“Yes, that's what I thought… Could it be a misunderstanding?” I lowered my eyes with a sad expression.
Audrey quickly waved her hands, “No, of course not. I’m honored… No, I’m grateful. Really, I’m happy.”
"Okay. Audrey, uh, may I just call you Audrey?"
“Of course, Duchess.”
Audrey seemed really excited.
Just as I expected.
No matter how humble and gentle her personality was, there was no way she wouldn't be happy to show off her relationship with the Duchess of Dumont on an occasion like this.
amazing. Now, if I walk away quietly...
“Excuse me for a moment. I haven't had dinner yet, and I'm feeling a little hungry.”
“Oh yes, of course”
I nodded to Audrey and walked away from the crowd.
Immediately, the ladies who had been quietly watching her from afar turned around.
"Viscountess Grandbert! Since when have you been so close to the Duchess Dumont?"
"I don't think we've ever seen you two interact before. Did something happen that we didn't notice?"
The complainers couldn't help but raise their voices, and I could hear their questions behind me as I walked away.
The next part was expected.
They all pestered Audrey to introduce me.
However, with this situation, this face… it was so easy for Camille, so why did she throw it all away?
It was a mystery. Even if she had so many complaints about her husband, why would she deliberately smear her reputation like this?
I was deep in thought, walking with my head slightly tilted, when someone bumped into my shoulder.
I gasped and stumbled, and the man quickly grabbed me by the waist to steady me.
"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
Although I was surprised, I quickly regained my balance and gently pushed the man away.
“I'm fine”
“Really, I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming and acted so rude.”
“No, it's okay. I didn't even fall. Sorry,” I smiled and started to walk beside him, but he followed me.
"Are you sure you're okay? For your safety, shouldn't we check if you're infected?"
“I told you I'm fine. As you can see, I'm walking perfectly. I'm not hurt anywhere.”
“In some cases, injuries do not cause immediate pain. It is better to sit somewhere and rest a little.”
At this point, I was starting to get annoyed.
His intentions were clear, and he was persistent.
Given the hype, there was no way he wouldn't know that I was the Duchess of Dumont.
How rude was this man to act like this to me?
Finally I turned to look at him for the first time.
His hair was reddish brown.
He was very handsome.
It didn't leave much of an impression, given how familiar I am with Ethan's face, but I consider him better than Liam Bernard.
However, this is irrelevant.
I stared directly at the man and said, “I already told you I was fine.”
“But if you had been injured because of me...”
"Even if I was, it wouldn't be your fault. It was an accident, not intentional, right? Or did you hit me on purpose?"
The man's eyes sparkled in annoyance at my words.
“Absolutely not. But still...”
"Then it's okay. The real insult here is you ignoring my rejection and insisting on your point of view. Isn't that a greater insult?"
“……”
The man was silent, looking confused.
I nodded slightly and turned away from him.
I headed towards the dining table on one side of the banquet hall.
Most of the foods were appetizers.
“Can I get you a drink?”
Hearing that voice, I realized that the man had been following me all this time.
I frowned slightly and turned to him, “Excuse me.”
He bowed his head as he spoke, “No, as you said, Miss, I will no longer impose my will. If I upset you, I am truly sorry. I just wanted to apologize.”
'...Miss?'
I frowned.
I thought he approached me knowing that I was the Duchess of Dumont.
Maybe this is part of his behavior.
If I correct him, he looks surprised, and says he doesn't realize it because I'm too young and pretty to be anyone's wife. This is normal.
While debating whether or not I should correct him, the man continued talking.
“My name is Clements Kaunis. I am from Auslant. I am in Alvinnie on business.”
Oslant is a country bordering Alvini to the south-east.
After he mentioned it, his tone seemed a little strange.
...Wait, Clements Cowness?
It was a name I'd heard before. I frowned, trying to remember him.
Was he on Viscount Rochefort's guest list?
No, I've memorized that list well. It was much earlier.
Where was he? Surely you've heard it somewhere...
I looked at the man's face, trying to jog my memory.
Then my eyes fell on him.
His irises were dark brown.
Suddenly, a bolt of realization hit me.
...Clement Cowness. This is correct. No doubt about it.
This was one of the aliases used by Nicholas Sadon in the original story.
Sadon is his mother's maiden name, and his last name is Gerard.
Nicholas was the supporting male lead in the original, the illegitimate son of Duke Marlon Gerard.
Few people know that Nicholas is Marlon's son.
His mother gave birth to him in secret and fled abroad, like the heroine of a sad story.
But unfortunately, Marlon did not feel any remorse for the woman.
After finding them, Marlon planned an accident that killed Nicholas' mother and brought the boy to Alvini.
Marlon placed Nicholas in the Gerard family's intelligence agency, where he was trained as a secret agent for many years.
Because of his desire to gain his father's approval, Nicholas excelled at espionage and assassination, carrying out all types of covert operations.
No doubt it is him.
His name, his distinctive eye color, the pretense of being an alien...but why? Why did he actually appear?
Originally, it wasn't introduced until seven years from now.
'Wait, originally it was said that he was 27 years old when he first appeared, so that means...what, he's 20 now?'
Maybe it was because of his mustache, but he didn't look young.
He looked at least in his mid-twenties.
He is a master of disguise, after all...
Noticing my silence, Nicholas spoke with a puzzled expression, “Is something wrong?”
“...No, there is nothing.”
I lowered my gaze, pretending to examine the food. But my mind was busy.
Why is Nicholas showing up now?
This was supposed to be his training time.
I was sure.
In the original text, it was stated that Nicholas had only worked as an official agent for two years, but he was already among the intelligence service's top agents.
Is Nicholas acting on his own? Um...did Marlon send him?
However, it was clear that I changed the story line.
Unlike the original version, Gerard fails to silence Liam.
The Gerard family must have been convinced that Ethan was behind Liam's rescue. Naturally, they would have taken into account the possibility of Liam revealing the truth.
I was expecting that, but I didn't expect Gerard to act so quickly and clearly.
Originally, Marlon prioritized secrecy to the point of insanity.
He was willing to sacrifice even his closest aides without hesitation to keep his operations secret.
…Nicholas may be acting independently.
He's still training, anyway. It is likely that he moved out on his own, wanting to prove himself.
This fits with Nicholas' personality.
In the original version, he was reckless and driven by his desire for his father's appreciation. At such a young age, it was normal for him to act rashly.