Chapter 30

“Because your face is decent, I hired you. But you can’t even satisfy the customers and always cause such a commotion! You’re fired immediately!”

The café owner’s finger-pointing made the female employee cover her cheek with her hand, tears streaming down her face.

“Anyway, those from Ernst are always causing trouble wherever they go.”

This time, it was Lady Lawrence. Her voice wasn’t loud, as if she was whispering among themselves. Having only elegantly sipped her drink while listening to the other ladies gossip, she let out a snicker upon seeing Adelina’s frozen expression.

“Indeed, Lady Lawrence.”

“The father sells the country, the daughter sells her dignity as a noble, and the commoners sell their bodies.”

Their whispers were just loud enough to be heard in the quiet café if one paid attention.

Lady Lawrence smiled sweetly at the dazed Adelina. She mouthed the words to Adelina:

“Those Ernst people.”

Adelina stood up abruptly.

+++

‘Come on. I’ll show you that we’re not on the same level.’

Lady Lawrence leaned back in her chair, resting her arms on the armrests. She watched Adelina clench her fists in anger.

‘Young Lady of a Marquis, you say? You? You becoming a Duchess? You?’

How dare something unheard of claim to be on the same level as her! How dare something with no noble dignity rise above her!

‘You will never become a Duchess. The Princess won’t stand by idly.’

Lady Lawrence deliberately provoked Adelina.

-“The capital has been quite noisy lately.”-

A few days ago, at the Princess’s tea party, Isabelle had casually mentioned it, and the ladies exchanged glances.

-“Yes, Princess. We will make it quiet again.”-

-“Good. I’ll be expecting that.”-

There was no lady present who couldn’t understand Isabelle’s way of speaking.

‘Today’s events will further endear me to Princess Isabelle! I’ll surpass Lady Austin and become the Princess’s right hand!’

Additionally, when selecting the monopoly company for the silk trade with the Tiola Empire, which her father coveted, Isabelle could influence Emperor Grain.

‘You’re such a convenient tool to use in many ways.’

Truly pitiful. The people around that fake are only trying to use her, just like herself now.

‘Adelina?’

Lady Lawrence looked at Adelina’s back with a puzzled expression. She had expected Adelina to come to her, but instead, Adelina clenched her fists and strode toward Viscount Bello.

+++

When Adelina stood before the café owner, he flinched his shoulders greatly. Even if she was a fake, legally, she was still a Marquis’s daughter. If she slapped him, he would have no choice but to accept it.

‘A typical petty man.’

Adelina placed her foot on an empty chair. She removed the anklet wrapped around her right ankle and handed it to the owner.

“Take it. It’s compensation for property damage.”

“What?”

Before the owner could even finish his surprised question, Adelina kicked the table where Viscount Bello was seated.

Crash-. The sound of breaking cups and plates made people at nearby tables stand up and move away. Yet, wanting to watch the entertaining scene, they remained inside the café.

“Marquis Young Lady! What are you doing!”

“Stop it. She’s a Marquis Young Lady. Soon to be a Duchess!”

Viscount Bello seemed ready to pounce on Adelina, but his companions held him back.

‘Foolish men.’

Adelina sneered at them and turned her body to walk over to where Lady Lawrence’s group was.

“Lady Lawrence, before belittling someone, assess the situation first. Clearly, Viscount Bello is at fault here.”

“Are you lecturing me now?”

Lady Lawrence also stood, looking Adelina up and down with arrogant eyes. It seemed she was alone without any companions, so she wasn’t outnumbered.

Adelina took a step closer to her.

“Lady Lawrence. I was taught that making derogatory remarks about family is not acceptable.”

And neither is making derogatory remarks about one’s country.

Adelina flipped over the table next to her with her hand.

“How dare you!”

A fake noble!

Lady Lawrence’s eyes bulged with anger, and she raised her hand high.

‘You and I are different leagues! We are different from birth!’

‘Hit me! I’m already used to being slapped from my previous life!’

The two glared at each other as if they wanted to kill.

+++

Lexion and Stephan were leaving the bookstore on Emerald Street when they spotted Hailyn passing by.

“Hailyn.”

“Duke Lexion, Marquis Stephan. You were here.”

Hailyn glanced at the bookstore they had exited before bowing in greeting.

“Shouldn’t it be time to be painting Adelina’s portrait?”

“Yes, Marquis. Today we decided to take a break with the Lady. She’s at the café just ahead.”

Hailyn led Lexion and Stephan to the café where Adelina was.

+++

Jaeyon rose from the office sofa and extended his hand to Marquis Lawrence.

“It was quite a satisfactory proposal, Marquis Lawrence.”

“Haha. I am satisfied as well. Then, can I meet Prince Isya tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’ll convey it well. Please prepare the documents immediately.”

Shaking hands with Marquis Lawrence, Jaeyon checked the clock on the wall.

‘She must have waited alone for a long time.’

12 minutes. That was the time Jaeyon had left Adelina alone.

“Jaeyon. You’ve met my daughter, haven’t you? She should be in the café downstairs by now.”

“Is that so?”

Jaeyon responded nonchalantly to Marquis Lawrence and quickly descended the stairs.

+++

Slaaap-. Once more, the sound echoed, and the female employee’s cheek turned to the side again. 

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

The female employee who rushed in was slightly out of breath. Her cheek, struck twice in succession, was already swollen.

“This is no place for someone like you to interfere!”

Lady Lawrence’s hand, having lost its target, rose once more.

Adelina felt a gust of wind. At the same time, she couldn’t help but smile brightly at the black jacket that blocked her view.

“What is happening here, Lady Lawrence?”

Lexion stood in front of Adelina, gripping Lady Lawrence’s hand as if to crush it. Stephan glanced at Adelina and the female employee’s cheeks, exuding a menacing aura as he surveyed the area. When Stephan’s gaze landed on Viscount Bello’s group, the onlookers hurriedly left their seats.

“Du… Duke…”

Lady Lawrence wanted to collapse into her seat, but with one hand held by Lexion, she barely managed to stay standing. Her dress was soaked with cold sweat, but the pain in her hand left her no time to notice it.

“Ugh… Duke…”

Unable to withstand the pain, a groan escaped from between Lady Lawrence’s teeth.

“Did you dare try to lay a hand on my woman?”

Lexion gripped Lady Lawrence’s hand even tighter with a menacing look. Clink-. A clear bell sound, incongruous with the situation, rang as Jaeyon and Marquis Lawrence entered the café.

“Quite a lot seems to have happened while I was away, Miss Adelina.”

Jaeyon approached Adelina, glancing around the café. Hailyn gestured to Viscount Bello and the female employee’s cheeks, roughly explaining the incident.

“Jaeyon? How did you…”

The color drained from Lady Lawrence’s face. Seeing Marquis Lawrence’s face harden as he followed Jaeyon in, the legs she had barely managed to keep steady finally gave way.

When Lexion released her hand, she collapsed into her seat.

“Marquis Lawrence, my father will not be able to meet you tomorrow.”

“Jaeyon…”

Jaeyon was deeply unsettled. He was furious at the thought that Adelina, who had trusted and followed him, had nearly encountered trouble. 

The black hair and eyes of the female employee overlapped with the brown hair and eyes of the people from the Tiola Empire in his mind.

“From now on, neither I nor my father will meet with Marquis Lawrence separately.”

He knew he would regret acting so emotionally in business matters by tomorrow.

Even though he was fully aware, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking.

Hailyn raised an eyebrow, sending a strong signal, but he ignored it.

The nagging would probably start from the carriage ride home today.

+++

Stephan wandered around the café, deliberately breaking only the expensive items.

“Oh dear, I barely touched it, and it broke. Do you need compensation for property damage?”

“No, Marquis! We were planning to discard and replace all these items anyway!”

The owner knelt beside Viscount Bello’s group, bowing his head deeply. 

If he upset Stephan now, it wouldn’t just be the items breaking—it could be his own head.

Lexion left the pale Lady Lawrence behind and approached them, noticing the anklet in the owner’s hand.

“Why is that in your hand?”

“Ah… I was just holding it temporarily. Really!”

The owner jumped up, handed the anklet to Lexion, and returned to his original position, kneeling.

“In the future, if you see people from Ernst, run away.”

Lexion’s voice echoed over Viscount Bello’s group and the owner’s heads. 

It was a calm, low voice, so composed that it was hard to believe he was the same person who had just held Lady Lawrence’s hand as if to crush it.

“I will personally sever any part that comes into contact with the people of Ernst. If your hand touches them, I’ll cut off your wrist. If even your breath touches them, I’ll thinly slice that skin.”

Hiccup. Viscount Bello began to hiccup when Lexion’s gaze turned to him.

“If you exchange even words with them, I’ll rip out your tongue. If your eyes meet theirs…”

“I was wrong.”

Viscount Bello prostrated himself until his chest touched the floor.

‘Damn it! My father warned me not to mess with the people of Ernst!’

He realized the reason too late.

“Remember that.”

Lexion adjusted his clothes as he looked down at them. He ran a hand through his hair before turning to Adelina.

‘Adelina. I hope you didn’t hear that. If you did, you must be quite shocked.’

The sunlight streaming through the large window made Adelina’s white silhouette even more dazzling.

‘Is she really an angel?’

She seemed almost otherworldly, like someone who didn’t belong in his world at all.

The place he stood was shadowed. His shadow darkened further under the spotlight of the chandelier.

That shadow clamored to reach the bright place where Adelina stood.

Lexion locked eyes with Adelina. He nodded his head toward the exit.

“Adelina. Let’s go. Home.”

He invited her into his darkness from her place in the light.

“Lexion!”

Unaware of anything, Adelina ran to him with a bright smile, throwing herself into his arms.

‘Adelina Ernst.’

He lifted her up. Despite such an embarrassing action, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled close.

Her dress felt slightly damp, suggesting she had even broken into a cold sweat.

“Lexion. You were amazing.”

As they exited the café, she whispered shyly into his ear.

“What part?”