TCBCVF 130

~Chapter 130~

“What?”

Seraphina doubted her own ears for a moment.

Isaac sneered again.

“How could a lady who didn’t even receive an invitation dare to show her face at the welcoming banquet?”

Seraphina’s face flushed red with shame.

‘But… Laritte is surely invited.’

On top of that, Laritte was even helping with the preparations for the banquet.

Even if Laritte was the Duke’s lover, people still believed that she, Seraphina, was the High Priest’s lover.

So why was it different for her?

Isaac glanced at Seraphina out of the corner of his eye.

Her face was so red it looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

‘Hah, women.’

Isaac clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Can’t they act rationally?’

Always showing tears the moment they’re at a disadvantage—unable to control their emotions.

But still—

‘She’s an investment.’

If he cut ties with Seraphina now, all the effort and time he had put into her would go to waste.

There was no need to throw away a tool that might still prove useful one day, just because of a fleeting annoyance.

“Still, who knows what might happen.”

Suppressing his irritation, Isaac tried to soothe her.

“If you keep building your friendship with Her Majesty the Empress, you might be invited to the next banquet.”

“…High Priest.”

“Surely Lady Lopez knows the teachings of the Holy Scripture well?”

Isaac pressed her with subtle pressure.

“Be grateful for what you have.”

“…”

“If you become too greedy, you could lose even what you already hold.”

Seraphina lowered her head, completely deflated.

“Yes, your words are right, High Priest.”

Yes, if she waited, the opportunity would come again.

And the only one who could create that chance for her was High Priest Evans.

‘Besides, wasn’t it the High Priest who already gave me the link to the Empress in the first place?’

Seraphina tried to convince herself.

At the same time, Isaac rose from his seat and opened the door.

“Let’s meet again next time.”

It was clearly a sign for her to leave.

Even though his attitude was dripping with annoyance, Seraphina couldn’t even open her lips to protest.

“…Yes, I’ll see you again next time.”

All she could do was leave with a pitiful bow.

Once Seraphina was gone—

“Hah, it’s irritating when she oversteps like that…”

Isaac leaned lazily back in his chair, muttering in dissatisfaction.

Seraphina Lopez.

Pretty enough looks, a flattering tongue that pleased others, and a lowly status that made her easy to handle.

That was why he had chosen her as a tool.

As a connection to the Empress, she was suitable enough.

Her greed and vanity also worked to his liking.

If he scratched those feelings just a little, she would move exactly as he intended.

But—

‘I’ll use her for a while, then throw her away.’

He hated women who whined and clung to him.

Isaac’s eyes turned cold.

Time passed, and the day of the meeting with Rosburn’s delegation arrived.

I stood in front of the townhouse, a little nervous, waiting for the Duke and Lady Eva.

‘The delegation arrived yesterday, right?’

Since they had come a long way, they rested yesterday and decided to hold the meeting today.

‘I hope… the banquet will leave them with good memories too.’

After all, Lady Eva had poured her heart into preparing it.

She carefully checked the guest list for the banquet, chose the tableware and decorations herself, and even made sure not to use flowers with scents too strong, so they wouldn’t clash with the food.

Her work was so meticulous that even Her Majesty the Empress had been impressed.

“My goodness, Lady Eva. I heard you’ve been acting like the true mistress of House Claudius these days… splendid.”

“It’s all thanks to Lari’s help.”

And Lady Eva credited me for it.

Really, our Lady Eva wasn’t just beautiful, lovable, and smart—she was even humble.

Meanwhile, the Duke had looked a little sulky about how much time we were spending preparing for the banquet.

“Lari, aren’t you too busy these days?”

When he managed to sneak in a short break to see me, the Duke immediately wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder.

‘Good heavens, what if someone sees us!’

I panicked inside, but I couldn’t bring myself to push him away.

To be honest… I had really missed him too.

Thankfully, no one was around.

“I just want to spend more time with you.”

His voice tickled my ear.

“But Duke—no, Dietrich—you’re busy too, yet you keep saying this only to me…”

I protested, but he deliberately replied in an even gloomier voice:

“Yes, the one who loves more has to give in.”

“What? No, that’s not the problem—!”

My voice rose in frustration.

The Duke chuckled softly, then whispered sweetly in my ear:

“Still, seeing you and Eva working together looked nice.”

“What? When did you see us?”

“I stopped by the banquet hall earlier. You two looked so busy, I didn’t dare disturb you.”

…So he had even come to the banquet hall.

I was momentarily dazed.

Then the Duke teased me again with a sly smile.

“Well? Now do you believe that I love you more?”

Thinking of his strong arms around me and that low, warm laugh…

‘Why is it that whenever I think of the Duke, my face gets so hot?’

I fanned my cheeks with my hands.

“Lari!”

Just then, a lively voice called me.

Lady Eva poked her head out of the carriage window with a bright smile.

“Did you wait long?”

“No, not at all.”

I shook my head.

At the same time, the carriage door opened.

“Lari.”

The Duke stepped down and personally offered his hand to escort me.

‘Huh?’

I tilted my head.

The Duke looked strangely sulky again. Was it just my imagination?

He grumbled in a sharp tone:

“Eva doesn’t really need to come with us, does she?”

Ah, so he really was sulking…

I let out a helpless laugh.

Lady Eva and I had to help the Empress check the banquet hall, while the Duke needed to attend the meeting.

So we had all decided to enter the palace together.

“The time lovers have together is so precious.”

The Duke furrowed his brows.

“Eva just doesn’t understand that.”

…Clearly, he didn’t like having his sister along.

Well, to be fair, we hadn’t had any time alone together recently.

Honestly… I also felt a little disappointed about that.

‘Anyway.’

As I got into the carriage, I stole a glance at the Duke.

‘Why does his outfit look so familiar?’

A smooth, plain cravat in a shade of blue.

Shiny polished shoes.

And the refreshing fragrance brushing past my nose…

‘Tobre perfume?’

At that moment, our old conversation came back to me.

“What colors do you prefer?”

“I like blue.”

“Do you prefer patterned or plain cravats?”

“Usually plain ones, depending on the occasion.”

“For shoes, glossy or matte?”

“It doesn’t matter much. Whatever matches the outfit better.”

We had even talked about perfumes back then.

…Could it be?

I stared at him in surprise.

As if sensing my gaze, the Duke glanced back at me.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s just…”

No, maybe I was overthinking.

But while I hesitated, the Duke averted his eyes and spoke quietly:

“You’re right about what you’re thinking.”

“…What?”

Still avoiding my gaze, he repeated firmly:

“I dressed this way on purpose, to match your taste—because I want to look good for you, Lari.”