--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, outside the store, in a nearby alley, a gaze was fixed on Leticia.
It was a tail assigned by Peytan.
'Is the Duchess planning to do business with that man?'
The store's door was closed, so the exact content wasn't audible, but the lengthy conversation seemed suspicious.
Following Peytan's order to monitor Leticia's every move, the man recorded her actions in a notebook.
'And it would be good to write about Duke Dellua who is with her... Huh?'
The man, who lifted his head from the notebook to observe Idris, was startled.
In the short moment he was scribbling in the notebook, Idris had disappeared.
"Where did he go? He was definitely next to the Duchess a moment ago..."
He widened his eyes and waited a while longer, but Idris was nowhere to be seen.
'Did he go up to the second floor? Well, I only need to monitor the Duchess, so it doesn't matter.'
As the man, who had glanced around one last time, was about to put the notebook in his inside pocket, he heard a voice.
"Looking for someone?"
At the same time as the voice that shouldn't be heard, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.
The man, creakingly turning his head, saw...
Golden eyes that didn't seem human.
A shiver ran down his spine.
"U, uh-huh!"
The man, horrified and trying to run away, tripped over Idris's foot and fell in a ridiculous manner.
He hurriedly pulled out a dagger and pointed it.
"D, don't come any closer!"
However, Idris looked down at him with cold eyes and approached with leisurely steps.
At the same time, a sharp dagger flew towards his face.
Whoosh!
But the dagger, thrown haphazardly in fear, didn't hit him.
Idris just tilted his head slightly and dodged the dagger.
He then immediately used magic to knock away the man's dagger, and quickly grabbed him by the collar.
'Fast... and strong!'
A relaxed expression as if his desperate struggles were trivial, overwhelming power.
Only then did the man realize.
That the beautiful man in front of him was a war hero, a great mage, and the mad dog of the imperial palace.
Overwhelmed by instinctive fear, the man immediately changed his attitude.
"P, please spare me, Your Highness! I, I was just doing as I was told!"
"That depends on your answer."
"..."
"Who is it?"
Idris unknowingly revealed his murderous intent, and was then taken aback by his own appearance.
He was used to being tailed.
The late Empress, Deon's mother, was always desperate to kill him, as he was favored by the Emperor.
The tea he liked would come out poisoned a few days later.
His beloved hunting falcon returned as a corpse.
On the battlefield, he had to fight the enemy during the day and assassins sent by the Empress at night.
After the Empress died, being tailed almost disappeared, except when Deon occasionally had him followed.
In any case, it meant it was no different from his daily life.
But...
'This guy was tailing Leticia.'
Just because Leticia was involved, uncontrollable anger and the fear he felt in his powerless childhood surged up.
The first thought that came to Idris's mind upon realizing that emotion was a question.
'Why? What's so special about that woman?'
A contract lover to buy time until he found Aria.
A business partner who owns a magic stone mine.
And a woman who, with her unexpected actions, has recently become a source of joy in his daily life.
Yes, only that...
'Why am I so angry?'
The thought of this man selling her information while he wasn't with Leticia...
Made the blood in his whole body run cold.
"Peytan Farnese? Or Deon Zahir?"
"I, if I say that, I'll die. Please, have mercy..."
The man closed his eyes tightly, expecting further violence or intimidation.
But the voice he heard was unexpectedly casual.
"Really? Then there's nothing I can do."
The man opened his eyes, dumbfounded.
At the same time, he realized, seeing the murderous intent in Idris's golden eyes.
"If you're useless..."
"..."
"Then there's no value in me keeping you alive."
The meaning of that casual voice.
With Idris's mad smile as the last thing he saw, the man's eyes were filled with blood.
Elise glanced sideways at Peytan, who had just finished his meal.
It was a rare meal together.
After Leticia left the mansion.
Peytan had to take charge of the entire business, so it was difficult to even see each other's faces for a meal.
'Peytan looks tired, but I have to say it today.'
Swallowing hard, Elise carefully brought up the topic, having strengthened her resolve.
"Um, Peytan."
Peytan, who had just rinsed his mouth with wine, gestured as if asking what was wrong.
"How about we get engaged before the National Foundation Day?"
"What?"
"Actually, everyone knows that things are over with the Duchess, right? So there's no need to hide our relationship anymore..."
Elise wanted to become Peytan's wife, or at least his fiancée, before the National Foundation Day.
Until now, Peytan's wealth would soon become hers, so she participated in delaying the divorce to save on alimony.
'But now that things have gone wrong, Peytan's divorce has become a certainty, even if it hasn't been officially recognized, right?'
As things went awry, Elise no longer wanted to restrain her greed.
'I don't want to attend the National Foundation Day as a mistress!'
Of course, even if she became Peytan's fiancée or the Duchess, the label of 'mistress' would follow her.
But anyway, if she officially became the Duke's fiancée, people in high society would bow down to her in front of her.
And above all.
'Leticia, that woman, will be attending as the Duke's lover, right?'
She had to be at least the Duchess or the Duke's fiancée to show that she was above her.
But despite Elise's consideration and waiting for Peytan, he instead snapped back at her.
"Haa... Elise. You only think about yourself? I'm too busy, where would I find the time to do something like that?"
"N, no, it's not that! I'm worried that people will think the Duchy is in danger because the mistress has disappeared!"
"Rather than going through the divorce process and preparing for an engagement ceremony in that short amount of time, I'd rather endure those rumors."
As the excuse she quickly came up with became useless, Elise closed her mouth, speechless.
Peytan went even further.
"And Elise, wouldn't it be better for you not to attend the National Foundation Day?"
"...Why?"
"Haa, do I have to explain this again... Do you really love me?"
"What are you talking about all of a sudden? Of course I love you."
"Then shouldn't you at least think about living frugally for me, who's having a hard time these days?"
"What does that-"
"If you attend the National Foundation Day, you'll buy a bunch of dresses and necklaces again, right? Whose pocket does all that money come from? How can you only think about yourself?"
As Peytan drove her into a corner as if she were pathetic, Elise, who had been holding back, also became angry.
"Is it that precious? Those dresses and necklaces aren't that expensive for you!"
"Of course not. But the heart is important, the heart. Your heart that thinks of me!"
Elise was speechless and just let out a sigh.
'You acted like you'd do anything for me!'
With the obstacle between them disappearing as Leticia left the Duchy, Peytan began to treat her as a fish he had completely caught.
He easily got annoyed, regretted spending money on her, and found her bothersome.
Peytan, belatedly realizing that he had made a stingy remark, cleared his throat, worried about his reputation, and continued.
"Ahem, and. The reason I said not to attend the National Foundation Day is also for your sake."
Elise, whose emotions were heightened, looked at Peytan with resentful eyes, as if asking what that meant.
"If you go to the National Foundation Day, people will keep gossiping about you. I'm saying it for your mental and physical stability."
He pretended to be genuinely worried about Elise and looked at her stomach, hidden under the table.
"Now that we're on the topic, is our child growing well?"
Comments
Post a Comment