Penelope pressed Lucy, needing to confirm whether what she saw was real.

“Lucy! Come look at this. What do you see where I’m pointing?”

“What do you mean? That’s a photo of Duke Gunner. I see his handsome face.”

“So you’re saying you only see his face? Nothing else strange?”

“What… am I supposed to be seeing?”

What was visible to Penelope wasn’t visible to others. And once she confirmed that fact, only one thought remained in her mind.

“I need to meet Blade Gunner, the Duke.”

“What are you talking about now?”

Lucy tilted her head in confusion, but Penelope saw nothing else, her mind was consumed by just one thing: she had to meet the Duke.

***

Banderson Hotel, Midtown.

In the hotel’s grand ballroom, where opulent chandeliers sparkled above, the anniversary party for Gunner Trading was in full swing.

Originally, it was meant to be a celebration of the successful voyage of their luxury liner. But because of an incident a month ago, the entire atmosphere had taken a very unexpected turn.

The incident in question: the cancellation of the Iris’s maiden voyage.

It had all begun with the sudden whims of Blade Gunner, the Duke and powerful head of Gunner Trading.

“Stop the Iris immediately. Don’t let anyone on board. It must not set sail—no matter what.”

As always, Blade’s orders came without warning.
But no one dared to defy him.

In the end, the Iris never departed.
And the abrupt suspension triggered rumors of bankruptcy—not only for Gunner Trading, but for all its subsidiaries.

Investors, sensing danger, began to pull their money.
In a blink, the company’s finances started to spiral.

As a result, the person who had become the busiest of all was Blade’s secretary, Brandon.

‘I thought I’d finally get a taste of a long-overdue vacation by boarding the Iris with the Duke.’

Instead of a vacation, Brandon was now drowning in overtime and menial tasks just to clean up the mess.

Meanwhile, the very man who had caused all of this was utterly unbothered.

Blade leaned casually against the balcony railing.
Claiming the party hall felt stuffy, he had stepped outside, unbuttoned his shirt, and was now leisurely enjoying the crisp autumn breeze.

Brandon couldn’t begin to guess what his employer was thinking.
Of course, reading the Duke’s mind perfectly was impossible, but over the past month, his unpredictability had reached new extremes.
He had suddenly stopped the Iris’s voyage and ordered strange investigations—irrational decisions he normally wouldn’t have made.

Even now, the host of the party remained tucked away in some distant corner, while the guests aimlessly milled about.

“Your Grace, forgive me, but this really isn’t the time to be sipping wine so leisurely.”

“Then what should I be doing?”

“You should be out there talking to anyone you can, securing investments. With the media churning out negative headlines, keeping the company stable is no easy feat.”

The aim of tonight’s party was to attract new investors.

Although Gunner Trading’s financial state was supposedly solid, the consequences of a prolonged funding gap were unpredictable.

The reason the situation was dragging on was the Queen.

Clarissa, who was constantly looking for an opportunity to bring Blade down, wasn’t about to let this golden chance slip through her fingers.

Eager to win the Crown Prince’s favour, the media were publishing story after story suggesting that Gunner Trading was on the verge of collapse.

To counter Clarissa’s schemes, Brandon had gone all out, expanding the scale of the party and inviting more guests than usual.

A lively, crowded event was necessary to create the impression that the company was still thriving and strong.

However, turnout was lower than expected.

Clearly, Clarissa had prevented the Crown Prince’s allies from attending.

Most of the guests who did show up were noblewomen with no interest in investing; they were just there to gawk at Blade’s handsome face.

They added to the numbers, but not to the substance.

With no clear path to save the company, and its representative mentally checked out, Brandon was reaching his limit.

“Your Grace, what on earth have you been thinking about lately? Why such disinterest in the company?”

“Why are you always so worried?”

“Because at this rate, I’ll be using my business cards as fire starters to survive the winter.”

“My company won’t go under. Go fetch more wine.”

Blade thrust his wine glass toward Brandon just as—

“Excuse me. Is Duke Gunner here by any chance?”

Both men turned their heads at the sound of the clear, elegant voice. A woman had drawn back the curtain and was looking around as if searching for someone.

Brandon sighed inwardly.

Despite him stepping out onto the balcony to avoid the crowd, women like her always found a way through.

“I’m terribly sorry, my lady, but His Grace is currently occupied. Would you mind returning at a later time?”

Brandon stepped smoothly in front of her.

It was his job to politely send away noble ladies who threw themselves at Blade, a behaviour he found irritating.

“I’m Penelope of the Utterback Count family, I came because I’m interested in investing in Gunner Trading. I’d appreciate it if you could relay that to the Duke.”

“Count? And where is the gentleman?”

“I am Count Utterback.”

“Ah… you’re the Count yourself.”

Brandon’s face, which had briefly lit up with hope at the thought of finding a benefactor, fell again.

A woman claiming to be a count? That might happen in another country, but in the conservative Kingdom of Etron, it was nearly unheard of. She was more likely an imposter posing as nobility than a legitimate investor.

‘She looks stunning, no doubt about that. But… Utterback? That name does sound familiar…’

As Brandon wracked his brain, trying to remember what he might’ve missed, his eyes scanned her again.

Her silver hair flowed like waves, and her delicate features gave her an air of pure elegance. The soft blue eyes added a mysterious charm, and the watery-toned dress, which hugged her figure subtly, accentuated her fair skin.

She wasn’t dressed like the other ladies, who’d clearly gone all out to impress and yet, her beauty was striking.

In a word, she was flawless.

But Blade Gunner wasn’t the kind of man to be swayed by a pretty face.

‘No way… Huh? Is he actually… looking at her? That man—who’s like a block of stone—is giving a woman his attention?’

To Brandon’s shock, Blade stepped past him and presented himself to the noblewoman. This was the first time he hadn’t ignored a woman who came to see him.

“You mentioned an investment?”

It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Your Grace. I’m Penelope Utterback.”

Penelope greeted him with impeccable etiquette. Her elegant movements, the classic outfit complete with gloves—all spoke of someone raised with proper noble education.

Brandon found himself staring, almost entranced, at the woman who claimed to be Count Utterback.

‘She’s real?’

Only belatedly did Brandon recall a rumor about a certain noble family that had undergone a complicated succession process due to adoption and inheritance disputes.

It must have been the Utterback Count family—and this woman before them was the one who had inherited the title.

Blade, too, seemed just as taken aback as Brandon.

“You said… this is our first meeting.”

As he echoed Penelope’s words, his expression held a strange emptiness.
It was a look Brandon had never once seen in Blade’s face during all the years he had served him.

“Is the investment the only reason you came to see me? If you have another purpose, you’d best say it now.”

Blade quickly returned to his usual businesslike demeanor.

‘There we go. As expected. His Grace wouldn’t be interested in a woman.’

She was undoubtedly a rare beauty, but that’s all it could have been—a passing glance, nothing more.

But then—

“Since you’ve asked so bluntly, I’ll be honest. The real reason I came here… is to buy a night with you, Your Grace.”

“Did you say… a night?”

“No need to make a big deal of it. I just heard your company was having some trouble, so I thought I’d lend a hand.”

“So, if I’m understanding this right… the Count is offering to fund my company—in exchange for one night with me?”

Brandon’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Of course, many women had approached Blade before. Even noble ladies from prestigious families would fan themselves or boast about their lineage in an attempt to ingratiate themselves with him.

Even Deva Hoffman, from the famously proud Marquis Hoffman family, would act coy around him.

But a woman who declared so boldly that she would claim the duke?

This was a first.

Naturally, Blade’s expression froze, and it was far from pleasant.

Caught awkwardly between the two of them, Brandon shifted anxiously from foot to foot.

Yet Penelope, seemingly unaware of how outrageous her words were, continued to provoke him.

With an utterly composed expression, she reached into her clutch bag and took something out.

“Would this amount be enough to buy a dance with Your Grace?”

What she offered was a promissory note. And not just any note, it was worth enough to buy an entire building in Uptown Modeston, where land prices were the highest in the city.

“If you agree to be my dance partner tonight, I’ll invest this amount into Gunner Trading. Only on the condition that you give your attention to me, and no other woman.”