Leon rushed back to the Grand Duke’s residence as soon as he finished the morning knight training.

“Lord Leon…? You’re returning early again today.”

A butler who appeared from somewhere greeted him with a slightly bewildered face.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be going out again anyway.”

At Leon’s words, the butler cautiously asked with a somewhat ambiguous expression.

“Um… Are you perhaps going to the Lyuschino Count’s residence ‘again’?”

“……”

Leon looked down at the butler without replying.

The butler named Miles has been employed at the Grand Duke’s residence for over 15 years. He was a valuable staff member who managed the not-so-simple household of the Grand Duke’s residence without problems in the absence of a mistress.

One of the reasons Miles was trusted in the Grand Duke’s residence was that he never interfered or gave advice that crossed the line to the employees.

Externally, the members of the Grand Duke’s family maintain an impeccable standing and dignity.

Needless to say, the father, Grand Duke Osilote, and Leon, the vice-captain of the Holy Knight Order, as well as Anthony and Eve, earn the admiration of many with their beautiful appearances and impeccable manners.

However, looking at the reality, it was a family that couldn’t be more desolate.

Grand Duke Osilote has been showing severe symptoms of nervous exhaustion since his position in the political world became unstable due to circumstances implicating him in the poisoning incident of Empress Ann, who is currently in a coma.

It seemed as if he had completely let go of the mental stability he had barely held onto since the death of his wife, Saint Larisa. The symptoms worsened especially on the days he returned from entering the Imperial Palace.

Anthony, too, though beautiful in appearance, has a weak constitution and frequent illnesses, causing him to live in seclusion. Perhaps because of this, although he appears gentle on the outside, he has a sensitive and sharp edge.

Eve is still relatively innocent and bright, but when she sees young ladies going around with their mothers, she often stares blankly, lost in thought.

What will happen on the day when that child’s longing overflows from her small heart?

And then there’s Leon, the Holy Knight cursed with lust.

In short, this family was in a state of total crisis.

Miles, who knows the hidden true face of the Grand Duke’s family better than anyone. This quiet and serious butler was openly asking Leon.

If he was going to the Lyuschino Count’s residence again.

Leon couldn’t help but pause at his words. Had his recent behavior been so excessive that Miles would react like this?

‘It seems so, a little.’

For the third day in a row, he had returned home after finishing only the morning training, washed up, changed his clothes, and then visited the Lyuschino Count’s residence.

On the surface, the purpose was to help with the magic tool research that Kasha had requested. Once they started the contract relationship, his thought was that he should faithfully fulfill the conditions of the contract.

But there was a separate, actual purpose. To closely monitor Kasha Lyuschino and find out her true intentions.

He thought he had been faithfully working towards these goals over the past few days.

Of course, there was some uneasiness, or rather, parts that he couldn’t fully convince himself of.

Like the fact that he repeatedly went through the tiring process of returning home to wash up and change clothes after finishing the grueling knight training.

Or the fact that he, who normally completed his assigned duties with excessive responsibility, had been neglecting his work for days without concern, despite the complaints and reprimands from the Holy Knight Commander.

He attributed these minor issues to his personality of perfectly immersing himself in a goal once it was set.

‘But what is this feeling now?’

Leon frowned, rubbing his chin.

The emotion he was feeling now was unfamiliar. In a word… it felt like being caught. He felt uneasy, like a child caught doing something wrong.

“Um… Young Master Leon.”

“Speak.”

“The Grand Duke is looking for you.”

“Me? Now?”

“Yes. He returned early from the palace and is waiting for you.”

“……”

Leon fell silent again.

It was rare for Grand Duke Osilote to seek out his children first.

He had rapidly lost his position in the Imperial Palace since the end of last year when the First Prince was enthroned as Crown Prince. The meetings and appointments that had filled his schedule from morning to evening were cancelled one by one, and the nobles visiting the Grand Duke’s residence gradually stopped coming.

In fact, all of this was an expected course of events.

Since the Empress’s poisoning incident occurred, and she fell into a coma but didn’t die, and her only son, the First Prince, expanded his influence faster than expected.

To make matters worse, the Second Prince, whom the Grand Duke had been pushing to become Crown Prince, died in an unexpected accident, and his mother, Empress Alisa, also lost her mind and took her own life.

This series of events clearly foretold the downfall of the Grand Duke’s family, but the Grand Duke couldn’t accept this situation calmly. He denied the reality that he had to live in seclusion because no one was seeking him out.

Ignoring his already neglected family, he desperately went out even more. He gathered high-ranking nobles who had been relegated to their territories in their old age and contacted merchants who wanted to establish connections in the political world.

However, people were not fools.

They smelled the scent of failure from Grand Duke Osilote, who was once the most powerful figure in the empire. The scent of a pathetic loser struggling on a downward slope.

The Grand Duke was becoming increasingly isolated. While he was isolated by others outside, he isolated himself inside his home.

It would be nice if he could find happiness in his children, who were growing up well, satisfied with their position as the emperor’s siblings and members of the Grand Duke’s family. But he found his children burdensome instead.

He was not used to taking care of and being responsible for someone, and to him, his children were objects that stimulated an uncomfortable sense of guilt.

And at some point, the children also stopped expecting anything from him.

At least with Leon, the heir, he would meet out of obligation. Of course, only when there were official matters.

“…You say Father has been waiting for me.”

As Leon asked again as if to confirm, Miles silently bowed his head.

“Yes, Young Master.”

Thinking that somehow Miles’s back of the head looked troubled, Leon moved with heavy steps towards the Grand Duke’s room.

‘I need to wash up quickly, so I can arrive at the Count’s residence in time for Kasha’s afternoon garden walk…’

As he thought that far, he frowned as if troubled.

‘Even if it’s to be faithful to the contract’s content and to uncover her true intentions… Anyone watching would think I’m desperate to arrive at the Count’s residence quickly.’

Feeling unpleasant at the thought of making excuses to himself, he deliberately quickened his pace.

Knock knock knock

As he knocked on the door of the Grand Duke’s office, a response was soon heard.

“Come in.”

The Grand Duke, who had become even more gaunt in the past one or two weeks, greeted Leon. The office was like a raccoon’s den from how much he had been smoking cigars.

Seeing the ruined appearance of the Grand Duke, who was once called the most handsome man in the empire in his youth, Leon felt newly dejected.

Wasn’t Leon himself in a situation no less, if not more, desolate than the Grand Duke? His own pathetic appearance overlapped with the image of the Grand Duke blinking his dull eyes while puffing on a cigar.

Leon swallowed a bitter smile and bowed his head to his father.

At the same time, he had a premonition that what the Grand Duke wanted to say to him would not be pleasant.

“Sit down. Why does your face look like that?”

The Grand Duke coughed and offered Leon a seat. Leon sat down silently across from him.

“Even if you’re a knight, you should take care of your appearance to look presentable. These days, I hear noble ladies place quite a bit of importance on a man’s appearance too.”

Leon lowered his eyes without answering. Commenting on the appearance of a son who was already twenty-four years old. It wasn’t like his father from the start of the conversation.

The Grand Duke didn’t seem to like Leon’s stiff attitude, but he seemed to have other important business and hurriedly continued speaking.

“About this hunting competition. The one hosted by the Imperial Family.”

“Yes.”

“You should participate too.”

“…I intend to.”

As if he had heard unexpectedly welcome news, color returned to the Grand Duke’s haggard face.

“Is that so? You’ve thought well. It’s about time you seriously step into social circles.”

“……”

“This is perfect timing. Since we’re on the subject, I’m thinking of officially pushing forward with the marriage talks with the Tyrot Princess, starting with this hunting competition.”

Leon slowly raised his lowered eyes. Dull purple eyes, which must have once been the same color as Leon’s, met his gaze through the thick cigar smoke.

“Participate as the Princess’s partner that day. I’ve already discussed everything with Duke Tyrot.”

“Father.”

The Grand Duke, who had been speaking without hesitation, blinked when he realized Leon had interrupted him. His wrinkled eyelids trembled unpleasantly.

“What?”

“I’ve already decided on a partner to go to the hunting competition with.”

“…What did you say?”

“Haven’t I already told you? I cannot make a marriage agreement with the Tyrot ducal family. Because I have a lady I’m courting.”

“Leon Miloionif Aranias.”

The Grand Duke coughed and exhaled a long puff of cigar smoke before calling Leon’s full name. Leon blinked at the thick smoke, remembering a small woman who used to cough because of the cigar smoke he once smoked.

“Don’t act rashly. Who gave you permission to decide on a partner? Surely, you haven’t seriously taken a liking to that illegitimate child, what was her name, Kasha Lyuschino?”

At the name that sprang from the Grand Duke’s lips, Leon hesitated. However, before he could give any answer, the Grand Duke raised his voice and continued speaking.

“You are the legitimate son of the Grand Duke’s family. Moreover, our family is now……”

The Grand Duke trembled, unable to finish his sentence. He seemed to be newly enraged by his own situation.

“In crisis. And yet you dare… create a scandal with that sort of dimwit, stuttering, illegitimate girl? You, my son and the son of Saint Larisa?”

The Grand Duke’s voice grew louder and louder, until it became so thunderous that it could be heard outside the office.

The Grand Duke, who was shouting at the top of his lungs with his neck flushed red and his body all puffed up, looked like a turkey. He had lost even the little remaining dignity of a great noble.

However, what actually stirred Leon’s heart was something else, rather than his father’s downfall.