I became the villains wife

by Usui Takumii

not mine, including possible links, go check woopread. Total: 152 cps.

7. 31 to 40

Chapter 31 ~

The face of the man who had landed on the terrace, was covered with the black mask Chief Reinhardt was wearing.

Eun-woo was so shocked that she almost shouted in fear.

Wasn't it him who suddenly disappeared right after meeting her? Therefore what would be the reason why the clown was wearing the black mask he was wearing?

There were wrinkles in her forehead while focusing om the man's mask.

'This was definitely the mask I saw earlier, however this was absolutely not the Chief Reinhardt.'

Observing the clown closely, Eun-woo was convinced.

Aside from the man's physique, his flashing blue soft coat was clearly a new outfit. Above all, Chief Reinhardt wouldn't dress up as a clown in front of people like that.

Then, it was the moment. People who were happily watching and in front of Eun-woo, took a step back, breathing in fear, including the young ladies.

Eun-woo pulled her head out and looked ahead, wondering what was going on. The man in the black mask came out as if he was looking for someone through the crowds flocking in the terrace.

The man looked around. While Eun-woo was keeping a close eye on his unconventional clown outfit, the clown was already overtaking people, approaching her.

"Eleanor…!"

It was then. At the moment, Selena reached out to her and shouted. However, even before hearing her voice, Eun-woo opened her eyes wide, feeling that her one hand was suddenly lifted.

"Ah…!"

The clown with a black mask, who had no choice but to pass through the crowd and approached her, kissed the back of her hand.

The clown was taller than she expected, and the posture he had shown was bent considerably to kiss her hand.

But the man didn't budge. Eun-woo also could feel the eyes of people who were hooked on the scene in front of them while her hand was being kissed by the clown.

She saw Selena, who seemed to have lost her words due to anxiety and shock at the things happening right in front of her. And next to her were other ladies who bite their lips, held back their laughter, came into Eun-woo's sight. Others were busy scrambling to see the clown and Lady Miller on Selena's side as if they were a rare sight.

Eun-woo, who seemed to be unable to say any more, shouted in shock.

"This! Wh-what do you think you're doin? Put it down…!"

But the man, disguised as a clown, didn't even pretend to hear it.

Her blood rushed up to her head with embarrassment and shame. In front of everyone's gazes, Eun-woo's face turned explicitly red. She tried to escape from the man, who had lifted her up in the air, but her face was reddened with embarrassment.

Eun-woo shouted, hitting the side of the clown who was not thinking of dropping her off.

"Wa, wait, put me down and let's talk…!"

"…. It's lamenting."

Eun-woo soon doubted her ears. The clown, who had been insistently silent for a while, finally opened his mouth and spoke.

She had heard an unimaginable voice. It was like an aesthetic picture she was sightseeing. His voice that was flowing from his mouth was very great. He looked at her with his rabbit eyes, acting cute. It was her first time hearing his voice.

Eun-woo felt the man in the black mask glancing toward her.

"How long has it been since I've seen you, and you forgot my voice?"

"Pardon…?"

Eun-woo, Selena, Count Briton, and everyone gathered around him, were paying attention to what he said to Eun-woo. The clown complained as if he was translating a line from an opera, with his changed voice.

"Where's my sister who sent me to the battlefield with tears, saying she'd be waiting for me?! Are you just pretending that you don't know me?"

'No way…!'

An ominous hunch swept through her spine. Eun-woo found herself sweating.

And while closely attached to the man's side, she pilled her head up and asked him a question.

"Who are you?"

The man let out a breath. The man opened his mouth with his pained voice.

"How long has it been since I left the house? Did you forget my voice?"

"Yes, yes….?"

"Huung! How can I even beat you?! I sent you letters day by day, yet you never replied at least once. I didn't know you'd forgotten about my voice!"

Eun-woo opened her mouth wide. Not only her, but also others looked a little surprised and watched the marquis spirit attached to the black mask.

'This crazy guy is definitely…'

Eun-woo, who had just met this black masked man, felt like her head was collapsing. As if it had met a typhoon right after realizing.

'Haha, no way.'

Eun-woo smiled in vain to erase the ominous thoughts which came to her mind.

The black mask, which did not care about her attitude, gave her a quick drop.

Suddenly, when her feet touched the ground, she stumbled, and turned around as if the man were dancing while holding her arm.

"Kyaaaa!"

Eun-woo screamed. Her body, which had been turned around as he led, had resulted from her skirt fluttering, creating a picturesque production.

The black mask caught her falling quickly and held her in his own arms. He also supported her head and bent her back completely to make the last movement of the tango dance.

At that particular sight, the people around them, as well as the gurneys and clowns, stopped performing and looked at them in unison.

Tuk.

Her white mask which covered her face, slowly fell on the ground. Upon noticing it, she realized that the man's face was inching to her, and she was left stunned.

As soon as the mask of an unfamiliar man was about to touch her cheek, a roar was heard somewhere. Her body fell off the black mask, and in an instant, she was lifted up again by someone.

"You darn punk! What the heck is this!"

Eun-woo felt her dizzy eyes, widening at the familiar voice hitting her ears. The reassuring power of the man holding her in his arms was not unfamiliar at all.

Eun-woo looked at the silver masked man, whom she was wondering where he went. The man was holding her tightly, and he felt like she was about to cry.

'Tashian…!'

Tashian, who took her out of the hand of a black mask, safely put her on the floor, and looked at her face with an urgent voice.

"Are you okay? Are you not hurt?"

Eun-woo cried and nodded hard at his touch, felt on her cheek.

The silver mask, which confirmed that she was fine, approached the man straight without a break and grabbed the man by his collar.

"You punk…! Finally, this hoe should be punished!"

"Ack! Hold on! Hold on! Let go of your hand!"

As soon as she got out of the black masked man, Eun-woo, who approached Selena, was taken aback at Tashian's momentum, and immediately stopped him.

"Wa, wait a minute! He's–…!"

People gathered to watch the fight in the middle of the ballroom. Thanks to the man in the black mask, the crowd that had already gathered was so big that it could no longer ease. Guards who heard the disturbance from afar were running with long spears armed.

However, no matter how many people gathered around them, Tashian didn't care and grabbed the man's collar, shaking it back and forth.

"Ack! Tashian! Let go of this and let's talk!"

"It's noisy! You punk…! Tell us where you suddenly appeared?"

"Tashian! Let go of him! That person is–…!"

At that time, the surrounding area quickly became quiet. Eun-woo looked back, feeling a chilly gaze.

"…. What kind of commotion is this?"

A man wearing a shining golden mask was leisurely approaching through a crowded area. People bowed politely and shoved their way for him, as if the perception was splitting wherever he stepped.

Eun-woo swallowed her dry saliva when she saw the sharp blades in the hands of the soldiers standing behind Ikshid in a flash.

Ikshid, who threw off his golden mask, often spoke with a face of surprise.

"…. I came here because I heard there was a large performance group that had performed unauthorized performances at my banquet. Lord, you were part of it, too."

Then, the hand of Tashian, which was shaking the man by his collar, stopped for a very short time in the air.

"Your Highness! This guy… No, this Lord…!"

"Put him down first and talk about it. What kind of fuss is this in the middle of the ball?"

Ikshid gave attention to the black mask in the Duke's hand and Eun-woo, who was stopping the two as if meddling in the center. Soon, as if he knew what was going on, he pressed his forehead with a very deep sigh. He ordered after a little silence.

"… Stop, and put him down."

"… Please take it back."

At that time, the black mask held in the grip of the silver masked man began to struggle with a gulp.

"Argh! Are you really going to kill me, Tashian? Let go of my collar?!"

Eun-woo guessed that he had changed his mind when he saw Ikshid's eyes grow bigger when he heard the voice of a black mask. Ikshid wriggled his eyebrows and quickly ordered them.

"Hold the Duke for a second."

"Your Majesty? Are you really doing this to me? Put him down, Tashian!"

The people surrounding them as if they were in an ice circle were busy exchanging their eyes and gossiping.

There were only three people in Hellasium who could openly call that duke's name in public. One of them was Crown Prince Ikshid, with his head down in front of them and his hand pointing, and the other was Emperor Fedellamon I, who was lying in bed. And the other person is…….

"Diego."

Ikshid, who pressed down on his temple and pressed down his anger, muttered softly. Upon hearing the prince's words, the people around him exclaimed.

Ikshid raised one hand and gestured away the soldiers pulling the blade out of the sheathe toward the Duke and the Black Mask.

"Take off the mask."

As soon as his words fell, one of the soldiers used the end of sword to drop the black mask. The black mask fell on the floor making a thud sound.

And Eun-woo exclaimed a small exclamation, thinking that the surroundings seemed to be shining brightly at that moment.

The black net hanging on the mask fell together, and the honey-colored hair covered by the mask gently fell down. Thanks to the thick mask, sweat was formed on the forehead, but even that revealed the face of a gorgeous handsome man who looked very attractive.

Eun-woo has never seen such a beautiful person in her life. Like herself, she could notice that the people around her were all looking at Marquis Miller with their mouths open.

Eleanor's brother, Marquis Diego Miller, opened his mouth toward them and laughed.

"Hello, everyone. It's been a while."

He still greeted the Duke by calling out the names of the people around him one by one. He knew not only his sister, but also the title and name of the Crown Prince Ikshid, the attendants next to him, and the crowded aristocrats.

At the end, even Selena, the Wellwood's daughter, showed the novelty of recognizing him.

After greeting all the needed name, Diego finally turned his head and looked at the silver mask that grabbed him by the collar.

"Oh, of course I shouldn't forget you. Tashian."

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Chapter 32 ~

Diego, who suddenly spoke, winked at the Duke. Everyone was frozen on their spot and was dumbfounded. Of course, the Duke's face, which was soon uncovered from his mask, revealed his clear disgust to Diego.

He was the first to come to his senses, as well as the Crown Prince of the Imperial Kingdom.

"… Duke Miller, you were supposed to be in Genova, so how come you're here without beforehand notice?"

"Your Majesty, haha. I'll give you a detailed report regarding that later, but for now, can you order this friend of mine who's holding his silver mask to put me down?"

"I can't believe it. It was only yesterday that I received a report that it would be difficult for you to return before the Knights Competition."

"Your Majesty? Haha. Please pretend as if you didn't know that."

At the same time, Eun-woo had recognized the situation before her- Tashian was holding Marquis by his collar.

She wordlessly stared at the man, who apparently has the same hair as her, and a man who looked exactly like her while struggling from Duke's grip.

Eun-woo, who had been favorably familiar with the face of Eleanor through the mirror, could pinpoint that they really looked alike and she wondered if it was possible to have copy paste faces.

'Wow. This is really unbelievable… anyone can obviously tell that we're siblings…'

"Older brother?"

Diego replied quickly to Eun-woo's sudden call.

"Yes, that's me, Elli! Your older brother! You quickly recognized me thankfully. I almost felt disappointed if you hadn't any longer. However, I noticed that you seemed to have gotten closer to the Duke. In that case, why don't you ask this Lord to put me down? Your older brother's neck is tightening, and I can't breathe."

"Shut up, Diego, before I completely break your neck right now."

The Duke was against Diego, who was breathing unsteadily, and furiously spat out.

Eun-woo approached Diego's side and asked in an unsure voice.

"O, older brother… How can you be here right now? I was sure that you were caught by the Warawi pirates…?"

"There's a reason for everything. How can your Older Brother die that easily? Ack! Hold on, Tashian! Can you calm down?! Don't strangle me to death!"

"What's this fuss about? What is this animal blabbering?"

(TN: Simply saying that Diego is an animal, insulting him.)

"Ack! On the way back, I bought a circus troupe. More importantly, let go of me!"

"You….! What the hell is in your brain?! How dare you bring up a circus troupe at the ball in the Imperial Palace?!"

"I think everyone liked it! They gave me a round of applause. That's all that matters!"

"You crazy bastard…!"

The endless scuffle between the Duke and her brother unfolded.

However, Eun-woo's attention was focused on a completely different topic. She muttered, looking at a black mask away from Diego's face.

"That mask… Where did you get it?"

It was the one she saw from Chief Reinhardt when she met him. Even the black net behind the mask was an object that was similar to the Chief's mask.

Eun-woo's heart, waiting for Marquis Miller's answer, was thumping lightly.

"Ah. It's too long to explain."

Diego, while laughing, nonchalantly replied to her question. Although, his collar was still in Duke's hand.

"Did I already say that I escaped the Warawi Strait with my own blood? Oh, I did. Yes, when we crossed over and arrived at Hellasium Imperial Castle, the victory commemorative banquet was already in full swing."

Diego suddenly got into the emotion and touched his forehead with one hand.

"I thought my heart would collapse when I learned that I might not be able to return. Despite the fact that I looked like this, I won't dare break my promise to my lovely Elli. I said in the letter that I would definitely come back before the banquet, therefore I see this banquet as something of a big deal."

He suddenly stopped talking and shouted at Ikshid as if avoiding intensifying his emotions.

"Nevertheless, I have a lot to say related to this. Your Majesty, why did you hold a Ball without me? I never experienced going into the Banquet prepared by the Imperial Palace from the moment I had my hair. I firmly believed in you, that you'd postpone it until I came back!"

"Shut up! What's this promiscuous guy saying…?!"

"Tashian. Please calm down. And Marquis Miller, you didn't know, but I had to make excuses in order to not hold this Victory Celebration Banquet this day, yet it was inevitable. Thus, don't say nonsense."

Eun-woo didn't know what to express as she watched them conversing with each other, as it was a very interesting unfolding story for her.

Diego continued to explain.

"…. Anyway, after arriving at the Hall with the circus troupe, I learned that the morning celebration had ended and only the masquerade ball was in a full swing. With that, I hurriedly prepared inside an empty room for a surprise appearance. So Elli, I was desperately searching for you, yet another important business came up…"

"I'm sure you were flirting with women."

Tashian intervened with a grumbling voice. However, whether the Duke did or not, Diego continued to do what he had to say.

"… From the moment I took my eyes off of you, you had already disappeared. The mask I was wearing had vanished somewhere I don't know, and I wandered everywhere in order to find you. I went to the terrace in hopes of seeing you there, but what I saw was this black mask that vanished. Finally, I got to go here, attending the ball."

"With the spectacular… performance…?"

"Ha ha! You don't have to say that you liked my performance, sister. Since I'm done explaining, can you persuade the duke to let go of me now?"

Ikshid, who was quietly listening to him, muttered in an awkward voice.

"How the hell did you manage to buy a circus troupe in the middle of the night?"

"You'll get hurt if you know."

Diego responded with his solemn face. Ikshid then decided to put aside the elephant and giraffe animals, who suddenly appeared in front of the Ball and performed tricks.

That's absolutely possible.

The marquis' extraordinary and lawless way of thinking was no longer surprising for them.

"Wait, then… was it you who gave Elli a strange look throughout the Banquet?"

Diego tried to jump out of Tashian's grip, and shouted at Ikshid.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean? Forgive me if I misunderstood, but I feel offended. All I did was gaze at my lovely sister with my sweet look anytime, anywhere!"

"That's what I call an eerie pervert."

"Acck! Keeuk!"

Tashian groaned, slowly raising his hand higher and higher. Eun-woo contemplated what was happening, and stopped Tashian from doing any more tenacious move. It was time to stop them.

"Du, duke! Duke. Stop it. My brother's neck is going to fall off at that rate."

"Yes, Lord. That's right. Why don't you put him down? I understand your anger, yet even so."

Eventually, at her earnest request, Diego Miller was able to escape from the Duke's hand and found freedom within minutes of his endless scuffle.

Even after he got away, he could not warm up his sore throat for a while.

As soon as Tashian let go of Diego's collar, Eun-woo quickly ran to his side. And right after she was near to him, Tashian took her hand and turned her body around.

"… You're really fine, right? Where the hell have you been so far? I kept looking for you."

"Yes. I'm really fine. More than that… Are you calmed down now?"

Diego, who groaned and stroked her hair over and over again, stared at the two and blinked for a moment. He stood between Tashian and Eun-woo again with spirit, as if he had completely forgotten that the Duke had lifted his body like a sack earlier.

"Wait, why are you holding my sister's hand tightly now? Although I have entrusted you with my sister's safety for a very short time, I don't even remember that I included her hands."

"… Do you want me to lift you up in the air again? Good. So grant my wish right now."

Feeling a strange déjà vu, Eun-woo blocked the two people to mediate.

"Tashian… Stop it. Brother, everyone is watching."

However, her small body was not enough of a barrier between the two large men who were like giants. She found out that the two men who were over her head, were continuing their quarrel once again.

"Can't you see that her feet are already swollen? You're so selfish. Hurry up and get rid of your hand from hers. I'll take her to the lounge myself."

"Hmph. Now that Elli's one and only brother is here, why does this child need your help? You're the one who's going to take your hands from her. I'll take care of my sister from now on."

"A bastard who can't even properly extort bodies said that he'd take care of her."

"Are you done talking now? It was your negligence that made her like this. Whether she's like gold or jade, I don't care. Even if she'd fly off because of strong wind, or if she'd extinguish if being held. It has already been four months Tashian since I entrusted her to you. If I leave again, I'll entrust her to you for the second time, so now leave her to me."

Diego began to grumble as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"I was keeping a keen eye on you since earlier, and you were holding my sister's waist unsafely. But since I'm back, there's no way for me to leave her to you. Stay away from my sister more than five steps this instant."

Eun-woo could feel Tashian's desire to pull out Diego's tongue right now.

"Do you want your mouth to be pierced… what? I can't come close to her and keep five steps distance? Nonsense!"

"Then should I instead tell my Elli to avoid you? I don't think my sister deserves that work. That's why, move."

Even when he saw Tashian gritting his teeth, Diego's mouth was tightly closed, and had spat something that he wouldn't take back.

"The same goes for Elli's swollen feet. If it were me, I would have taken care of her in an utmost way, so it wouldn't result this bad. You're not a delicate caretaker Tashian, I see. You must have had a hard time under him, sister."

Eun-woo realized that Tashian and Ikshid's evaluation of her brother up until now was quite generous. She hastily intervened between the two before her older brother could provoke the Duke any longer, and eventually shut up Diego's tongue.

"Brother, brother. By the way, it's been a really long time. How can you come back without telling me? Do you know how long I have been waiting for you?"

Diego reacted enthusiastically with his mood as if about to shed tears in front of her, acting cute, which was mixed with his nasal voice to the fullest than usual.

"You're the only one who welcomes me in this vast empire."

However, their dramatic reunion after a month, fell instantly when Tashian blocked Diego, who was about to hug his sister.

"Keuk! Tashian, what are you doing…?!"

"This bastard, are you out of your mind? Where do you think you're putting your dirty hands onto…?!"

"Are you being serious right now?! That's my real sister."

"In no way you can do that."

Diego then approached the Crown Prince, informing him of the tyranny of Duke, who denies even Eleanor's relatives.

"Your Majesty, did you see that? That shameless move of the Duke?!"

"Yes, I've witnessed it. I've seen you rush at Elli with your lips sticking out in disrespect. Hey, are you acting as a pet? Be thankful that Tashian doesn't capture bulldogs."

Far from taking Diego's side, Ikshid was also about to bury him alive.

Eun-woo was surprised by Ikshid's words which were sympathizing with Tashian. She clung to Diego's arm again, as if to prevent Tashian's hand which was trying to grab Diego again by the collar.

"Tashian! Tashian! Calm down! He's my Older brother!"

However, he was rather serious, persuading her in a clear tone without stopping.

"Stay still. When I catch that bastard, I need to crumble his face into mush. Otherwise, I will not be able to get my revenge done, and it will be complex to do so in later days."

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Chapter 33 ~

Eun-woo grabbed him after she rolled up her sleeve and stretched out her hands.

"Wa, wait!"

She pondered on what she could do to gain his attention elsewhere, and spat out what she could remember.

"I met your older brother on the terrace earlier!"

Instantly, it became silent.

Afterwards, she opened her closed eyes.

The first thing that caught her eyes were Ikshid's eyes, which was almost brown. She has never seen him with his surprised look. After Ikshid, was her Older Brother, Diego. A man who had never frowned previously, was putting a serious expression on his face.

"Ah…"

Eun-woo looked up and looked at Tashian's face, wondering what she had said wrong. And when she saw the emotions that came to his face, she was surprised and bowed her head again.

It was an indescribable anger, and I hate to admit it, but it has a hint of fear.

For the first time, Eun-woo felt her back filled with her cold sweats as she watched the three men in front of her, making the same faces with their closed eyes.

'What kind of person is he…?'

Eun-woo shrank her shoulders while remembering the creepy voice of Chief Reinhardt who said, Benepis.

Again this time, the first thing to regain composure was Ikshid.

"In that case, he had the mask Diego didn't know where it had vanished?"

Eun-woo replied in surprise.

"Ye, yes. I couldn't see him well because of the dark, but it was definitely the same mask."

"Are you sure you met him alone?"

"Yes. Chief Reinhardt was definitely alone."

When he heard Eun-woo's answer, Tashian's chin gained strength. However, Eun-woo did not notice it and only looked at Ikshid's eyes.

As soon as the prince heard her answer, he grabbed his forehead as if he had a sudden headache. He threw away the golden mask he held in his hand and raged.

"Damn it! No matter how much an heir has no restrictions around the Imperial Palace, this was too much…! I can't believe he'd wander around leisurely without any prior notice beforehand! With his actions, he openly mocks the honor of the Imperial Palace…!"

The successor position is the highest authority boasting independent power within the Hellasium. It was the authority of the Chief that even the crown prince could deprive him of his right to succession overnight.

At that time when no one dared to say anything along with Ikshid's anger as if they were gnawing ice, a person approached Ikshid, who had been a witness on what was happening so far.

"I beg your pardon, Crown Prince."

When she opened her mouth, a clear, clean, and straight voice ranged out. And at that moment, Eun-woo almost collapsed into her seat as he was contemplating.

It was Selena.

She took off her mask and was walking slowly, but straight to Ikshid.

"Everyone has been gazing in this area since earlier. May I suggest that all of the people involved in this discussion move to a different place to continue this talk privately?"

Eun-woo witnessed Ikshid's golden eyes shake as if they were convulsions as if looking at Selena.

She let out a sigh of despair inside.

It was a moment of desperation. The male and female protagonists of the novel met only in this situation. It was the moment when all the efforts she had been preparing from the very beginning went to nothing.

Eun-woo's mind turned white like a blank sheet. She ran out to try something and tried to block between them, but it was already late. The meeting between Ikshid and Selena was accomplished.

Eun-woo had no choice but to look at the two, who had already made eye contact, from afar in a cold sweat.

Eun-woo could guess from Ikshid's expression that he has been captivated. His expression as he saw Selena was completely mesmerized.

Everyone in the banquet hall looked at the Crown Prince and the red-haired lady looking at each other in the center of the hall, and the siblings, who were next to them as if they were possessed by something.

However, no one has noticed a person who had his black mask in the corner.

No matter how good the party ended, like a dreamy time, the frightening sight which unfolded before her eyes passed quickly. About two weeks had passed since the prolific victory celebration banquet ended.

Before the banquet was over, servants of the Duke had to get used to the newcomer. After Marquis Eleanor, the head of state had received another guest, Marquis Diego Miller.

To be precise, their master was blind to such an extent that he had to provide his room and board at the mansion for free.

This was the beginning of the situation.

"What? The renovation work for the Duke's Mansion has been postponed…?"

Eun-woo sipped the tea in front of her and stared at Diego, who was looking elsewhere.

At first glance, the marquis was dressed so comfortably that he could not be recognized as a noble man. His vest and shabby suit pants on top of his shirt would have been good fabric if he was a servant working in this mansion. Only his distinct features, which were too unrealistically obvious to be a servant, were telling him that he was not an ordinary person.

Diego's gentle honey-colored hair was scattered casually on his straight forehead. His long and abundant inner eyebrows slightly facing his sister were hardened with tension.

He sipped over the teacup he was holding in his hand and mumbled back.

"… That's what happened."

Eun-woo was personally experiencing what it was like to be speechless because he was handsome.

She wondered whether she would rip off his brother's hair below his ears, who pretended to hum as to not make eye contact with her.

However, after a while, Eun-woo shook her head and examined the number of cases in which she and her brother could use to escape from this Residence.

"Hey, I'm sure the latter option has local land. I don't care if it's not the capital. It doesn't matter if there's a long way to go to the countryside!"

Eun-woo eventually set off a fire in front of her Brother, who was unable to give a proper answer while only talking. In her roar, Diego gulped down the tea he had in his mouth at once and coughed as if he had heard a tiger roaring.

"So about that…"

Eun-woo crossed her arms and looked at her Brother with stern eyes, as if she would never let it go. Diego, who had never been intimidated even in front of a crowd with hundreds of people, couldn't do it in front of his sister.

He hesitated, and eventually uttered in a voice that seemed to confess.

"… I sold it out."

Eun-woo had the illusion that her body was staggering and falling backwards at the moment at his words.

Is this how it feels to be dizzy and expect that the sky had turned yellow in front of your eyes?

"We had so many local estates… which had been sold out by you… was it that you were talking?"

Eun-woo couldn't believe her ears. Isn't Marquis Miller the next duke after Duke Verk the power of Hellasium?

"Just where exactly did you need all that money?"

"Don't worry! I left a small land. I have left the land and fields."

"That's not the problem right now!"

Eun-woo grabbed Diego's collar right away and complained while holding back what she wanted to say.

"Then, where are we going to stay now?"

Eun-woo said, 'No way', to Diego's face in her mind. She asked in a forced voice.

"… You don't mean that we will stay at the Duke's Residence, do you?"

Diego said with a good smile in vain.

"Don't worry. In this spacious Duke mansion, is there no place for this brother to lie down?"

"Brother!"

Eun-woo screamed and grabbed her forehead with both hands.

How would she face Tashian in the future again? Not only her, but with her Older Brother, Diego who seemed to want to stay here like a tick.

She lifted her hair and looked at her brother just in case.

"The duke knows about this…?"

Don't tell her that he would live here without the owner's permission!

However, the Marquis only sipped his tea in his hand without saying a word.

In his silence, she groaned and shouted.

"Older… Brother!!"

At that time, butler Johannes appeared from her behind where the brother and sister were sharing refreshments.

"Lord Marquis Miller. Lady Miller. His Highness, the Duke is coming."

Eun-woo was happy to see Johannes, but suddenly became stiff after she had said what she needed to.

"He happened to come at the perfect time. Brother, when Lord Verk comes, ask him to allow us to stay in his mansion."

Shouldn't the landlord at least know that a new person is staying at his house?

But when she turned her head toward Diego Miller, the chair was already empty without him.

Eun-woo touched her head again and collapsed.

"Brother…!"

"…What's going on?"

At that time, a heavy voice was heard. Eun-woo saw the duke crossing the corridor of the lounge and entering the place where she was. As usual, Eun-woo blushed at his wonderful appearance.

Tashian, who had reached just a few steps before where she was sitting, frowned as he looked at the opposite side of her, which was placed with a pile of empty teacups.

"…That's understandable. Did he run away again?"

Eun-woo noticed that this was not the first time Diego Miller ran away, judging from his blunt tone. She murmured softly, looking at his wits.

"Tashian, I'm really ashamed to face you. From me to my brother…. I'm really sorry."

Not long after the Duke accepted Miss, and her Brother, as a guest, as a pair of brothers and sisters, the inconvenience could not be termed as an inconvenience.

"It's not the first time it's happening. I don't care."

He trudged back, sitting on the seat where Diego Miller was sitting awhile back.

For some reason, as Diego Miller stayed in the mansion, his forehead always seemed to have fine wrinkles.

Tashian took the new tea cup brought by the maid and added it in a chilling voice.

"The next time I encounter him, I'll take him off, smack him, and kick him out."

His voice did not show any playfulness. Eun-woo could tell that his sad words were sincere to the bone.

He let out a sigh and muttered.

"……He's such an unpredictable man, so you don't know when and where he'll appear, so it might be better to put him right under your eyes."

Eun-woo only fiddled with the handle of the teacup without finding anything to say. She didn't know anything about Diego Miller's past, so she couldn't find anything to say.

She carefully checked the Duke's countenance, and suddenly he opened his mouth.

"It's been a long time since you've seen your brother's face."

When he said that, she blinked her eyes multiple times. She got into trouble.

How can she say that this would be her second time seeing his face except yesterday, let alone the word, long time?

Tashian was waiting for her, hoping for an answer.

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Chapter 34 ~

Translator: Lioness

"Th, that's right. Since… you're the one who goes out…"

"That's true."

Tashian's gaze had left her even though he kept replying to her. He was gazing at the distant landscape his eyes could see.

She suddenly realized that maybe she had just asked him a question that would give her an excuse.

Tashian didn't talk after that and just stood. Her heart was filled with sadness at his actions.

It was the same as previously. Diego Miller will come and go in Duke's Mansion as if it was his, asking for food whenever necessary. Eun-woo later on got used to his shamelessness.

Eventually, whenever she found Diego's face wandering in the Mansion, she would always tell it to the Duke herself.

"My brother? It's been three days. Where is he going this time around?"

It was one morning. Eun-woo found Diego in the Duke's Dining room.

He was sitting at the table, flirting with a servant, who had bought him a bowl of stew. He patted the maid's shoulder with jokes and even giggled, as if he had known the maid for over a decade, whom he might have seen for the first time. But, he looked very natural conversing with the maid.

Eun-woo rolled her eyes, thinking that it was a talent that he had the guts to do inside the Duke's Mansion.

At that time, Diego, who found Eun-woo approaching him, twinkled his eyes and pretended to be glad.

"Aren't you my younger sibling? What brought you here?"

"What do you mean? I came here to eat. You don't come here to sleep, do you? And how about you?"

"Let's say I had been led by the delicious smell of stew. The Duke's chef, Penelope's cooking skill goes are incredible, ahhm*. I'm sure."

(TN: AHHM, part is actually just 'am', as in literal 'am', thus I decided to put some 'h' to have like the thought of him eating (?).)

Eun-woo glanced at her brother's shamelessness, who was now used to it.

After a few words of conversation with Diego, Eun-woo looked at the entrance of the Dining room. And after thinking for a while, she hinted to Diego, more like a warning.

"The duke usually eats breakfast here at this time. I'm sure he'd arrive soon……."

Even before she finished her words, Eun-woo noticed the sudden changes from Diego, who hastily wiped his mouth with a napkin and ran away in a dash. She also received an awkward greeting from the maid Diego was flirting with.

It was another day. Eun-woo visited the office on the second floor to hand Johannes the details of the supplies she and her maid will use for a month. And somewhere, I found familiar honeycomb hair wandering on the railing of the stairs leading to the third floor.

Another day was passing by again. Eun-woo went to the second floor to hand over to Johannes the expenses she had spent and her maids, in a month. And somewhere nearby, she saw a hair colored honey, fluttering with the wind, from the stairs that lead to the third floor.

Eun-woo quickly opened her mouth with joy.

"…. Older Brother?!"

"Shh!"

However, her joy was returned with his index finger on his mouth, signing her to be quiet.

He was very firm of hiding from Duke Verk, but was blind from the servant's going back and forth. In front of her Older Brother, she adjusted her expression and debated whether she would pretend to not know him.

I wondered if I should pretend to be a servant.

Eventually, she felt the need to instill normal social norms and rules on her brother and approached him then talked to him.

"…… Brother, do you know that there are about five people here?"

As much as his desire was strong, his act of hiding was actually noticeable from anyone.

Why is he pretending to be so careful moving around the Duke when everyone can see him? However, Diego stands with his decision.

"Is the Duke here?"

"I think he has a lot of work these days. He was stuck in the office without going on a trip."

When Diego heard that, his smile vanished and grumbled that his plan had gone wrong. Then he saw the paper in Eun-woo's hand and asked. His eyes glinted in an instant.

"Are those about your supplies in a month?"

Eun-woo thought that he managed to recognize the small letters of the paper in her hand. He asked her for a favor in a voice that'd gently enticed his younger sister.

"It happened to be good. Elli, grant this Older Brother a wish."

"I can't."

Eun-woo, who noticed Diego's plan, cut it.

"We had used so many things. Including your expenses, I don't have to see the Duke anymore. Get the things you need to solve under your name, and don't involve me."

Diego replied with a smile at her quick refusal.

"As expected, my younger sister, you're quick to sense because you resemble me. But still can you not do me a favor?"

"Yes, I can't."

At her short answer, he groaned and asked for another different favor.

"Then never tell the Duke that I came near his office. Got it? The last time he caught my tail, I almost got kicked out naked on a rainy day. Your brother almost had that image."

"It doesn't kill a person to be kicked out naked on a rainy day."

"If you're kicked out after being hit by a duke, you could die."

Eun-woo couldn't find anything to refute his serious remark.

"Okay. If he asks, I'll keep it a secret that I saw you today."

Diego went out of the hallway, wiggling his eyebrows like someone who wouldn't come to the second floor in the future again.

It was roughly like this. After sending her brother away, Eun-woo sighed and raised her hand on the door of the office where Tashian was. Then the door creaked on its own and opened.

The butler of the owner of the Mansion, Johannes, blinked and welcomed her.

"Lady, how are you?"

"Oh, Johannes, is Lord Verk here?"

"The master entered the Imperial Palace early this morning. If you have any business related to him, please tell me. I will inform him when he returns."

"I see…"

Tashian was still busy, but he often encountered her because he stayed in the mansion these days.

Eun-woo, who liked it inwardly, smiled brightly to hide her feelings of being slightly disappointed. She handed Johannes a note in her arms.

"This is the detailed supplies in a month. I look forward to your kind cooperation again this time."

Johannes reached out to accept the note silently.

"Who have you been talking to outside the door?"

Johannes' sharp gray eyes glowed down as if penetrating her. Eun-woo received his gaze and thought that her forehead was burning with her sweats, unsure of what to say.

She murmured, wiggling her toes in her shoes.

"No.. one?"

"Lady Miller."

Johannes raised her blade-like eyebrows up. Beyond her eyes, her eyes have been questioning whether her words were really true. She seemed like a scary person.

".. Actually, my brother was there."

I don't know.

Eun-woo confessed the truth. I promised that I would keep it a secret from the Duke, but I didn't tell that I would keep it from Johannes.

Johannes, who heard that, wiggled her eyebrows noticeably. It was a big agitation for a cool-headed woman who usually had not much expression on her face.

It was Eun-Woo, who was familiar with Johannes' rejection of her brother. In fact, who would like people who break into their mansion without permission and eat without permission?

However, Eun-woo realized that Johannes' feelings for her brother were not good enough to reveal her feelings as much as she does.

She quietly tried to defend her brother, looking at the butler's countenance.

"Well… Johannes, even if my brother is like that, and I take a lot of care of him, he's not a bad guy."

It was said that the blood was thicker than water, although their veins were not mentally mixed, Eun-woo desperately tried to stand in front of the butler.

"And sometimes he does things that you don't understand, but he's genuinely not a bad person…."

"Lady Miller, I appreciate your efforts to side with your brother, but I can't fully welcome him until he regains all the tasks my master has taken on thanks to him."

Johannes answered coldly. Eun-woo opened her eyes wide to her words.

It was the first time she heard it.

"What do you mean, thanks to him, the duke is in charge of his works…?"

Johannes watched Eun-woo who had an innocent expression. She opened her mouth after a moment of thought.

"Over the past years, while Marquis Miller was traveling around the continent and enjoying the scenery, the Duke has replaced his works the Marquis was supposed to deal with."

"…What?"

Johannes, who sighed softly when she saw her, who couldn't say anything with a puzzled face, added.

"It's literally the same. Marquis Miller has entrusted all of his work to the Duke."

At the end of her words, there was some strength.

Eun-woo praised her brother's ability to make a good impression on Johannes, who is always calm and polite, sadly.

Unknowingly, she asked Johannes.

"W, wait…! Wait a minute! Then, do you mean that the Duke had replaced all the things that the Marquis should have done all this time?"

"That's right."

"How long has he been doing that?"

"It's been about more than five years."

Five years ago, it was before he was dispatched as the commander-in-chief of the Great Genova War.

Eun-woo opened her mouth wide.

"No… I can't believe it…! Why on earth……?"

Johannes grabbed a fine wrinkle between her eyebrows and said.

"Miss. The master might always have a strict and cold-hearted face, but he is a person who has a wide understanding. Of course, the Master only showed his coldness to those who deserved it and to those people who took his kindness for granted. However, there is still a soft side of him. And that is, the Miss and her Older Brother; you two."

In fact, Johannes intended to hide this fact from her until the very end. But as a butler, she was always a person who thought about it thoroughly and put into practice the way things could get better. By telling this to the Miss, Marquis Eleanor, she believed that she could come up with a new solution to the situation.

'The Duke lowered his esteemed image just for us…'

Johannes' eyes stayed on Eleanor's white neck, just thin.

It was empty now, but at a victory celebration just two weeks ago, she wore a necklace with a purple gemstone that the Duke himself declared as his possession.

The necklace was none other than a testament of a recognition of the duke's lineage, which he received on the day he first arrived at the castle as the illegitimate son of the Former Duke.

Ironically, that necklace, the only jewel in the mansion with no architect's pattern engraved, was a sign that he was the only owner of the family and an identification stone as a duke of Hellasium.

Johannes knew what the necklace meant to her Master. She remembered the first day when her master entered the Duke Castle.

An orphaned boy who seemed to collapse due to malnutrition at any moment due to malnutrition and drought. In this noble world where he had to step in anew, the only thing he could prove himself as the Duke's son, was that necklace.

'He gave it to this woman without any hesitation.'

Johannes has since accepted the owner's heart for Marquis Miss without any doubt. The Master's feelings for her were straight with only one path without leaking to the side.

(TN: Only means that the Duke's feelings for Eleanor are pure, firm and genuine.)

Chapter 35 ~

Translator: Lioness

"I have no intention to hide anything from you, Miss. What I said earlier is a fact, that I could say that there was no slightest lie. But of course, Miss has all the reason to make the judgement."

Johannes looked at her dumbfounded face and was incapable of saying anything as of the moment. She then bowed her head to show courtesy.

Yet when she was about to turn and walk away, Marquis Eleanor immediately grabbed her hand.

"Wa- Wait a minute…! Johannes, when will the Duke return to the Mansion?"

Johannes then opened her mouth to answer her question, with her subtle curiosity arousing in her mind, but she didn't dare ask why she questioned that.

Tashian got off the wagon gentlemanly.

The surface of the wagon was slightly wet due to afternoon drizzles. With a soft sound, his shoes stepped on the ground despite knowing that there was a puddle where he just put his shoes into. However, he didn't hesitate and took a step forward.

"Your Excellency, have you arrived?"

A man who was lower in rank, approached Tashian from afar and put an umbrella over Tashian's head. Tashian then motioned to put away the umbrella, since it was barely raining.

"Didn't I tell you to stop asking such annoying things?"

Tashian's annoyed voice rang in the man's ears and trembled in fear while he was busy folding the umbrella securely and sending it to someone else behind his back.

"About the Miss."

The Duke brought up a habit-like question first and foremost.

Ever since Eleanor began staying in his Mansion, it has been a mannerism of the Duke to ask how she has been for the day, especially her daily routine.

As if he knew in advance what he would be concerned about, Subok delivered a detailed report about Eleanor.

From the time she woke up in the morning, he had written a very specific report, including how and where she woke up, where and how she had her breakfast, if what she ate were delicious enough and healthy for her body, and what she did afterwards.

The Duke nodded at once, satisfied at Subok's specific response, which seemed much more thorough if compared to State Affairs.

"Where is she now?"

The Duke asked indifferently as he headed upstairs to his office, addressed on the second floor. And Subok answered right after his question.

"She had been eyeing the back garden earlier, so I suppose she's still there."

Whatever she did must be informed to Tashian, for he checked her every move. It was implied as, if Subok won't do this detailed report, then Eleanor would vanish and become a piece of dust from this eye-catching Duke.

Subok did not understand his compulsion.

First of all, Tashian pondered about her walking through the back garden after hearing her whereabouts.

He deciphered that it would be boring to have the same scenery with just one back garden. However, whenever he asked where she was, the only answer would be that she was in the back garden.

'Then should I make another back garden..?'

He gently opened the door to his well-decorated office, while thinking of such a petty idea. And what greeted him was platinum blonde hair.

She was reaching towards a book placed on the high shelf.

Eun-woo's eyes widened instantly in embarrassment like a jackal who met an elephant in the meadow, when she noticed the Duke looking at her with his opened eyes along with Subok behind him.

"Du, Duke!"

Tashian was antagonized for a very short time that the possibility of having her figure in front of him was his illusion, and when he saw her, who hesitated to get closer to him, he realized that she was real and not just a mere illusion.

He opened his mouth pretending to be indifferent.

"… What do you need?"

His office is an area where his permission is strictly needed before having to step inside. It was surely prohibited to walk in without asking for his permit. And no matter how he trusted Johannes, she was still forbidden to enter unless accompanied by him or had given the permit to do so.

Eun-woo then realized the solemnity of the situation she put herself in, when she saw the look on Subok's face.

She replied quickly.

"I, I am very sorry Duke. I, I didn't mean to step in without your permission… I, I was just wa, waiting for you. And I heard from Johannes that you'd be coming around this time…"

Eun-woo nervously gathered her hands and opened her lips with her wiggling hands.

"When I arrived, and knocked on the door, you weren't there, hence I thought that you'd be back after I waited briefly.. just suddenly, I saw a book that looked interesting.."

She quickly realized that what she said made no sense and painted her cheeks red.

"I, I will never again walk in without your permission. I really didn't mean to go in…"

Tashian was silent at all. Eun-woo slightly raised her head and peeped at his expression, reckoning if he was angry. But he had an expressionless face as usual.

Suddenly, he made a stride. Eun-woo was surprised and stepped back. But his steps were toward the shelf where she was reaching out, and not to her.

"Was it this?"

He asked, touching a half-picked book, revealing its title slightly. Compared to her, who had to lift her heels to the fullest and even whine to reach the book, his hands reached the shelf so easily.

When Eun-woo nodded slightly, the book was pulled out by him. He read the title of the book in a solemn voice with a slight frown plastered on his forehead.

"… A small music textbook for little ladies."

Silence fell. Eun-woo couldn't overcome her shyness and muttered upon her breath.

"… I was thinking about practicing piano."

Tashian decided that he would later ask Johannes why this book with this kind of title was stuck on the top of his shelf, and then handed the book to her hands.

"You waited for me, didn't you? What's going on?"

Upon receiving the book, she flinched at his slightly reminded voice and looked at him in the eyes.

Tashian found her face looking up at him with an unknown sense of guilt and shame. He raised one eyebrow.

"Did something happen?"

He immediately noticed that she was different from her usual self and asked quickly. Eun-woo looked at Subok who was standing behind him and crossed her feet.

She came here with a purpose of apologizing for the fact that Diego Miller, her Older Brother, had left all of his works to the Duke and so far had been hanging out with the Crown Prince.

But how can she say that in front of Subok?

Tashian, who saw Eun-woo's eyes headed toward Subok, who was standing behind him, gave him a sharp look. The quick-witted Subok twitched and stepped back in haste.

He also did not forget to close the door of his office, where only two people were left.

"What's going on now? What problem do you have that makes you look like you're going to die?"

Tashian, who showed Subok away, took a step toward her and asked seriously.

"Du, Duke… that…"

Tashian frowned his forehead, as if urging her to say her business to him.

Eun-woo plucked up courage from her expression. She opened her eyes wide and declared before him.

"Tashian! From now on, I'll take care of my family affairs!"

Tashian stared at her, who had her determined eyes and was clenching her fists.

"What did you just say?"

"I heard it from Johannes. I heard that you've been taking care of my Older Brother's work that should have been done by him and I also should have known it! No matter how shameless my brother is, I never imagined that he would have entrusted it to you, the Duke."

Eun-woo closed her eyes in embarrassment and shouted with the feeling of vomiting blood, from what she was doing right now.

"But don't worry now. As the eldest daughter of the Marquis, I will take responsibility and take care of the work that my Brother had neglected over the last years!"

Tashian was left speechless to witness her acting like that.

Now he didn't know whether to laugh or to suppress it.

Of course, it was true that he took over Diego's work, although he knew that he also had priorities regarding his own, but he still took it, and it has been about five years from now.

However, that had a reason for why he did that, and that would need a lot of explanation.

It was deeply related to Marquis Miller, who pretended to travel around the continent according to the mission given by Crown Prince Ikshid and carried out the secret orders given to him.

Due to Diego's nature of work, which means he has to go to different countries every day, it was difficult for Tashian, who was more attached to either the battlefield or the duke's affairs, to do that job.

But Tashian couldn't tell her that now.

"…. Were you waiting for me to say that?"

Tashian barely said one word after much consideration.

He had to use extreme strength to keep himself composed, gritting his molars to keep his lips from twitching while speaking.

"Yes. Really… because of my brother. I'm very ashamed. My brother, including me, has always been a bother to you Tashian."

Tashian reached out and paused to soothe her, who was now almost about to cry. His hand, which was about to touch her cheek, paused in the air and went to his back.

"I didn't know you thought of me this much."

Eun-woo wondered when she felt that his voice had a pleasant sign that could not be hidden.

Is this a conversation to have him smile like that?

She avoided his eyes with a coy look and spoke as if to notify him.

"Nevertheless, that was what happened. I decided to get Johannes to train me in regards to carrying out the work I will do. Class starts this week."

'Hang in there, Tashian! I will certainly save you from those piles of documents…!'

Eun-woo added with her lips opening to hide her gloomy voice.

"I've been very inconsiderate to you in the past. Please wait a moment until I can play the main role for my brother's stead."

Tashian answered quietly with one hand covering his face to prevent the corners of his mouth from blurring out a laugh.

"Oh… Well. That's right. I'm thankful enough."

"No. It's a serious matter that needs to be done."

Tashian desperately prevented his laughter from bursting out and coughed in vain instead.

(TN: About Subok, I am still unsure if that's his name. If I was wrong, I will quickly change it. But for now, I'll stay with Subok.)

Chapter 36 ~

Translator: Lioness

"But then, what's that?"

Eun-woo replied looking at her hands with an, "Ah!" as if she suddenly remembered the real purpose of coming here.

Her calm face was again colored with shame.

"Oh… this, this is the month's supply details of all what I spent. In fact, I really wanted to give this personally… because I know earlier I was hasty. Once again, I'll be asking for your benevolence."

"Hmm. I got it. Give it to me."

She was a bit surprised, and took back the note. Tashian raised one brow, without hiding his questioning face, looking at her unusual behavior again.

"Oh… No. I'll put it on the desk, so Johannes could take care of it later."

Tashian did not answer. He looked at her with an undefined face.

He didn't like the fact she was trying to hide something from him, but as if he had any choice.

"… Are you perhaps hiding something I shouldn't see? What's that about? Are you preparing to have a war with another family without my knowledge?"

Her actions were very uncommon for him and softly asked her. Hearing his words, she couldn't help but to blush even more.

"That's… still not the reason. Nevertheless, please don't look at it."

It was human nature to be more intrigued when one said that they shouldn't be curious. Especially since it was the first time she reacted cutely.

Tashian couldn't control his immeasurable curiosity and reached out to the note she was tightly holding.

"Just what is it about? It made me even more curious!"

"Don, don't look at it, Tashian!"

No matter how much she moved her hands, preventing him from having his hands to it, she couldn't keep up with his agility. Eun-woo had no choice but to stare at the scene, where this large man in front of her with amazing reflexes snatched the note from her hand like a hound.

Putting the note in his hand, he unraveled the folded paper without any hesitation. Eun-woo then hurriedly reached out her arm and tried to stop him, but the note was already raised high enough beyond her reach.

"It, it's better not to see it…!! Tashian!"

Eun-woo became contemplated and screamed desperately.

As expected, his face soon after, stiffened. He couldn't hide his embarrassment and immediately folded the notebook.

His face turned pale like a priest who entered in the sanctuary that he should not have, and soon turned red like a boy who made an irreversible mistake.

Eun-woo was curious if he had ever been so embarrassed in his life. But anyways…

"See? I told you it'd be better not to see it!"

Eun-woo snatched the note from his hand again, which had hardened like a stone statue, and muttered sharply to hide his shame. Her face was as red as a ripened tomato.

The note, of course, contained details of the necessary items she needed to purchase this month.

Most of them were household items such as soap, cloth, and needles which she ordered every month, so there was nothing to be ashamed of, but the problem was the last word written.

〈Three new women's underwear.〉

Only awkward silence flowed into the Duke's office.

Soon after, Eun-woo, the first to get out of shame, opened her mouth first. She couldn't hide her embarrassment and mumbled as if she was about to hear the Duke, who was unable to say anything.

"… Please do your best to save my belongings."

"Uh… Umm… I'll do my best.."

Then it was silent again.

She could not withstand the suffocating atmosphere, and soon left the Duke's office like a wind. Without closing the door, the wind outside permeated through the opened door of his office. The wind gently turned the note on the floor and shook it.

Tashian bent down and picked up the note he had touched a while ago. Shortly after, in his closed office room, his low laughter, which had never been heard before, rang out quite long.

"The Master was definitely not forced to take over the Marquis's duties. When the Master first listened to the Marquis' plea, and took a look at the family affairs, he was stupefied on how the family of that size had been able to live with such careless minimal management and not enough control."

She listened to Johannes who was endlessly talking, which seemed to hit her bones.

Less than a few minutes after their class began, she already felt like she wanted to sit on her knees as if she had already become a sinner.

"The master, who admired the sight, eventually handled the duties of the marquis from that year, and eventually came to this point."

"…. So, did the Duke handle the work of the marquis as well as the work as a Duke, who got delayed in returning here?"

Eun-woo once again bowed her head without wanting to lift it again, at the elegant voice heard by her side.

Selena was pointing out the mistake of Marquis Diego Miller one by one in a steady and straight voice.

"That's right."

Eun-woo regretted calling Selena to attend this class together briefly.

Since the victory-celebrating banquet, she and Selena have become quite close and have continued to exchange letters once in a while, as it went back and forth between each other's mansions.

Having a relationship with Selena, who was bright and deeply considerate in learning, has helped Eun-Woo, who was relatively weak in the basic common sense of the world, especially here.

Today, she also invited Selena in hopes that it would help her successor's class. Therefore, Eun-woo, who was expecting a synergistic effect of learning, was feeling that something was wrong with her decision.

"It's something that made me ponder, but it seems that rumors circulating that the Duke was very busy were still unavoidable. It was said that right after his position as the Commander-in-chief was lifted, he became busy as the Head of the family alone, when his duties were pushed back due to war… moreover, the Crown Prince constantly needs his presence, thus he was being called out almost every day. His Excellency must have been lacking ten bodies now."

'I know everything… so please, just close the little mouth of yours, Selena.'

Eun-woo had no choice but to straighten his back, which kept shrinking.

Johannes, who was watching the scene quietly, opened her mouth with a clean voice.

"Now that Lady Miller has been informed about the circumstances of the Duke and has learned how to deal with the work in the family on behalf of Marquis Miller, it is a great pleasure for me to serve His Excellency. This Johannes will do my best to pass on everything I know, to these two young ladies."

'No, I don't think I need that much…'

Eun-woo endured what she had to say as she watched Selena glistening with joy at a new opportunity to learn next to her.

"This Johannes is very honored to have you two here in my class. In fact, there are cases where many ladies don't pay much attention to the family's work because it's their father's or brother's work, which is complete nonsense which spreads in the social community. In fact, even in history, many women have bravely and boldly maintained their families on behalf of their fathers, brothers, and even husbands. Countless women have managed and supervised their families smoothly and successfully."

Listening to Johannes, Eun-woo blushed when she remembered her behavior of sleeping late and walking in the garden with the maid in the duke's mansion.

"Of course, according to the imperial law of Hellasium, the work of the Head goes to the child who is considered as the most suitable for inheritance regardless of gender, hence there is no negligence in the spirit that a lady is taking over her brother's work. Rather, it is worth praising such a young lady for taking responsibility for her family's work."

Eun-woo gained hope again from her words. She listened to Johannes with a proud face.

"There are many people who often regard the work of the Head of the Family as simply sitting in the office and stamping ink on documents, which is a very big illusion."

Johannes explained the thick pile of parchment she was holding to Eun-woo and Selena, respectively.

"Honestly, most of the housework requires your two feet to run the Mansion smoothly and manage it well, and supervise everything with your own two eyes."

"Are you talking about working abroad and going out?"

Selena asked in a straight voice. Johannes then nodded.

"That's right. First of all, let me explain the salaries of servants and maids, which are the top priority. It is expected that the young ladies must be familiar with the structure of the duke's residence here. And know what's inside of each room. I'm sure you're also aware that four or five servants are deployed."

"In the case of the Great Hall, the boudoir where the duke lives, or the bakery that makes rice crackers or bread with wheat, I heard that at least ten or twenty servants were allotted."

Eun-woo listened carefully to Selena's words and listened carefully to Johannes' answer.

"You know it well. To give you a separate example, the interior and exterior rooms on the third floor where the ancestors stayed are composed of 20 to 30 rooms, respectively. There are maids in charge of managing and cleaning the place in each room. Additionally, we need kitchen servants who'd work in the kitchen, and servants who manage weapons, food stores, barracks, and spice stores, differently. Banquet rooms and official dinner rooms, which are not usually used, should be regularly managed in preparation for the future."

"In short, it must be tremendous hard work just to solve the meals of so many servants."

Eun-woo brought out the thought that came to her mind. Johannes smiled brightly.

"That's why kitchens and bakeries have several times more people than other rooms. It's because it's not enough to provide food for the people here, considering the big number of people who reside here."

"Then where did all those people eat now?"

Eun-woo quickly shut up because she was shy even after spitting out such a question. Seeing that, Selena hurriedly opened her mouth.

"Lady Miller, you have nothing to be shy about. People don't really care or wonder about anything unless it's information they need in their lives. Not long ago, my father passed away and there were many things I didn't know until I took care of the housework."

"Lady Wellwood is right. You don't have to be shy. I'll answer the problem of servants' residence. Highly-ranking noble maids or servants of all ages usually live in a side room next to the bedroom inside and outside the landlord. And low-ranking servants from commoners sleep together in a room in their servants' accommodations. Heads of various major departments, such as the butler or chef, will be given personal bedrooms and offices. The room given next to the office of the Duke is my office. Usually, servants have accommodations near their department. The servants in the kitchen have rooms near the kitchen, and the servants working in the hall have rooms near the hall too."

Eun-woo recalled at first glance that she had heard that the newly changed servants' quarters of the Duke's servants, such as Anit, who had been brought from the marquis, were clean without any dust.

"The very basic task of managing these numerous servants, taking responsibility for convenience, food, clothing, and shelter, and paying them occasionally is the beginning of what the landlord has to do."

Eun-woo stopped flinching his hand while writing hard at the word 'start' which fell out of her mouth. Johannes immediately moved on to the next, as if she couldn't afford to wait for her.

Chapter 37 ~

Translator: Lioness

"In that way, I'll explain the military tax and rent you just collect. The Duke has the widest territory except for the Imperial family, which of course owns the whole Holy Verk from the southern province of Pisval. Mostly, serfs and commoners are engaged in agricultural work, while in some areas, mining and livestock has come into view. The basic tenancy fee is often influenced by the year's harvest, but in principle, an iron tax of 4 pence per person and a land rent of 30 shillings per hectare are the preferences. However, most farmers often offer livestock such as bulls, sheep, and pigs, or firewood, wine, honey, soap, and oil instead. The units and appropriate collection for these items are all written on the parchment paper I gave you earlier. Please refer to it."

Eun-woo, who had been taking Johannes' class hard so far, soon realized that it was not enough to write down, and left her pen on the table.

But Johannes didn't stop with only those words.

"In addition to that, professional craftsmen such as shoemakers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and jewelry gourd men must be charged a ten quarters of their overall production as their tax. It is also a duty of a Head of the family to calculate its quantity and manage the goods that are being paid and being obtained."

"……Ah."

"This work is also included with visiting various rural estates, villages within the Duke territory as to check the roads, dams, sewage facilities and to visit the Manor House to see if there are any discord between inhabitants. All family ordinances within the Duke fulfillments, particularly in marriage, divorce, remarriage, birth registration, and death registration are subjected to the Head's permission. Aside from that…"

Johannes' explanation continued endlessly.

Johannes had to explain about the family's several fortunes, their real estates for hours. What she should pay when he leaves the villa in the countryside, how the manager was hired, and how the monastery in the estate was managed every day.

Looking at Selena next to her, she wanted to get comfort from her comradeship. However, Selena was showing enthusiasm, taking notes from time to time, nodding her head hard with a face full of understanding.

Eun-woo became more depressed.

"…Well, I guess you've got a basic knowledge now."

Johannes declared in a neat voice after a long explanation. In just a few hours, Eun-woo nodded with a deep face.

"I didn't know that the Head of the family had so much work to do…"

"All I've said is just the tip of the iceberg. Addendum, there are still a lot of things left to learn by taking classes and working with me."

Eun-woo immediately wanted to run to bed, and bury her face in a pillow and felt like crying.

For her, even units such as sealing, pennies, and hectares immediately came to her as a big topic, and difficult to comprehend.

Of course, other things that held her back were everywhere. She was indeed ignorant of the basic lifestyle and cultural habits of the people here.

Eun-woo sighed, as if she was an object looking at the mountain she had to climb with a devastated feeling.

"Then, let's learn step by step from tomorrow onwards on how to calculate the pharyngeal tax and the oligopoly tax. After that, we will have time to practice by reviewing the reports posted by each of the ladies in their families. Then, I'll see you tomorrow."

Johannes, who had a lot to do besides this class, disappeared like wind as soon as she finished talking.

Eun-woo and Selena complained from the butler's office to the annex.

"You're amazing, Selena. How can you write down all the explanations without missing a single word? I missed it in the middle, and missed a series of words in order to keep up with Johannes' explanation."

Selena smiled and answered softly at her words.

"My butler's class was not easy for me either. Still, I think it was a little easier for me now because I was learning how to run the family with my mother these days. I'll show you the notes later. And use it to review."

Eun-woo pouted when she said that.

'Ah… come to think of it, Selena has just lost her father.'

Suddenly, something came to her mind.

Eun-woo slightly opened her mouth whilst looking sideways at Selena.

"Selena. I know that this might be really sudden … but, is Selena planning to become the head of Baron Wellwood?"

Selena, who does not have a male brother, learned the role of the baron's family as the Head until she met Ikshid. Then, she married Ikshid, whose status was like the moon, and became the crown princess.

She knew this of course. But there was one thing that bothered me.

'As far as I'm concerned, Selena had someone whom she promised to marry at this time of year…'

As Eun-woo expected, Selena shook her head and answered.

"No, the family is going to be taken care of by my mother as it has been. I… I might get married soon. An unfortunate marriage is inevitable for the daughter of a poor noble who lacks dowry."

Eun-woo was quite stupefied to see Selena reveal her true feelings and expressed her upcoming marriage as an 'unfortunate' thing.

As she said, Selena's family was weak from the beginning, and it was a very poor situation due to the slanted influence even before her father died. For a very long time, she had been talking about being the Head of the Wellwood.

'… .Of course, Selena became his Crown Princess because she didn't let Ikshid, that guy, know about it.'

Eun-woo felt his head throbbing again.

Her and Ikshid's love serves as the biggest reason for the villain Tashian's betrayal to the Crown Prince.

'If Selena gets married to that nobleman, my conscience wouldn't stay still. However, if Ikshid would save Selena from that unhappy and unfortunate marriage, it'd only be a matter of time before she becomes the Crown Princess….'

Eun-woo had no choice but to admit it. Before she knew it, she realized that she had a lot of affection for Selena, the heroine of a straight and inflexible character.

'I don't want to see Selena wed in that big belly, nor would I want to witness Tashian being executed by guillotine….!'

Eun-woo wanted to groan by pulling her hair that seemed to be breaking right away from her thoughts.

On the other hand, when the two ladies were eagerly taking a housekeeping class from Johannes, there was an untimely commotion in Tashian's office.

"Euk! Please let go of this, Your Highness! My neck will be off at this rate!"

"Your neck might be better off once in a while. That way you will learn how to think properly even for a bit."

While Tashian was working at his office desk as usual, he gave an insensitive look at the two black men who came in from nowhere, as if he was looking at flies.

"What kind of nonsensical behavior is this in someone else's house?"

Diego, who was peacefully taking a nap in the narrow passage that was connected to the kitchen, shouted and was unfortunately caught by Ikshid, who visited the Duke Office with his neck in Ikshid's hands.

"Your Majesty! If I get caught by the duke this time, I might really die! You heard it! These days, I barely get to eat at the Dining Room!"

"I'm not worried. At least if I take you next to the Duke, wouldn't you die answering his endless question with a cold knife in his back? And it's impolite to eat without his permission!"

Ikshid threw Diego onto a chair in the office as if he was throwing a paper, and he himself collapsed next to it. Ikshid pretended not to see anything and shouted angrily at the Duke, who was casually doing this in front of him.

"If protesting doesn't work, I'll ignore him, is that what you mean, Lord? Lord, you haven't changed at all. If my only two loyalties are like this, then how can I take care of the government without worrying about you two?"

"…God is listening. Please speak."

Tashian muttered in a voice full of annoyance. Next to him, Diego sat on his butt at the end of the chair and buried his back deeply.

"Your Majesty, the duke is so uncooperative. So can I leave now? Every day is a long day for your servant to carry out your orders of the ordinance issued by Your Majesty.…"

"You were taking a nap in the kitchen aisle. Yes, I could see that you've been hectic."

Tashian sighed and put down the pen he was holding. He turned his chair around, fixed his body toward the two men, and touched his forehead with both of his hands.

"……. So, what the hell is going on this time? Hurry up and say it."

"What would I have to say to you two in this broad daylight? Come on, work your imaginations."

"Unsatisfied with my offering…"

Ikshid cut off Tashian's words as if it was natural.

"That's enough! But you, Diego this brat! Isn't this the problem you created, when you were supposed to be caught by Warawi pirates, yet you returned, and that was when in the Victory Celebration Banquet?! How shameless of you!"

Diego, who was scratching his shaggy golden hair next to him, jumped up and shouted in an unfair voice.

"What are you talking about? Then, can this lowly servant of yours tell that this loyal servant should have waited for the imperial rescue team in that dirty and filthy place?"

The whole story of the incident was like this.

The fifteen ship Cremons Grand Squadron, dispatched by Ikshid personally and discreetly, was advancing towards the easternmost part of Genova through the sea route of Austuralch under the command of skilled navigator, Diego Miller.

But just there, Diego's fifteen ships met the notorious pirates of the Warawi Strait and were defeated.

"You can't imagine how incredibly bloody the battle was! Three ships were burned down, and more than thirty sailors, including the captain, me, were captured by the pirates!"

Diego Miller's face while reminiscing of the past, showed an unusually serious light. Looking at that, Tashian opened his mouth and said that he had been biting hard.

"I knew that one day you would be seriously injured. But wasn't it you who always walked along the sea road as if you were walking around on the floor of some kind of market?"

(TN: Telling him that Diego sees the sea route like the road of land.)

Tashian lifted his brows, looking at Diego's face with his distorted face and as if Diego was pathetic. As he said, Marquis Miller was a person who was very far from the virtues of caution and prudence, compared to the unconventional and ingenious nature of the holy spirit.

Leaving Tashian's criticism behind, Diego spoke.

"When I entered a small island where pirates locked up the prisoners, there were already sailors from other fleets besides me. All of them were hairy and their skin was soaked in salty sea water.… Obviously, they were never the kind of people who wanted to sit down and talk or eat together. There, I met Rusti, an Austuralch writer."

"Writer…?"

Ikshid asked what Diego's escape from the Warawi pirates due to bloodshot was related to, but eventually, he couldn't find any answer.

"Did he let you go?"

"No. All he did to me was show interest in the story I told him."

Diego replied, scratching his forehead.

"He was a very curious friend. Lord, as you and the Crown Prince know, Hellasium and Austuralch are almost completely free from the exchange, right? He asked questions from one to ten, but when I went back later, I had to yell at him to get some sleep, and then he just walked away."

"But what does that have to do with your success in escaping?"

As if Ikshid still couldn't find a connection, he wondered.

Chapter 38 ~

Translator: Lioness

"Just listen to me for a little. That friend kept asking me about the culture and customs of Hellasium, well, he's a bit nosy, you know?"

Diego said a bit, but he has been speaking for a long while now. Ikshid thought silently, but didn't bring it up.

"Well, the story went deep and lengthy. I mean, you know, at first I answered all his questions dryly… but eventually I released all the saga which happened previously, including the life stories that I faced while travelling the continent."

It wasn't just because the atmosphere became comfortable, but the curiosity of them grew big, and everyone on the island flocked to one area, listening to his story all night long.

However, Diego did not necessarily mention it.

"It was then when I remembered the time when I struggled to fulfill my mission by crossing the continent to satisfy my eagerness for knowledge, but we'll, I finished my duty successfully, and sacrifices weren't in vain. Your Highness, maybe doing something for the second time, and experiences are invaluable properties that cannot be exchanged for anything."

Diego smiled brightly and gulped down the tea next to him at once. Tashian and Ikshid looked at Diego with their absurd eyes.

"So it turned out that the writer was acquainted with the pirate captain?"

Ikshid still asked Diego, unable to relate the story on how he escaped from the pirate squad.

"No way. The author trembled like a person who was scammed by a pirate and ran away just by taking out the pirate's moat."

"Then how on earth meeting the author, telling him your stories has some connections of you escaping from the pirates?"

Diego's blue eyes shone and pushed his head close to the prince and Tashian. Of course, Tashian was quick and leaned back as soon as he did.

"Well, in order to know that, you need to listen till the end of my story! As I talked about my old stories with them inside that dark dungeon, I found people who were interested in my stories one by one."

Diego scratched his temple as if recalling what happened back then.

"At the beginning, I was only a prisoner next door, and the author was from Miremba, but was of course caught by the pirates. The next room next door, and even the front room I'd the room to it! That went on naturally, that even the guards were intrigued and joked with us, as I talked to them endlessly."

Diego added in a mean manner.

"Well, they must have been bored, too. Believe me, a person locked up in jail wouldn't only eat food."

Tashian was patient and listened to him hard.

"So. You made me swim in the pile of documents, and you were enjoying the travelling, you mean?"

Diego welcomed his words as he waved his hand at him.

"I'm not sure about that. Just listen to me until the end! You don't know how humans can be persistent sometimes. The people inside the cells begged me for my next story, I didn't even know how many times I repeated it for them. You don't know how it was so annoying for me!"

However, the touch of salvation was not long before. Rusti, the author who had been next to Diego since the beginning of the situation, compiled his story into a book. To be exact, it was written in small letters on a piece of worn-out parchment.

Ikshid asked with his curious eyes.

"So, did you get out of the prisoner status with the money you have for selling your book?"

"Selling, my foot. The pirates there were all black eyes, so they won't be able to read it nevertheless. The problem is that my story has reached the ears of the noblemen from Austuralch, who was on a vacation to that island next door."

Ikshid clapped his hand against the wall and shouted.

"Right! That book must be in the hands of that noble."

"Your Majesty is right. It seems that the Mister, a noble man who showed interest in the strange story of a captain from Hellasium from a neighboring island, has somehow obtained a piece of paper that cannot be called a book that combines the pieces of parchment. One day, he came to see me."

Diego closed his eyes gently as if recalling the time and looked down on his own.

"Wow..! I really didn't look like a human at all that time. It was probably the first time in my life that I've ever told them the stories of my life. At that time, I was only thinking of one thing, and that was how to get out of that hellish prison by somehow showing off to the great noble Mister."

"… That was how you managed to get out of the notorious Warawi pirates' den alone?"

Diego nodded with a solemn look at Ikshid's words that was uncommon.

"That's it. After arriving in Austuralch following the noble, I immediately recruited sailors and set up a rescue team. And it was only to save my colleagues that were trapped on the island too."

Diego finished speaking with a calm face as if this was enough for his explanation.

Ikshid and Tashian were speechless.

As expected, people can be successful if they just take the risk. Even if Diego was lucky enough to be caught up by the pirates, he also met the Author who was eager to know his hometown, biography, and not only him, even the neighboring island were curious about his story. It was only to escape from that prison, and became a storyteller instantly, in order to dazzle Aristocrats from Austuralch.

Tashian asked a sharp question as if he had found a loophole in the story.

"Why did you come here alone? Where are the other members?"

Then Diego's face frowned as if it was difficult to answer him.

"That is quite long to explain. Once I got the chance, other sailors were also returning to their hometowns under the protection of the nobles I met. I also found the descendants of the Genova Royal Family, which was my real purpose there."

Ikshid, who had already known the rough situation through Diego's documents, shouted as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Yes! The lineal descendants of the Genova royal family! Where in the world is she right now?"

Ikshid's eyes glowed with excitement. It was not written in the report prepared by Diego that kind of information that could not be left as confidential security documents.

"That's why I'm here right now, your servant. Well, there's a little bit of a problem, but it's good."

However, Diego was the world's best. He pushed his back deep into the chair and used his long legs to shake his entire body back and forth.

His languid appearance made Ikshid impatient.

"Can't you say it quickly? So, where is she now?"

And after a while, Diego poured out answers that surprised everyone in the room.

"Of course she arrived at Hellasium with me."

"What?"

"What? This bastard…!"

If he had brought him to Hellasium, the two men, who had expected him to be the first to show them, were astonished.

"Why are you only saying that now?!"

"Are you out of your mind?! You should have let His Highness know immediately and even the elders!"

Diego gestured as if calming down the two enraged people.

"Woah, woah! Calm down, both of you. She's doing well with the group of merchants."

He smiled broadly at the Duke and Prince, who looked at him with the same expression.

Diego spoke with sparkling eyes.

"Your Majesty, that's not important. I have something else to suggest to your Majesty. It is deeply related to the issue of exchanges with Austuralch at this meeting."

Ikshid nodded as if he would allow Diego to speak, looking at his serious expression.

Diego began to explain with a solemn expression.

"Although I was on my way to Austuralch to fulfill the special order given by Your Highness, I was able to see the customs and circumstances more clearly than anyone else as a prisoner. A city called Uberlin, the capital of Austuralch, located thousands of miles away and beyond the southern land and sea, close to the beach."

Ikshid nodded seriously.

"A lagoon city? I heard that it is the capital of the Kaumtranshi dynasty and a beautiful place with countless canals running through the city."

"That's the place. It was… the greatest and most mysterious city I've ever been to."

Diego praised Uberlin's beauty for a long period of time.

"There, five huge gates are located in the middle of the Capital, telling people the time and place. The area inside each gate was larger than our Cremons. In the center of the city, a large plaza was built while mansions, gardens and artisan shops were lined up in rows. They all said that they were run under the direction of the Seven Artisan Associations."

His explanation continued endlessly.

The main road along the main canal, carts passing over the bridge, and the scent of meat, fish, and spices carried by horses. Medicines, silk, pearls and various handicrafts displayed in stores on the first floor of the houses, and officials, merchants were wearing silk clothes on the streets. Uberlin, the city of water, with beautiful ladies wearing precious jade pins on their heads and jewel earrings on their soft cheeks, inside palanquins.

"The noble people who saved my life were the dignitaries of Uberlin. I stayed at the ambassador's house and received hospitality. He was positive about Cremon, the capital of Hellasium, where commercial exchanges with other countries are active."

A great light of interest shone in Prince Ikshid's eyes. He asked, urging Diego's next answer.

"So, what did you see and experienced there?"

"People say that if there is heaven in heaven, there is Uberlin in Austuralch. I was able to stay there for about a month and received a very precious treatment. There were also a lot of gifts from high-ranking officials and wealthy people from all over the street while following the ambassador. Ebonies, silks, spices, aloe, all kinds of luxuries, leather of musk roe deer, indigo seeds…."

Diego took a small booklet out of his arms. He opened his mouth with a stern face.

"Of course, I can't miss this either."

"What's that?"

Ikshid, let alone Tashian, looked at the mint print booklet with an overly tempered expression in Diego's hands.

"About the 〈Wonderful Place of Austuralch.〉"

"Oh…!"

Ikshid took the book with both hands, gathering his mouth like a person who had encountered precious valuables that he could not even see in his hands.

Diego added it with a more serious face.

"FYI, the author is me."

And Ikshid immediately dropped the booklet.

"Hey… You should've told me earlier! I was looking forward to getting some verified and proven information!"

"No, Your Highness! I had a hard time writing this…! Are you saying that you've heard all the stories I've told you so far in vain?"

Tashian slowly stretched out and held the fallen booklet in his hand, leaving the prince and marquis fighting.

Chapter 39 ~

'Indeed… Uberlin. It's from the South that people call it Paradise, where a red lake surrounds the seven gates in the evening?'

However, despite that development of commerce between the two sides, and the willingness of exchanges trades, the sea route into there hasn't been opened yet. This was due to the decision of the Senates.

He frowned and was lost in thought.

Pathetic. Those idiots who have high positions and hold the glory in Hellasium, are thinking of starting another war again.

Tashian was a party directly affected by the decision of the Senate.

He was a competent commander-in-chief, but that never meant he was a bloodthirsty war person. In fact, he was one of the most influential anti-war groups.

The political group was a small political force composed of young aristocrats, which was placed around the Prince.

(TN: 반원로회는, if someone is knowledgeable enough to inform me what this means, please tell me. I translated it as Political Group since I couldn't find the right meaning to tl it, but if there's someone kind-hearted enough to tell me the meaning, do so. Thank you in advance!)

Gradually, the summary about the city of Uberlin, marked in Tashian's eyes.

His eyes were deep while reading it silently.

The reason why he showed great interest in Uberlin was not simply because it was an area related to the economic growth of the next generation of Hellasium.

'This is…'

Somehow, there was a strange yearning and sorrow in his eyes as he skimmed through the Uberlin's map.

But before he could remember, the voice of the angry Crown Prince Ikshid struck him in the ear.

"Eek….! Seriously, I should get something to prick the ears of those people. They were a good partner to have an exchange of trading, but now someone who wags his tail before my eyes, planning to have another war! Now, Duke, look, my hair has gone gray…!"

"…I don't care."

When he heard the answer, Ikshid muttered with a face that he was tired of it.

"Why don't you do something about your expression of indifference? People are all talking about whether the duke is real or whether the stone blocks are carved into your human beings! Anyway, Marquis Miller, place the Genova's Princess right in front of my eyes…"

The next moment, however, he opened his eyes wide. Diego Miller, who was in front of him, suddenly disappeared. Ikshid pointed his finger in the air like an idiot.

"No, he was just here…! Tashian, have you seen him?"

"I saw him slip through the door of my office as you began to speak."

Replied Tashian in a very cold voice.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?! My most important question has yet to be answered…!"

"I beg your pardon, he thought Your Majesty had finished his business."

Tashian murmured while his gaze was fixed to the window of his office, looking at the distant landscape with annoyance. Ikshid then exclaimed indignantly.

"What a cold attitude ! That's why you've never been married….!"

Tashian's eyebrows were distorted by the Prince's remark on his marriage when the situation seemed to be at his slight disadvantage.

"… Aren't you tired of talking about my marriage?"

Ikshid, who looked at the duke, suddenly changed his attitude and began to grin. The very existence of the unmarried duke was a full joke for him.

Ikshid crossed his legs on his seat, leaned his hand against the desk, and supported his chin by it. He opened his mouth.

"So, isn't marriage a matter of necessity between a man and a woman? How did the groom be well-prepared to the extent that he can hold a marriage this afternoon, but his bride is the problem.."

"…. What are you trying to say?"

Tashian's expression of displeasure hardened. It was an expression of displeasure to him, who noticed who the bride and groom he was talking about.

Ikshid then said to him with his eyes glowing.

"Tashian, let me tell you a good saying."

"I don't want to hear it."

The duke flatly refused the Prince's words. But the crown prince he served was very persistent in this respect.

"Don't be like that, didn't I personally inspect the Province of Augusto the other day? It was top secret, so you probably didn't know."

He doesn't know. If he hadn't noticed the splendid event, he would have been called blind.

Tashian was at a loss for words.

If the event that was said to be top secret, how would the public event be held? He was troubled for a while as a servant of the Crown Prince.

However, the prince continued regardless of how he addressed his conflicting subjects.

"There I met an old woman who was a native of the country. When I asked her, 'Do you have a husband?' she said, 'Both my first husband and my second husband are already dead.'"

He said in a meaningful voice, keeping a close eye on Tashian, who was expressionless.

"She was a very devout believer in the St. Mary's Church, and she said that her first husband was named Gershan, and her second husband was named Jefar. His first husband, Gershan, was a very good man. He never complained and peacefully lived with her. He was very nice to her throughout life. But she told me that the St. Mary had sent Jefar to heaven?"

Ikshid smiled with his eyes at Tashian.

"What do you think is the reason?"

"I don't want to know."

Tashian answered immediately, feeling ominous. Ikshid twitched his lips for a moment as he watched the Duke avoiding his eyes. Finally, he couldn't hold back his laughter and laughed, answering his own question.

"My second husband, Jefar, did such a good job at night. Hahahaha!"

Ikshid looked at Tashian with a pathetic look on his face, giggling to himself and laughing. Tashian, unable to see what's funny, gritted his teeth and responded.

"What does that have to do with my marriage?"

Ikshid, who had been giggling, paused and wiped away the tears around his eyes. Then he glanced down at Tashian's waist and answered with a worried look.

"No, what I am saying is, you've been alone for so long, is there any other problem, that comes from a physical defect…?"

"Your Majesty. I think it's time for you to go."

Tashian sprang up from his seat with a ferocious command. Then he strode to the door of the office, opened the door, and pointed his finger at the door in a fairly dynamic motion.

He gritted his teeth and said,

"I beg your pardon, but please leave."

Of course, Ikshid wasn't upset again.

"Ouch! Ahaha… … ! Do you know! Lord, do you only shine on the outside, and the places you can't see are stale…?"

Tashian touched his forehead. After laughing for such a long time, Ikshid finally came to his senses and looked serious again. Tashian was a little wary about what else he was going to say this time. Ikshid finally took a breath and spoke softly in a passing tone.

"Lord, give me a piece of advice before I go. This, too, was what I heard from the woman I met back then."

"I think I told you I didn't want to hear it."

Tashian grinded his teeth once more, but Ikshid had already spoken out. He hummed like he didn't hear him, swinging his chair back and forth, which seemed to fall at any moment.

"Lord. Be mindful. Men's eggplants are really like the branches of the market. No, is it all there is in the store? Wouldn't women be very sorry for what they paid, if that branch was modest, blunt, bruised, flabby, stiff, or distorted?"

On the spot, Tashian had to draw the utmost patience to avoid a mutiny in which the next emperor of the Empire would be beaten.

Added Ikshid, as he stood up and walked towards the door of the duke's office.

"In order not to sell such eggplants, stores should spare no effort to bring in the best of everything."

"… What eggplant are you talking about, Your Highness?"

(TN: Am I the only one who understands what 'eggplant' is? Stop me, I'm laughing for a long time now.)

Then a clear and clear voice came from outside the office.

The two men were bewildered and stretched themselves out like spoons. Ikshid, who first came to his senses, quickly opened the door of his office.

There stood two women, one was a woman with white blond hair and another woman was with red hair that shone like the sun.

Eun-woo opened her eyes wide and looked at the prince and the duke, who looked very confused.

No, what were they talking about inside that made them gasp like they were caught talking behind their back?

When Eun-woo was staring at the two men with suspicious faces, the first to speak was, of course, Selena, who was calm anytime, and anywhere.

"It's been a long time since I saw you, Your Highness, the Crown Prince. By the way, what eggplant are you talking about?"

Selena, who was smiling softly, blinked her long eyelashes and asked the prince.

Eun-woo had no choice but to express her admiration from the subsequent reaction of Ikshid. In front of Selena, Ikshid was so red from his neck to the top of his head, that his mahogany hair wished for light.

'Wow… How can he always paint his ears like that?'

She was amazed inside.

"Uhm. Oh, it was nothing. It's none of your business."

Ikshid quickly coughed and answered in a lower voice than usual. He sounded very conscious of Selena. Whether the duke looked at himself closely from the side or not, it seemed that the only thing he saw now was the red-haired woman in front of him.

Eun-woo gave such a disgruntled look to Ikshid. Who is Ikshid? Heaven and earth alone, the Crown Prince. No matter how hard and high the position is, he was the crown prince of the empire born with a sense of pride and a full set of words and basic options that he had the ability to easily overcome problems.

Eun-woo has been witnessing this scene these days, for some reason, despite the rare sight from Prince Ikshid, whose face and earlobes are blushed and stuttered.

'Strangely, this man…… Every time I invite Selena, he visits the Duke's mansion like a ghost.'

Literally, whenever she went to horseback riding races with Selena or attended balloon competitions, the prince faced them 'by accident' with an expressway that it was all coincidentally. It was the same today.

'How did he know that you invited Selena to my class?'

Eun-woo stood by Selena's side and stared disapprovingly at him. She deliberately spoke in a more coy voice.

"What are you doing today, Imperial Brother? I've been seeing you a lot at the duke's house lately."

However, the problem was that Selena was the only one he could be silent about.

Ikshid immediately regained his normal prosperity and responded.

"I am visiting my servant's home. What's wrong with that? Elli, you're getting cranky day by day."

"Well, as the crown prince of a country, please set an example for Lady."

Of course, Tashian responded immediately by his side and roared in a very uncomfortable voice.

Ikshid grumbled as he watched Tashian, who never missed a moment in taking the side of the marquis Miss.

"Have you ever considered your 10-year friendship with me as a value to reconsider? I am saddened by your indifference."

"If you could feel that feeling a little more, it would be a heavenly pleasure."

Answered Tashian in a more serious voice than when he was executing the special mission on the battlefield.

"Don't tell me what I'm saying… By the way, Lady Wellwood, I've never seen you like this before.…."

Eun-woo hears him speaking to Selena and met Tashian's eyes, who listened to Ikshid's voice, which changed carefully again. They rolled their eyes together as if they had planned it in advance.

Chapter 40 ~

Translator: Lioness

Editor: Lioness

Selena never blinked and answered calmly.

"Yes. It's been three days since we last saw each other. I didn't bring the handkerchief you lent me back then. Forgive me, Your Highness. I didn't expect to see you again today."

The handkerchief that he gently gave back then to Selena when he found sweats on her forehead at the Banquet Hall.

Ikshid then replied to her hastily.

"Don't mind it. It was a handkerchief left on the Imperial Ball."

"Since when have handkerchiefs been left in the Imperial Ball, Your Highness?"

Tashian opened his mouth when he noticed that he had never heard of Ikshid's story and cut off his words at once.

"Your Highness, may I ask for you to shut up momentarily. By the way, what brought you two here today…?"

Eun-woo doubted whether Ikshid was really unaware of that situation. However, seeing his desperate attitude in front of Selena, she decided to close her eyes only once today, pretending what she found.

"With Lady Miller here, I was taking lessons from the very competent butler of the Duke. Ah, Duke. Thank you again for preparing us a place and time."

Selena bowed her head toward the duke in such a polite manner that was a virtue of a lady. Tashian, too, bowed slightly to her, giving her a blunt courtesy.

Judging from the expression of Ikshid who witnessed the scene, Eun-woo felt a strange surprise that the next successor's class would be held at the Imperial Palace.

Ikshid hastily opened his mouth between Selena and the Duke.

"Well, let's leave it at that. Lady Wellwood, why don't you take a moment to review and discuss with me what you've learned today? They say that the dahlias in the backyard are very beautiful… Isn't that right, Lord?"

Tashian's eyes wandered for a moment, unable to find anything to reply to Ikshid's well-intentional expression.

"……. That's right."

At the prince's sudden request, Selena looked up at the Duke and asked carefully.

"Pardon? One, the backyard of the Duke's Mansion… Wouldn't it be more polite to visit after getting permission from Duke Verk here?"

"Of course! It's all right, isn't it, Lord? Isn't it something that I've already asked for your permission beforehand?"

Tashian frowned at his absurdity.

When in the world did Ikshid ask for his permission?

But in the end, he answered with a sigh.

"…. Of course."

When he gave his semi-forced permission, Selena looked back at Eun-woo, as if implying to understand her situation. Eun-woo smiled and gestured to Selena, to follow after Ikshid.

She had learned a lesson since the last masquerade.

It was that the flow of Crown Prince's wishes can't be resisted.

'No matter how hard I try on my own, the relationship I met may eventually come to an end.'

As an example, the meeting between the two main characters of the novel, which she tried to prevent from happening, had taken place in a place that she had never thought of.

Of course, that didn't mean that she would just wait and watch as the future unfolds which would lead to the worst scenario. However, it was necessary to admit that the direction of the novel had changed a tan.

If she forcibly created the relationship that should have been made for nothing, it would only make the reverse effect worse.

Eun-woo wanted to put off her worries about what to do in the future and bless the future of the two new lovers. And with that thought, she looked at the back of Ikshid's disappearance with Selena.

'How come the petals are strangely scattered only on the side of Imperial Brother… it must be my mistake.'

Eun-woo shook her head inside, looking at Selena, who was walking upright without any disruption, and Ikshid, who was constantly leaning toward Selena.

'I still remember that Crown Prince Ikshid made a name for himself as a playboy… How did it happen?'

But there was one fact that she had overlooked.

That Ikshid was not the only man who fell in love on the spot.

Eun-woo didn't notice much, but the Duke, who stood next to her like a regular monk, was also another man blinded by love in the eyes of others in the novel.

"How was Johannes's lesson? Did it help you a little?"

As soon as Ikshid disappeared, Tashian took a long step toward Eun-Woo and asked,

"Oh, Tashian. Today is my first day, so I'm just on my way here with a brief explanation of the role of the head of the household and his work."

Of course, even the content was not simple.

Tashian muttered, looking worriedly at her strangely distorted face.

"Is there anything you don't understand?"

Eun-woo liked the interest he showed to her, so she tried to answer the truth, but again changed her mind. It would be so heartbreaking if he thought she was an idiot.

She was determined to remember his back, who always sat at his desk in the office and handled his duty every day. She can't believe he has been carrying all these troubles on his own. Suddenly, she felt sorry for him.

Eun-woo smiled brightly at Tashian and replied.

"No, but I have a lot of things to study. I'm afraid I'll have to stay up all night?"

Tomorrow, there was a small tea party with young ladies who were close to each other who were also at the masquerade ball, so she only had time this evening to prepare for the second class the day after tomorrow.

Tashian, looking carefully at her face with a thoughtful look on his face. He asked, pointing at a piece of parchment in her hand.

"What's that?"

"Oh, here's the stuff Johannes gave me. It will be more helpful if I learn it while watching….."

However, Eun-Woo's expression was troubled when she said that. The data Johannes gave her weren't just words, but in fact, they were like real documents used when working. The document was full of jargon that seemed alien to her, who was not yet accustomed with all these. They were documents that would only amplify her confusion.

Tashian, who was struggling with something, suddenly rejoiced and said to her,

"I have something for you. Can you follow me for a second?"

Eun-woo nodded with her puzzled expression .

After a while, he led her to the Duke's bedroom on the third floor. It was the room opposite the corridor, facing the Duchess' bedroom, which she uses as a temporary residence.

"Tashian, this is…."

Eun-woo was constantly looking around, with her cheeks reddened because of the servants gazing at them.

Looking at her, Tashian comforted her affectionately.

"Don't worry. I'm just going to take out something and get out right away. And I have given strict orders on the third floor so that only the maids I gave access to can enter."

"S, still…."

It was rather unpleasant that two unmarried nobles, a man and a woman, entered the same bedroom in broad daylight.

Eun-woo pushed Tashian, who was covering the door and opened her mouth.

"We, well, I'll just wait outside. Please bring it out quickly."

Then Tashian stiffened his face as if she was talking nonsense.

"What are you talking about? It's even weirder to wait outside. What are you going to say when someone sees you?"

When the door was opened half, he added, gently pulling her wrist back inside.

"No one can enter my bedroom without permission, so don't worry, come here."

Eun-woo couldn't find anything to refute his serious voice.

And while hesitating, Eun-woo was dragged into the bedroom with her wrist held by him.

Eun-woo, who entered his bedroom, gulped down as she looked at the dark and empty room compared to the other bedrooms.

He was a man who had been on the battlefield for three years. When he came back, he ate and slept in the office because of her, and it was strange that his bedroom smelled like there was a person coming here every day.

Tashian, who had brought her into the bedroom, strode to the table beside the bedroom without hesitation, and began to search inside the drawer.

Eun-woo stared at him with a baffled look and glanced at the room.

"… Doesn't this look very different from the duchess' bedroom?"

Eun-woo opened her mouth, looking at the gray room landscape, where even the common frames and candlesticks were not found. To her question, he searched the drawer and answered.

"It's like that. The bedroom you are using is a newly renovated room. Originally, there was nothing special about that bedroom."

The only people who could use the third floor of the duke's main building were the duchess and their young children. But it was a long time ago that she heard a baby crying in the duke's house.

The new owner, who was born at least, also had more time to leave the country due to frequent wars and overseas work than to stay in. Naturally, his bedroom became a place where he could not play more than a place to sleep by accident rather than a warm resting place with a warm warmth.

Tashian muttered as he continued to search for what he was looking for.

"I didn't use this room as a bedroom much before you came. I also didn't like this room very much. I usually sleep in the office actually…."

Eun-woo waited for an answer, wondering what he couldn't say. But Tashian did not speak any more.

Then he finally found something in the bottom drawer of a large closet in a corner of the bedroom.

"I found it."

Eun-woo rushed to his side and watched him shake off a fairly large bundle of parchment dust with his forearms.

A fairly large bale of paper, one or two spans thick, was tied with twine with a faded leather cover.

Eun-woo then asked in a curious voice.

"What book is this?"

"The notes that I took down when I first learned how to manage housework."

Replied Tashian, as if it was nothing. But Eun-woo looked at him with her eyes wide open in surprise.

"You've learned to do the housework, too…?"

When Eun-woo asked, Tashian looked as if he could not grasp the intention of her question.

Eun-Woo was flustered.

"Ah, No… … Of course, everyone has their first times, but at least as much as you, it seems like you've been holding a quill and signing documents since you were born… ?"

The way she had seen him was always a competent duke who was good and tidy. She can't believe he also has a student side in him. There was no image that came to her mind at all. Because she didn't think he was the first person to learn something.

Tashian answered her, handing the book to her.

"What are you talking about? Of course I learned how to work at first. Johannes is a gifted genius who doesn't understand why others don't understand his explanation. I also had a hard time waking up while learning from her. But if you study hard enough, I can assure you that it will definitely help you later. She is such a capable person."

Eun-woo took the booklet from him and was surprised at the heaviness of the weight.

Then she heard him move his body.

Before Tashian knew it, he approached his bed and sat there slightly. Looking at Tashian, Eun-woo hesitated for a moment whether to follow him and sit together or leave the room after thanking him.

Tashian spoke, beckoning to her. He had a smile on his face.

"What are you doing? Come here."

With his natural gesture and expression as if luring a wary stray cat, Eun-woo approached him and sat down as if she was attracted to a magnet.

This was largely due to the innocence of his expression. And besides that, there was also a reason why there were not many opportunities to be alone with him these days.

Either way, her heart swelled with anticipation.