8. I now understand the Lady’s opinion of me very well.

‘What is she even talking about?’

‘Because of me, the two of them broke up?’

Cecilia’s shouting continued.

“He broke up with me without even giving a reason! Now I see—it was all your scheme, wasn’t it?”

“Ah…”

“And I was picking out my gown for the imperial ball, completely unaware!”

Lady Cecilia’s eyes were bloodshot with emotion as she hurled one accusation after another.

‘What? He made it sound like they broke up mutually, but it was just a one-sided breakup?’

Evelyn sighed inwardly.

She’d assumed it had been a respectful and clean parting, but apparently not.

‘Breaking up right before the ball?’

She could understand why the other woman would be upset.

But to use that as a reason to come after her? That was unreasonable.

“You! You’re the one who told His Grace to break up with me, didn’t you?”

Faced with such absurd accusations, Evelyn was speechless for a good three seconds.

“…Do you really think he’s the kind of person who can be manipulated by anyone?”

He was, after all, a descendant of dragons—and the Empire’s foremost Duke.

A man with an insufferably proud, self-centered personality.

Had Cecilia really dated Rashid without even understanding what kind of person he was?

Noticing the incredulous look in Evelyn’s eyes, Cecilia began to tremble and doubled down.

“But you could do it, Lady Evelyn Berge!”

“How could I possibly…”

“You’ve been glued to His Grace under the excuse of being his childhood playmate. Isn’t it because you’ve had feelings for him all along?”

What kind of dog-barking nonsense is this?

It was so absurd that Evelyn couldn’t even come up with a response.

“So! You made him break up with me because you want to marry him yourself! No, not just me—every single lady he’s ever dated! You’ve done the same to them all!”

At such ridiculous accusations, Evelyn’s jaw dropped.

She looked at Cecilia, who was huffing and puffing in front of her, and calmly asked:

“Why do you think I would do such a thing?”

“Because… your family fell from grace. The only hope for House Berge’s revival is for you to marry a rich husband. And His Grace would be the perfect prey for someone like you!”

“……”

“That’s why you’ve clung to him all this time. Am I wrong?”

As if certain of her own vulgar assumptions, Lady Cecilia even pointed a finger at Evelyn.

‘Ah, just like a yapping little dog.’

Looking at Cecilia in her white silk dress with those rounded, curled locks, Evelyn found her thoughts wandering for a moment.

What was that white dog with the curly fur called again? A Maltese?

Come to think of it, the neighbor’s Maltese from her previous life would always bark its head off whenever it saw her, despite its tiny size.

Lost in that old memory, Evelyn unconsciously nodded to herself.

Perhaps that gesture irritated Cecilia even more.

“You! Are you even listening to me?”

Cecilia suddenly reached out and grabbed Evelyn’s shoulder tightly.

The lace-trimmed sleeve of her fluttery dress brushed over Evelyn’s plain work uniform.

Looking down at the sleeve, Evelyn thought:

‘That dress probably costs more than my monthly salary, huh?’

She knew it was a shallow thought, but the curiosity popped up anyway.

Even in the middle of all this, Cecilia’s tirade didn’t stop.

“Quit working as His Grace’s secretary right now! If you don’t, I’ll report everything to the imperial court!”

“Well, that’s easy for you to say, but this is my livelihood we’re talking about.”

Evelyn smiled brightly and gently removed Cecilia’s hand from her shoulder.

“Ugh.”

Cecilia’s expression twisted in discomfort at the unexpected strength.

After years of wrestling with the endless volumes stored in the Duke’s estate, Evelyn’s grip was far stronger than the average noble lady’s.

“You seem to have misunderstood quite a few things, but let’s start with this.”

“W-what?”

“You’re not the first to insult me with that kind of talk.”

It was the truth.

In the past three years working as the Duke’s secretary, Evelyn had heard all sorts of things.

Some rumors were so base they wouldn’t even make it into third-rate gossip papers.

After all, a young, unmarried noblewoman serving as the personal secretary to the Empire’s top Duke made for irresistible fuel for the idle tongues of busybodies.

“I’ve already heard every story imaginable, so being called the ‘puppet master of House Egenhart’ doesn’t even faze me.”

“D-doesn’t faze you? You’re saying none of what I said got to you?”

Cecilia muttered in disbelief.

“Yes. Not even a scratch.”

Evelyn nodded with a cheerful smile.

‘Honestly, a Maltese’s claws would be more threatening than this.’

“And another thing…”

Evelyn raised her index finger toward Cecilia, who was now half out of it.

“As you well know, Duke Rashid Egenhart is not someone who can be manipulated. He’s a man of unwavering will. It would probably be easier to tame a dragon with pancakes.”

She briefly wondered if dragons even ate pancakes, but either way—there was no chance a man so convinced of his own greatness would ever let someone else pull his strings.

「How dare a mere human even try.」

If he wasn’t scowling in disdain right now, that alone was a miracle.

“And one last thing.”

Evelyn, not wanting to waste any more time, immediately spoke her mind.

“In order to bring up any scandal between the Duke and me, there’s a prerequisite. I would have to have personal feelings for Rashid….”

“And?”

“Unfortunately, I have no feelings for the Duke. He’s simply not my type.”

“But! He’s beautiful!”

Cecilia protested in a voice that nearly tore the air. Evelyn picked at one ear and blew out a breath.

“It’s not like I can live off his face. What does his looks have to do with anything?”

“Th-that’s absurd….”

“Lady Cecilia. I repeat, I have no feelings for the Duke. Even if the world ends tomorrow, I would never fall for him.”

After Evelyn’s firm declaration, a moment of silence hung in the corridor. Thinking Cecilia must have finally understood, Evelyn was about to walk away when—

“Ahem, ahem.”

A short, familiar cough echoed from the other end of the hallway.

The owner of that cough was none other than Robert, the Duke’s butler. The middle-aged man, with a gaunt face and a monocle, turned his gaze to the sky as if trying hard to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

And then…

“Lady Evelyn.”

A familiar silhouette appeared behind Robert.

A deeply furrowed brow. Cool, subdued blue eyes.

It was Rashid.

“Duke Egenhart!”

Cecilia cried out before Evelyn could say anything, mouth wide open.

But Rashid, pretending not to see her, approached step by step with a cold expression.

“I understand very well now what you think of me.”

“Ah, haha….”

Evelyn tried to gloss over the situation with a clumsy laugh, but—

“Likewise, even if the world ends tomorrow, I would never see you as a woman. So rest easy.”

Rashid’s face looked like it had frozen over, even though it wasn’t the dead of winter. A chill emanated from his whole body, and Evelyn couldn’t say a word.

Just when it seemed another silence would fall—

“Duke!”

Cecilia, who had moments earlier stood with drooping shoulders, suddenly rushed forward.

“I don’t want to break up with you. Why are you treating me so coldly?”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she clung to Rashid, her expression a picture of heartbreak.

For a moment, Evelyn felt a twinge of pity.

‘Of all people to fall for, why him, the cold-hearted Duke…’

Still, even Evelyn felt Rashid was being a bit too harsh this time, and she shot him a covert glare.

“I broke things off with Lady Cecilia because you had feelings for Crown Prince Cairen.”

“R-Rashid, what are you saying…!”

“Did you not say to your nanny that you would win His Highness’s heart at the imperial ball?”

“Ugh….”

“As it turns out, you’ve been a fervent suitor of the Crown Prince since childhood. After being banned from the palace for causing trouble, you used me to gain entry to the ball, didn’t you?”

Ah! So that’s what happened.

In short, even the normally unshakable Duke had been blindsided by the seemingly delicate Lady Cecilia. Now that she knew the full story, Evelyn no longer found Cecilia’s tearful gaze at Rashid the least bit pitiable.

Rashid’s calm voice continued in Evelyn’s ears.

“And most importantly, Lady Cecilia.”

“……”

“I support romantic freedom, but I despise two-timing. I no longer wish to continue our relationship. That is my decision.”

With cold eyes and a harsh voice, the Duke declared the end.

***

“Well, she brought it on herself.

Back in the office, Evelyn muttered habitually as she recalled what had just happened. Lady Cecilia, who had dared to use Rashid, had left the Duke’s estate in tears.

Of course, the phrase “brought it on herself” applied to Rashid too. He couldn’t have enjoyed this situation either.

“But why do I always end up cleaning up after him?” 

Even with this latest fiasco, Evelyn had to write a letter to Cecilia’s family explaining the context of her teary exit. After that, she had to pen a card to send to “Lady Melissa Pruden,” and then place an order for a bouquet.

Yay, overtime again today!

“Is he doing this on purpose to make me suffer?”

Just as she picked up her pen, indulging in what she thought was a very reasonable suspicion—

“Evelyn! Something big just happened!”

Someone burst into the office, shouting at the top of their lungs.

“There’s a huge scandal going around the capital right now—about you and Rashid!”