Chapter 27
Evelyn briefly explained the rules of poker to Dyffrin. Despite the complexity and the many things to remember, he understood immediately, making a second explanation unnecessary.
“Alright, let’s start.”
Evelyn secretly hid a sly smile.
No matter how smart Dyffrin was, this wouldn’t be easy for him. Dyffrin was a novice, while she had played poker a few times with relatives in her past life.
However, her plan was to play along and eventually lose to Dyffrin. That way, she could give him a massage.
The ultimate goal of this game was to alleviate his headache.
Though she intended to lose, it was still satisfying to watch Dyffrin play along.
But Evelyn’s confident smile faded by the end of the first round.
“Straight.”
Dyffrin said as he laid down his cards.
Evelyn was stunned.
‘No way! How could he get a straight on the first round?’
Despite her surprise, the second round began immediately.
“Flush.”
It was getting more intense.
‘A flush on the second round?’
‘Does he have X-ray vision or something?’
Evelyn, forgetting that losing to Dyffrin was her original intention, frowned and glared at her cards.
It was the final round.
“Royal Straight Flush.”
Dyffrin said calmly.
On the other hand, Evelyn’s eyes widened as if she had seen a unicorn.
‘Was this really possible?’
She had never seen a Royal Straight Flush in her life.
Feeling defeated, Evelyn tossed her cards into the air. It was a total loss.
She couldn’t believe Dyffrin had such luck. She wondered that maybe he secretly practiced at a gambling dens. As she entertained these rational suspicions, Dyffrin’s voice broke through.
“Sit down. I’ll give you a massage.”
“What…? The loser is supposed to give the massage.”
“I never intended to receive a massage from you in the first place. So just sit down.”
The way he said it made him even more annoying. It was as if he was saying, ‘I wasn’t even trying, but I won anyway.’
“No way! A bet is a bet.”
“Then let’s play again. I’ll let you win.”
Frustrated by his arrogant reply, Evelyn gave up arguing and sat down in the chair.
Dyffrin moved behind her.
“Let’s take this off for now.”
With a few deft movements, Dyffrin unfastened the small sapphire necklace she was wearing.
When his fingers brushed her neck, she felt a strange sensation.
Dyffrin gently kneaded Evelyn’s shoulders. Despite never having had to give anyone a massage in his life, he was quite skilled. Then again, he had been good at applying cold compress too.
Feeling a bit embarrassed and shy about Dyffrin massaging her shoulders, Evelyn’s mind quickly became scattered.
Trying to shake off the heat from her face, Evelyn spoke to Dyffrin.
“Dyffrin… I want to hear about your family.”
In the past, she would never have dared to ask such a question, but with Dyffrin in this uncharacteristically open state, he might actually answer.
“Family…?”
“Yes. Anyone will do. I’m just curious about your family.”
The truth was, Evelyn had asked this question to draw out information about his stepmother, Amelia.
Dyffrin and Amelia were inextricably linked.
In the past, when Dyffrin’s biological mother Chloe died, Dyffrin’s biological father and current Duke of Liwonoc, Dunswell, went through a period of great turmoil.
During this chaotic time, Amelia appeared like a savior for the duke’s household.
Amelia wasn’t a warm, nurturing mother, but she was excellent at strictly educating the heir and managing the household.
Because of her, the previously disordered Duke of Liwonoc’s estate began to function properly.
Dyffrin, knowing her value, didn’t particularly resent her for treating him harshly. He believed she did everything for him and the family’s sake.
But Evelyn wished Dyffrin would step away from that belief a little.
From the descriptions in the original story, Amelia was never someone who truly cared for Dyffrin. Her primary concern was securing the stability of the Liwonoc family.
Because she was such an ambitious person, Evelyn hoped Dyffrin would be a bit wary of her.
‘She has her own biological son besides Dyffrin.’
Dyffrin had a half-brother. He was only 12 years old and currently staying at the academy, but once he grew older, he might become a threat to Dyffrin.
The original story she had read didn’t reveal everything about the characters’ lives, so the future was uncertain.
Of course, she couldn’t speak ill of Amelia right now, but she at least wanted to hear Dyffrin’s thoughts about her.
“If you don’t have much to say about your family, could you tell me about the Duchess?”
Evelyn asked directly when Dyffrin remained silent.
“I find the Duchess difficult to understand. But if I understood what kind of person she is, it might be a bit easier.”
Giving a plausible reason, Dyffrin seemed to be willing to answer as he slowly opened his mouth.
“Mother is… strict, but she’s not a bad person.”
Seeing Evelyn’s ambiguous expression, Dyffrin elaborated.
“I know she’s been cold to you. I’ll talk to her about it.”
Perhaps her fainting had its benefits, seeing how much Dyffrin was now attentive.
But Evelyn shook her head.
“There’s no need to go that far. It’s a matter between the Duchess and me.”
Evelyn wasn’t worried that Amelia might harm her. She was concerned only about any potential damage to the duchy.
Suddenly, Evelyn found her own thoughts puzzling.
‘…I’m supposed to leave in two years, so why am I getting involved?’
It seemed she, like Dyffrin, was losing her mind. Or maybe it was the magic of Dyffrin’s amazing massage.
“You can stop the massage now.”
Worried that her thoughts might become more muddled, Evelyn hurriedly stopped Dyffrin’s massage.
His hands left her shoulders, and the absence of warmth made her neck feel cold.
“I originally intended to give you a massage. How’s your headache these days?”
“It’s not enough for you to worry about.”
Evelyn knew Dyffrin was lying. If he skipped his headache medicine for even a day, his head would ache all day.
‘But since the massage has already been spoiled…’
Evelyn took his hand and gently rubbed the back of it with her fingers.
“Thank you for the massage today. It feels like all the fatigue has melted away.”
Such a level of physical contact wouldn’t visibly change his headache, but it was the best she could do for now.
The more intense the physical contact, the more it would relieve the headache. A deep kiss would be much more effective, but Evelyn didn’t want to imagine how Dyffrin would look at her if she kissed him. Of course, she didn’t have that intention either. Just the thought of kissing him was suffocating.
With these thoughts, Evelyn let go of his hand.
“My, how time flies.”
Hoping that, at least for tonight, he would sleep soundly without the medicine.
“Good night, Dyffrin.”
***
“Madam, the master has returned.”
A maid bowed deeply and informed Amelia.
Amelia quickly folded the letter she had been reading. It was a letter from Gilmore of the information guild.
The letter contained unwelcome news.
It stated that Rachel had tried to discredit Evelyn using Patricia and Karina, but instead, they had backfired. Not only that, but Dyffrin had also intervened and sided with Evelyn.
Just these two facts were enough to distort Amelia’s face in anger.
But she couldn’t meet her husband with this expression, so she managed to compose herself.
Today was the day when Dunswell, who had been away for two weeks on a territorial inspection, returned.
Hurrying to finish her dressing, Amelia went downstairs and found Dunswell just entering the house.
Amelia gracefully placed her hand on her chest and slightly bowed her head to greet Dunswell.
“Your Grace, I’m relieved that you returned safely. I was very worried because of the long journey.”
“I was delayed in returning because I was inspecting the salt damage in the coastal area. It was thoughtless of me to make you worry.”
“As long as you have returned without any issues, that’s all that matters.”
As he looked at Amelia with a smile, Dunswell removed his gloves and spoke.
“I can’t say nothing happened. The salt damage in the coastal areas is getting worse as the days go by. There is a limit to how much we can wash the salt off with fresh water.”
“That’s a serious problem. If the coastal area’s crops fail again this time, the budget will be exceeded once more.”
“Spending more money is one thing, but I’m worried about the livelihoods of the nearby residents. We need to focus on finding solutions with those who have returned for the time being.”
When Dunswell, looking tired, plopped down on the sofa, Amelia sat next to him.
“I understand your concerns, but please set aside worries about the territory while you’re in the capital.”
At the mention of the ‘capital,’ a light sparked in Dunswell’s tired eyes.
“By the way, it’s already the month of the equestrian competition.”
“Yes. I’ve already prepared everything. If you leave within this week, you’ll arrive in the capital on time.”
Although most of Dunswell’s year was spent managing the territory, his one and only hobby was personally tending to his robust and spirited horses.
He also participated in the horseback riding competition held annually in the capital with the horses he managed himself.
Winning that competition was a significant mission for Dunswell, separate from successfully managing the territory for a year.
“I must return victorious this time.”
Despite such aspirations, Dunswell had never won the equestrian competition.
He always ended up in second place. No matter how prestigious the Liwonoc family was, second only to the royal family, they couldn’t manipulate the competition results.
Amelia gently stroked his shoulder and replied calmly,
“Of course. This year, you will surely win.”
A mysterious, meaningful smile played on her lips.
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