HMDBUY 11

Episode 11

“You… you really want to go right now?”

Luna tried to stay calm, but her voice was clearly flustered.

“I’ve already made my plan to visit the Duke while you were recovering, Lady Luna. I think today is the perfect day to go.”

“Isn’t that a bit too rushed? We don’t even know if the Duke is home. Wouldn’t it be better to make an appointment first?”

Oh, he’s definitely home. Definitely.

Peredil is the classic homebody who lives a boring routine of home-work-home. It’s his day off today, so he’s probably killing time in his study—or at most, practicing swordsmanship somewhere inside the mansion.

“If he’s not home, I’ll just wait all night. It’s fine.”

Even after that, Luna still looked doubtful. It made me feel a bit drained.

“Lady Luna.”

I put on a serious expression and changed my tone to match.

“My acting career is on the line. Do you really think I’d go without a plan?”

Seeing how serious I was, Luna looked apologetic.

“I guess I didn’t take your determination seriously enough. I’ll send a message to the Duke’s estate.”

Finally, I got her approval. I quickly got ready and stepped into the carriage. In the dream, Peredil had stormed the Woodville mansion.

But now, in reality, I was the one storming his mansion.

Just you wait, Peredil.

I’m coming to fight!

“You didn’t have to come and apologize.”

Peredil didn’t even look at me. He was seated in his study, staring hard at a book.

“I didn’t come to apologize.”

Surprised by my answer, Peredil fumbled while turning a page, then looked at me. His mood clearly soured, and he shut the book with a loud snap.

“Then why are you here?”

We locked eyes, neither of us backing down.

“You sent a messenger just moments before showing up—without giving me any time to prepare for a proper meeting.”

“The Count and Countess told me to ask for your forgiveness. That’s why I came.”

“I’m not planning to accept an apology, and you’re not really offering one. Seems like a waste of time for both of us.”

That was basically his way of saying, Go home. But I couldn’t leave so easily.

I came here to fight with you.

I need Peredil to hate me by the end of today. If we’re going to have a “hate relationship,” both sides have to hate each other equally.

So I’d have to take his words and twist them, mock him, or annoy him with ridiculous things.

…At this rate, I’m basically becoming a villainess.

To really get into character, I reminded myself of the situation.

A girl from a common background, adopted into the noble Woodville family… meeting her angelic, kind sister. A sister who was dragged to the capital and suffered thanks to the rumors caused by this man.

It made sense to feel anger toward the man in front of me.

“What about the rumors about my sister that started because of you? Did you clear them up?”

“That… I suppose I should tell you. Yes, I’ve already cleared them up. So you can stop worrying—no, you don’t need to worry anymore.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. If you hadn’t done it, I was going to go all over the capital myself to fix those rumors.”

“You sisters must be very close.”

Now’s my chance! That’s the perfect line to pick a fight with!

Peredil had probably said it casually, but I made a sour face.

“Are you mocking me for standing up for my sister even though we’re not real siblings?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I already know how nobles look down on adopted daughters from the countryside. But I didn’t expect you to think I’m just a leech clinging to the Woodville family.”

“I told you, that’s not what I meant!”

Maybe my twisting of his words was too much, because Peredil, who had been calm, now raised his voice.

“Then what did you mean? The same things I’ve been hearing over and over since I got here are now coming out of your mouth too. What am I supposed to think?”

“Ha… so that’s what you think of me. Why do you hate me so much when you don’t even know me?”

“And why should I know you? I don’t want to know a single thing about you!”

I shouted, making sure my voice echoed loudly in the room. I added bold hand gestures and moved my body energetically after standing still with one foot out for so long. Exaggerated movements help express emotional outbursts.

Peredil slammed his desk and stood up, just as worked up as me.

“Do you think I care whether you know me or not? Whether you slap me or tell me to my face that you hate me, I wouldn’t have cared! At least, not until you barged into my space and started this chaos!”

He was clearly furious now.

Most people get angry when they’re upset—but Peredil wasn’t like most people. He usually hid his emotions and chose his words carefully. For him to show this much anger toward someone was a historic moment. We both knew it.

After expressing everything, we just stared at each other, breathing hard.

Rather than dragging the fight on, it would be better to end things here—while our emotions were still raw. That way, the hate would linger.

“Good. This is perfect.”

I dropped my tone and spoke with a sarcastic smile.

“I don’t want to know anything about you. And you clearly don’t want to explain yourself to me. So let’s not waste our time or get upset anymore. Just… stay away from my sister.”

“I’ll make sure you never have to see my face again. And honestly, I hate seeing yours too.”

That was the end of our verbal battle.

Just as important as when to appear is when to leave. So the moment the room went silent, I turned and stormed out of the study.

After the “scene” ended, I calmed myself, got in the carriage, and reviewed the whole encounter in my head.

Peredil, who never acted without thinking, showed his emotions right away. He even said to my face that he hated me. That was a good sign.

I wondered how he would feel about the fight. If I know him, he’s probably regretting how much he talked.

For me, there’s nothing to regret. It was a perfectly successful meeting—I made sure the hate was real.

The silence during the Duke’s dinner wasn’t anything new for his maids.

But today, something felt different, even to the ones who were used to his quiet meals.

He still sat without expression, eating slowly like always—but this time, there was something in his eyes. He looked… lost in thought.

And he was.

Usually, he spent his evenings reading or practicing swordsmanship alone after work at the palace.

But today, he had a visitor.

The red-haired woman who kept replaying in his mind.

Their first meeting was like a storm, but he hadn’t thought much of it. No one stays caught up on passing gusts of wind.

Even when she showed up at the mansion like a whirlwind, he was only planning to accept her apology and send her away. She didn’t seem like the type to regret her actions, so he assumed she was only here because her parents told her to apologize.

And yet… she was just as bold and arrogant as before.

Did she have two lives or something?

He ended up getting caught in her provocation and shouted back at her. He even argued with a woman who had only just arrived in the capital. That, he did regret.

But none of his maids had any idea what was going through his mind.

How long had it been since this house felt so chaotic? His talk with her stirred up such intense anger that it nearly drowned out reason. And yet, now that she was gone, he felt strangely relieved.

It had been so long since he had let his emotions show… so long since he had spoken without thinking so hard first.

There was something… oddly refreshing about it.

Still, when he remembered the way she looked at him with those hateful eyes, his face twisted in annoyance.

A woman so completely different from her sister—and yet just as irritating in her own way.

That’s what he thought.