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The next day.
I visited Duke Dellua's mansion as promised.
'I expected it... but it's huge.'
I stared at the mansion with slightly dazed eyes.
It was an enormous townhouse, befitting the reputation of the third wealthiest family in the empire.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and an elderly butler politely escorted me.
"Welcome, Duchess Farnese. His Highness is waiting for you."
I clasped my hands together, trying to hide the slight tremble of nervousness, and followed the butler.
Even though he had asked to meet first, I couldn't help but feel nervous, considering who he was.
An illegitimate prince from the slums.
Despised by the nobles because of his background, he suppressed their resentment with his achievements in war.
A man who silenced the nobles with his wealth by achieving great success in business.
'The mad dog of the Imperial Palace, the Grim Reaper of the battlefield, the money-crazed devil...'
...Anyway, he had every bad reputation imaginable.
But I mustn't show any hesitation or weakness.
Showing weakness in a negotiation is an invitation to be devoured.
While making that resolution, I arrived in front of the drawing room.
"Your Highness, Duchess Farnese has arrived."
I swallowed hard, looking at the closed door.
Soon, a languid, deep male voice came from inside the drawing room.
"Let her in."
Entering the drawing room, I met the man's eyes and paused.
"It's been a while, Duchess."
The moment I met his gold eyes, sharp as if they were carved from the darkness of night.
My heart instinctively sank.
It was as if I had encountered a beast in the dark, an overwhelming sense of intimidation emanating from his very being.
But it was only for a moment.
Soon, something else caught my eye.
What caught my eye was not his intimidation or his unrealistically handsome appearance, but...
'...Why is his face glowing?'
The glittering man himself, Idris Dellua, shone like the most precious thing in the world, even though he wasn't a valuable 'object'.
Right now, what this means is...
'Does this mean I absolutely have to succeed in negotiating with this man and bring him to my side?'
The sparkle effect seemed to answer my question, making him even more radiant.
Okay, fine.
'If this man is beneficial to me...'
I'll give it a try.
I answered with a bright smile, refusing to be defeated.
"Thank you for welcoming me despite the sudden notice."
"I couldn't resist being curious about why the Duchess, who's been avoiding me, asked to meet first."
Ouch.
How did this guy know?
I'm the only one who knows that Idris is the villain in the original story, so I was careful to avoid him as discreetly as possible.
But even if it's an obvious lie, admitting it here would be crazy.
"...Avoiding you? I would never. It must have been a series of coincidences."
Idris stared at me, who was trying to laugh it off.
His leisurely smiling face seemed to see right through me.
But he didn't pursue it further and moved on.
"Wouldn't it be impolite to get straight to the point?"
"If Your Highness is busy, we can get straight to the point. I wouldn't want to take up too much of your precious time."
That's what I want, actually...
But I can't just barge in and say, 'Yes, that's right!' when I'm the one making the offer.
'By the way, that voice. I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.'
A languid but eerie voice, carrying the energy of dawn.
Just as I was trying to recall that voice, Idris broke the silence first.
"Do you know how to play chess?"
Chess, all of a sudden?
Come to think of it, there was a chessboard on the table between Idris and me.
"A little...?"
"That's good."
As I answered absentmindedly, Idris began to set up the chessboard.
"Then, how about we listen to the Duchess's proposal if you can beat me at chess?"
The eyes he met crinkled slightly, smiling seductively.
The moment I saw that smile, I knew it instinctively.
This man would not be easy at all.
"Ladies first."
Letizia was given the white pieces by Idris, gaining the first move.
At first, they were evenly matched, but as the game progressed, Idris began to fall behind little by little.
Letizia foresaw Idris's moves, and he moved exactly as she predicted.
But even as his chess pieces disappeared one by one, Idris remained relaxed.
From the very beginning of the game, victory had been destined for Letizia.
Because he had decided to let her win.
Nevertheless, the reason he had suggested a chess game to her in the first place was...
'...She's not afraid of me, even when I'm right in front of her.'
It was to figure out Letizia.
People who met him usually fell into two categories.
Those who were afraid of him after hearing his rumors.
And those who were mesmerized by his appearance and couldn't take their eyes off him.
He had hardly spoken to Letizia, but until now, the Letizia he knew belonged to the former category.
In other words, she was no different from other people, except for her unique appearance.
'Ah, except for those eyes that remind me of 'someone'.'
That was definitely the case...
But the woman he met again showed no signs of fear, even when he was right in front of her.
Of course, she didn't stare at his face in a daze like the others either.
She was simply doing her best to win this game.
'What changed this woman?'
The fact that she didn't belong to either category, the fact that she had changed, piqued his interest.
It was then that Idris was gazing intently at her face.
Letizia, who had been fidgeting with the chess pieces and staring intently at the board, looked up.
Unlike other people who instinctively avoided eye contact with him, she looked straight at him without avoiding his gaze.
"Isn't a game where the outcome is obvious boring?"
At her sudden question, Idris was puzzled. Letizia dropped the chess piece she was holding onto the floor.
Clatter.
The sound of the chess piece falling and rolling on the floor echoed in the quiet drawing room.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Letizia began to drop the chess pieces on her side one by one.
The relaxed smile on Idris's face narrowed.
He couldn't read the meaning of Letizia's sudden behavior.
"What are you doing—"
By the time Letizia stopped dropping the chess pieces, her position had become completely disadvantageous.
"Then, how about this?"
With that, she rotated the chessboard so that her white side faced Idris.
She seemed to have realized that he had been toying with her, even though she thought she had created a plausible game.
Usually, women, even if they realized it, would be embarrassed by his manners.
But Letizia, instead of being pleased with it, came at him aggressively.
That attitude...
"...Interesting. Definitely."
It stimulated him properly.
In fact, during the chess game, it wasn't just Idris who was watching Letizia.
Letizia was also analyzing him.
Because games are one of the simplest ways to grasp the other person's nature.
'Idris isn't interested in things with predictable outcomes.'
Unfortunately, she was no match for him, and he didn't seem interested in this game where it was obvious that he would win.
But there was one thing.
There was something he was interested in.
'That's me, Letizia Farnese.'
The wife of a political enemy who had been avoiding him all along, but suddenly came to him of her own accord, with an unknown purpose.
Her actions, which could not be read, stimulated his interest.
'If that's the case...'
Letizia raised the corners of her lips and threw a bait that he couldn't help but bite.
"Then, how about a 'different' game where the outcome cannot be predicted? For example..."
Letizia picked up the black queen and placed it in his empty white queen's spot.
"Joining hands with your rival's ex-wife and taking him down?"
After coming to this mansion and meeting him, the ripples that had never been present in Idris's eyes were now present.
"...Ex-wife?"
"We're planning to divorce soon, and I want to bring him down."
At that moment, curiosity beyond confusion flickered in Idris's eyes as he stared at her.
Letizia did not miss the opportunity.
"I'm planning to become the richest person in the empire from now on."
A confident smile spread across Letizia's face as seen above the chessboard.
"Would you like to be my lover?"
Idris, who had been staring blankly at her, made a somewhat absurd and ridiculous proposal, burst out laughing.
The game was completely turned upside down.
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