Windsor furrowed his brow slightly as if he had heard that nagging. The woman who was drinking tea noticed this and pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile.

“As it turns out, he left behind a notebook for the day I would be alone. He had been sitting at his desk, dragging his ailing body to write it.”

“You said a notebook.”

The Dowager Duchess replied with a wistful gaze at her teacup, “Yes, a notebook.”

“Though I was called the Queen of Society, in truth, I didn’t know how to do anything on my own. I left all household matters to Gregory. I suppose he was more worried about me who would be left behind than himself who was leaving.”

Her quiet voice was tinged with regret. It sounded like longing, but also like resentment.

“From trivial matters like how to handle banking to more substantial things like managing the estate, he left detailed instructions for everything. Even whom to seek out when problems arose. Thanks to that, even after Gregory’s death, I was able to come this far without having to ask anyone for help.”

Windsor, who had been choosing his words for a moment, replied gruffly.

“It seems Lord Chamberlain loved you very much.”

“Yes, he loved me a lot. But I didn’t know it then. Only after Gregory died did I realize how much he loved me. That’s why I resented him a lot too. If it was going to be like this, why didn’t he express it more when he was alive, instead of just stirring up the feelings of those left behind. Making it so I can’t even remarry. Don’t you think?”

She made a mischievous expression, half-jokingly, and met Windsor’s eyes. Deep wrinkles formed around the Dowager Duchess’s eyes.

“Do you have someone you love, sir?”

“…No.”

Windsor replied without thinking. Only then did he wonder why he felt so uneasy.

Suddenly, Jacqueline’s face came to mind. He hurriedly pushed her out of his thoughts, once again feeling a stifling tightness in his throat.

“Is that so? If you ever meet someone you love, be sure to express your feelings. Otherwise, the other person will suffer in silence like I did. From what I can see, you seem just as stingy with expressions as Gregory was.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Windsor slightly furrowed his brow as he realized his predicament of coming for a lawyer recommendation and ending up receiving unexpected love advice.

He turned his gaze to the Dowager Duchess Chamberlain, holding his teacup.

“The aroma is nice. It seems to be tea from Noyade.”

After commenting on the fragrance, he brought the cup to his lips. Then, nodding with satisfaction, he set the cup down.

Watching this, the Dowager Duchess smiled with her eyes.

“I heard rumors that Duke Preston was unfamiliar with noble etiquette, but it seems that was also just hearsay. Your manners are impeccable.”

Windsor raised his eyebrow slightly once again. It was because she had bluntly stated what everyone only thought but never dared to say out loud.

“Oh my, I’m sorry if I offended you, Duke Preston. It seems that with age, I sometimes fail to distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said. I wasn’t like this when I was younger. Ho ho ho.”

“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it.”

Windsor swallowed a bitter smile as he adjusted his necktie.

What was once unnecessarily complicated and cumbersome etiquette had now become a habit ingrained in his body. Remembering that it was due to Jacqueline’s nagging, he quietly lowered his eyes.

His throat tightened once again. Resisting the urge to loosen his necktie, he merely fiddled with the teacup.

“Well then.”

The Dowager Duchess lightly clapped her hands together and looked at Windsor with eyes sparkling like a young girl’s. He too raised his lowered head.

“Shall we get to the main point? You need a lawyer, don’t you? I heard through certain channels that His Majesty is preparing for a trial to gain custody of young Benjamin. For quite some time now, in fact.”

“Yes.”

Windsor readily affirmed her words. The Dowager Duchess’s eyes curved once again.

“Good. As it happens, I know a capable lawyer. Needless to say, one beyond the reach of His Majesty’s influence. Because… oh, it’s about time.”

Knock knock.

No sooner had she glanced at the wall clock than a knock was heard.

“It seems they’ve arrived. Come in.”

The door to the reception room opened, and a neat young man appeared behind the butler. He walked towards the Dowager Duchess with a skilled demeanor and kissed the back of her hand.

“It’s been a while, Dowager Duchess Chamberlain. You’re as beautiful as ever.”

“That’s not a suitable greeting for an old woman.”

“But I mean it sincerely. While you may not have the flashy beauty of a twenty-year-old, your beauty combined with experience and wisdom is no less than that of a goddess.”

“You’re still as smooth-tongued as ever. Let me introduce you, this is Duke Preston. Duke Preston, this is a talented individual who graduated with honors from the law department of the Royal University. Of course, he also has experience working as a lawyer.”

“Pleased to meet you, Duke Preston. I’m Evan Knox. We meet again.”

Evan extended his hand with an open attitude.

“…”

Windsor slightly furrowed his brow as he stared at the young man smiling as brightly as sunshine. When he didn’t take the offered hand even after some time had passed, Evan lightly raised his eyebrows and withdrew his hand.

Windsor slowly turned his head to look at the Dowager Duchess Chamberlain.

“Didn’t you say he was a lawyer? I believe Mr. Knox currently runs a publishing company.”

“That’s right.”

She nodded nonchalantly. Then, turning her gaze to Evan, she asked, “Shall I explain? Or would you like to?”

Evan opened his mouth with a smiling face.

“As the Dowager Duchess said, I graduated from the law department of the Royal University and worked briefly at a law firm. Due to differences in values with my father, I currently run a publishing company.”

“A capable lawyer beyond His Majesty’s reach. There’s no one who fits that description better than Evan. His father is part of His Majesty’s legal team, you see. You’ve probably heard of him too. At least the name of Count Brandon Knox, founder and owner of the Cloud law firm.”

“…Ha.”

Windsor finally let out a laugh. He looked at the young man before him once again. Evan was still smiling as brightly as sunshine. With a face devoid of even a hint of shadow.

***

In the reception room where only the two of them remained, Windsor maintained a silence more still than the night. After attempting conversation a few times and failing, Evan lightly shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair.

Evan Knox.

Windsor steadily gazed at the man before him. Looking at him naturally brought Jacqueline Somerset to mind. And the fact that they were once engaged.

Windsor started to loosen his necktie that was choking him uncomfortably but stopped. He didn’t want to appear disheveled in front of Evan Knox, who maintained such an upright posture.

He merely pressed his temples with the hand he had half-raised. Then he cast his gaze back to Evan. Evan, meeting his eyes, gave a sociable smile.

Evan Knox was a man without fault. From head to toe, he was covered in refinement. Even without trying to show it off, there was an innate dignity that seeped out from within.

Windsor stared at him blankly. He was very close to the future he hoped for Benjamin.

Then, realizing the thought he had just had, he frowned again.

“Duke Preston.”

Evan attempted conversation again. He armed himself with a friendly smile, as if trying to ease the other’s wariness.

“I know it’s a difficult matter to discuss, but you must tell me everything. Only then can I determine the direction of the defense. His Majesty’s legal team will come fully prepared. Or…”

Trailing off, Evan smiled bitterly and added one more thing.

“They will stop at nothing.”

“Why do you want to take on this case? You must know it’s a trial everyone is avoiding.”

Windsor’s slow question crossed the table. He scrutinized Evan with a sharp gaze. As if trying to uncover his ulterior motives.

Windsor quietly added one more thing.

“We’re not close enough to warrant taking on such a risk.”

It sounded like a warning, or perhaps a refusal. However, Evan, seemingly unaware of his tone, answered lightly.

“Embarrassingly, let’s call it a belated rebellion. And personally, I feel grateful to Duke Preston.”

“Grateful, you say.”

Windsor cast a questioning look. What reason could he have to feel grateful to him? He rather disliked Evan Knox.

Evan nodded and gave a refreshing smile.

“Yes, of course. You are Miss Somerset’s employer, aren’t you?”

Windsor raised one eyebrow slightly and slowly leaned back in his chair. A languid voice flowed from between his teeth.

“What does that have to do with Mr. Evan Knox?”

“Ah, you didn’t know yet, I see.”

Evan laughed shyly and scratched the end of his eyebrow. His slightly flushed cheeks made him look like a boy with a fever. Windsor found it quite displeasing.

“Miss Somerset is my fiancée.”

“Don’t you mean ‘ex-fiancée’?”

For a moment, Windsor’s eyes grew cold. At his question emphasizing the word ‘ex’, Evan nodded with a bitter expression.

But soon he smiled gently. His face was shining with confidence.

“But she’ll soon be my ‘current’ fiancée again. I’m working hard for it. Anyway, that’s why I feel grateful to Duke Preston. Because you’re taking good care of Miss Somerset.”

Ha.

Windsor let out a silent sneer. Evan’s eyes looking at him were full of goodwill.

Windsor clenched his jaw and gritted his molars. To Evan, he wasn’t even considered a competitor.

It seemed to show the reality of Windsor Preston, and anger welled up inside him. The illegitimate son of Marquis Bentley Preston, Windsor Preston.

A half-baked marquis.

He was a successful man. Having risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel by his own power, no one could call him a failure.

But the achievements Windsor Preston had built up were of no use here. They valued the lineage inherited from ancestors more than the reputation built by one’s own hands.

Windsor Preston, son of an opera singer, could not stand at the same starting line as them. Even if he acquired perfect noble etiquette through painstaking effort, that was an unchanging reality.

“That’s why I too want to be of help to Duke Preston. I’m sure Miss Somerset would want that as well.”

“Not yet.”

At Windsor’s curt reply, Evan Knox slightly raised his eyebrows. Windsor stood up from his seat and extended one hand to him.

“I will contact you again after verifying your skills.”