estate unannounced, claiming she couldn’t resist seeing her dear friend Elysia. She intended to spy on them during her visit!

As Sera pondered, a new idea came to her.

“Father, since I can’t visit the Duke’s estate anytime, it would be wise to make the most of this dinner.”

“Alright, understood. I’ll do my best to prepare.”

“Since it’s a social gathering anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to have more attendees. Please invite the people I’m about to mention to the dinner.”

After hearing the names his daughter suggested, the Earl thought for a moment and then smiled contentedly.

“I see. Seeing them might fluster Elysia von Serenze, causing her to make mistakes. By witnessing such unrefined behavior, the Duke will realize how wrong his choice was. Well thought out, Sera.”

Earl Kumaran and his daughter exchanged sly smiles. It promised to be a very interesting dinner.