As soon as that girl smiled, everything he had been trying to ignore about her came flooding back into his mind.
He remembered her face on the first day, when she greeted him with clear embarrassment.
He remembered that girl who had given him honest advice with her little plump lips, trying to help him.
He remembered the girl who was talking excitedly, introducing herself and asking him not to be so reserved towards her.
The girl who lit up with happiness whenever he answered her.
And the girl who protected him from Somerset and Axel whenever they tried to harass him.
For some reason, he felt an unexplained tightness in his throat, and his heart began to beat strongly, accompanied by a slight thirst.
Finally, he was able to talk to Daedric.
Not only that, but Jenkinson seemed to speak well of him, earning him respectable meals.
The Duke's appearance at that time was a happy coincidence, but there was no guarantee that he would be so lucky again.
“He saw me, but...”
After that, he never had the chance to meet the Duke again. The only place he couldn't go was the floor that housed the Duke's room and office.
That floor was completely off-limits to him.
So, even if he wanted to meet him again, it wasn't easy.
Even waiting was not an option, for when the Duke left the Grand Duke's castle, he rarely returned quickly, and if he stayed, he remained immersed in his office, making it almost impossible to see him.
“He said he will leave for the capital soon and will be absent for several days.”
He had to find it before then, but it wasn't that simple.
He considered the idea of waiting for him, but he realized that if the Duke deliberately avoided meeting him, he would never be able to meet him.
“If he knows that I want to talk to him so badly, and he doesn’t bother to look for me, it clearly means that he doesn’t want to see me.”
He sighed deeply as he moved the heavy cabinets.
However, he couldn't keep waiting for the Duke.
He had to protect Daedric.
While working, he used to overhear the conversations of Somerset and Axel, who were always plotting something. Just like it's happening now.
“Hyung, is this really good?”
His voice sounded hesitant, but it concealed a malicious happiness.
The only person who called Somerset “Hyung” other than Deidrick was none other than Axel Blackwood, Delaney’s second son.
"If Delaney has a second son, that means they had a good relationship at one point, right? They're only a year apart."
Did things get worse after Amelia showed up?
Come to think of it...it sounds like infidelity.
But in such circles, having a mistress was something everyone ignored to avoid complications.
The novel didn't delve into that, so he wasn't entirely sure.
In fact, even mentioning Amelia was considered taboo, so no one spoke about her publicly.
“What's so bad about that? Because of that motherfucker, mom...”
He heard Somerset's teeth grinding in anger.
How ridiculous.
All of this was the result of your mother's actions, so how could Deedric be at fault?
He understood that blaming others was easy, but for these two, it seemed too easy.
“You think I'm going to sit idly by?”
“W-what are you going to do?”
His voice was hesitant, but it carried a tone of hidden aspiration.
It was clear that he wanted to hurt Daedric as well.
Axel was that kind of person.
He was always hiding behind Somerset, bullying Deederick in a cowardly manner, but he was always chaotic in his actions.
He never received his mother's love, because Delaney gave all her attention to her eldest son, so he was willing to do anything for Somerset.
But deep down, he had an inferiority complex towards his older brother.
“You know what this is, right?”
I opened the closet door carefully.
I looked through a narrow opening and saw Somerset and Axel clearly.
The two looked more like Delaney than the Grand Duke.
Delaney was a quiet woman with dark blue hair, and they inherited that look from her.
They had beautiful features, but their greedy faces made them much less attractive.
“This is the economics book my father recently gave us. It belongs to Daedric.”
"so what?"
“My father hates books being treated carelessly.”
As soon as he heard these words, he immediately understood Somerset's plan.
They were planning to destroy Daedric's book, which had already been stolen.
They were trying to humiliate him in front of everyone.
As he expected, Somerset smiled slyly and added:
“Especially if he finds out that he tore up the book he gave him himself, he will never forgive him!”
“I doubt it very much...”
Somerset believed that Daedric had turned to the Duke to regain his inheritance, so he was trying to use the same trick against him.
He wanted to involve the Duke in order to put Daedric in a bad position.
What little ones they are! Fortunately, their plans were superficial and easily frustrated.
If their machinations had been more sophisticated, I might have ruined everything by trying to interfere.
“But can't he get another book?”
"How will he get it? No one here will help him."
Somerset smiled wickedly as he began to tear the book apart without hesitation.
tearing! tearing!
As soon as I saw him do that, I rushed to Deidrick's room.
“Since they have a plan, it's my turn to intervene.”
This was my chance for revenge.
As soon as she entered his room, she excitedly opened the closet door and called out to him animatedly:
“Didi!”
But he didn't reply. He turned to me with a blank stare, then turned away with a sombre expression.
“Did Somerset come here?”
No way, I was watching him.
But Diderick's mood always dropped after Somerset or Axel passed.
"…no."
So, why was it so heavy?
She looked around curiously, then asked:
“Where is the economics book that the Duke gave you?”
He shuddered, lowered his head, and began fiddling with his fingers.
So, he knew he was missing.
“It's okay, Somerset stole it, but I'll take care of it.”
"theft?"
“He plans to make you look like you treated him carelessly, but as long as I’m here, that won’t happen.”
After hesitation, he asked me in a low voice:
“...Did you go for that reason?”
"Yes. This is our chance to get back at them!"
But he didn't seem entirely convinced.
She gently grabbed his sleeve and asked him:
“Would you like to take a walk?”
He looked at me, then I laughed softly.
“You are the only one who can save me.”
His eyes widened in shock.
"I?"
“Yes, it's just you. That's why I'm holding on to you... to survive.”