Chapter 7 – Progress (Part 5)

As the meal concluded, dessert tea was served. With teacups placed before everyone, just as the head butler was about to pour the tea, Cassius stood up. He briefly mentioned that he wanted to personally serve his wife’s family and poured tea for everyone, even asking Elysia how many sugar cubes she wanted and adding them himself. This considerate gesture raised Lillian’s opinion of the Duke, though Tobias narrowed his eyes, suspecting the Duke of ulterior motives.

Elysia was puzzled by Cassius’s unusual behavior but reasoned that he was putting on a good face in front of her parents. So, she picked up her teacup and sipped as if nothing was amiss.

‘Hmm? Was this tea always like this? There’s a faintly sour scent. When did I smell this before…?’

Elysia tilted her head at the unique aroma from the teacup.

Come to think of it, she remembered noticing this unique scent in the tea before. To break the awkward silence that had fallen again, Elysia brought up the topic of the tea.

“Do you often enjoy tea with this particular scent, Duke?”

Cassius paused when Elysia mentioned the tea’s aroma. Elysia continued.

“You offered me a similar tea to calm my nerves before we left for the dinner invitation at Earl Kumaran’s residence. That was the first time I tasted tea with this scent, and I really liked the slight citrus aroma. Oh! Now that I think about it, His Majesty seems to like this scent as well. A similar tea was served at the court luncheon, wasn’t it? Could it be that you and His Majesty have similar tastes because you’ve spent time together at the palace?”

Contrary to Elysia’s intention to lighten the mood, Cassius’s expression hardened subtly. Lillian and Marion sniffed their tea, trying to detect the scent.

“I can’t smell anything like that at all.”

Marion frowned. Lillian took a few more sips before giving up.

“Duke, Elysia has the most sensitive sense of smell and taste in our family for some reason. That’s why she’s so finicky… I mean, she has an exceptional knowledge of food and scents. Since the Ducal residence entertains many distinguished guests, I think Elysia’s skills will shine.”

“Is that so…”

By the time everyone had finished their tea, Tobias asked.

“Duke Grendel, we would like to spend some time with just the family after so long. Is there a place where we could do that?”

“I’ve prepared a room that doubles as a study for receiving guests. You can have a conversation there, and later, in the small dining room overlooking the garden…”

“No, I mean a place where the Serenze family can spend time alone together. It’s been a while since we’ve seen our daughter, and we’d like to have an open, informal time. While we appreciate your hospitality, we don’t want to take up any more of your time, knowing you’re busy with state affairs.”

Tobias’s meaning was clear. Even someone as oblivious as Cassius should have understood that he needed to step back, but he still showed no sign of leaving.

However, just as Elysia was wondering what to do, Cassius, who had been looking at her, suddenly flinched. After a moment’s hesitation, he stood up.

“I’ve been interrupting your family time. You may use the guest room prepared for you, or if you prefer, you can ask the head butler to arrange another place. I’ll be in my office, so if you need anything, please contact me there. Then.”

The Duke excused himself and left the dining room. As soon as he left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief like deflated balloons. Elysia felt a sense of relief but also worried slightly about whether Cassius’s feelings were hurt.

“Elysia, now we can talk freely among ourselves. Is this place alright for you?”

“Yes, Father. If everyone is comfortable, let’s just talk here. This is the dining room with the best sunlight and view in the Ducal residence.”

Elysia instructed the maids who had brought the refreshments to leave them alone.

***

Returning to his office, the Duke sighed as he sat down. Cassius recalled a conversation with Aaron.

‘Duke, you don’t intend to stay with them the entire time they are here, do you?’

‘Of course, I intend to stay with them. Since the family of my future wife is now also my family, isn’t it natural to be with them?’

‘That’s something to consider after you’ve all gotten to know each other better! Even if you’ve grown close, if the husband stays with the wife’s family during their rare visit, it’ll feel like they’re being watched!’

‘Isn’t there supposed to be no secrets between a husband and wife? I’m not trying to monitor them, I just want to get closer to my future wife’s family.’

‘You can do that gradually. This is the first time Madam is meeting her family since coming to the Ducal residence, so after a light greeting, please! Make sure you leave them to spend time together! Please!’

Despite Aaron’s earnest plea, Cassius remained seated. In truth, he hadn’t intended to stay the entire time. Initially, he had expected Elysia to relax and show her true self with her family, and he planned to leave after seeing that.

However, whether it was because she was with him or she usually maintained decorum with her family, Elysia’s demeanor wasn’t much different from when she was at the Ducal residence.

Not only Elysia but also the Serenze family, whom he had been told were very close, maintained a polite demeanor. For Cassius, who had hoped to see them interacting warmly and hear their true feelings without the influence of the potion, it was disappointing.

So, unable to resist his curiosity about whether Elysia acted differently with her family, he used the excuse of personally serving the tea after lunch to add a potion to it. He hadn’t anticipated that Elysia would detect the faint scent of the potion. However, he figured she wouldn’t suspect anything, so noticing a different scent wouldn’t be an issue.

Cassius had intended to spend the afternoon with Elysia and the Serenze family, even if Tobias openly asked him to leave. But then, he heard Elysia’s inner thoughts.

<< Father, you don’t have to do that. Even if I can’t be as comfortable as before, just being with the whole family like this is enough, so don’t waste time in a power struggle with the Duke. >>

Upon hearing her inner voice, he suddenly felt drained, as if he had lost all will. No matter what excuse he made, he realized he was only tormenting his fiancée and her family to satisfy his curiosity. The fact that Elysia hadn’t directly asked him to leave indicated that she had no expectations of him. So, despite the potion’s effects lasting much longer, Cassius decided to step aside without trying to hear Elysia’s inner thoughts any further. It was an irrational act that the usual Cassius would not have done, making a fool of himself and wasting the potion in the process.

In his office, Cassius sat at his desk, not even thinking of looking through any documents, his head resting against the chair as he stared blankly at the ceiling. The silence in the office, without Aaron, felt more pronounced than usual.

***

“Those first-class tutors who once dismissed us as a mere quasi-Baron family are now begging to teach us, offering to lower their fees!”

Marion chuckled, unable to believe she would see those arrogant people groveling.

After the engagement between Elysia and Duke Grendel became known, the Serenze family experienced significant changes. Lillian received invitations to gatherings of high-ranking noblewomen, which she wouldn’t have received otherwise.

Tobias also found himself with more business partners, and both large merchant groups and nobles often invited him to business meetings.

In truth, the family’s busy schedules made it difficult to find time, so they could only visit briefly without staying overnight.

“I didn’t know there were such changes. Everyone seems busier now.”

“Yes, maybe because the lazy one left the house, the bad energy disappeared.”

At Marion’s words, Elysia pretended to pull Marion’s ear.

“If you keep that up, I’ll tell the Duke not to let you near Professor Gottree’s lab.”

Marion stuck her tongue out at Elysia.

“Elysia, from what I saw earlier, the Duke seems to like you more than I expected. It was nice to see him being so considerate.”

Lillian said with a dreamy expression, which Elysia recognized as her mother being charmed by the Duke’s appearance. Tobias, noticing this, couldn’t openly express his dissatisfaction, resorting to clearing his throat instead.

“How can he call himself a fiancé if he doesn’t do at least that much? It’s only natural for a future husband to care for his wife.”

“Even so. Honestly, although Elysia made a big decision to get engaged to the Duke, didn’t you worry that she might be broken off in less than a month?”

“You both have little faith in me.”

“Seeing how you were at home, we thought it might be better for you to be sent back quickly. At least if the Duke’s side breaks off the engagement, they won’t harm us.”

“Mother, really…”

Elysia felt exasperated.

“El, seeing how you’ve managed so far, there’s some hope, so make sure to keep your true self hidden until you sign the final marriage contract. Got it?”

“Are you worried you won’t be able to get those excellent first-class tutors if I get broken off?”

To Elysia’s jab, Marion unexpectedly replied honestly that she had dismissed such materialistic tutors and instead hired someone recommended by Dolores, Elysia’s former tutor. After meeting at Earl Kumaran’s gathering, Dolores, feeling she had made Elysia uncomfortable, went to the Serenze family instead of the Ducal residence to explain and apologize, recommending a tutor for Marion as an apology.

‘She was dragged into that awkward situation without knowing why, yet she feels sorry… Dolores is too kind. I should send her a gift as a token of appreciation later.’

Elysia thought this with a smile.