Chapter 4 (Part 1)

Knock, knock.

At the sound of the knock, Yuliana’s gaze turned towards the door.

“Luda.”

“Miss, shall I help you a bit with the embroidery?”

“No. This is something I must do myself.”

Yuliana sighed, picked up the needle again, and glared at the handkerchief. It was as if she were a knight wielding a sword to slay a dragon.

“Oh right. Miss, a letter has arrived.”

“Hmm? A letter?”

She placed the needle in the needle holder and looked at the letter Luda brought.

“It’s a letter from Duke Rockbellion.”

On the envelope was the dragon-shaped seal symbolizing the Rockbellion family. Curious about what Anthus had written, Yuliana opened the letter first.

[to. My dear Yuli.

The investigation office has been completed.]

After reading his lengthy letter, Yuliana smiled. Anthus’s elegant handwriting suited him perfectly.

“Luda, fetch me a pen, some stationery, and the perfume I use.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Yuliana first sprayed the stationery with perfume and let it dry.

Her heart pounded again. She gripped the quill tightly. After writing the letter, she blushed deeply and sealed it in an envelope, handing it to Luda.

“Send the letter immediately.”

Yuliana picked up the needle again and glared at the handkerchief. It was time to focus. But her heart was pounding so wildly that she couldn’t concentrate properly.

“I think I’ll take a little break from the embroidery.”

“Please do, Miss.”

* * *

Anthus began to smile gracefully, lifting the corners of his lips. He had received a reply that she would visit.

“Ferrell, look at this. She wrote that she misses me too.”

Anthus couldn’t stop the laughter that kept escaping even with his mouth closed, his body shaking with joy.

“The teleportation has been installed, but we haven’t checked if it works, have we?”

“That is correct, Master.”

“Then I should check if it works properly.”

“Understood. I will prepare for you to use the teleportation.”

Before using the teleportation, Anthus finished his remaining tasks.

 “I have placed all the magic stones, Master.”

Using the teleportation, Anthus entered the Earl’s residence, slowly opening his eyes and taking a deep breath as he looked around. Seeing her familiar private training ground, he smiled. This meant the teleportation had been successfully installed.

“Good. Shall we go inside then?”

Worried that the teleportation might malfunction because it was installed too quickly, Anthus decided to reward the creators with magic stones since it worked so well. This way, he could see Yuliana anytime he wanted by using the teleportation.

Sensing Yuliana’s presence in the mansion, Anthus quickly made his way to the room where she was. Although he encountered the servants along the way, they simply greeted him and went about their business, as they had seen him frequently lately.

Knock, knock.

At the sound of the knock, Luda slightly opened the door and peeked out.

“Duke!”

Luda bowed in greeting. Hearing Luda call out “Duke,” Yuliana hurriedly began to hide the handkerchief and embroidery tools.

“Just a moment!”

Yuliana should have felt annoyed by his sudden visit, but instead, she felt excited and thrilled that Anthus had come. After confirming that Yuliana had hidden the handkerchief and embroidery tools well, Luda opened the door wide.

“Duke, what brings you here?”

“Yuli, I came right after reading your reply.”

“I’ll bring out some refreshments, Miss.”

“Yes, Luda.”

Yuliana placed her hands on her chest and clutched them tightly, her heart pounding wildly because Anthus looked even more handsome today. Seeing Yuliana staring blankly at him, Anthus felt uneasy.

“I’m sorry for coming so suddenly, Yuli. I should have made an appointment before visiting… I missed you so much that I behaved rudely. Just seeing your face satisfies me, so I will leave now. Next time, I will make an appointment before visiting. I hope you can forgive my actions today.”

Anthus spoke with a voice filled with sorrow.

“…No.”

To Yuliana, Anthus looked like a puppy drenched in the rain, crying inside a box. Her heart ache at the thought of him leaving. She didn’t want Anthus to go.

“…No.”

Anthus, who was about to leave, stopped.

“What did you say, Yuli?”

“No, Duke Anthus.”

Anthus’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, unlike before.

“I don’t feel bad.”

Yuliana’s cheeks turned rosy.

“Yuli, you said in your letter that you missed me… I couldn’t bear it.”

Anthus stepped closer to Yuliana, smiling brightly with joy he couldn’t hide. Seeing him, Yuliana gently smiled and caressed his cheek.

“It’s okay. If it’s you, Duke.”

Yuliana gazed into Anthus’s red eyes, recalling Louis’s words.

<He’s just pretending to be gentle to seduce you! Don’t be fooled. You might get hurt!>

If by any chance Louis’s words were true… she would get hurt. Perhaps the pure and clear emotions Anthus had taught her would become memories that torment her for a lifetime. Her first excitement. Her first flutter. Her first kiss. If she were to get hurt by love for the first time… if the person who hurt her was Anthus… she thought it would be okay. Yes. She was willing to accept it. She wanted to believe.

“What are you thinking about, Yuli?”

Anthus gently brushed Yuliana’s forehead with his soft touch.

“You look a bit tired.”

“Do I? I don’t really feel it.”

Lately, she hadn’t been able to sleep well because she was so concerned about embroidering the handkerchief.

“Your under-eyes are darker than usual, and your eyes are slightly bloodshot. Don’t overexert yourself…”

Anthus couldn’t finish his sentence. It was because her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Although you came suddenly and surprised me, I was touched that you came right after I said I missed you, Duke Anthus.”

“Thank you for not kicking me out even though I came suddenly.”

Anthus was so happy that he closed his eyes gently and whispered sweetly in Yuliana’s ear. Yuliana told him to stay for dinner, and Anthus gladly accepted.

“Duke. I’m a bit busy, so could you wait in the private reception room?”

Yuliana thought of the clumsily hidden embroidery tools and handkerchief.

“I need to meet with Earl Loengrin anyway, so I’ll go see him.”

“Will you? I’ll come to find you later.”

“Alright.”

Anthus headed to Matthias’s office.

Matthias wasn’t alone there. Louis was also in the office.

“Duke, don’t you visit too often?”

Louis’s unwelcome voice reached Anthus’s ears. But Anthus wasn’t displeased by Louis’s behavior of seeing him as an intruder. Instead, he found it adorable, like a cute deer being wary of him.

“I was invited by Yuli.”

Anthus recalled the beginning of Yuliana’s letter saying she missed him. Since she said she missed him, he considered it an invitation.

“Young Lord Louis, do you dislike my visits?”

At Anthus’s words, Louis’s face twisted instantly.

“I can’t say I like it.”

After a brief pause, Louis spoke to Anthus with a determined expression. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Matthias awkwardly laughed and tried to change the subject to diffuse the situation.

“Louis, it’s Duke Rockbellion. Hahaha.”

“Father, I am well aware that the person in front of me is the cold-blooded and ruthless war crazed, Duke Anthus Rockbellion. You’ve come at the right time, Duke. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“I will answer within the limits of what I can.”

Anthus clearly set boundaries with Louis’s question. It meant he wouldn’t answer anything he didn’t want to.

“Why was the teleportation installed inside the Rockbellion ducal residence? Installing it in the training ground, like we did, would have been sufficient!”

Louis had many complaints about the teleportation installation.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

Anthus asked back with a relaxed expression.

“I don’t know. So, please tell me.”

“By the way, Young Lord Louis. Have you reconciled with Yuli?”

Seeing Louis glaring at him with a face full of complaints and distrust, Anthus raised one corner of his mouth slyly.

“What is the Duke talking about? Reconciliation? Louis, did you fight with Lia?”

Louis was taken aback by Anthus’s sudden words. He never imagined that he would openly talk about his fight with his sister in front of their father. As expected, Matthias’s expression turned grim at the mention of reconciliation with Yuliana, and he began to glare at Louis.

Louis was too flustered to respond, and Anthus wore a sympathetic expression.

“Louis!”

“Father, it’s not like that!”

Louis had intended to pick on Anthus about the teleportation location, but it had backfired. His mind was turning blank. With Anthus’s words, Matthias’s expression grew darker.

Anthus walked past Louis and approached Matthias, speaking gently.

“It’s alright, Father. I have comforted Yuli, who was feeling sad.”

“Thank you very much, Duke.”

Matthias expressed his gratitude to Anthus and clicked his tongue while glaring at Louis.

“You’re her only brother, and all you do is make your sister cry.”

“No, Father…! Why does the Duke call you ‘Father’?”

Louis looked back and forth between Matthias and Anthus in frustration.

“You fool! Is that what matters? Why did you fight with Lia and make her cry?”

Louis’s face turned pale.

“We didn’t fight.”

Louis glared resentfully at Anthus, but he met his gaze with a haughty expression.

“And as for the teleportation location, Young Lord Louis, you might not know, but… I received Father’s permission.”

At those words, Louis approached Matthias to protest.

“Father!”

“It was a decision made as the head of the Loengrin family. You foolish boy! After making your sister cry, what are you shouting about now? Is this how I raised you?”

“Father, I just… I was just worried about Lia, so I said something.”

“What did you say to make Lia cry?”

“Well… that’s.”

Louis couldn’t bring himself to say that he was thrown out of Yuliana’s room for badmouthing Anthus. It made him feel even more wronged.

“Father, I will talk with Young Lord Louis and make sure Yuli feels better.”

Anthus continued to smile sweetly at Matthias, while Louis pounded his chest in frustration.