CH 20

“Ahh!”

I was surprised by the voice I heard from a short distance away and turned my head.

‘Ah, damn it!’

As soon as I checked the identity of the person standing in front of me, I couldn’t help but curse.

The man leaning against the wall and looking down at me was that very Cadel Vernon.

Wait a minute, then the important guest who was going to dine with me today was…

“Such a coincidence?”

My countenance darkened.

On the other hand, Cadel smiled as if he was amused.

“See? I told you we’d meet again.”

“Since when have you been here?”

Did you hear everything I said?

I felt uneasy. But the man only smiled suspiciously.

“Mm, since you called my name anxiously.”

“What on earth are you talking about? I didn’t do that.”

It was the devil’s doing that he just had to listen to the most vague part.

In spite of my firm denial, Cadell shrugged his shoulders.

“Once again, it’s a misunderstanding.”

“Then what did I just hear?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I didn’t mean it that way.”

“You are always so hard on me.”

When I didn’t give him any leeway, Cadel murmured in a brooding voice.

I had no choice but to look at such a Cadel with suspicious eyes.

‘He’s so different from the original.’

The way he treated me was suspicious.

Cadel was very meticulous and calculating when dealing with people. In other words, he was not such a rude person.

Just looking at the setting where he hid his true appearance for a while…

‘He was hiding his true appearance. ‘

Suddenly, the thought stopped.

It was only at the year-end ball that his existence was officially revealed, and by Ollina.

In other words, before she appeared, those who knew Cadel Vernon’s face in the court…

‘The empress dowager, the emperor, and Davan.’

Hukk. My eyes widened.

“What’s the matter, my lady?”

“…”

Cadel was looking down at me with a puzzled gaze. Our eyes met and my spine shivered spontaneously.

‘Why did he tell me who he really is? In the end, I found out before Ollina did.’

It was clear that there was a purpose.

He must have had a purpose to approach me.

“Duke.”

I hurriedly called Cadel.

“How was it meeting the other women in the capital? Are most of them similar to me?”

I asked back.

“Um… ”

Then the man’s eyes narrowed as he sighed.

Seeing that he stammered, it seems that he’s been making a lot of excuses here and there.

‘Huu…’

I secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Yes, Cadel was the male lead. He couldn’t have thought much about me, a mere supporting character.

I was sure that he only approached people from whom he had something to gain.

‘What can you get from me?’

As my mind raced—

“Nope.”

“Pardon?”

“No one is as intense as my lady.”

The voice whizzed past my ear.

“…”

The man had an aggressive smile that was not attractive.

“It means I want to see you again.”

Hmmm, I nodded my head automatically in response.

‘As expected of the male lead.’

His appearance alone was enough, but there was nothing missing from his subtle speech, friendly attitude, and even his gaze.

Well, I’d have to admit, but…

‘Why are you doing this to me?’

I took a step back.

“…”

Only after securing a safe distance did I slowly glance at Cadel.

‘This man is no ordinary man either.’

He was holding hands with the empress dowager to destroy the Khajans imperial family, so he couldn’t be normal.

‘The reason he approached Ollina Fabian in the first place was also impure.’

Ollina was the only adopted daughter of the empress dowager, so he needed Ollina to gain her power.

Although Davan was blunt, he was not manipulative.

But Cadel was different.

As a reader, I thought he was tough towards the outside world, but, how to say this… I just couldn’t like him.

“Duke.”

Most of all, the more we talked, the more certain I became.

“Yes.”

Cadel was playing with me.

“Why are you doing this?”

“…”

The man was not at all upset, but his gaze darkened.

‘What “I want to see you again”?’

Cadel, who knew exactly what I was asking, had avoided the point.

And tried to confuse my mind with meaningless words.

There was only one answer for such a guy.

“What are you thinking?”

A straight shot.

I think it was worth it to strike him straight, but that was my mistake.

I was just a supporting character.

“Pfft—!”

But Cadel burst into laughter.

What? You’re laughing?

“That’s an interesting question.”

“I’m serious.”

I was the only one who felt embarrassed by the serious question.

My life is at a crossroad now. You think it’s funny?

“It’s my first time being asked such a question, so I don’t know how to answer…”

The gently bent eyes were directed at me.

“Do you want me to tell you the reason out of courtesy, or the true reason?”

On the contrary, now I was the one who became a little perplexed.

Are you simply acknowledging that your true intention is different?

“It sounds like you have another intention that needs to be hidden.”

“I will not deny it. It might feel that way.”

I was pretending to be calm in order not to be pushed around, but Cadel, who did not even panic, seemed great at the moment.

“Tell me both. The one out of courtesy and the true reason.”

“Really? I can just tell you honestly?”

“Yes, just tell me the truth.”

Cadel asked me again.

“Can you handle it?”

“There’s nothing I can’t handle, alright?”

No matter what the answer, I would not be surprised.

I was not interested in his courtesy and sincerity towards me. All I was curious about was why Cadel was trying to approach me, Leah Prezis.

Looking at the original work, Cadel and Leah did not have a very good relationship.

“…”

Cadel shrugged.

“As a courtesy, you will soon become Duchess Khajans.”

‘That’s it.’

My eyes narrowed narrowly.

I had already expected it to some extent.

It wasn’t me that Cadel wanted, but Duchess Khajans.

At this point when the female lead Ollina had not appeared, I would be the most useful person in the capital.

So he came to me.

“I’ll tell you what I really mean now.”

Cadel’s lips opened again.

‘The real intention?’

I’ve already had a good grasp, of course.

The reason Cadel approached me was that he needed Leah Prezis, the fiancee of Khajans.

“So, I was thinking…”

The man had a smile that made me puzzled, which made me wonder if there was something else he had not taken out.

“Do I want to steal it?”

That sunny smile felt eerie.

***

“Did the empress dowager suggest it first?”

When Davan asked, the emperor nodded his head.

“It’s like that.”

The smooth forehead of the young emperor had long wrinkles. Facing each other, the faces of the leading men were alike.

The only difference was that the emperor had a sad impression of a smile compared to Davan, and that he had pupils of a lighter color than Dava’s deep blue pupils.

But they both looked strong in different ways.

“Why is it the year-end ball?”

The empress dowager would introduce Cadel Vernon herself at the year-end ball…

Davan’s eyes darkened as he repeated those words, to the extent that not even any emotions could be read.

“I don’t know what her intention is. Does this mean that the powers of Duke Vernon and the empress dowager already reached each other?”

At the emperor’s words, Davan resolutely shook his head.

“I don’t think so. Both Vernon and the empress dowager aren’t the type of person who shows their interest so soon.”

The emperor nodded his head in agreement with Davan’s words.

The master of one of the only three dukedoms in the Empire, Cadel Vernon.

He was a young and capable person who overcame the eldest son, who had already been strong, and took the title of duke.

As long as Vernon entered the central political world, many things would change.

Depending on who he added power to, the imperial family’s power landscape would also change.

“Well, it seems the empress dowager is thinking of reaching out to Vernon first,” compared to the emperor who frowned, Davan was calm.

“She won’t miss a prey.”

“It doesn’t matter who reached out first. The problem is that they’re trying to make it public.”

As long as the empress dowager was determined, keeping a secret contact with the Vernon forces would not be difficult.

However, the empress dowager proudly chose an open place like the year-end ball through the emperor.

“If the empress dowager and Vernon really wanted to hold hands…”

The emperor let out a long sigh and leaned back against his chair.

Davan’s calm voice was heard.

“Did you know that time when the elders of the senate, who were the empress dowager’s forces, swear allegiance to me?”

“That was two years ago.”

The emperor still remembered it vividly.

The image of the old men who ruled the capital and politics, kneeling on their knees and swearing an oath of allegiance to young Davan.

“Yes, what a spectacle the empress dowager’s expression was back then.”

The emperor let out a cool laugh after a long time.

It wasn’t simply an oath of allegiance. It was even more meaningful in that he thoroughly trampled the empress dowager’s, who was trying to threaten the power of the emperor, arrogance.

“The empress dowager is still chasing you for that. She’s so sure there are elder nobles who have different thoughts inside.”

Davan chuckled.

“Your Majesty, it is not uncommon for elderly people to be found dead overnight for no reason.”

In a nutshell, he meant that even if they killed him, it would be alright. Those eyes were no different from usual, and they were terrifying.

Every time Davan was like this, the emperor had a chill on his back and felt sad.

When he was a child, he had to point out his mother with his own hands…

“Well, that’s true.”

The emperor changed the subject by pressing his forehead like a habit.

“The empress dowager said that she would introduce someone at the year-end ball.”

“Introduce someone?”

At Davan’s puzzled expression, the emperor quickly opened his mouth.

“I heard that she is a distant relative of the empress dowager. She said she would officially introduce her at the ball and adopt her.”

Davan’s expression frowned slightly as he guessed something.

“What did she say her name is?”

The emperor, who had been stroking his chin, opened his lips after a while.

“Ah, Ollina Fabian.”

“Ollina Fabian…”

Davan said, repeating the name.