Chapter 1 – She Was Greedy (Part 6)

Seeing her silence only made Edwin more frustrated, and he sighed deeply, rubbing his face.

“…Are you not getting paid enough? Seeing as you’re also playing spy for my mother, it seems like your salary is insufficient.”

“No, it is not.”

“Then what is it? Are you trying to get fired?”

As Edwin’s sarcasm continued, Lorraine slowly began to speak, her lips trembling slightly.

“You know very well that you need to get engaged, Your Grace.”

“How generous of you.”

Lorraine gave up on making further excuses in the face of his relentless sarcasm. As she clammed up, Edwin’s sarcasm only grew harsher.

“Aren’t you tired of meddling so much? Why don’t you use that energy to do more work?”

“…Your Grace.”

Unable to watch any longer, Philip called out to him, but Edwin did not respond.

“Answer me, Lorraine Wigg. Am I a joke to you?”

Lorraine shook her head and answered softly.

“…No, sir.”

“Then why do you keep crossing the line? How many times do I have to tell you that you are my person?”

It was then that Lorraine’s attitude changed.

“…Sir.”

“…What did you say?”

Edwin frowned and leaned in closer to hear her better. Lorraine then lifted her head abruptly.

“They say I am your lover!”

Her blue eyes were burning with anger.

“…W-What?”

“The dukes in those trashy novels often have contract engagements, but you haven’t even bothered to find one. What have you been doing?”

Edwin could only stare at her with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the rapid-fire accusations.

“People keep making unnecessary rumors because you keep taking me as your partner to events.”

Lorraine continued, her face scrunched up in genuine annoyance.

“No matter how much I deny it, people say there’s no smoke without fire. And, well, that’s not exactly right, but—”

“Smoke?”

Edwin tilted his head, wondering why she abruptly stopped, but she ignored him and continued.

“Anyway! Find a woman for a mutually agreed relationship. I’m not doing this anymore. Go alone if you have to.”

After Lorraine finished speaking, the study was enveloped in heavy silence.

The first to break the silence was Edwin, who had been listening with his mouth half open.

“Philip Lloyd.”

Philip restrained himself from rubbing his stiff neck and answered.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Is that rumor true?”

His tone suggested that if it were true, he wanted an explanation for why he hadn’t known.

Philip’s throat felt dry. He swallowed once and cautiously opened his mouth.

“It is true.”

“Then why—”

The follow-up question came naturally. But Philip had his reasons.

“Your Grace has never responded to scandals before.”

“…….”

He flipped through his recent notebooks, checking for any errors, and continued.

“You might respond if it becomes a news article. But as for rumors in social circles… you’ve never addressed them.”

Philip smiled slightly as he looked through his notes up to a week ago.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“…Me?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

It was a very clear and firm answer.

“…From now on.”

Edwin, who had been rubbing his temples with his eyes closed, spoke.

“Report them appropriately and respond.”

“Yes, sir.”

Philip nodded, jotting down Edwin’s order in his notebook.

Total record: 49 matches, 15 wins, 34 losses.

It was a day when Lorraine was steadily growing as a formidable opponent to Edwin, who had been almost undefeated.

***

Edwin Duncan, the Supreme Commander of Moses and lord of the Duncan territory, started his mornings at eight o’clock.

“Your Grace.”

“Hmm.”

As soon as Edwin responded and got up, the blanket slid off, revealing his smooth upper body.

“You have a breakfast meeting with His Majesty the Emperor today, so you need to get ready quickly.”

“Hmm.”

He nodded indifferently at the butler’s urging and stepped out of bed.

“Where’s Philip?”

“He’s already up and about.”

His imposing physique became even more pronounced.

Tall, with broad shoulders forming an inverted triangle, a thick body, and pectoral muscles moving in sync with his slow steps.

It was like watching a statue come to life.

Three of the five footmen, who were momentarily mesmerized, immediately followed him.

As the bathroom door closed, Paul, the butler, began organizing the bedding with the remaining footmen.

“Start with the sheets.”

“Yes.”

Following his orders, the footmen stripped the bed and changed the pillowcases.

This was originally the maid’s job. However, after several troublesome incidents, Paul assigned footmen to handle Edwin’s private space.

Watching them for a moment, Paul drew back the thick curtains and opened the balcony window.

There wasn’t much to tidy up. Having spent a long time on the battlefield, Edwin was used to organizing his own belongings.

“The weather is nice.”

“We’ve finished tidying up.”

Paul took out his pocket watch from inside his jacket and checked the time.

After tapping the pocket watch with his index finger, he spoke.

“Take those to the laundry, and you, prepare the clothes.”

“Yes.”

Exactly thirty minutes later, Edwin was sitting at the dining table in light attire.

As soon as he sat down, he gave an order to Philip, who was sitting to his right.

“Arrange a meeting with Alan Quill.”

Philip, who had been admiring the shiny, fresh croissant sandwich, asked in surprise.

“Pardon? Alan Quill? Do you mean Admiral Quill?”

Edwin looked at his secretary as if questioning why he was asking such an obvious question.

“Is there another Quill in Moses beside him?”

Admiral Alan Quill was a prominent neutral figure in the military, currently guarding the western coast of Moses.

“Why the sudden interest in Admiral Quill…?”

Philip asked, and Paul cautiously handed over a newspaper.

[Privy Council to Cut Military Budget This Year]

‘Damn it…. ‘

Philip cursed as soon as he read the headline, causing Edwin’s eyebrow to twitch.

“…Is it Marquis Roben?”

Philip accurately pinpointed the source of the issue while still keeping an eye on Edwin’s reaction.

“First, arrange a meeting with Admiral Quill. Paul will look into the Marquis’s connections.”

Edwin, frowning as if the situation had become troublesome, handed the newspaper back to Paul.

“It’s uncertain when we’ll be able to reach him.”

Philip flipped through his notebook, which he had placed aside, and said.

“The Western Navy typically docks every 20 days.”

Counting the days with one hand while holding the notebook with the other, Philip continued.

“It’s been a while, but… there’s still about a week left until the next docking. Wouldn’t it be better to find someone else?”

Unlike most military personnel who settled in the capital as they gained seniority, Alan Quill insisted on being in the field.

「Admiral, wouldn’t it be better to continue your work on land now? You’re getting older….」

「I will die at sea if I must.」

Alan Quill was a true patriot who even refused the Emperor’s suggestion firmly.

“He’s here.”

However, he was also someone’s father.

Edwin, with an indifferent face, sipped his coffee and said.

“I heard the Admiral’s daughter is getting married.”

“Pardon? The Admiral’s daughter…?”

Philip paused as if trying to recall. Soon, he widened his eyes and asked.

“Do you mean Brigadier General Alisa Quill? She’s getting married?”

“So, arrange the meeting. Before he leaves like a ghost.”

“Yes.”

At that moment, the dining room door opened, and someone peeked in.

“Good morning.”

It was Lorraine, as always, dressed in a well-ironed shirt and a maxi skirt.

She bowed her head and walked briskly towards them, immediately asking,

“Did you see the article?”

“Yes.”

Philip’s response made Lorraine nod as if the conversation would be quick. She pulled an envelope from her bag and handed it over.

“This is an official letter from Rochester.”

The envelope was sealed with Rochester’s insignia, just as she mentioned. Lorraine added as Edwin opened the envelope.

“They’ve decided to publish an article in today’s evening edition stating that it’s not the official opinion of the Privy Council.”

“Henry Rochester?”

Edwin muttered as he handed the letter to Philip. The response came from Philip.

“He is currently the acting head of the Privy Council.”

Edwin rested his chin on his clasped hands and asked,

“How do you know him?”

His golden eyes were filled with distrust.

‘He never lets anything slide.’

Lorraine, tired of the three years of suspicion, shook her head and sighed softly.

“Henry Rochester is part of the judiciary. And….”

Of course, compared to the first year, this level of suspicion was mild.

“And?”

Even so, Lorraine occasionally couldn’t suppress her irritation.

“You need to ease up a bit.”

“What?”

“It’s not pleasant to be suspected because of someone I have nothing to do with.”

Though she couldn’t hide her sulky expression, she finished her report.

“And the connection is likely with the merchants in Langtil’s Eighth Street.”

With that, Lorraine bowed and left the dining room.

The sound of her footsteps climbing the stairs without hesitation echoed into the dining room.

Once Lorraine’s footsteps could no longer be heard, Philip, who had been quietly observing the atmosphere, spoke.

“…Didn’t I tell you to ease up several times?”

“Be quiet.”

“It’s been three years already. Lorraine met that person for the first time that day.”

“I said, be quiet.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once again, Philip was the one suffering.