Chapter 67

“Isn’t it?”  

Driven by anger, Diane snapped back at him.  

After she spoke, regret flooded in as she realized she had been too emotional.  

Yet, strangely, Edward, still frowning, simply stared at Diane’s face and blinked, saying nothing.  

What was this…  

A wave of uneasy premonition swept over her.  

“You… knew about it too?”  

‘……!’  

“What… did you say?”  

You knew?  

He was asking if she knew…  

For a moment, her head rang and her chest tightened.  

This man was now admitting he really had treated her that way.  

He was admitting he saw her as his professional beauty.  

Unbelievable…  

This foul man! Cruel man!  

Her whole body trembled and she felt she might burst into tears.  

“Go! Just leave.”  

“Which bastard told you about that? Who was it?”  

Which bastard?  

‘It was you, you bastard!’

‘You’re the one saying it to me right now!’

“Go! Please, President, I never want to see your face again.”  

“Diane Lina! I never once…”  

“Just go! If you don’t leave, I’ll leave this house!”  

“……!”  

Diane slammed the door shut.  

He asked if she knew…  

Yes, she knew, but hearing it directly from him was even more humiliating and painful.  

No, to be honest, she’d thought maybe it wasn’t true, that maybe she’d misunderstood.  

After finding out Edward Wale was the prince she’d met as a child, she’d tried to believe that the President hadn’t meant to treat her as a professional beauty, but simply wanted to show her the opera, or that he just liked dining together. Maybe he’d only wanted to help her purely when the Lautrec Earldom’s people attacked her.  

He even remembered she hated strawberries.  

When he’d said she liked performances, maybe he was talking about that childhood show.  

And maybe, just maybe, he’d hired her as a tutor because he recognized her as the girl from Lina Orphanage he’d met as a child, and she’d wanted to believe that.  

But it wasn’t true.  

She was just the pitiful, insignificant orphan girl he’d met, and now, just a plain tutor he thought would do anything for a paycheck.  

Thud.  

The bag she’d been holding fell to the floor as she shut the door.  

Tarts and muffins spilled out and rolled across the floor.  

Why had he bought those?  

Did he think buying her treats would make her so happy she’d do whatever he wanted?  

“Bad man.”  

A stinging ache welled up in her chest and tears burst forth.  

It was a different pain than when she’d learned the prince from her childhood wasn’t the Duke but Edward.  

She truly knew who the prince was now, and the fact that he’d tried to treat her as a mistress hurt so much.  

She collapsed in front of the door. But she had to desperately swallow her sobs, afraid he might still be outside listening.  

She didn’t want him to know he’d hurt her again.  

Her heart ached so badly she clutched her chest, as if that would make the pain lessen.  

* * *

For the first time in a while, the Duke, the President, Diane, and Leon all sat together for a formal dinner.  

“Teacher, were you very tired after visiting Compton? You don’t look well.”  

At the Duke’s words, Diane bowed her head.  

“No, I just took a nap, so my face is puffy.”  

“But you’re still pretty.”  

Leon now said she was pretty at any time.  

She kept her eyes fixed on her plate, wanting to avoid Edward Wale’s gaze.  

Truthfully, she hadn’t wanted to come to dinner, but after being sick last time, she was determined not to let herself avoid the President out of resentment.  

Still, she couldn’t muster the courage to meet his eyes.  

Her sadness and anger were too clear in her expression.  

She didn’t want to share any feelings with him anymore.  

“Teacher, I really like Compton. I’m glad I don’t have to go to the dormitory.”  

“Mm.”  

Diane answered absentmindedly.  

“I was planning to send Leon to boarding school at age eight, but since he likes Compton so much, I’m thinking of making it official.”  

The Duke explained his plan for Leon’s education, but Diane’s mind wasn’t calm enough to listen.  

“Yes. It’s best to send him where he likes.”  

“I was worried about him commuting, but since you’ll be here, that concern is much less.”  

“Yes.”  

Diane kept answering without much thought, too busy being conscious of Edward sitting across from her.  

“What do you mean? How could she be here if Leon commutes?”  

Suddenly, Edward, who’d been silent, asked in a twisted voice.  

Diane flinched at his tone, then realized what the Duke’s words meant and looked at him.  

Would she really stay at the ducal residence even after Leon enrolled at Compton?  

“A reading tutor is needed after school and on weekends, isn’t it? I value reading education. I can’t say for sure how long, but for now, I’d like her to remain at home even after Leon enters school.”  

The Duke was saying he’d keep Diane as Leon’s tutor even after he enrolled.  

That wasn’t normal.  

Usually, children who started school didn’t have tutors; only the very young or those homeschooling did.  

But to keep a reading tutor even after Leon started school?  

Why?  

“Ha! Ha!”  

Edward laughed loudly, making sure everyone heard.  

Diane bowed her head again to avoid looking at him.  

“What nonsense. Why keep a tutor for a kid who goes to school?”  

“Leon is very attached to her, and she cares for Leon. Isn’t that right, Ms. Diane Lina?”  

The Duke’s words left her unsure how to respond.  

She did need the job, so she’d have to agree, but it wasn’t normal. Even now, she only spent an hour a day discussing books with Leon, not doing much else.  

Of course, she read to him at bedtime and played with him sometimes, but officially, her job was just the reading lessons.  

Once Leon started school, she’d have even less to do.  

She wasn’t a thief, and even though the ducal family was wealthy, she couldn’t just say yes.  

Especially with Edward glaring and protesting so fiercely.  

“Well, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think there’ll be much for me to do, so it’s hard to say.”  

“What do you mean, not much to do? Even today, you were such a big help when I was in a bind. I think…”  

The Duke tried to persuade her, meeting her eyes.  

“Stop with the nonsense. Is Diane Lina Leon’s nanny? Is she your on-demand stand-in mom? Leon will have a mom soon anyway. Lady Lautr—what’s her name? Anyway, isn’t she marrying you to fill that role? Are you going to have a wife and a stand-in mom? Ridiculous. Stop the nonsense.”  

Edward cut off the Duke’s words with a sneer.  

“Edward, what are you saying!”  

“Uncle, what do you mean?”  

The Duke and Leon spoke up at the same time.  

“I’m talking about the greedy family scam.”  

Diane clenched her fist.  

She didn’t want to talk to Edward Wale at all…  

“President, please don’t speak carelessly about the Duke and Young Master. The Duke is just being kind. Unlike you, with your dark intentions.”  

‘You awful man!’

“……”  

No one spoke.  

Everyone seemed lost for words at Diane’s bold retort, not just the Duke and Leon, but even Edward Wale.  

“Teacher.”  

The Duke broke the silence.  

“Yes?”  

Diane forced an unwilling smile as she looked at the Duke.  

As if to prove she could smile for anyone except Edward Wale.  

“Have you ever been to Rettrang Central Park?”  

“Oh, yes. I’ve been several times.”  

It was the biggest park in Rettrang, next to Center Shire, where she used to walk often when she lived there.  

“Edward’s saying strange things about intentions, so I’m hesitant to bring this up, but…”  

The Duke paused and glanced at Edward.  

What was he going to say?  

Diane quietly waited.  

“They’re holding a flower festival there these days. Would you like to go with Leon? You helped me today, and I want to thank you somehow, but I can’t think of anything. Since you haven’t gone out for fun since moving in, it would be nice for you and Leon to get some air and enjoy something delicious before returning.”  

“A picnic?”  

It was an unexpected suggestion. A flower festival picnic?  

Now that she thought about it, it was the famous flower festival season at Rettrang Central Park.  

She’d always been too busy to see it properly, just passing by the park, never really going for the flowers.  

She hesitated over how to answer.  

Going to the festival with Leon seemed fine, but as the Duke said, Edward’s glare and talk of “nanny” and “stand-in mom” made her hesitate.  

She unconsciously looked at Edward.  

Clack!  

Edward set down his fork and knife.