Chapter 4

“Miss Liere, it’s been a while.”

It was a familiar voice. Cedine looked at the person greeting her. A beauty with thick platinum blonde hair styled in the latest fashion was smiling.

“Lady Crotsfield, hello.”

“Oh my, how forgetful of me. I should call you Viscountess Wintermore now.”

The gentle-looking beauty was the daughter of Duke Crotsfield. Suddenly, Cedine remembered what her sister Karen had said. If the Duke really considered them as daughters, he should give them at least one castle each. For birthday gifts, he should give them an island in Monte Ferona, famous for its beautiful scenery, or a hotel on the cliff adjacent to the Sea of Tior.

Until then, Cedine didn’t know how rich the Duke was, so she just thought Karen had an extraordinary sense of scale.

Later, when she learned about Lady Crotsfield, Cedine finally realized. Karen wasn’t being extravagant, she was simply stating what she had seen.

‘I didn’t know because I had only been to the Duke’s mansion a few times.’

The beauty smiling in front of Cedine now was the noble Lady Crotsfield. The Lady received a 60-carat diamond jewelry set once worn by a foreign empress as a 12th birthday gift, a hotel converted from a fortress for her 16th birthday, and a southern island along with a large cruise ship and ten yachts as a coming-of-age gift for her 20th birthday from her father.

Of course, she received mountains of impressive gifts for the birthdays in between as well. Though she was only a lady in title, rumors followed her that in terms of wealth, she might be richer than the royal princesses, perhaps even the crown prince.

Outrageously expensive champagne or silk dresses designed exclusively for her by designers were just everyday items for her, nothing special.

“Will you be attending the ball at Marquis Meldeva’s mansion in two weeks?”

“Oh, a ball? Well, I’ll have to discuss it with my husband.”

The moment Cedine answered this, she realized a new fact. Married women’s ‘I’ll discuss it with my husband’ was a useful excuse when it was difficult to give an immediate answer! Some might actually intend to consult with their husbands. But in Cedine’s case, it was true that she said it because she felt awkward refusing to the Lady’s innocent face.

“You must come to that ball. Everyone is eagerly waiting for the Viscountess’s debut.”

“Oh my, goodness.”

“Yes, truly.”

The Lady said, placing her hand on her chest. Cedine smiled awkwardly.

“I’d like to start social activities soon too. But Ivlik is the problem. He hardly lets me go out, asking why I want to leave instead of spending time with my husband during our honeymoon.”

Perhaps she could handle social life much better than people expected. Lies flowed smoothly every time she opened her mouth. And with a nonchalant expression to boot.

I, who was a trainee in the Intelligence Bureau’s elite course, turned out to be a flower who’s prepared for the social world. Maybe I could serialize this in a newspaper with such a title. Anyway, how can I cut off the Lady’s words and escape?

“Dad! Look who I ran into.”

“Oh, Cedine. It’s been a while. I think this is the first time since the wedding. Your face is blooming.”

Duke Crotsfield played the role of a kind foster father. Cedine swallowed a bitter laugh inside. It was unfolding exactly as she had sensed the moment she faced the Lady who greeted her warmly. She was looking for a quiet way to slip out, but unfortunately, it seemed she was a step too late.

“The Count’s mansion is nearby, isn’t it? We don’t know when we’ll meet again, so let’s have a cup of tea together since we’ve met like this today.”¹T/N: IDK if it’s a typo, but the author wrote 백작 (count) instead of 자작 (viscount)

Someone who knows full well that Ivlik doesn’t allow outsiders in the house says this.

“Hmm… Will the Lady be joining us as well?”

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to take a rain check. I have a prior engagement.”

The Lady, who had faithfully played the role of bait, left at an ingenious timing. This too must be according to her father’s orders. After a moment’s hesitation, Cedine brought the Duke to her home. She asked for the butler’s understanding, saying she would explain to Ivlik later.

A wheeled tray entered the reception room, which was rarely used normally. On the upper tier of the tray were plates of bite-sized egg tarts and chocolate bonbons, and on the lower tier were various leaf teas and tea utensils.

Cedine unconsciously started to prepare rosemary tea but stopped. In her past life, Duke Crotsfield had been diagnosed with alcoholism and hyperlipidemia by his doctor due to increasingly frequent drinking and greasy meals. As Cedine remembered, the Duke had also received a warning about diabetes risk.

This happened a year from the current point in time. The doctor’s terminal diagnosis must have been quite a shock, as the Duke immediately changed his diet and started exercising that day. I heard that he overcame the treatment process fiercely, even though it must have been extremely difficult.

The reason she said ‘I heard’ is because Cedine didn’t see it directly.

At that time, Cedine was out of her mind due to her sister’s death. Some days she believed Karen was actually alive, the next day she cried endlessly from a sense of loss, and then she would calmly organize her desk.

So she only learned later that the Duke’s health had deteriorated so much. Anyway, the Duke recovered normal levels in a year through strict management. I heard he was particularly afraid of diabetes, for which there was no notable cure. He completely cut out the chocolates he used to eat whenever he craved something sweet, and the afternoon tea with cream and jam he used to enjoy at 4 PM.

Cedine, who once had tea with him, was surprised to see the Duke order lavender tea. She realized that the talk about him completely changing his eating habits was true. Until then, herbal tea to the Duke was something only pregnant women drank.

Anyway, she almost made a mistake. The current Duke is enjoying a hedonistic lifestyle with alcohol, fine cigars, and sweet foods. What kind of sarcasm would she hear if she offered him herbal tea?

“Whiskey-spiked black tea, is that right?”

“You’re surprisingly attentive. Remembering my taste that even my daughter doesn’t know.”

“The Lady probably remembers too. She’s just pretending not to know, thinking of Your Grace’s health.”

In fact, whether the Lady remembers or not isn’t important. The beloved daughter of the Duke is fine no matter what she does. If she remembers, she’s adorable for that, if she doesn’t, she’s adorable for that too. But it’s different for the Liere sisters.

The hidden meaning behind the praise of being attentive is probably something like this: It’s chilling how you remember all my preferences.

The Duke highly valued the talents of the Liere sisters. He was always on edge, fearing that other factions might snatch the sisters away. On the other hand, he seemed to hate the sisters for making his own children look incompetent in comparison.

The person who told her this was also Karen. Her sister instructed her to only say good things about his children in front of the Duke. The Duke could criticize his own children, but we absolutely couldn’t.

“Speaking of health.”

The Duke continued with a smiling face.

“I think I’m at an age where I need to pay attention to my health too. Cutting down on alcohol, eating more vegetables. Yes, I’m thinking of starting exercise again. When I was young, I used to spend all day in the fitness room. Sigh, I’ve been sitting at the desk for too long.”

“All of a sudden? How old is Your Grace? You’re only just fifty.”

“Already fifty, already.”

The Duke glanced at the tray and said he’d like rosemary tea. Cedine’s eyes widened.

“Did I hear that correctly? Your Grace, you’ve never even glanced at herbal tea before.”

“I’m trying to change my palate from now on.”

Cedine brewed rosemary tea with a skeptical look. The Duke started talking about his relatives, which Cedine hadn’t even asked about. He mentioned how someone who was usually full of energy suddenly collapsed clutching their chest one day, and how hearing that news made his own heart sink. It was all about health.

‘Since when did he care about his relatives’ life and death… What’s he up to?’

Come to think of it, the Duke hadn’t touched the chocolate bonbons since earlier. Normally, he would have easily polished off three or four while Cedine was preparing the tea.

‘Has the Duke changed like Ivlik?’

Cedine pushed the plate towards the Duke, suggesting that one or two chocolates wouldn’t hurt. The Duke’s gaze on the bonbon plate revealed a lingering attachment. The suggestion of ‘just one or two’ seemed to be quite tempting.