23. I have a date today too.

“I’m sorry, Evelyn.”

On the bed, Baron Berge, limp and lifeless, apologized to his daughter in a weak voice.

“I tried to handle it alone, and ended up dragging you into something serious.”

Baron Berge’s gaze shifted to Evelyn’s wrist.

Her wrist, which one of the debt collectors had violently grabbed, was swollen and wrapped in a temporary bandage.

“It’s okay. It’s not a serious injury.”

“I’m really sorry…”

“The damage is already done, so we need to find a way to fix it. I’ll find the promissory note somehow, so please don’t worry too much.”

After doing her best to calm her panicked father, Evelyn left the room.

“How am I supposed to find the promissory note…?”

Even if she tracked down the people who kidnapped her last night, there was no guarantee they still had the note.

‘What if it changed hands again and this time comes back with 4,000 gold in interest?’

What puzzled Evelyn the most was whether this world had any sort of legal regulation on loan sharks at all.

‘Next time I see His Highness the Crown Prince, I absolutely have to bring this up.’

Just then, as Evelyn was heading toward her room, Vanessa called out to her.

“Miss, please go downstairs quickly. The Duke has arrived.”

Flutter.

Evelyn’s eyes trembled at the sight of the promissory note Rashid held out in front of her.

“How did you find this?”

“It wasn’t that hard.”

At his indifferent tone, Evelyn furrowed her brow without realizing it.

“When you say it wasn’t hard… Do you mean you used your power and status, for example?”

“Something like that, I suppose.”

Rashid didn’t really deny it, which made Evelyn quite suspicious.

“What kind of trouble did you stir up again? That’s kind of scary, you know?”

“Really? Then does that mean you don’t need this document?”

“Of course I need it!”

Just as Evelyn reached out to snatch the promissory note, Rashid lifted it high above his head.

His clear message that he wouldn’t just hand it over made a wrinkle appear on Evelyn’s brow.

“Please give it to me!”

As she reached out again, Rashid once more held the document high above her head.

“Shouldn’t there be something you need to say first?”

“?”

“Maybe a thank-you to the employer who went out of his way to find the promissory note, or a pledge of loyalty or something. Don’t people usually do that?”

This childish man!

‘There’s no difference between him and an eight-year-old!’

The only thing that had changed was that he’d grown taller over time, making it impossible for her to retrieve the note with her own strength.

“Are you really going to be this petty?”

At Evelyn’s protest, Rashid smirked.

Then he lightly shook the promissory note in his hand.

A clear gesture, as if to say “Go ahead and try to take it.”

“Haa, fine.”

With an exaggerated sigh, Evelyn bowed her head lightly.

“Thank you for going through the trouble of retrieving the promissory note, Your Grace Duke Egenhart.”

Through gritted teeth, Evelyn managed her thanks, and Rashid responded with a graceful smile.

“No need to thank me. It’s something I was supposed to do.”

‘Then don’t play around!’

“And one more thing.”

‘Now what?’

“Don’t ever go to such a dangerous place alone again.”

His serious tone was a stark contrast to the teasing one just moments ago.

“I’ll handle all of that. Whether I use the power and status you mentioned, or any other means.”

Faced with such a weighty statement, Evelyn was at a loss for words as Rashid handed her the promissory note.

A 10,000-gold promissory note signed by her father, Baron Berge.

This was practically the shackle that had bound Evelyn’s youth.

At last, she had reclaimed it.

“…Thank you very much, Lord Rashid.”

At Evelyn’s heartfelt gratitude, the corners of Rashid’s lips subtly curved.

“Consider this an apology for the harsh words I said last time.”

‘He’s even apologizing?!’

Evelyn’s eyes widened in surprise. Given Rashid’s personality, she never expected him to apologize for anything.

Noticing her reaction, Rashid turned his head sharply, clearly flustered.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

With a light cough, Rashid quickly turned and started walking toward the door.

Evelyn called out loudly to her employer’s back.

“Lord Rashid, thank you again! I’ll see you tomorrow at the Duke’s estate!”

At Evelyn’s parting words, Rashid gave a small wave and left the Berge residence.

***

“Lady Evelyn, I’ve brought today’s newspaper.”

As soon as Evelyn arrived at work, the butler Robert brought her several different newspapers from that day.

“Thank you, Robert. Oh, and would you tell Anna to prepare some tea?”

“Understood, Lady Evelyn.”

As soon as Robert left the office, Evelyn quickly rifled through the bundle of newspapers.

“Let’s see… Every News… Ah, here it is!”

Among the various papers, Evelyn picked out the one focused mainly on high society gossip.

She skimmed the first eye-catching article.

“Lady Violet of the Soden Principality, High Society Debut Imminent…”

The article reported that Lady Violet had decided to come to the Imperial Capital for her debut in this season’s social scene.

Which meant that Rashid and Violet would soon meet.

“It’s finally time.”

Evelyn muttered solemnly with determined resolve.

The greatest turning point of her second life was drawing near.

***

Crack!

With a sound of something breaking, the ink bottle shattered in the Duke’s hand.

Thud!

This time, the pressure forced the ink to burst through the damaged cap and splatter in all directions.

“Are you alright, Lord Rashid?”

Evelyn, who had been reviewing documents at the table across from him, quickly stood up.

‘He did it again.’

Thanks to his dragon bloodline, Rashid’s grip strength was several times stronger than that of an average human.

Because of that, he often broke things when he failed to gauge his own strength.

‘I told him to open the cap gently.’

If she remembered correctly, the last time he opened a new ink bottle, he had broken the cap and gotten sprayed with ink. Only a few months had passed, and Rashid had made the same mistake again.

As a result, a dark blue ink stain was now clearly visible on the new suit that had arrived just yesterday.

Drip. Drip.

Even droplets of ink had fallen onto the duke’s marble-sculpted, beautiful face.

Seemingly flustered by the unexpected situation, Rashid silently glared at the broken ink bottle. Though his expression looked as composed as always, Evelyn, who had observed him for a long time, could tell that Rashid was unsettled.

“You should probably wipe your face first.”

Approaching him, Evelyn pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and held it out. It wasn’t the lacy kind commonly used by noble ladies, but a soft cotton handkerchief.

Rashid silently stared at the freshly laundered and ironed handkerchief. When he didn’t take it, Evelyn muttered lightly.

“It’s a bit worn, but it’s clean. You don’t have to be suspicious.”

Rashid finally accepted the handkerchief and began wiping the ink from his face. However, the high-quality, heavily pigmented ink didn’t come off easily in a single wipe.

“Pfft.”

Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at Rashid’s ink-stained face. He looked like a child with ink on his face.

“How dare you… laugh?”

Apparently not pleased with Evelyn’s laughter, Rashid grumbled in displeasure.

“Lord Rashid, I think you’ll need to wash your face properly. And while you’re at it, you should probably change clothes too.”

“I was planning to, even if you didn’t say so. I’m going to leave the office early today.”

“Oh, what time will you be leaving? I’m planning to go into town as well—could I get a ride?”

“What are you going into town for?”

“I have an appointment.”

Rashid’s hand, which had been wiping ink with the handkerchief, froze.

A flicker of suspicion shone in his vivid blue eyes.

“Lady Evelyn, you… have an appointment in town?”

Evelyn usually avoided going out, saying it was a waste of money to spend on cafés or restaurants. The fact that she had an appointment in town surprised Rashid.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is it so strange for me to have an appointment in town?”

“…With whom?”

At Rashid’s immediate question, Evelyn gave him a playful wink.

“It’s a secret. Because it’s a date.”

“……”

At that moment, Rashid clenched the handkerchief tightly.

“…A date, you say?”

***

To leave for the “Bris Company” office in the city, Duke Rashid Egenhart changed into his outing attire.

Today, the duke wore a black formal outfit. His crisp tie was white, and underneath his jacket, he wore a pristine white linen shirt.

The high-quality, glossy fabric tailored into his outerwear suited his well-built frame perfectly. Though it was a classic combination of black jacket and white shirt, it was more than enough to enhance Rashid’s striking looks.

“Hmmm…”

Lastly, he neatly swept back his short-cropped hair and put on gloves.

After spending quite some time in front of the mirror fixing his appearance, Rashid gave a small, satisfied smile. Before leaving the room, he picked up his cane.

A cane was an essential accessory for a gentleman. Rashid, too, favored a glossy black cane when going out.

Made from ebony wood imported from the tropical southern regions, the cane was slender and flexible. The handle, crafted in silver, bore the finely engraved crest of the ducal house.

But despite its elegant appearance, the cane’s real purpose was self-defense. Everyone in the ducal household knew the cane was powerful enough to break human bones with ease.

Gripping the cane, the duke made his way toward Evelyn’s office.

“Are you ready?”

Already having wrapped up her work early to wait for Rashid, Evelyn widened her eyes at his appearance.

‘Is he attending a ball or something?’

Rashid’s attire was far more refined than his usual outings.

“Lord Rashid, you look especially dashing today.”

At Evelyn’s admiring remark, Rashid curved his lips into a smile.

“I have a date today too.”