Meeting Grand Duke Holt like this was the last thing I expected.
After seeing his face, my heart seemed to race even faster.

“Espin, are you okay? Isn’t it dangerous for you to be outside?”
“Oh, well… I just felt too confined staying in the mansion, so I came out.”

My voice trembled. That wasn’t my intention, but my shaky tone, which came from feeling like a thief caught red-handed, seemed to Haren like I was trembling out of fear.

“Your voice is shaking a lot. Did something happen?”
“Oh, it’s just… I felt like someone was following me. I didn’t originally plan to come to the gate terminal, but I ended up running here.”

“You did the right thing. They check people at the entrance here unless they’re high-ranking nobles, so they can filter out anyone suspicious.”

“Yeah. So, I’m planning to stay here until the strange person disappears….”

Haren, seemingly worried about my trembling, patted my shoulder.

“Oh, Espin. You’ve never met our commander, have you?”
“Huh? Oh, no, I haven’t.”
“That’s perfect. Come with me to say hello. It’ll definitely be helpful for you.”

“No, it’s fine. He looks busy, and I…”

Seriously, it’s fine.
There was absolutely no benefit in catching Grand Duke Holt’s attention. As the male lead of the novel, he was an insightful character, so it was best to avoid him as much as possible.

However, Haren, either not understanding my words or simply ignoring them, grabbed my hand and led me straight to where the Grand Duke was.

“Commander.”

The Grand Duke, who had been reviewing a report, turned his gaze toward Haren and me.

“This is Espin Leon, a friend of my younger sister and also my friend. She asked to meet you, Commander, so I brought her along.”

His sharp eyes turned to me. The sheer pressure of his presence alone made my heart, which had just started to calm down, race wildly again.

“Are you the daughter of Count Leon?”
“Yes? Ah… yes, that’s correct. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“You seem to be trembling. Are you alright?”

“Commander, this friend of mine has been through something frightening. I was actually hoping to consult you about it.”

Haren’s intention was undoubtedly to talk about Sebastian.

‘No, if even the Grand Duke finds out, this will get way too big….’
For some reason, I felt like the Grand Duke’s protagonist buff would allow him to uncover all my schemes.

In fact, even without the protagonist buff, his exceptional deductive and analytical skills in the novel made it likely he’d figure everything out.

I desperately tried to signal Haren with sidelong glances to stop him from talking, but he didn’t pick up on my cues and continued speaking.

“Recently, around Espin…”

‘Haren, shut your mouth.’

When I tugged on Haren’s arm, he finally turned to look at me.

“There are too many people here.”
“Oh, sorry. It’s not ideal to talk about this in such a crowded place, is it?”
“Yeah. I’m worried about rumors spreading and how it might affect my reputation in social circles….”

‘So, don’t tell the Grand Duke and just handle it yourself.’

I swallowed the rest of my sentence and forced a smile.

“Alright. I’ll discuss it with him later.”

‘No, I said don’t tell him at all.’

Haren seemed determined to eventually spill everything to Grand Duke Holt.

“Alright, then let’s talk about it next time.”

The Grand Duke responded leisurely, lifting one corner of his mouth into a smirk before returning his attention to the report.

‘But wow, he really is ridiculously handsome.’

There was a reason people always sang praises of the Northern Grand Duke. His appearance naturally drew attention.

‘Focus, Espin. Travis is destined to fall in love with the female lead.’

As in most novels, Travis, who knows nothing about love, meets the pure-hearted female protagonist, Chloe, and falls for her at first sight.

Ignoring all other women, he would only pursue Chloe, making him even more popular than the male lead, the Crown Prince.

‘Ah, Travis was so sweet to the female lead in the novel.’

Thinking about Travis’s portrayal in the story, I couldn’t help but smile.

And at that moment, the Grand Duke, who had been reading the report, lifted his gaze, and our eyes met.

‘Oh no. This is bad. Get a grip.’

Meeting the depths of his unreadable black eyes, I quickly turned my head away.

“Oh, it’s our turn. Commander, the gate time is approaching.”

At Haren’s words, the Grand Duke nodded and immediately turned to leave.

“Espin, will you be okay on your own?”
“Yeah, I’m totally fine. Go ahead and take care of your work.”

“I’ll assign a knight to escort your carriage home for security.”
“No, it’s fine. The coachman is waiting for me just outside. Go on, don’t worry about me.”

Please, just leave already.

If my heart kept racing like this, I felt like I might die of a heart attack. I hurriedly sent Haren off.

Only after the knights completely disappeared did I finally let out a deep breath.

***

“Ah, finally home.”
“You’re back, my lady.”
“Yes. I want to take a bath right away.”

“My lady.”
The butler, with a serious expression, hesitated before continuing.

“There’s a guest waiting in the drawing room.”
“A guest?”
“It’s Sebastian.”

At the butler’s words, a hollow laugh escaped my lips.

‘So impatient. He’ll never make it as a great con artist.’

It hadn’t even been 24 hours since I received the money, and he was already here.

He must have been extremely worried about losing the 10,000 litas he had previously given me.

When I opened the drawing room door, Sebastian was pacing nervously, unable to hide his anxiety.

“Espin!”
“Sebastian….”
“Why do you seem so down? Did you bring the seal? Do you have it?”

Sebastian anxiously searched my face for answers as I remained silent.

“Well….”

I hesitated to speak, or rather, pretended to.
This wasn’t just about getting 10,000 litas from him; I needed to deceive him even further.

‘But wow, I think I’m pretty good at acting.’

I admired my own performance. I must have been convincing because Sebastian’s breathing grew noticeably heavier as he fell for my act.

“Espin. You brought the seal, didn’t you…?”
“I’m sorry, Sebastian….”

Sebastian stared at me in disbelief, his wide eyes reflecting shock. The room fell into a heavy silence, as if even the air had stopped moving.

“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“Well… I managed to sneak into Count Leon’s estate.”
“And?”
“And since Father wasn’t home, I tried to quickly grab the seal….”

Sebastian swallowed nervously, hanging onto my every word.

“And?”
“I got caught….”

“You got caught? By who…? Don’t tell me it was the Count himself!”

Sebastian’s eyes widened so much they looked like they might pop out.

“No, it wasn’t Father. It was Baron Terramis, one of his retainers.”

Relieved that it wasn’t the Count, Sebastian let out a long sigh of relief.

“You should’ve been more careful! Why were you so clumsy?”

Sebastian, who had been relieved, suddenly burst out in anger.

I looked at him with wide, startled eyes.

“Sebastian….”

Realizing his outburst, he quickly reined in his temper and spoke more calmly.

“I’m sorry. I lost my composure for a moment….”
“Sebastian, is this what you’re really like?”
“No, no. I just got too worked up. I apologize.”

Still thinking I was a useful pawn, Sebastian softened his tone.

“Espin, were you very scared?”
“Yes. I’ve never seen this side of you before, Sebastian….”
“I truly apologize. I thought it was all about to end… I thought only happiness lay ahead for us….”

‘Oh, now he’s putting on the pitiful act?’

Sebastian suddenly lowered his head, trailing off mid-sentence.

“Sebastian…. There’s still another way.”

Sebastian slowly lifted his head.

“But… no, it’s too risky.”
“What is it, Espin? We’re at a point where we have to try everything.”

“Well, Baron Terramis has always had money problems. He loves gambling and spending money, so….”
“Money problems?”
“Yes. He’s managed to get by so far, but it seems he’s in a bit of a crisis now. I heard he’s been trying to gather a large sum of money.”
“And?”
“He even hinted at it to me earlier. He said if I gave him money, I could get what I wanted….”

Sebastian’s hunched shoulders straightened.

“So, if we give him enough to cover his debts…?”
“He might help us get the seal.”
“Alright, Espin. Do it immediately.”

Sebastian spoke in a tone that carried the weight of a command.

“Are you sure, Sebastian?”

I looked at him with a concerned expression, and he tilted his head as if confused.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“That’s a lot of money. Won’t it be a burden for you?”
“Me? Why would it…?”
“You’re the one who has to provide the bribe—30,000 litas.”

I held up three fingers toward Sebastian.

“You expect me to…?”
“Of course. As I said before, I don’t have any money.”

Sebastian looked like he’d been hit over the head, rendered speechless for a moment.

“….”
“If it’s too much, I guess I’ll just have to go directly to Father and tell him everything.”
“N-no, that won’t do.”

‘Wow, I can practically hear him crunching numbers in his head.’

Watching Sebastian’s trembling eyes, I could almost see the gears turning in his brain as he calculated. When he finally finished, he bit his lip and spoke with a determined expression.

“Alright, Espin. I’ll come up with the money.”
“Really? That much?”
“Yes…. If I secretly sell some of the kingdom’s jewels, I should be able to manage it.”
“I’m so touched, Sebastian! I’ll do everything I can to get it this time.”

Sebastian sighed deeply, looking at me with a weary expression as he reluctantly opened his mouth.

“Then, I’ll prepare the 30,000….”
“40,000 litas, Sebastian.”

This time, I held up four fingers with a bright smile.

“Why…?”
“We need to cover the gate fees too, don’t we?”
“….”
Sebastian nearly collapsed but eventually nodded with a defeated look.

“I’ll prepare the 40,000 litas within two days.”

Sebastian’s voice was filled with despair as he barely managed to respond.