“Yes. I’m telling you this in my right mind, Your Grace.”

“No. You seem completely insane. Would you please leave immediately? I’m sorry, but I don’t have enough time to patiently listen to any more nonsense.”

The Duke pointed to the door with his long, thick fingers as he spoke to me.

I looked at him straight in the eye and slowly stood up. Then I spoke to him.

“I know that the previous Duke of Haven, Your Grace’s father, supported Princess Ella as the next heir to this empire because he suspected that people close to Prince Louis were involved in the unfortunate death of Princess Liz, Your Grace’s mother.”

“What…?”

“However, the previous Duke of Haven passed away without being able to reveal that fact, and Your Grace is standing on the Princess’s side in accordance with your father’s will. But as Your Grace knows well, no matter how outstanding the Princess is, it won’t be easy for her to ascend to the throne over Prince Louis, the eldest son.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“If Your Grace accepts my proposal, I promise to work for Your Grace from now on.”

“…Ha, for me?”

“Yes. Shall I be more precise? I will help Your Grace’s vassals and the noble families who have taken Your Grace’s side to build up their power.”

“Help them?”

“As Your Grace knows well, the Princess’s support base is weak compared to Prince Louis’s. But aren’t all the nobles who have taken Prince Louis’s side from prestigious families with both wealth and power? To fight and win against them, and thus to claim the throne, Your Grace alone is not enough. You need to build up the power of those around you.”

“…”

“I’ll help make that happen. I’ll stand on the Princess’s side and put this world in Your Grace’s hands.”

“…Ha.”

“So please help me for just one year. Be my fake lover.”

After finishing my words, I faced him with a stern expression.

The Duke stared at me intently. As if trying to grasp the hidden meaning of my words.

Then suddenly, he let out a mocking laugh and looked down at me askew as he spoke.

“You speak quite grandly. Do you think I’ll believe you with just those words?”

“It may be hard to believe, but I hope you will. And I want you to know that trusting me is absolutely not something that will cause Your Grace any loss.”

I answered with a determined expression. The Duke looked at me and snickered, then shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I refuse, Lady Yusten. I don’t need the world that you’re trying to offer me.”

“…”

“So go back.”

After saying those words, the Duke turned his back on me.

And towards him as he walked towards the office door, I pulled out my last resort.

“Three days from now, at His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday party held in the imperial palace, Your Grace will be in trouble because of the gift you’ve prepared.”

“…What?”

“If I prevent that incident for you, will you trust me and accept my proposal?”

After finishing my question, I looked at the Duke with an anxious heart.

He pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin with his hand. Then he spoke to me mockingly.

“…Add one more thing to that. Make Duke Yusten be publicly humiliated that day. Then, I’ll consider whether to accept your proposal or not.”

The tone of his words, dripping with sarcasm, was full of doubt, as if he didn’t believe at all that I would actually do such a thing.

I nodded without a moment’s hesitation and said.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

Then a faint emotion settled in the Duke’s black eyes as he looked at me. I quietly smiled at him.

After finishing my conversation with Elliot, I returned to the mansion by carriage.

As I entered through the main gate, Annie, who had been waiting in front, greeted me.

She spoke to me, fidgeting nervously.

“The Duke was looking for you, miss. When I told him that you were out right now, he said to come to the reception room immediately as soon as you return home.”

“I see. I’ll go now.”

I nodded obediently. Then I headed to the Duke’s reception room in the main building of the mansion with Annie.

As I entered, Duke Yusten, who had been drinking tea alone, greeted me. His face, which looked exactly like my cousin sister Danae except for the blonde hair and green eyes, somehow seemed displeased.

I greeted the Duke nonchalantly, as if I hadn’t noticed his emotions at all.

“I heard you were looking for me, Uncle.”

Duke Yusten put down the teacup he was holding with a clatter and said.

“I hear you rented a carriage through the carriage guild and went out riding it.”

“…”

“Who on earth were you trying to meet that you went to such lengths to hide your whereabouts? Surely, you didn’t meet someone you couldn’t bear to tell me about.”

“…”

“…For example, the Duke of Haven.”

Despite his slightly angry complexion and gestures, the Duke’s voice that flowed out was very affectionate.

Although his attitude was clearly probing, I calmly put on an indifferent expression and answered.

“I went to meet an information broker.”

“An information broker? Why?”

“To grasp the recent movements of the Duke of Haven. Fortunately, the Duke seemed to know nothing about our plans.”

“…I see.”

Duke Yusten nodded slightly, as if satisfied with my words.

After confirming that a smile had appeared on his face, I turned my head and said.

“You prepared it as I asked, right?”

“Of course.”

“I’d like to see that item with my own eyes.”

At my request, Duke Yusten handed me a velvet box that had been placed on the tea table.

When I received it and opened it, there was a ruby gemstone inside. As big as a child’s fist, it was something so precious that it would be difficult to obtain even with Duke Yusten’s wealth.

I carefully caressed it with my fingertips and said to the Duke.

“Is this the real ruby?”

“Yes. And this is the ‘fake’ ruby.”

The Duke answered like that and handed me another box.

It was a box of the same size and shape as the one I had just opened. When I opened it, inside was a bright red ‘spinel’ that looked exactly the same in size and shape as the ruby from earlier.

I looked at the two gems in the boxes alternately and said.

“They’re so identical that it’s really hard to tell which is the real ruby just by looking.”

“Yes. It’s just as you said, Christine.”

“Are you going to pass this fake ruby to the jeweler who deals with the Duke of Haven?”

“Of course. Just now, the butler finished a deal with the gemstone dealer who trades with that jeweler. He said he’d come tomorrow with the money prepared.”

The Duke answered my words with a vile smile. I spoke to the Duke.

“That’s good. I’m glad the gemstone dealer readily agreed to buy the ‘ruby’.”

“That’s right. Elliot Haven, that bastard will be humiliated at the party where all the nobles of the empire gather three days later, for offering a fake gem to my great-grandmother. Just as you planned.”

“…I suppose so. How exciting.”

The one who will be humiliated is not the Duke of Haven, but you, Duke Yusten.

I swallowed those words and smiled gently at the Duke. Then I carefully observed his expression and said.

“Uncle. But there’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Are you going to keep those gems in your office?”

“Yes. That’s what I’m thinking.”

Duke Yusten nodded and answered. I asked him.

“Those gems, could I keep them instead?”

“…Why?”

At my words, the Duke slightly frowned. As if wary that I might steal those gems.

I paused for a moment, then hardened my expression and whispered to him.

“…According to the information broker, the Duke of Haven has planted a ‘spy’ in our mansion.”

“What? Is that true?”

The Duke was immediately excited by my words. I nodded heavily and continued.

“It seems that when you recently replaced the servant who stole your letter and sold it to the Duke of Haven while cleaning the study, the Duke secretly inserted his own person without our knowledge.”

“Really? But there wasn’t anyone who seemed particularly suspicious…”

“Since we haven’t directly harmed the Duke for a while after replacing the servants, that spy probably hasn’t moved noticeably either. But recently, you’ve been secretly contacting the gemstone dealer through your butler, and now you’re having such a long conversation with me in the reception room… They’ll definitely smell something and start moving.”

“…Hmm, that could be possible.”

After hearing my explanation, the Duke nodded as if somewhat convinced. I continued my persuasion.

“So I think it would be better to keep the gems in the annex where I stay, rather than in the main building where the Duke’s spy might be.”

“In your annex?”

“Yes. The servants around me are all your people, and no one was replaced during the last incident.”

“Hmm.”

The Duke hummed for a moment as if pondering. Then he turned to me and spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“Alright. You keep those gems until the day of the party.”

“Thank you for trusting me, Uncle.”

“You haven’t forgotten which box contains the real ruby, have you?”

“Of course not. When the gemstone dealer comes tomorrow, I just need to hand over this fake ruby in exchange for the gold coins, right?”

I slightly lifted the box containing the spinel to show him, then brought both jewelry boxes onto my lap.

And avoiding the Duke’s eyes, I secretly made a small scratch on the box containing the real ruby.

After exchanging a few meaningless words with the Duke, I left his reception room and returned to my bedroom.

After taking a quick bath and sending Annie, who had been waiting, outside, I placed the two jewelry boxes I had received from the Duke on top of my dressing table.

Knock knock.

At that moment, a light knocking sound was heard from outside the door. I called out towards the door.

“Who is it?”

“Sister, are you in there?”