DSDD 08

Chapter 8

“What?”

“The ring. The ruby ring you always wore on your right hand. I understand that it’s the head-of-household’s ring, isn’t it?”

“Ah, I lost it a few days ago.”

“My goodness, losing such an important ring. You really shouldn’t have done that.”

Sylvia looked at my hand with an expression full of concern.

But contrary to her words, she didn’t look concerned at all. If anything, she even gave me a meaningful little smile……

What was that supposed to mean?

“Then we’ll be going now. Ah, and if you happen to change your mind, feel free to contact us anytime.”

I didn’t think that was going to happen.

In any case, I was simply delighted that I could finally get rid of those siblings, so I smiled brightly and waved my hand.

A clear indication that I wanted them to get the hell out of my house as soon as possible.

“Honestly. She’s so stubborn and impossible to talk to. You saw it too, didn’t you, Jerold?”

Sylvia asked with an irritated expression as she left the drawing room.

A servant working at the Marquess’s residence lowered his head beside them, but she paid him no attention.

“You’re just as frustrating, you know. What’s so difficult about seducing one woman? You bragged that you could make her fall for you just by lifting a finger. Turns out it was all talk. Tsk, tsk.”

“Ah, why are you only blaming me! Sister, you have to see the sky before you can pick the stars. What am I supposed to do when that woman never leaves the Marquess’s residence?!”

Jerold protested indignantly at Sylvia’s accusations.

And he wasn’t entirely wrong.

At his sister’s request to seduce the Marquess of Zacherete, he had indeed prepared very diligently.

He had even come up with his own plan and arranged all sorts of schemes behind the scenes.

The problem was that the target—the Marquess—simply refused to leave her house.

“I really should have done something back then, no matter what.”

Jerold clicked his tongue and glared at the closed door.

“But are you really sure that person you met outside a few days ago was the Marquess? It’s strange. I’ve never seen her wandering around late at night.”

“Ah, I’m telling you, it really was her. I even showed you the evidence. That’s why we came here today in the first place, to confirm it.”

“Shh.”

At the word ‘evidence,’ Sylvia hurriedly covered Jerold’s mouth.

Her eyes darted sharply around the hallway as though she were worried someone might have overheard them.

“Come to think of it, you’re probably right.”

“See? I told you I’m good at these things. Haa, instead of this, I really should have forced things back then. If I’d made it a fait accompli, that would have been the end of it. That woman was annoyingly quick-witted, though.”

And it wasn’t just her quick thinking.

The fists that had made a mess of his face had packed quite a punch too.

“Just wait until we’re married. I’ll teach her some proper manners.”

“Exactly. Once you’re married, you can do whatever you want, so let’s just endure it a little longer.”

Sylvia patted her younger brother on the shoulder, soothing and encouraging him.

Her gaze lingered on the luxurious hallway of the Marquess’s residence.

Once they were married, all of this would practically fall into her hands.

‘They may be called Count Valentine, but the Valentine household is practically on the verge of bankruptcy. And yet this woman has this kind of wealth simply because she’s a Marquess…… I heard her business is doing extremely well, but in the end, she only inherited it because she was born to the right parents, didn’t she?’

There was no one who didn’t know about the Marquess of Zacherete’s exceptional business skills.

Even Sylvia’s husband, Count Oscar, was desperate to establish connections with her.

“What? You were classmates at the academy? Perfect. Then couldn’t you help me establish a connection with her?”

“A connection? How am I supposed to do that?”

“How else? Give the Marquess gifts she likes, or flatter her and keep her in a good mood. Do I really have to explain every little thing to you? Can’t you think for yourself?”

Her husband’s words had wounded Sylvia’s pride.

Back at the academy, she had undoubtedly been superior to Erna.

And yet, she was irritated by the fact that Erna, who wasn’t even married, was now socially respected and successful.

‘What’s so special about business, anyway? No matter how much money she makes, she’s still that unfashionable Erna.’

For a moment, Sylvia recalled the state Erna had been in when she returned from her outing earlier and regained her composure.

Right.

What good was having money if you didn’t know how to spend it?

‘Wouldn’t it be better for someone who actually needs it to have it, rather than someone who doesn’t even know how to use it?’

That was why she intended to get her hands on the Marquess’s wealth in her own way.

But first, she had to figure out what to do about Erna Zacherete.

“But Sister. Are you really sure this has a chance of working? What if the Marquess already has someone she’s interested in—”

“What? Pfft. Erna Zacherete? Hahaha. Give me a break. What does a bookworm know about romance? I doubt she’s even held a man’s hand before.”

“Really? That’s good. I don’t like women who’ve already been touched by other men.”

And yet, he was the one who shamelessly went around seeing one woman after another……

But Sylvia kept that thought to herself.

He might have been her younger brother, but as a marriage partner, he was truly the worst possible choice.

If she had been in the other woman’s position, she would have wanted to run away before even entering the wedding hall.

But Erna Zacherete was the one marrying that bastard.

It had nothing to do with her.

Besides, she could use this opportunity to knock down that woman’s arrogant attitude, as though she were someone important.

Just imagining Erna Zacherete thoroughly crushed by an unhappy marriage made Sylvia feel extraordinarily pleased.

“But Sister. Why do you hate the Marquess so much?”

“I don’t know. I’ve just disliked her for a long time. Her attitude of subtly looking down on me just because she was a Marquess’s daughter always rubbed me the wrong way…… Ugh!”

Thud.

As she turned a corner in the hallway, Sylvia collided with something coming from the opposite direction.

Rubbing her forehead from the sudden pain, she sharply raised her head.

“What the hell! Don’t you watch where you’re going—”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

The first thing she heard was a pleasant, deep, resonant voice.

The melodious sound struck her ears like a beautiful song.

Then came the faint, fragrant scent of flowers.

‘Huh?’

Her gaze, which had been fixed on the enormous bouquet of flowers, slowly moved toward the face of the man holding it.

Sylvia’s mouth fell open.

“Gasp! B-B-Bern—!”

“Your Highness! So you were here. The Marquess has gone up to her office. I’ll show you the way.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

While Sylvia was stammering foolishly, the man holding the bouquet simply walked past her without paying her any attention.

He had merely brushed past her, yet Sylvia’s heart began pounding wildly.

Her breathing grew ragged, and heat spread through her body, as though she had shared a passionate kiss with him.

That was how extraordinary the man before her was.

A man with such irresistible charm that once you saw him, you could never escape his allure.

“S-Sister. Wasn’t that the Grand Duke just now?”

Jerold, too, looked shocked as he repeatedly shook Sylvia’s shoulder, as though he couldn’t believe what he had just seen.

Sylvia felt exactly the same way.

At the same time, an inexplicable irritation welled up inside her.

‘Why is the Grand Duke of Bernstein at the Marquess’s residence?’

Just what kind of relationship did the two of them have?!

At that moment, several articles flashed through her mind.

Soon, Sylvia’s face was filled with shock.

Gasp. No way!

‘Why is the Grand Duke here again?’

I stared at the man before me, then closed and opened my eyes again.

I wondered if perhaps I was hallucinating.

But Laura, standing beside him and signaling toward me with her eyes, immediately ruled out that possibility.

‘Wow. He really came. This is driving me crazy.’

“We meet again, Marquess.”

“Indeed.”

I hadn’t expected to see him again in less than a week.

Perhaps he somehow knew what I was thinking, because the dazzling Grand Duke was smiling brightly today as well.

‘Come to think of it, he isn’t wearing white priestly robes today.’

Perhaps that was why I felt strangely unsettled.

He had merely replaced his usual white clothing with black fabric, yet somehow his entire atmosphere seemed different.

It was as though a dark and dangerous scent had been layered over his usually clean and noble appearance.

Dangerous.

This man was just far too dangerous.

“I believe I asked you to give me some time to think. Surely you don’t mean that the time you gave me was only two days?”

“Of course not.”

He smiled gently, as if to assure me that he wasn’t such a narrow-minded person.

At that one smile, the maids who had brought in the tea blushed and didn’t know what to do with themselves.

Oh dear.

At this rate, they were going to cause trouble.

I gestured for them to leave quickly, and Laura hurriedly approached, startled, and led them out.

Laura’s gaze, visible through the slowly closing gap in the door, was anything but ordinary.

But I deliberately ignored it.

That wasn’t what mattered right now.

“So, may I ask why you’ve come?”

After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously asked.

Unfortunately, I still hadn’t resolved a single thing.

That was why I had intended to buy some time by going down to the estate.

‘I was so preoccupied with dealing with the aftermath of the previous incident and finding the ring that I completely failed to think about it. I should have left the capital as soon as possible.’

What if he demanded an answer from me right now?

My palms grew sweaty with anxiety.

As I waited for him to speak—

“Surely you weren’t planning on running away somewhere far away?”

Gasp.