ICTIMP CH 11

Chapter 11. My Male Lead Can Only Bully Me. (3)

“I should be going now. If I have time, let’s have dinner together. Then, Anastasia, I pray that you recover from your illness.”

The duke rose from his seat. He was going to drag me into a swamp of worries and then just leave?

I decided to be a little rebellious.

“Are you wishing for my recovery for Adel’s sake, or because you’re worried about me?”

When I asked why he wanted me to get better, the duke let out a hearty laugh.

“You silly girl. Of course I’m worried about you. Will’s daughter is practically my own child. Do you know how hurt I was when you declared last time that you would never visit the ducal estate again? Will even beat me over the head with one of his shoes, and I just had to take it.”

There was genuine affection in his words. I obediently apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

And just like that, the rebellious side of me died.

“…I’m glad you seem to have made up with Adel now. I was actually quite worried. Adel doesn’t really form deep relationships with people. He may be kind and friendly, but that’s all there is to it. He has never even opened his heart to me.”

The duke straightened his clothes as he let out a light sigh. Only then did I begin to understand his words a little better.

Adel was kind, friendly, and polite because the duke and duchess had consistently taught him to be that way. He hadn’t necessarily been like that from the beginning.

Adel was simply a child who listened well.

Which meant that no one knew what he truly felt inside.

Whether he genuinely enjoyed helping people out of a noble heart or not.

A question suddenly occurred to me.

“Has Adel ever gotten angry with you, Your Grace?”

“No. Never.”

The duke shrugged.

“And that’s exactly what frightens me about what might be hidden inside him.”

I blinked. The duke gave a short laugh.

“Was I being too serious?”

“No.”

The duke was about to leave, so I stood up. He affectionately patted me on the head.

“Thank you for listening to me. It must be lonely with your family all gone, isn’t it? Since you seem to have let your guard down now, I’ll make a point of visiting the count’s estate often from now on.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to…”

“Nonsense. It’s only natural for me to do so as your godfather. As it happens, I have a fine item in my possession. I suppose it would make a good gift for our reunion. It’s a tea set that even the Imperial Family coveted. Penelope had wanted it so badly when she was alive, yet ironically, I only came to own it after she died. I have no use for it anymore. It’s far too precious to simply present to the Imperial Family, but it’s more than suitable as a gift for my daughter. I’ll also see if there are any other things I can give you. Don’t worry. My taste is impeccable.”

As someone who knew the true identity of that tea set, I couldn’t simply laugh it off.

It was a treasure from a country that had already fallen.

It was so valuable that even the duke, who was rumored to possess more wealth than the Imperial Treasury, had spent years trying to obtain it.

“P-Please, calm down.”

The duke didn’t even listen.

“Stay here. I’ll send Adel back to you.”

After the duke left, I staggered over and collapsed onto the sofa.

Oh, seriously! Both the father and the son were giving me such a massive headache!

I munched on chocolate to relieve my stress.

Perhaps because he’d been keeping his distance, or maybe because he’d been speaking with the duke separately, Adel returned about ten minutes later.

“You spoke for quite a while. Was it uncomfortable?”

The corners of my mouth twisted.

“Not at all. His Grace is always so delightful.”

It was an intentionally ambiguous statement, but Adel didn’t seem to notice.

“I suppose you could describe his personality that way. Other people call him obnoxious.”

“Pfft!”

I nearly spat out what was in my mouth. Adel didn’t seem to notice.

“When we were fighting over ownership of the newly discovered diamond mine, Marquis Cloud spat on the ground as he passed by the ducal estate.”

“You mean Marquis Cloud?”

I casually wiped around my lips with the back of my hand.

As if he weren’t the father of a future villain, Marquis Cloud was notorious for having a terrible temper. He was also obsessively attached to the duke.

Though the duke wasn’t exactly an easy man to deal with either.

“Yes. Ash Cloud, whom we met at the lantern festival a few days ago, is his direct descendant. Come to think of it, Chichimeme will be held in two weeks. Only nobles who haven’t yet had their coming-of-age ceremony can attend, so the young marquis will probably be there as well…”

Come to think of it, there was an event like that.

Chichimeme was a party created for the young members of noble families who had not yet reached adulthood, but I remembered it because its origins were rather gruesome.

Anyway, it was basically a ball, so I could just enjoy myself.

Since it was held somewhere commoners couldn’t even approach, there was nothing to worry about.

I could simply ignore Ash, while Olga, who was secretly rather timid, wasn’t the type to enjoy parties like this.

I naturally intended to attend, so I asked Adel.

“What about you, Adel? If you’re going, do you want to be my partner?”

“Would I be acceptable?”

My mischievous side surfaced again, and I leaned back slightly.

“If you want to go with someone else, I’ll let you.”

As expected, Adel immediately turned serious.

“I absolutely, without a doubt, want to go with Anastasia.”

“That’s quite enthusiastic.”

I was secretly pleased.

I’d been worried that Adel might be hesitant, but apparently, that concern had been completely unnecessary.

He reassured me in a firm voice.

“This time, I absolutely won’t let something like last time happen again. And even if something like that does happen…”

For a moment, an eerie glint appeared in his red eyes.

Or had I imagined it?

“I won’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Adel finished speaking in a gentle tone, and I nodded awkwardly.

Was something different about him just now…?

Or was I simply seeing things differently because I was still thinking about what the duke had said?

I nearly let out a low, thoughtful hum.

Duke Friedrich had clearly judged that Adel lacked humanity and that his kindness was something he’d learned based on certain experiences and evidence.

But I found it difficult to agree with him.

There was pain, guilt, and affection for me contained within Adel’s voice, which flowed like a golden wave. He looked at me with courtesy and grace.

“I realized how precious you were to me when you vomited blood in front of me and comforted me even while your body trembled as though you were about to die. Compared to you, I realized just how worthless everyone else is.”

Even though I knew he didn’t mean it in a rational sense, my heart still fluttered.

How could he be so honest?

I realized just how deeply Adel had truly been hurt.

For him to use the word worthless…

“I’m sorry. You must have been really upset.”

“It wasn’t your fault. This is my fault. I’m the one who has to fix it.”

I raised my eyelids in confusion.

“Fix it? How?”

“I wonder.”

A faint smile appeared on Adel’s face, almost disappearing as soon as it formed.

To figure out what he was thinking, I deliberately asked in a lighter tone.

“Are you planning to become a bad person whom nobody will help?”

“If I become a bad person, Anastasia will hate me, won’t she?”

At his childish question, I shook my head.

“Of course not.”

“Really? Can you promise me?”

For some reason, Adel seemed unusually persistent this time.

Wanting to ease his anxiety, I made him a promise.

“I promise. Even if you become a bad person, I won’t hate you.”

Adel looked relieved.

“That’s a relief.”

Unlike the faint expression he’d worn earlier, a full smile spread across his beautiful face.

Adel spoke with a playful expression.

“Now I can throw trash on the street without worrying.”

At least he seemed to be feeling a little better, so I played along.

“Are you planning to throw away a candy wrapper?”

Ah, he’s so cute. Seriously. I just want to pinch his cheeks.

“I was thinking of trying something a little bigger than that.”

Adel replied shyly.

Suddenly, I had a bad feeling.

“Wait a second. You’re not planning to throw away my drawing, are you?”

It felt as though only an hour or two had passed, but before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set.

After the duke urged me to stay for dinner, I reluctantly went to the dining hall.

The dining hall of the Magnus ducal residence was so magnificent that I wondered if it was actually a chapel.

There were golden candelabras, statues of saints, and murals depicting gods enjoying a sacred feast.

The stiff and rigid atmosphere made me feel as though I’d get indigestion just sitting there.

It was completely different from the count’s residence, which had such a cozy atmosphere.

How did Adel manage to eat in a place like this?

The duke had already arrived and was waiting for us.

He had Adel and me sit opposite him, then spoke with a satisfied expression.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a meal with the two of you.”

I surveyed the table with displeasure.

It was a festival of green, purple, and red.

In other words, everything was vegetables.

Fresh, crunchy, tasteless vegetables of every variety had made their appearance.

The only greasy food was a single steak.

“I had a healthy meal prepared for Anastasia today, so…”

I immediately poured spices over the steak studded with cloves.

After enthusiastically sprinkling it with hot sauce and pepper, I was just about to enjoy it when my eyes met the duke’s.

“Hmm?”

“Yes?”

We tilted our heads at each other.

The duke stared at my steak with a dubious expression.

“Anastasia, don’t you think you’ve put too much seasoning on it?”

“It tastes better this way.”

I was the kind of person who absolutely loved sweet, salty, spicy, and intensely seasoned food.

When I answered casually, the duke frowned.

“I’m worried your taste in food might take after Will.”

I giggled.

“Father sends you letters too, doesn’t he?”

“Well, we do keep in frequent contact. Whenever I find information about a possible treatment, I send it to Will, and he personally travels to the location to obtain it. Apparently, he’s managed to acquire several useful medicinal ingredients, but they seem difficult to prepare and take time.”

Adel quietly listened to our conversation.

I was quite surprised that I hadn’t realized just how much the duke had been looking out for me.

“I’ve been causing you trouble as well, Your Grace.”

The duke spoke gently.

“Don’t say such hurtful things. Of course it’s only natural for me to worry about my daughter. Hmm, come to think of it, I once called you my daughter in front of Will and nearly ended up being shoved headfirst into the clock tower. That narrow-minded bastard, always relying on his strength. Please keep that a secret from Will.”

“I will.”

Thinking about my father’s temper, I couldn’t help laughing.

Anastasia’s father, Count William Sinclair, was famous for being extraordinarily beautiful.

Not handsome—beautiful.

Apparently, one poet once saw my father and left behind what sounded like his dying words: He was like a flowering branch bathed in moonlight…

And then he got beaten half to death.

My father had snow-white skin, delicate features, and brilliantly translucent silver hair. He was barely over 170 centimeters tall, so people often mistook him for a woman.

The duke teased my father about it every chance he got, and the other nobles did the same.

Especially since the marquis was exceptionally vicious when it came to personal insults, my father had developed such a terrible temper that even the emperor clicked his tongue whenever they attended meetings together.

Considering that there wasn’t a single person among the meeting attendees whom my father hadn’t grabbed by the collar at least once, I suppose he really was quite extraordinary.