5. Elroy Tevant’s Misfortune

A bird crying at night wailed as if following her sorrowful footsteps.

With each step she took, a lingering attachment seemed to grab her ankles, but Nelie never looked back.

She felt that if she looked back, she might unconsciously turn her steps toward that place again. To that place where she would have nothing to do but sit alone in a dark room, waiting for the Duke who would be talking with the Princess of Lambert at the party.

She didn’t want that.

The newspaper office she arrived at after walking with such effort was shrouded in darkness. Perhaps it was empty because they had sent all the reporters and staff to today’s party.

Nelie entered the renovated storage room, secretly relieved by the silence. The room was more comfortable than before, but naturally, the space was not as large compared to the townhouse. There would be no space left if she laid down.

‘But……’

But that townhouse was not where she belonged in the first place. Did that brilliant and sparkling world suit her, standing in a vast hall wearing clothes that didn’t match her and jewelry beyond her station?

‘No.’

This old, unremarkable, ordinary space was what suited her.

‘Coming back here is the right choice after all.’

It was wrong to desire things beyond her reach. No matter how dazzling things appeared, she shouldn’t be enchanted by them.

Everything was the price of foolishly falling for beautiful things and turning her eyes away from reality. She had taken the wrong path. She had forgotten her duty and wandered. She hadn’t meant to, but realized it too late after straying for too long. Such thoughts overwhelmed Nelie.

Her head ached sharply again. It felt like someone was stabbing her with an awl.

‘I should sleep first.’

Nelie laid down using the coat she had brought to the storage room as a blanket and felt mixed emotions simultaneously. She felt endlessly sorrowful yet endlessly comfortable. When she forced her eyes closed, hot breath flowed out.

‘The rest… I’ll think about tomorrow.’

She curled up her body and felt extremely tired. A fatigue greater than depression crept up her body. From her ankles and calves, through her lower abdomen and chest, to her neck. Her entire body gradually became stiff.

Soon that stiffness pressed down on her eyelids. Nelie fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Shortly after sending Annelie Heich out of the guest room and opening the window for ventilation, the secretary came looking for Elroy. It was to inform him about the progress of the party.

“Your Grace. You should go out soon.”

“Is it time?”

“Yes. You need to ascend the platform for the award ceremony shortly.”

Even while stepping outside as guided by the secretary, Elroy couldn’t stop thinking about Annelie, about the bite mark he had left on her small hand. He set aside the voice of reason that told him he was completely crazy and irrational.

‘Since things have come to this……’

Now, not later. He wanted to take her out like this and fit her with a proper ring. He wanted something tangible to wrap around her finger, not just a bite mark that would fade with time.

‘If I’m going to make her the duchess anyway.’

Wouldn’t it be fine to give her a ring right now?

Though it was late and no jewelry stores would be open, that wasn’t an issue at all for him—the Duke of Tevant. There were plenty of jewelry stores that would open their counters until dawn for the Duke if he just contacted them. Going around those places, a ring worthy enough to put on Annelie’s finger…

‘Wait.’

Elroy paused and thought of a ring he could use immediately. Instead of wasting time calling out jewelers and such, there was something he could use quickly and effectively.

‘The main house is not far from here.’

The ring of the former Duchess at the Duke’s mansion of Tevant. It was the wedding ring his mother wore when she married into the Tevant ducal family.

After the Duchess was buried, the ring returned to the family. That was because it was an item passed down to each duchess through generations. It was probably still sleeping somewhere in the main house, waiting for the next woman who would become its owner.

If he called the secretary right now and told him to bring it, he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of taking Annelie, who would soon be drowsy from fatigue, around various places at this late hour. The symbolism was sufficient. If he gave that ring to Annelie, his grandmother would easily read his determination.

Having completed that thought, Elroy quickly called the secretary who was walking ahead.

“Attend the award ceremony on your own. Go and bring the ring.”

“Pardon? By ring, you mean……”

“The duchess’s ring. It should be at the duke’s mansion.”

The secretary seemed not to understand at first. It was because the master suddenly looking for the duchess’s ring seemed quite out of the blue.

“Hurry.”

The secretary, who had been rolling his eyes with a dazed expression all along, quickly nodded and left when Elroy narrowed his eyes. While walking down the corridor, Elroy’s heart grew more urgent. He wanted to find Annelie and keep her until the ring arrived. He wanted to go perform his ducal duties after putting the ring on her. He wanted to mark her as his own.

But Annelie was nowhere to be seen. Even though she had left with a time gap, it wasn’t enough time for her to go far.

“Annelie?”

He unconsciously called her name, but nowhere could he hear the rustling sound of the dress he had given her or the clinking of her necklace. That strangely aroused anxiety. Just as he unconsciously quickened his pace, his ears caught a voice.

“Did you see her running away earlier? She must have felt guilty about something……”

“Will you all stop it!”

A voice mocking someone, and a voice filled with indignation trying to stop them.

The latter was familiar. It was a voice he had heard when he parked his carriage near the newspaper office to meet Nelie on her way home from work.

‘…That man. Jerome.’

The man who consistently made Annelie show his baseness. Elroy now realized that this base emotion was jealousy. Even while he recognized Jerome, the arguing voices didn’t stop.

“Why? Do you care so much about a loose woman?”

“I’m telling you, Annelie Heich must have seduced someone to win the award.”

The moment he heard those words, his steps came to an abrupt halt.

His head, which had been excited with excitement, cooled in an instant. His mind, always working intelligently, quickly grasped the situation.

Those dissatisfied with Annelie’s award were wagging their tongues as they pleased. He had somewhat anticipated this after seeing the list of award winners, but of all things…

“So she ran away right after hearing our conversation, right? Don’t you agree, Jerome?”

“I’m telling you I’m right. She must be the Duke’s mistress.”

Annelie herself had heard it. Even the fact that she was his mistress, in the worst possible way.

He had deliberately not concealed the rumors about him having a mistress to avoid his grandmother’s interference, but today, that decision didn’t seem wise. Elroy slowly raised his head and looked at the faces of those spouting nonsense. Then, with a sneer, he interrupted them.

“So this award is invalid……”

“What’s invalid is your preliminary qualification.”

“What? Which bastard……Eek!”

“D-Duke Tevant!”

Those who had been uttering vulgar words among themselves were startled and bowed their heads. The only one who kept his head up and looked at the Duke with resentful eyes was that man, Jerome.

Instead of blaming him for this rudeness, Elroy swept the faces before him with a cold gaze. Then he firmly declared:

“Yes. While we’re on the subject, your preliminary qualification is canceled. The list of canceled candidates and the reasons will be published in the Tevant Art Newspaper.”

“What? What do you mean……”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

The young men turned pale and closed their mouths at the sharp question. It was evidence they had something to feel guilty about.

“Bribing the judges, yes. Because the nobles in this city have their own dignity, some turned a blind eye.”

Watching the young men’s faces turn blue, Elroy quietly tilted his head.

In fact, he had already heard through his secretary that some judges had received bribes from preliminary participants. There was no way something happening in Tevant wouldn’t reach his ears.

The secretary had quietly presented a list of those who had exchanged bribes and asked if they should be dealt with before the party.

“Some of them have passed the preliminary round.”