The expressions of the servants following Lloyd were very anxious.

Honestly, they felt relieved when he suddenly asked them to help him get ready.

They thought he was going out to meet Aria.

For the past few days, he hadn’t allowed them to lay a hand on him.

They offered to at least help him with minimal preparations, but he didn’t even listen.

So when he got ready and was on the move, they thought it was fortunate.

But they soon realized his purpose was not Aria.

Lloyd shouted at those blocking his way.

“I told you to get out of the way!”

“His Grace the Duke ordered that absolutely no one be allowed in.”

Four knights guarding the area around the room to prevent anyone from getting close lay on the floor, injured by Lloyd.

Even if he was rotten to the core, his skills were enough to defeat four knights.

That’s why only the butler stood in Lloyd’s way.

Lloyd pointed the bloodied sword in his hand at the butler’s neck.

His reason for doing this was simple. It was to open the way to Clea.

The servants couldn’t believe Lloyd was doing this.

They thought he would dress nicely and go meet Aria, but here he was, holding a sword and looking for Clea.

“Where are the other knights right now!”

“They are putting out a fire that suddenly started in the young master’s room! We’ve sent word, so they’ll be here soon!”

The servants prayed for the other knights to arrive quickly.

They hoped they would subdue the agitated Lloyd and lock him up somewhere.

But it seemed Lloyd would be faster.

He strongly pushed the butler who wouldn’t budge until the end.

The old butler couldn’t withstand Lloyd’s strength and fell to the floor.

The startled servants quickly approached the butler.

“Are you alright!”

“Ugh, I’m fine, hurry and inform His Grace about this…”

“Butler, butler!”

“Quickly call a doctor!”

Lloyd didn’t spare a glance at the people. Rather, he found it spiteful.

He was angry that they not only dared to block his way, but also wasted his time.

But for now, there was someone he had to meet first, so he hastily headed forward.

She must have come to see him, but he noticed this would happen when no one delivered the news.

Seeing the servants blocking his way to Clea, it must be the Duke and Duchess who disliked him interfering with the meeting.

It was probably because meeting Clea would be beneficial for him.

That’s why he even set a small fire in his room before leaving.

Now that it had come to this, Lloyd was determined to meet Clea and restore his position.

‘How long has it been since we last met.’

Lloyd recalled his last meeting with Clea.

When was it? Slowly retracing his memories, he realized their last meeting was at the temple. Aria had told him to go.

At that time, Lloyd wanted to see even a little regret on Clea’s face.

Regret for abandoning him and choosing Admund.

But that day, something unbelievable happened. Clea coughed up blood in front of him.

It was only the second time she had coughed up blood in front of him.

Seeing the considerable amount of blood, Lloyd guessed her physical condition was not normal.

From then on, he was concerned about Clea.

Why had she been so heartless to him?

Lloyd recalled her constantly trying to distance herself from him.

Perhaps her desire to leave his side was not to show him only bad sides out of worry for him?

Forgetting her fierce glare at the temple, he was lost in his own reasoning.

If someone had heard his reasoning, they would have pointed out that it was nothing but delusion.

But since it was his own thoughts, there was no one to point that out.

With hope in his heart, he approached the door.

He thought by now, stories of regret must be circulating inside that room.

“I don’t know if I’m qualified for that.”

“You are the one who found that ring, so you are more than qualified.”

“Will the vassals of the Duke’s family agree? For someone like me, who doesn’t share a drop of blood, to inherit the title just for finding a ring is a bit…”

“I have already finished persuading the vassals.”

However, when he grabbed the doorknob, he heard conversations from inside that were completely different from what he had hoped for.

Lloyd froze on the spot.

He immediately realized what kind of conversation they were having inside.

It was the words the Duke had already conveyed to him in front of the vassals.

However, he had been unable to accept it until the end. Because he thought there was no one but himself who could succeed the Duke’s position.

“I have always thought it would be nice if this place was my home.”

“Clea.”

“I don’t see any reason to refuse this offer.”

When he heard the conversation up to that point, Lloyd could no longer hold back and roughly flung the door open.

“What is the meaning of this!”

The Duke and Duchess and Rupia were shocked by the sudden appearance of the uninvited guest.

They were flustered by the sudden appearance of someone who shouldn’t be here, especially after confirming what Lloyd was holding in his hand.

On the other hand, Clea reacted calmly. As if she had anticipated a situation like this.

“I’m the one who wants to ask that.”

Clea thought as long as Lloyd was in this house, encountering him was perhaps inevitable.

But Clea didn’t mind. She thought this was something she had to endure. At least to obtain what she wanted.

‘I don’t want to cough up blood in front of the Duke and Duchess though.’

She saw the mark of the curse.

Previously, she would cough up blood just from seeing Lloyd’s face. But there was no reaction yet.

She smiled brightly and said,

“What is this rudeness now?”

“Rudeness? What are you doing here then!”

Lloyd was furious from head to toe. He had never even considered a situation like this. Who would have thought the successor position would go to her of all people?

He shifted his gaze from Clea to the Duke and Duchess.

“Was stripping me of the succession rights for the sake of giving it to this worthless child?”

“Watch your words!”

“Father, you should come to your senses! I am your son! And she has no relation to you anymore! Yet how can you think of abandoning me and passing the title to her!”

He would have been somewhat convinced if they had said they would pass it to a powerful person from a collateral branch of the family.

That way, there would have been room to reclaim the family after the Duke’s death.

If he claimed to be the true successor as a blood relative of the Duke, perhaps he could have reclaimed the family.

But the story changes if the successor position goes to Clea.

She was the one who would marry the Crown Prince and become the future Empress of the Empire.

It was natural that Clea’s offspring would inherit the title.

In that case, Lloyd could never reclaim the family. Attempting to do so would be an act of rebellion, raising a challenge against the imperial family.

“Do you really think you are suited for that position?”

Before the Duke could say anything, Clea stepped forward and asked him.

Lloyd’s gaze shifted back to her.

“What do you mean by that?”

He asked back with a frown.

Then Clea laughed and said,

“Lloyd, you don’t have the capacity to lead anything. This Duke’s family is too big for you to handle.”

It was the most crucial part of why the Duke couldn’t entrust it to Lloyd.

He was not a suitable person to inherit the family.

But Lloyd seemed unable to accept it and trembled.

“Who are you to judge me?”

“Well, I was once your fiancée. I remember all those pathetic sides of you very well.”

Clea continued to provoke him.

The others understood Clea’s intention.

And they also realized how this situation would unfold. Yet no one stopped Clea.

On the other hand, Lloyd was completely oblivious to the strange signs.

He bit his lip, completely falling for her continued provocations.

“Lloyd, you are probably the most pathetic person I have ever met.”

“Shut your mouth!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Lloyd raised the sword in his hand high.

But Clea stood still without flinching.

Her unfazed demeanor agitated Lloyd even more.

So he tried to cut her down like that. That is, until a sword came to his neck.

“Sorry for being late!”

The Duke’s family knights rushed in and pointed their swords at Lloyd’s neck.

Startled, Lloyd dropped the sword on the floor.

Clea looked at the fallen sword and stood up from her seat.

“I told you. You are a pathetic man.”

At Clea’s words, he wanted to pick up the fallen sword right away.

But there were more than one or two swords pointed at his back.

“Get these off me! The one you should be following orders from is me!”

With his movements completely blocked, all Lloyd could do was raise his voice.

The knights naturally did not listen to Lloyd.

The Duke and Duchess were in the worst mood.

The situation they hoped wouldn’t happen ended up unfolding before their eyes.

They wanted to wrap things up nicely in a warm atmosphere somehow.

“You know what, Lloyd? Your current appearance is really ridiculous. It’s because of that side of you that they left your side.”

“I can’t forgive you. I will never forgive you.”

On the other hand, Clea was very satisfied with the result before her eyes.

The man who always wanted to dominate her from above was now in this humiliating posture, unable to do anything and just staying still.

Clea drew the sword at her waist.

Rupia, who had been quietly sitting in her seat, immediately recognized the sword Clea drew.

That sword was the one Odin had given Clea in preparation for a situation like this.

Clea pointed that sword at Lloyd.

“Isn’t that what I should be saying, Lloyd? In the first place, you’re the one who made things turn out this way, Lloyd Percy.”

She thought,

‘Will this tiring relationship only end with one of us dying?’