Chapter 42
“Count. Do you have something to say to me?”
Rohwinas glanced at the man in front of him.
“No, I do not.”
Ishtan Gladinare.
Most nobles didn’t know, but through his father, the Duke, Rohwinas already knew where this man came from.
The illegitimate son of the previous duke.
And…
“Well then, I have another appointment, so I’ll end the escort here.”
As the duke walked across the central courtyard, he stopped and said that.
The morning sunlight hit his face, but his eyes were pitch-black — without a single spark of light.
They were like a bottomless pit — impossible to read what he was thinking.
“What kind of appointment?”
Rohwinas asked.
He didn’t have any real reason to keep talking.
But something unpleasant kept stirring inside his head — a feeling that made him hesitate.
A strange discomfort that made him not want to walk away just yet.
“My appointment?”
The duke, who had half turned his body, looked back at him.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“……”
Rohwinas’s lips tightened into a thin line — neither a smile nor a frown.
“I noticed that while speaking to me, you kept glancing out the window.”
“……”
“And now, you’ve come all the way here with me under the excuse of an escort.”
“……”
“At this point, I just have to ask.”
At that moment, an emotion he couldn’t name suddenly rose inside Rohwinas.
It was… hostility.
But why?
He didn’t let himself dwell on the thought, but deep down, he had already come to a conclusion.
Something like this—
Ishtan Gladinare had personally recommended Baroness Roxan to the Emperor.
He had even asked that she be assigned under his command.
And not long ago, during the royal hunt, he had been seen carrying the injured Baroness in his arms for everyone to see.
If it were the Anastasia Roxan he knew, she would have rejected such an offer immediately.
But maybe this time… she had accepted.
As time passed, his suspicion had turned into certainty.
The woman who had stayed hidden inside her mansion for years — suddenly reappeared in public.
He had personally witnessed her meeting with her family’s magician.
He had no solid proof, but he knew they had used an oath in their exchange.
He didn’t yet know what she was planning, but for him — someone who had lived through her past — it could only mean one thing.
Anastasia Roxan was going to cause another “incident.”
And if the man before him went through the same thing he had four years ago…
The thought filled him with an unbearable disgust that boiled from his feet to his head.
How dare she.
Rohwinas opened his mouth.
“May I give Your Grace one piece of advice?”
The duke’s dark gaze turned toward him.
“If you can make it short.”
Just then, a window on the first floor of the nearby building opened, and someone called out with a bright voice,
“Good morning, Your Grace.”
A soft face. A kind voice.
It was Anastasia Roxan.
Rohwinas whispered to himself, without realizing it—
How dare you.
“You came early today.”
When I arrived at the duke’s office building, I was greeted by his assistant — who looked very annoyed.
If I had come late, he would’ve glared at me for that too. Now that I came early, he was still glaring.
“Oh, really? That’s fine. I’ll just wait, then.”
I replied calmly, unfazed.
No matter how much he disliked me, it wasn’t like we’d stop seeing each other.
In the end, it was him who’d suffer for staying annoyed all the time.
“…Follow me, then.”
As I walked behind him, I asked,
“Seems like His Grace stepped out for a bit?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not something serious like last time, is it?”
“If you’re curious, why don’t you ask him directly later, instead of sneaking around behind his back?”
“You really don’t like me, do you?”
“Would you, if you were me?”
When the duke was around, this man never did more than glare. But today, he was unusually talkative.
“You know, we’ll keep seeing each other for a while. Maybe we should separate work and personal feelings?”
“You’re not really one to talk about professionalism.”
“Why not?”
His eyes flashed with contempt.
“Do I really have to explain? Maybe take a good look at yourself.”
“You shouldn’t believe every rumor you hear. I’ve heard your boss has had trouble with baseless gossip too.”
“I’m not bothered by that. And in your case — it’s not gossip, is it?”
“……”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t even care whether it’s true.”
“……”
“But let me warn you — don’t get any closer to His Grace. Not in private, not in business.”
I turned toward the window and opened it wide.
Through the neatly trimmed bushes outside, I could see the duke standing straight.
“Good morning, Your Grace.”
The duke looked up at me.
I raised my hand and waved lightly.
He turned slightly toward me and smiled faintly — even raised his hand in return.
I wasn’t expecting that, so a small, awkward smile escaped my lips.
“I came a little early, didn’t I?”
My voice rang clearly in the cool morning air.
“No. Not at all.”
The duke walked closer, stopping near the window.
The way he tilted his chin and looked up at me was… unexpectedly gentle.
I glanced at the assistant beside me — who was glaring like he could burn a hole in my back — and said,
“Your assistant said you weren’t here, so I was going to wait.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright then.”
I nodded — but suddenly noticed something.
“Ah, wait.”
“Yes?”
Instead of answering, I reached out and plucked a small leaf stuck to his collar.
“You had this on you.”
“……”
The duke glanced down and touched the spot where the leaf had been, a little awkwardly.
He looked almost shy — like someone unused to being touched.
As I watched him straighten his clothes, the bushes behind him rustled.
And then I saw who had been hidden there the whole time.
I almost bit my tongue.
The faint smile on my face disappeared completely.
Rohwinas was standing there.
He was staring at me with an expression I had never seen before — sharp as a needle, coiling like a snake.
But his gaze was soon blocked — because the duke stepped forward, standing between us.
“Go on ahead.”
I nodded.
I could still feel Rohwinas’s eyes following me from behind, but I didn’t look back.
The assistant walked beside me.
“You remember the way?”
“I’ve been here before, remember?”
He frowned but didn’t reply.
It wasn’t that he was angry — it was more like he’d suddenly gotten curious, which somehow made me even more uncomfortable.
Anyone who saw me freeze and flee at the sight of Rohwinas would probably be curious.
“……”
And so, I found myself sitting alone on the sofa inside the duke’s office — waiting for him to return.
The assistant had left after showing me in.
Leaning back with my arms crossed, I started thinking.
Why was Rohwinas there?
Then I realized it wasn’t strange at all.
They were both from noble houses, around the same age.
Both were considered part of the new power rising among the nobility — though they came from opposite sides.
The Gladinare family, whose power came from military success.
And the Canesion family, deeply rooted in traditional politics.
Before long, the door opened, and the duke came in.
I straightened immediately.
I was here today to be honest with him.
He poured me a glass of cold water and pushed it toward me.
It was a small gesture, but I appreciated it — and drank it all at once.
The back of my neck felt hot; maybe from nerves.
The water was sweet and cool.
I looked at the duke calmly.
He sat across from me, one leg crossed over the other.
“Feeling better now?”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
I cleared my throat.
“May I speak now?”
“Go ahead.”
“I went there last week to find clues about the person who gave me the love potion.”
“Did you find anything?”
“…Pardon?”
“Did you find any clues?”
“…No. But that place was full of heretics.”
“I see.”
The duke nodded slightly — and then said,
“So that’s why you secretly took that man’s belongings during the royal hunt.”
“!”
There was a faint smile in his eyes.
“You thought I didn’t know?”
“…Yes.”
“Next time you want to hide something, don’t keep looking at it, touching it, or glancing around nervously. People notice.”
“…Yes. I’ll remember that.”
My head slowly lowered.
