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The man who entered the reception room, unexpectedly, was the young Marquis Spencer.
“Ma’am, it has been a long time.”
“Young Marquis, what brings you to the Archduke’s house?”
“Actually, I was supposed to meet Benedict, but our paths diverged.”
Was Archduke Richard supposed to meet the young Marquis?
I have never heard of such an arrangement.
I frowned a little in confusion.
The Archduke's recent activities have been very puzzling.
“You even succeeded in resolving the Bovary family’s divorce.”
“I was lucky.”
I answered briefly, and the young Marquis nodded slightly.
His naturally curly brown hair swayed, creating a beautiful scene.
The young Marquis looked very cheerful today.
“Frankly, I was wondering how you would get an invitation to the ball from the venerable Duchess Bovary.
It was an unnecessary worry.”
“I'm glad things are going well.”
I gave him a slight smile.
I've been struggling to say what I wanted to say for a while, but I couldn't.
As if oblivious to this, the Marquis narrowed his eyes and smiled, looking at the items filling the drawing room.
“Looking at the dress you chose, I can't even imagine how beautiful you will look tomorrow.”
“Ah...”
“It is a great honor to be your first partner.”
The Marquis let out an excited, childish sound.
I was overwhelmed with anxiety.
Finally, I decided to say what I was thinking.
“Well… Young Marquis.”
“What's the matter, ma'am?”
The Marquis looked at me with an innocent expression.
I swallowed hard and spoke cautiously.
“About the party partner...”
“Yes.”
“It's true that it was part of the agreement, but... can we postpone it until next time?
When is the next party?”
In an instant, the smile disappeared from the young Marquis's face.
His cold green eyes, as if he had never smiled before, made me shiver involuntarily.
"no."
“No...because...”
I expected him to ask me why, but he rejected my request without hearing any reason.
“No.
I will not listen to your reason.
I will not tolerate breach of contract under any circumstances.”
“….”
I tried to explain, but the cold response silenced me, leaving me speechless.
His refusal was, in fact, justified.
I negotiated a senior partner position with him, and he has already fulfilled his commitment to pay the investment.
There was no reason for him to make an exception for me.
The young Marquis's face suddenly became strangely dry.
“I think it's best to postpone my appointment with Benedict today.
I'll be back now.”
The young Marquis rose and shook off his collar.
His polite demeanor was a little intimidating.
After he disappeared and I was left alone in the drawing room, I stared at the summer party invitation with mixed eyes.
∗ ∗ ∗
On the day of the summer party.
Early in the morning, Clare's people broke into the Archduke's house.
Fashion, makeup, even hair.
Claire's carefully selected experts used my body and face like a canvas, creating an indisputable masterpiece.
“Oh my God...
I knew you were beautiful, ma’am, but seeing you in this outfit made you look like an angel!”
Mrs.
Perona's eyes filled with tears.
I, or rather, Elena reflected in the mirror, certainly aroused these feelings.
Her thick blonde hair was beautifully curled, her makeup was in soft pastels, and her pale pink silk dress was delicately embroidered.
Moreover, every piece of her jewelry, including her hair ornament, sparkled brilliantly and was made of the finest diamonds.
I felt unnecessarily embarrassed, so I asked the young maid.
“Has the Archduke finished his preparations?”
“Yes, I heard it ended a while ago.”
Clare sent a servant to assist the Archduke in his preparations, and even in his formal attire.
At that moment, a whisper rose from the hallway.
“Your Excellency!
Why did you hide this from me all this time?”
“I didn't notice, you always attend banquets in uniform!”
The voices of Victor and another soldier echoed through the stone wall.
I glanced through the door, where servants and soldiers were huddled together, admiring the Archduke's preparations.
Finally, his figure caught my eye, standing out from the crowd, a head taller than the others.
'Woe to you!'
I also chanted inside.
His black cloak embroidered with ornate gold threads, and his black hair styled smoothly back, gave him a legendary, sophisticated appearance.
Even from afar, his appearance was striking.
“Your Excellency, your preparations are complete.”
At the sound of Lady Perona's voice, all eyes that had been focused on the Archduke turned to me.
At that moment, the place was quiet.
In a stifling silence, where not even a breath was heard, my eyes met those of the Archduke.
“You look great today, Your Excellency.”
As I walked towards him, I gently closed my eyes and smiled.
For a moment, the Archduke's crimson eyes sparkled.
He seemed to forget that we should act like a loving couple.
I winked quickly, trying to keep him from saying anything out of the ordinary.
“And you too... have a shower.
You look beautiful...”
The Archduke's pale face flushed red.
He seemed ashamed to utter these words.
Instead of the silent Archduke, Victor burst into thunderous praise.
“Her Excellency the Archduchess!
You look so beautiful!”
Victor raised his voice irritably.
The other soldiers joined him.
“As expected!
I knew that from the beginning.”
“It is an honor to serve Your Excellency.”
In an instant, there was an atmosphere of liveliness.
I smiled broadly at them and expressed my gratitude, but a frown formed between the Archduke's brows.
“Wasn't there training today?”
The sound was a bad omen.
The Archduke opened his eyes at once, and the soldiers hurriedly gathered around me and lined up.
Viktor, seething with anger, muttered a protest.
"Ah, there's still time.
We'll say goodbye to you both and then we'll start…"
“What I know is that a soldier’s virtue begins with not neglecting his training.”
“We will make that right.”
With a warm salute, the soldiers who filled the hall with their weapons withdrew.
In the end, only Mrs.
Perona and some maids remained to bid us farewell.
After a moment, we were finally alone in the carriage.
“Aren’t you too hard on Victor?
Even the Archduke skips training to go to the party...”
When I turned to Victor, gently reprimanding him, his eyes narrowed.
“Ha.
You forgot the purpose of our party, right?
You were saying it was just to investigate, but you seem so excited.”
For some reason, he looked very upset.
The Archduke has always declined social events, except for the most prestigious occasions hosted by the Imperial Family.
So, it's understandable that he would be upset about attending the summer party at my request.
'Do you think I'm using the investigation as an excuse because I'm interested in the party?'
I cannot lose my clients' trust in me.
I wiped my smile and a serious smile appeared on my face.
“No, I’m not excited at all.
I’ll go to the party and conduct an in-depth investigation with Crown Prince Lawrence.”
“….”
This was clearly the answer he wanted.
The Archduke's mood did not improve; Rather, it seemed to have deteriorated further.
There was a hint of disappointment in his profile, and he turned his head silently with a frown.
'He's tough...he's a really tough customer.'
I shook my head with a slight sigh, and suddenly I saw a small scar near his protruding jaw muscle.
It was something I had never seen before.
My heart sank.
Could it possibly have something to do with the night he walked in covered in blood?
After a long deliberation, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“Hmm, Archduke.”
At my call, he rolled his eyes and looked at me.
I licked my dry lips.
Now was the perfect opportunity to ask him a question, inside the carriage, where he would be unable to evade the question.
“Where have you been alone these past few days?”
For a moment, his red eyes twitched with excitement.