It was about a week after returning from Greyzone Village that a letter arrived from the village chief Devon.

“All the people of our village have agreed to work at the Hybrid Demon Welfare Foundation.
If Your Highness’s intentions remain the same as before, we would be grateful if you would take us in.
– D., Chief of Greyzone”

As I folded the letter again with a faint smile, Mina impatiently asked, unable to contain herself any longer.

“What does it say? Will they do it?”

Mina’s eyes were filled with expectation as she asked.

I paused for a moment with a sorrowful face, then suddenly changed my expression and nodded.

“Yes! They all want to work at the welfare foundation!”

“Re-really?!”

Mina clapped her hands together, delighted as if it were her own affair.

“Now the Light Mansion staff won’t be able to say a word behind Your Highness’s back! They’ve been so narrow-minded whenever we talked about the Greyzone villagers!”

Mina took a deep breath with a satisfied expression.

As I chuckled at Mina’s reaction, I soon found myself pouting as I scanned other documents on the table.

They were administrative papers related to establishing the welfare foundation.

“Well, it’s fortunate if the Light Mansion staff change their minds, but…”

I couldn’t help but sigh when I saw the foundation establishment costs written at the bottom of the document.

‘The amount is much larger than I thought. Even if I sell all the special carriage gifts, there won’t be much left. What should I do?’

As I was wrestling with my uncooperative mind, Adrian entered the reception room at that moment.

“Your Highness, I heard you were looking for me.”

Since returning from his family home in the demon realm, Adrian had become increasingly gaunt with each passing day.

I looked at his face, which seemed to have not slept a wink all night, with concern before speaking.

“Adrian, is your father’s condition much worse?”

Adrian nodded with a bitter expression.

“Everyone is preparing themselves mentally. He’s been bedridden for a long time.”

Having said that, he soon shook his head lightly as if trying to change the mood.

“Your Highness, what did you need me for?”

Only then did I belatedly recall why I had called him.

I handed him the documents I was holding.

“I called you because of this. I think we can proceed with establishing the welfare foundation as planned.”

“Have the Greyzone people finally conveyed their consent?”

“Yes, I just received a letter from Chief Devon. They all want to work at the welfare foundation.”

At my words, Adrian’s face blossomed into a bright smile.

“That’s really good news to hear. I’m truly glad, Your Highness.”

“Mm-hmm, yeah. It is good news, but…”

Adrian tilted his head.

“Do you have some concerns?”

“Yes.”

I nodded as if I had been waiting for this and immediately continued.

“I’m worried that after establishing the foundation, I won’t have much personal wealth left. Is there any good solution?”

“You mean even if you sell all the special carriages you currently have?”

“…Yes.”

When I answered dejectedly, Adrian wore a troubled expression.

But only for a moment. He spoke again as if he had finished deliberating.

“If that’s your concern… why don’t you try gift investing again with whatever amount is left?”

“Invest again?”

I blinked slowly.

‘Why didn’t I think of that? Even in the original story, there was constant talk about investment items because of Henry!’

As I recall, the item Henry bought in the next investment scene performed quite well.

But there was a separate item that really hit the jackpot in that scene, and a different person who chose it.

‘Anton Baker.’

He was destined to be known as an investment genius in this world.

The first market where he would stand out.

I had to make a big hit instead of Anton in that very market.

‘But when was that timing again?’

As I was racking my memory, Adrian gently handed me an envelope.

“I was about to come deliver this, actually. An official invitation has arrived from the imperial palace.”

“From the imperial palace?”

“Yes, it’s an invitation to His Majesty the Emperor’s birthday celebration.”

The Emperor’s birthday celebration…

As I mulled over Adrian’s words, the content of the original story suddenly flashed through my mind.

The time when Anton Baker made his big hit.

It was around the time Henry was heading to the capital to attend the Emperor’s birthday celebration.

‘Found it!’

Just as a smile was spreading across my face, Mina, who had left the reception room after being called by someone, returned.

Her arms were full of boxes.

“Your Highness, look at this!”

Mina’s face was brimming with joy.

“What’s all that?”

When I asked with a puzzled expression, Mina placed all the luggage she was carrying on the table at once and smiled brightly.

“These are all from the Light Mansion staff!”

At those words, Adrian and I exchanged bewildered glances.

“The Light Mansion… staff?”

Adrian asked with a thoroughly wary expression.

It seemed he too thought it unlikely that the Light Mansion staff would be friendly enough to send gifts.

Mina quickly opened the gift boxes as if she had anticipated even this reaction.

“They say it’s from their hometowns! All of these are extremely difficult to obtain even in the demon realm, Your Highness!”

Adrian strode over to check the contents of the boxes.

“Ah, this is…”

“Hehe. Right, Sir Adrian?”

“Indeed. These are health foods that are hard to find even in the demon realm, Your Highness.”

Adrian brought the box over to show me.

While I checked the contents of the box with a dazed expression, Mina continued to unpack more boxes.

“This is colored sugar, and this is Dalion, the most popular fruit in the demon realm…”

Mina, who had been introducing the gifts in a lively voice, wiggled her body as if she was happy.

“Your Highness! It seems the news about Greyzone Village has already reached the Light Mansion staff! So now they fully believe that you’ve changed and their attitude has completely shifted!”

I looked at Adrian with a dazed expression.

A faint smile spread across his lips.

“Mina is right. I had only heard rumors so I didn’t fully believe it, but… looking at this now, it seems the hearts of the Light Mansion staff have truly changed.”

I approached where the gift boxes were placed, still with a dazed expression.

As Mina said, the table was full of all sorts of rare gifts and sincerely written letters.

‘I didn’t know the Light Mansion people would change this much because of the Greyzone villagers…’

It was then, as I was slowly reading through the letters.

“I feel so relieved! The Light Mansion staff didn’t believe a word we said for so long!”

Mina, who had been saying this, leaned towards me and whispered softly.

“But… it seems the Light Mansion staff are having quite a hard time these days.”

“Why?”

I asked absently as I picked up the next letter.

Mina let out a small sigh and continued.

“Well, I heard His Grace the Duke has been in a bad mood all the time lately.”

“Cedric? Why…?”

At the same time, in Cedric’s office.

For the past week, the office staff had been unable to breathe easily.

It was because of the dark aura emanating from Cedric.

And it was no different now.

The hands of the head maid placing a teacup in front of Cedric were trembling slightly.

“Y-Your Grace, I prepared ginger tea for this morning…”

Cedric’s gaze, which had been fixed on the documents, fell upon the maid’s trembling hands.

A large wave rose on the surface of the tea.

“Leave it.”

Cedric muttered, staring at the teacup with piercing eyes.

The head maid, shrinking from the coldness flowing from him, quickly left her place.

Warm steam rose from the teacup placed in front of him.

However, Cedric continued to focus only on his work without even glancing at it.

He had no choice.

It was because of Rebecca, who kept disturbing his thoughts every time he took his eyes off the work documents, no, even when he kept his gaze fixed on them.

‘I-I’m really sorry, Cedric! That was, from beginning to end, completely, entirely! A mistake!’

Cedric squeezed his eyes shut.

‘A mistake? How can she call that night a mistake?’

He had thought Rebecca also desperately wanted him.

But to think all of that was just a mistake due to the influence of alcohol.

‘The alcohol is just an excuse, was that night not satisfying?’

The thought even made cracks in his pride, but Cedric shook his head.

That night, they had reached climax together several times.

If it wasn’t all an act, the reason Rebecca was dismissing that night as a mistake couldn’t be due to ‘dissatisfaction’.

Then the question remains unsolved and returns to the starting point.

Why is Rebecca trying to push him away?

Cedric, who had loosely undone his tie, got up from his seat and headed to the window.

As always, his gaze turned towards the Dark Mansion.

The endless questions that kept arising.

It was then, as he was frowning because of them.

‘She still hasn’t forgiven me, that must be why.’

Cedric anxiously bit his lip.

Rebecca hasn’t forgiven me.

Once that thought arose, it soon completely consumed his mind.

‘Rebecca Twins. I hope those words about divorce weren’t sincere.’
‘I will divorce you no matter what. And until then, I will never hold you in my arms again.’

The more he recalled his cold behavior in the past, the deeper his regret grew.

There was nothing he could take back.

‘Rebecca must have felt like this every time I rejected her.’

The numerous wounds Rebecca must have received.

They now returned like a boomerang, piercing Cedric’s heart.

With that, the resentment he had secretly felt towards Rebecca once again melted away like snow.

‘Perhaps she’s punishing me now. Maybe she’ll never open her heart again…’

Even thinking like that, he had no intention of giving up on Rebecca, which was maddening.

No, rather, his obsession to keep her by his side was growing day by day.

And the more that happened, the less courage he had to ask Rebecca why she was denying their night together.

‘If Rebecca gets upset and really leaves this place because of that…’

Cedric immediately shook his head as if he had imagined the most terrifying thing.

Then, as he turned his gaze back towards the Dark Mansion.

The sight of Rebecca strolling in the dark garden entered his view.

“…Rebecca.”

The corners of Cedric’s lips curved gently as he murmured her name.

“Y-Your Grace, where are you go…!”

It was around then that he left the Grand Duke’s residence, as if drawn by a magnet without even realizing it himself.