[Don’t trust the Grand Duke. I’ll come to save you.]

A sudden memory sent chills down my spine.

The man who sent roses through Brianna…!

Startled, I turned around, and the grip on my shoulder loosened.

“Don’t you recognize me?”

An unfamiliar man was smiling at me.

“You seem not to. Even when I was greeting Her Majesty the Empress earlier, you didn’t even look my way.”

“……”

“May I sit?”

Before I could answer, the man naturally took the seat where Carlo had been sitting.

“Dillan is still handling work… He’ll join us soon…”

Recalling the Crown Prince Aiden’s earlier mumbled words, I realized this man would become Count Azanie, the character who fought against Clint, the male protagonist in the original novel.

Dillan Azanie.

In the original story, he was Emilie’s father, the female lead whom “Clint” seduced. He was the true villain among villains, who didn’t hesitate to commit evil acts to protect his fortune.

“I’m your older brother. Can’t you recognize me because you’ve lost your memory?”

“……”

“Do you remember my name?”

With black hair, thick eyebrows, and green eyes similar to mine but without any blue tint, he gave off a rigid yet powerful impression. He seemed like someone who would follow procedures by the book no matter what happened.

While Carlo had a somewhat crooked atmosphere, boldly cutting away unnecessary parts, Dillan gave the impression he would follow procedures robotically.

“No. I don’t remember…”

Was it because I knew he was the person who tried to kill the male lead in the original story using all means possible?

I felt I needed to stay extremely alert.

I shook my head slightly while looking at him.

“Earlier, His Highness the Crown Prince mentioned the name ‘Dillan’ while talking about Lily.”

I absolutely can’t give him anything to use against me.

I answered calmly, trying not to avoid his intense gaze.

“That’s right. Dillan Azanie.”

He smiled as if pleased that his precious sister remembered his name.

“Your older brother.”

However, his relaxed expression suggested he was certain I hadn’t lost my memory.

Just then, a servant approached and poured tea.

I quickly looked at Violet.

“This is Violet Swinton. She’s a good friend who kept me company so I wouldn’t be alone.”

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Swinton.”

Dillan greeted her politely, but his gaze remained fixed on me.

“Grand Duchess…?”

Violet gently touched my hand to get my attention, then pretended to adjust her hair while subtly nodding toward the people around us.

Despite the string ensemble playing softly enough not to disturb conversations, people had lowered their voices even further, focusing all their attention on us.

When my gaze shifted elsewhere, Dillan’s eyes also turned toward the people.

“They seem quite interested in us, don’t they?”

“…It seems so.”

“And here I wanted to have a cozy chat between siblings.”

At that moment, as Dillan set down his teacup while looking at the ensemble, the music suddenly grew louder and shifted to a more upbeat tempo.

Startled by the sudden increase in volume, even from a distance I could see Genevieve’s eyes widen. The red in her purple eyes became more pronounced.

“I heard Mother and Lily treated you harshly.”

The topic demanded my attention, and I reflexively looked at Dillan.

He gazed at me solemnly and continued gravely.

“Let me apologize on their behalf. You must have been deeply hurt.”

“……”

“It’s only natural that you’re wary of me now.”

It was strange. His lips formed a bitter smile as if the situation saddened him, but I couldn’t sense any sincerity.

This was because in the original story, he was a cold-blooded man who used even his own daughter Emilie as merely a tool to increase his wealth.

Isn’t he trying to win me over?

“I’m sorry if it came across that way. But I can’t help it. I have no choice but to be cautious.”

“Of course. Mother and Lily were reckless. That’s why we didn’t get along with them.”

Just as I thought.

It seems like he’s laying groundwork to persuade me?

“…Were you like that too, brother?”

Pretending to momentarily lower my guard and take his words seriously, I released Violet’s hand.

Dillan’s keen eyes observed me as I turned my body toward him and placed both hands on the table.

“I was.”

“Do you not get along with Mother and Lily either?”

My question must have seemed incredibly naive, as the corner of his mouth lifted slightly before he nodded compliantly.

“I didn’t. That’s why you and I were always avoided. Within the family, only you and I could understand each other.”

“…That’s interesting. I’ve heard siblings usually don’t get along well.”

“Some might not, but that wasn’t the case for us.”

“……”

“We shared the same goal.”

He glanced at my hands on the table once more before speaking calmly.

“A goal?”

“Yes. I can’t tell you now, but…”

See that?

Deliberately leaving things hanging to spark curiosity and lead me in his desired direction.

This was a tactic I’d seen often in my previous life, commonly used by scammers before they reeled someone in.

Pretending to care while getting them to open up, but actually drawing them into their territory.

Whew, good thing my dad was a con artist. I might have fallen for this completely otherwise.

I looked at him with wide eyes.

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“Because it could put you in danger.”

The cat pretending to care about the mouse, really…!

Just as my eyes were about to narrow unconsciously, Dillan tapped the back of my hand with a serious, concerned expression.

“Tell me if you need help. You can meet me anytime. That’s what family is for.”

He smiled gently as if to reassure me and took my hand.

“Where should we meet? No, if you haven’t lost your memory, we could meet at that…”

Before he could finish, the hand holding mine was roughly snatched away.

Startled, I looked up to see fierce blue eyes staring down at us.

“That’s my seat.”

It was Carlo.

Perhaps because he had just returned from the game, his physique seemed much more intimidating than before.

Then, from between his red lips came a chilling tone accompanied by a sinister smile.

“You’re sitting there. How dare you.”

At his low, grinding voice, even the string ensemble’s music stopped abruptly.

He looked down as if someone sitting in his seat without permission was extremely displeasing.

Dillan, seemingly in pain from Carlo’s grip, clenched his jaw and twitched his eyebrows before standing up.

“…My apologies, Grand Duke. I was so happy to see my sister after a long time that I got carried away…”

“I told you to move.”

“……”

“Was that difficult to understand?”

At the cold response, Dillan hesitated before slowly backing away from the seat.

His captured hand finally dropped.

“……”

When Carlo sat down, the ensemble hurriedly picked up their instruments and began playing a different, more elaborate piece.

They were so skilled that the music was now loud enough to ensure no one could overhear any conversation, making it impossible to tell for whom the music was playing.

Dillan stood silently behind the chair like a sack of barley for a while, staring intently at the back of Carlo’s head.

He exhaled silently before speaking.

“Does it displease you to see siblings caring for each other?”

“……”

Carlo, who had been drinking water, put down his cup and turned around with an inscrutable expression.

“I can’t imagine the Grand Duke would behave this way over a mere seat.”

“It is about the seat.”

“……”

“A seat represents one’s position. And my seat is better than anyone else’s.”

When Carlo looked at Dillan with an enigmatic smile, Dillan gritted his teeth, feeling publicly humiliated beyond redemption.

“So you’re saying… you simply wanted the better seat. How unexpected. I didn’t know you were so fixated on seating arrangements.”

“Well, even if there were other reasons.”

Carlo replied nonchalantly, wearing a faint smile.

“It’s not your place to question.”

Dillan pressed his lips tightly at the chilly response and slightly furrowed his brow.

“Go now. Back to your place.”

As Carlo turned to face forward and drank his water, Dillan’s gaze faltered and dropped.

Then suddenly, he raised his eyes to meet mine.

Just as the eerie feeling made my hair stand on end, Dillan approached me.

“Lea.”

Calling my name in a wheedling tone, he gently gripped my shoulder.

“Take care. I’ll be in touch.”

Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek.