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Chapter 52

“This is the drawing room of the Marquis of Loengram, the master of this mansion.”

“Show me.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

After walking a little further, the butler stopped in front of a stone door that appeared to be twice his height. At Seth’s words, the butler nodded his head and turned back towards the door before knocking on it.

“Marquis, the Duke and Duchess of Persen have arrived.”

“Oh! Tell them to come in quickly!”

Then, as if waiting, the voice of the Marquis came from inside the drawing room. Min-ha first opened the door and followed Seth, who nodded slightly, into the open door.

Inside the open door, the drawing room was decorated with a silver sofa made of cowhide and beautiful cherry-colored furniture. A platinum-haired gentleman was sitting on the single long sofa in the center, the highest seat in the room.

As soon as Seth and her entered, the platinum-haired gentleman, Marquis Loengram, jumped up from the sofa where he had been sitting comfortably enough to be buried in.

He came up to them in an instant, grabbed Seth’s hand and shouted.

“Oh, welcome, Duke of Persen! Welcome to this old man’s castle!”

“Thank you for inviting us, Marquis Loengram.”

“How can I hold a banquet without the Duke at this biggest festival of Loengram castle? Welcome, yes!”

‘…So, this is Marquis Loengram.’

Min-ha glanced at the Marquis, who was expressing his welcome, contrary to Seth as he had an expressionless face.

He had short white-blonde hair that was put up with camellia oil, dressed in a plain navy blue uniform which had all kinds of splendid jewelry brooches, and a few decorations on it. His appearance was ascetic and orderly, similar to the ascetic black knight uniform Seth was now wearing.

However, unlike his ascetic attire, Marquis Loengram was somewhat submissive enough to describe his attitude toward Seth as flattering. She could read the glittering greed in the pale blue eyes of the Marquis set on an aristocratic face.

As Seth said, he seemed to want to look good to him.

Whether it was simply because he needed the power Seth held, or to get him on his side, Min-ha felt burdened by such a marquise. She did not want to get too close to him.

She continued to observe Marquis Loengram, who was talking to Seth, regardless of his blunt manner. Though suddenly, her eyes met the Marquis as he abruptly turned to her. The Marquis let go of Seth’s hand and walked over to Min-ha, pretending to know her.

“Oh, dear. Your wife is here, too! Nice to meet you, do you still remember me?”

“…It’s been a long time. How are you?”

“How have you been? Alas, how beautiful you are still! It’s a beauty that would make the Goddess of beauty cry.”

“….”

“She was really beautiful when she was young. She was, indeed. Her mother, Lady Florence, was so beautiful enough to shake the world when she was young, so it is not unreasonable for you to resemble her.”

Watching his lips fall on the back of her hand, Min-ha endured what she wanted to say to the Marquis Loengram, who gave her family compliments.

‘Ugh, uueehh…’’

Well, even if she had given up and let him put his lips on the back of her hands and said hello a hundred times, what she could not stand was his eyes on her. Somehow, the eyes seemed as though it was looking at a mysterious jewel.

She hated the sly gaze, half a mixture of curiosity and greed. Min-ha could not bear to see a man the age of a grandfather, who was a lifetime older than her, praising her for her appearance and giving her a sinister look.

It was when Min-ha was looking for an opportunity to take her hand away from Marquis Loengram as he was gradually flattering her, and Seth, who was looking at her and the Marquis of Loengram, trying to separate the two of them—

“Father! Would you excuse me for a moment? …Oh my, it seems that the guests have already arrived.”

With the sound of knocking, someone appeared through the door of the drawing room, which had been slightly opened to greet Seth and Min-ha.

She was a beautiful young woman with red eyes and blazing red hair. Dressed in a tight-fitting dark green dress that accentuated her beautiful figure, she walked into the drawing room with a gentle gait.

“It’s truly an honor to meet you. Duke Persen, and… Duchess.”

She greeted the three of them by gently lifting the hem of her dress and bowing her head. Then, she lifted her head and glanced at Seth with a gaze as gentle as her gait.

‘…Huh?’

‘Was it just misunderstood that her eyes became sharp the moment her soft gaze met mine…?’

Contrary to how she looked at Seth, when she looked at her, Min-ha trembled at the abrupt sharpened gaze.

The next moment, the corners of her lips curved charmingly in response to her reaction. With the sharp gaze, she came close to the Marquis Loengram, who was still holding Min-ha’s hand, before removing his hand from hers and uttering in a gentle voice.

“Father, you’ve been holding her hand for so long. Even if you have known the Duchess since childhood, this is disrespectful.”

“…That’s right. I’m sorry, Duchess.”

“Oh, no…”

“I’m late to introduce myself. My name is Vivian Loengram. The famous daughter of the Marquis of Loengram, and the heiress of this mansion.”

“Nice to meet you. I—”

“I know. You are Duchess Minase Persen, aren’t you? As the rumor has it, your beauty and your appearance are outstanding. It makes me wonder if the rumor that the high-spirited Viscount Guinivis was tied up by his neck was not false..”

“….”

“….”

“Oh, Duke Persen! I’ve seen you at a banquet hall of the Imperial Palace, though this is the first time I’ve seen you so close. Ah! The sword of the Empire, to meet the Duke Persen, the knight whom His Majesty most trusted… Vivian Loengram, it’s a pleasure and an honor.”

“…Nice to meet you, too, Young Lady.”

After being interrupted before she could even finish introducing herself, Min-ha turned her body and stared at Vivian’s face with a blank expression on her face as she greeted Seth.

Clearly, Vivian’s words were a compliment if interpreted literally, though the seemingly entrenched malice in her words made her heart uncomfortable. Somehow, it felt as though a small thorn was stuck in her fingertips. However, she could not make it obvious that she was feeling this way, so Min-ha smiled awkwardly.

And, regardless of her mood, the atmosphere created by the Marquis of Loengram and his daughter, Vivian, was friendly.

“Oh, Vivian. It’s the first time I’ve seen you, who was always so arrogant, become so shy! Isn’t it nice to see Duke Persen, whom you said was your ideal type, up close when you have the chance?”

“Oh, my God… Father, this is too embarrassing! Don’t say anything more.”

“Haha, isn’t it true? Didn’t you say that the only knight who can always receive your handkerchief is Duke Persen?”

“Oh, my. Duke Persen, please do not listen to my father.”

“….”

As if to block Seth’s view so that only she could only be seen, Vivian blushed while standing in front of him. In addition, the appearance of the Marquis Loengram secretly driving the atmosphere made Min-ha feel a little, no, openly upset.

‘What is this, even sacks of corn would not be treated like this.’

In addition to strangely excluding her from the conversation, Min-ha could feel something like a sinister heart from Vivian, who was blushing her face in front of Seth, with an innocent girl-like expression on her face.

‘What is this, that woman…’

With that thought, she sneaked up to Seth, who was observing Vivian as well.

As he had been silently listening to the words between Vivian and Marquis Loengram with an expressionless face, Seth turned his head slightly and gazed at Minha.

He then spoke to Vivian in a blunt voice.

“It’s my honor to hear that I am the Young Lady’s ideal type of knight.”

“Honor… If it were the aristocratic ladies in this Empire, everyone would have the same idea.”

“It’s a pleasure as a knight for Young Lady Loengram to think of me that way, though I cannot be the knight who has the honor of receiving Young Lady’s handkerchief.”

“….!”

“Because I already have someone who embroidered blue birds to wish me good luck.”

Along with those words, Seth lifted his arm and hugged Min-ha’s shoulder before turning his head and smiling affectionately. That smile was the first change in his expression she saw when they entered the drawing room.

She smiled at him as he put his large hands over her shoulder as if reassuring her.

Could it be that her emotions were shown on her face, or was he good at reading her emotions? Either way, she liked Seth’s meticulous attention to detail and behavior, so Min-ha felt that her mood, which had been sour a while ago, was filled with happiness in an instant.

Feeling strangely proud, she felt superiority so she glanced at Vivian for no reason.

“Oh my, you two are on very good terms!”

However, Vivian was smiling.

…A very wide smile.

Min-ha, who expected her to be staring at her with a vicious gaze like a drama, was a little embarrassed, but she struggled to smile.

It seemed that the dreary feeling a while ago was just a feeling of jealousy that was created by jealousy that there was another woman close to Seth, whom she liked. If she had revealed her displeasure frankly for no reason, she would have found herself in an embarrassing situation.

Standing close to Seth, she thought that it was a good idea that she had endured it without expressing her feelings.

Vivian’s smile, who was glancing at the two of them, deepened as she spoke admiringly.

“Rumors and reality are very different. I can see that both the Duke and the Duchess care for each other very much. I’m envious.”

“…Thank you for the compliment.”

“Haha. After all, only two people know about a couple’s affairs. Isn’t that right, Duke?”

“I don’t know what they say, but to me, she’s the only person I have been with now, and will continue to be with.”

“…Se, Seth.”

Feeling like her earlobes were heating at Seth’s sweet words while gazing at her with an affectionate gaze. Every time his expressionless and blunt face became friendly with her, Min-ha felt like she was being enchanted by him.

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