When Greg opened the door and came out, he was startled to see his younger sibling standing right in front of it.

“Oh my!”

As Greg clutched his chest, Bellus smiled enigmatically and said,

“What? Is my face so handsome that it startles you?”

“Yes. You’re very handsome.”

Greg said with a shudder. At that moment, the sound of a chair being pulled back was heard from Duke Delta’s office.

“Bellus!”

Duke Delta, who had risen from his seat, called for Bellus. Greg chuckled and gently patted Bellus’s shoulder, saying,

“Let’s have dinner together tonight.”

“How does such a busy person find the time?”

“Can’t I make time to eat with my younger sibling!”

Bellus smiled, his eyes crinkling, and after leaving those words, he turned his head back to the front after watching his elder brother’s back as he quickly moved past him.

“Grandfather. Someone might think we haven’t seen each other for days.”

“You’re always welcome.”

Duke Delta, who had come out to greet Bellus, laughed heartily and embraced him.

The Delta ducal family was an excellent house. Not only was it long-established, but it was also the only family that grew steadily without wavering in the current era.

Every business they touched succeeded, and they were politically influential, so everyone coveted and looked up to this family’s wisdom and money.

However, Duke Delta, who had placed this Delta ducal family at the pinnacle of success, had a huge complex.

It was his appearance.

The Dukes of Delta had always married for political reasons, considering the family’s benefits. If they liked someone’s face, they could just make them a lover.

Duke Delta closely resembled his ugly father and plain mother.

The young Duke Delta didn’t like his black hair, rare in Gracian, nor his ugly appearance.

Then one day, an illegitimate child born between his father and a mistress, with a face as pretty as a flower, said to Duke Delta,

[Father often sits me on his knee and strokes my hair. Mother said it’s because I have the same brown hair as Father, so he loves me. Maybe Father loves me more than your mother?] [……] [Have you ever sat on Father’s lap, elder brother? When I asked Father before, he said you hadn’t, is that true?]

The child with an angelic face smiled wickedly.

Upon learning this, the previous Duke immediately expelled the mistress and the illegitimate child. He was furious at the illegitimate child who had climbed up without knowing their place.

But the young Duke Delta knew. He knew that the previous Duke had sent them to another country to protect them from the Duchess.

[Your father likes beautiful things. Everyone does. But don’t forget, son. You are the only heir to this Delta ducal family.]

The previous Duchess gripped young Duke Delta’s shoulders and repeated the same words over and over.

The Duke could only answer that he understood.

Years later, when the previous Duke died and Duke Delta inherited the title, he immediately cut off the illegitimate child’s financial support.

Having become an alcoholic and living a debauched life, he immediately came to the Duke and pleaded.

[Elder brother! Please think of Father. I only want to live in your shadow, I don’t dare to covet that position.]

To the plea that reeked of alcohol, the Duke smiled gently and replied.

[Who is your elder brother?]

As Duke Delta raised his hand, the guards approached and bound the illegitimate child.

[W-What are you doing? If you do this, Father won’t forgive you!] [The dead don’t speak. And even if he were alive, this ducal family is mine.] [……] [This great Delta ducal family, which a mere illegitimate child cannot dare to covet, is mine.]

The Duke swears he only intended to drive out the illegitimate child just like that.

He thought he would starve to death on his own since he didn’t know how to make money.

But the illegitimate child was a person lacking in everything except appearance.

[Ha! As expected of someone who didn’t receive Father’s love! I guarantee you, elder brother, you’ll spend your life lonely. Don’t rejoice because everyone bows their heads before you! Those people are just flies attracted by your money, they’re secretly looking down on an ugly man like you!]

Why did those nonsensical words make him so angry? In the end, Duke Delta didn’t drive out the illegitimate child but ‘dealt with’ him.

A person disappeared, but it wasn’t a big problem. No one cared about a mere illegitimate child anyway.

Duke Delta thought he could live unburdened from now on. But his heart kept getting heavier.

It wasn’t because of guilt for eliminating a family member, even if only half-related by blood.

[Duke! It’s an honor to meet you!] [I’d like to hear your esteemed opinion, Duke.] [It always seems like there’s a halo shining around you, Duke……]

Whenever people approached with friendly smiles, he heard the voice of the dead guy in his ears.

What was the reason these people approached him? It must be money. They might think their stomachs were churning from facing an ugly man.

‘No. They surely do.’

Duke Delta eventually came to avoid meeting people. When he had to meet for business, he would send a subordinate, or after his son grew up, he would send his son.

As time passed, Duke Delta’s symptoms worsened to the point where it became difficult even to look in the mirror.

His own face felt disgusting to him.

It was even uncomfortable to look at his children who resembled him. It wasn’t that he didn’t love them or care for them.

It was when the Duke had aged, his face covered with white beard and wrinkles somewhat softening his stern eyes.

Finally, his eldest son had a second child. With the same black hair and blue eyes as the Duke in his youth, this child was as beautiful as if God had molded him with special affection.

[Father. Look at the child’s hair. Black hair. He’s special like you.]

Looking at the most beautiful child in the world, everyone was reminded of the Duke.

[It reminds me of when you were young, Duke.] [Indeed. My grandson doesn’t resemble me at all.]

The Duke found the child so beautiful.

This child, who clearly showed his bloodline yet was beautiful as if not of this world, seemed to compensate for all his past sufferings.

Duke Delta still avoided meeting people, but he enjoyed attending parties with Bellus. After all, Bellus was his most precious pride in life.

“So. What brings you here?”

“Do I need a reason to see you, Grandfather?”

“You rascal, such words!”

Duke Delta laughed loudly. He was a man who rarely laughed, but in front of Bellus, he was nothing but benevolent.

“I overheard earlier, is there some problem with Baem Company?”

“You know about Baem Company.”

“Of course. It’s Gracian’s only automobile company, right?”

Bellus said, gesturing for Duke Delta to sit on the sofa. Duke Delta sat on the sofa with a satisfied smile and replied.

“It seems an interesting agenda will come up in the parliament soon.”

Bellus’s smiling expression froze.

“A bill to regulate carriages will be proposed.”

“Suddenly? It seems there would be a lot of opposition to regulating something that’s been used well.”

Bellus said, pretending to be naive as he slowly sat on the sofa.

“Hoho. Normally that would be the case, but the representative of Baem Company has been working hard behind the scenes. It might be difficult to get unanimous approval, but it doesn’t seem like there will be any significant opposition votes.”

Duke Delta muttered, stroking his beard.

“Considering the scale of Baem Company, I wonder how they managed such lobbying funds……”

Bellus immediately thought of one person.

‘Zen Baker!’

That’s right. He must have provided capital to Baem Company.

“Anyway, this isn’t just because Baem provided money. It’s a natural flow. Just as strong iron ships cut through the ocean instead of wooden ships.”

“So you’re planning to invest in Baem in advance?”

“There’s nothing wrong with investing. At least, it’s much more profitable to cut off investments in companies that used to clean up horse manure and invest that money directly in Baem.”

Duke Delta, who had been speaking seriously, immediately said with a bright expression.

“Bellus. You don’t need to worry about such troublesome things. I, your father, and your brother will take care of it. You just need to enjoy what this old man will gift you.”

“……”

Bellus, who responded with a slight smile, brought up a different topic instead of his original purpose.

“Grandfather. There’s someone I’d like to invite to this Britrio ship launch party, would that be alright?”

“Child, why do you even ask that!”

“Because that person is bourgeois. Their background is too humble to dare attend a party with you, Grandfather.”

Bellus said, shrugging his shoulders. Certainly, it wasn’t right for the bourgeoisie to show their faces at parties attended by nobles.

However, Duke Delta wanted to grant whatever Bellus wished, and this launch party was going to be the biggest party in recent times.

It was a party where even foreign nobles would attend, so no one would notice if a few bourgeois were mixed in.

And even if they did, so what? Duke Delta wasn’t the type to feel reassured by being bound by the tacit, petty rules created for the nobility’s survival.

That’s why he was in this position now.

“I don’t mind, but it’s best not to let them run into Duke Buin. That fellow is very interested in the people around you.”

“Are you inviting him too?”

Bellus said, frowning.

“Why? Did the Duke say something to you?”

“No. I haven’t met him since returning from Astrian.”

“I see. But don’t worry about the Duke. He won’t be able to say anything to you. If he has any shame, he should know to mind his manners.”

Duke Delta clicked his tongue and continued.

“Anyway, invite whoever you want. It’s my party, so there’s no need to be mindful of the Duke. It’s not us who can’t let go now, it’s them.”

Duke Delta said with a gentle smile. Bellus was thinking the same as Duke Delta.

Duke Buin couldn’t let go of Bellus, of the Delta ducal family. It was so pitiful how desperately he was clinging that it was disgusting to see, and so heavy that he wanted to kick him away.

“Then Grandfather, I’ll be going out for a bit.”

As Bellus stood up and spoke, Duke Delta looked surprised.

“Hmm? Didn’t you promise to have dinner with your brother?”

“Haha. Grandfather, do you think I’ll always return late if I go out?”

“Well, you did go to Astrian when you went out for a walk.”

“This time, I absolutely won’t return late. I promise.”

Bellus, who was about to leave with a beautiful face and an enchanting smile, soon turned back.

“Ah. You’ll join us for dinner too, right Grandfather?”

“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for just the siblings to eat together?”

“I’m much more comfortable with you, Grandfather. You know that. Well then, I’ll be going.”

Bellus confirmed Duke Delta’s satisfied smile and left the office to find the butler.

“I’m going out. Prepare… No. First, I should check if he’s at home.”

“I’ll send someone to check. Where would you like to visit?”

Bellus smiled slightly and said,

“Baker mansion.”