“You are beautiful.”

“That’s not really related to the repentance, Rupia.”

With all the preparations for repentance complete, the only thing left was Clea’s preparation.

Change into ceremonial clothes and prepare for the ritual.

Since what she had to do was extremely simple, it was left for last.

Finally, that last stage was reached. Clea changed into the clothes provided by the temple.

The silver hair and pure white ceremonial clothes suited her well, as Rupia said.

The priestesses seemed to agree with Rupia’s words, but the person in question was indifferent to it.

‘Admund.’

She examined her expression through the mirror that caught her eye.

An expression frozen as if completely iced over.

Clea forced herself to smile once.

It didn’t suit her at all. Even though it was a forced smile, it was forced in itself.

‘Where are you now and what are you doing?’

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

He still hasn’t appeared even though she waited.

The last time she heard from Rupia, he had gone to Curtis Street.

Clea, who roughly guessed why he went to such a dangerous place, was very worried about him.

‘I miss you.’

Her hands and feet were cold.

Her constantly racing heart gave her pain similar to before.

When it was unbearable, she took the medicine Hayden gave her, but its effect was only temporary.

Clea stopped taking the medicine when she realized it was just a temporary relief.

Now, as the pain that couldn’t be shaken off was eating away at her, what she wanted most was the warmth of the person she desperately wanted to see.

“All preparations are complete.”

“Thank you.”

After finishing all preparations, she examined herself one last time.

The pure white clothes suited her quite well. It was a figure that was hard to believe was a villainess.

But that was all for the appreciation.

Clea stood up immediately.

“Please tell Hayden. That I will start the repentance right away.”

“There’s still a little more time. How about resting sufficiently before moving?”

Rupia, who was by her side, advised her to rest a little more.

In fact, the word rest was an excuse. It was suggesting why not wait for Admund, but Clea shook her head.

She couldn’t just wait here doing nothing while Admund was busy moving around.

She got up and headed to the place prepared for the repentance ceremony.

“I demand to see my daughter!”

“Please calm down, Duke.”

“I am that child’s father! So why do you keep saying I can’t meet her!”

On the way to the public repentance hall, an unexpected voice was heard.

Hayden was responding sternly, saying he had no intention of letting him in, so don’t be troublesome and go back. But the other party seemed to have no intention of listening.

Clea sighed.

‘The person I want to meet is so hard to meet, but the person I don’t want to meet appears so easily.’

Just by hearing the voice, she knew who it was.

She wasn’t particularly surprised or embarrassed.

Even if he came now, no particular feelings arose.

Isn’t surprise or embarrassment a waste? He wasn’t an existence worth such emotions.

The only feeling that arose in her was.

‘How annoying.’

After experiencing such a thing at the Crown Prince’s Palace, he still dares to appear before her.

Clea felt even more annoyed at the other party’s foolishness.

She had heard some news through Rupia to some extent.

She heard that the relationship between the Odoi Duke family and the Percy Archduke family had deteriorated rapidly, and that the loan that the Odoi Duke was supposed to receive had been canceled.

When she heard that news, Clea expected it.

Grit Odoi.

That he would come to visit in person at least once.

‘But to come on a day like today.’

Grit, who discovered Clea, was so excited for a moment that he tried to rush towards her.

“Come back even now!”

But Hayden, who wouldn’t allow that, stood in front of Grit, blocking him.

It was ridiculous that he was trying to approach her.

Clea met Grit’s gaze without avoiding it.

“Come back and marry into the Archduke’s family for the sake of the Duke’s family!”

“I’m curious. Why do people take my words so lightly?”

“Clea Odoi!”

It was the same with Lloyd, and the same with Grit in front of her.

She had clearly asked never to meet again.

Yet, it was sickeningly the same that they appeared before her like this.

Seeing Grit, who still hadn’t come to his senses, she sighed.

Wasn’t he the person who claimed he didn’t mind if his connection with her was cut off at any time? Now, to see him clinging like this was very pathetic.

Clea still didn’t understand.

“Why do you start a business you can’t handle and then put the responsibility on your child? The choice was yours to begin with.”

The Percy Archduke wasn’t such a bad person.

He merely made a small proposal to do business together since they were becoming in-laws anyway.

But Grit mistook this as an opportunity and stubbornly insisted to the Archduke to expand the business recklessly.

Building a port on land owned by the Archduke’s family, or setting up a mine in a place presumed to have gold.

None of these were cheap endeavors.

Of course, they had to struggle with financial shortages as they recklessly expanded the business without properly examining the Duke’s family’s financial situation.

Each time, the Odoi family requested aid from the Percy family in the name of Clea.

It was to lend money with generous payment terms to strengthen the relationship between the two families.

“You should have treated me well from the beginning. I’m not as easy as you think.”

“Clea, do you think I’ll give up? I don’t know how you’ve convinced His Majesty and His Highness, but I’m your father!”

Clea had already anticipated what Grit would say.

Therefore, she felt rather disappointed by his predictable words that didn’t miss by an inch.

“With just one word from me, even the people around you…!”

“Go ahead and try.”

“What?”

Unlike Grit, who thought he had pulled out his trump card, Clea didn’t fall for it at all.

Rather, she maintained the same composed attitude as before and spoke coldly.

“I said, go ahead and try. I told you to freely spout nonsense about me with that mouth of yours.”

As Grit met Clea’s gaze, he somehow began to feel scared.

No matter how incompetent he was, there were a few things he had learned.

For instance, when someone doesn’t cower despite being threatened, there’s usually a reason for it.

“If you do that, I’ll just go around talking too. About the secret you’ve been hiding.”

“Secret? Ha, do you think I’d fall for such a shallow trick!”

She only said it was a secret. Seeing that she didn’t mention anything specific, he seemed to think it was just a bluff.

It might have looked like a trick, but Clea spoke without hesitation.

“How about if I say it’s related to Steve?”

“…How do you know about that?”

“Well, I wonder how I know?”

“Tell me who told you!”

Steve, Grit’s only son.

Just mentioning that name caused Grit’s complexion to visibly worsen.

Seeing his reaction, Clea raised the corners of her mouth as if pleased.

On the other hand, Grit, who until now thought Clea was just being gutsy, changed his attitude and began to constantly question her.

About who exactly told her ‘that secret’.

But Clea didn’t bother to tell him.

It wasn’t that someone had taught her. It was something she knew from reading the novel.

Clea smiled and continued speaking to Grit.

“If the truth spreads, the Duke’s family will be in complete chaos. And the heir will change too.”

“Ugh, Clea!”

“If you don’t want it to be revealed, disappear from my sight right now.”

It was similar at the Crown Prince’s Palace.

This was the reason she didn’t yield when he tried to blackmail her with the relationship with the Percy Archduke family last time.

Clea intended to blackmail Grit with her final card.

Precisely with the matter related to Steve.

But whether it was luck or not, thanks to Odin’s direct intervention to help her, there was no need to mention it.

Seeing Grit who had foolishly come looking for her until now, she thought she should make things clear this time.

If only to avoid seeing him raise his voice in front of her again.

“Between your word and mine, I wonder whose will have a stronger impact?”

Clea’s image had already gone as far as it could go.

No matter what more he said, the damage she would suffer was minimal at best.

Of course, for someone else, the position of Crown Princess might have been in jeopardy, but Admund’s blind love wouldn’t change even if her reputation fell into the abyss.

In contrast, if Clea were to open her mouth any further here, the Odoi Duke family could lose even the honor they had been so proud of.

Knowing this, Grit couldn’t utter a word in response to Clea’s words.

Clea slowly approached Grit.

Grit wanted to step back to avoid Clea as she got closer, but even that seemed not to be allowed as his body froze.

When she was completely close, Clea whispered quietly, just loud enough for Grit to hear.

“Who would have thought that the person I thought was my elder brother was merely an illegitimate child? Right? Fa, ther.”

“Ugh.”

Steve Odoi.

His beloved child who would inherit the Odoi family and receive all of Grit’s property.

But behind that was hidden the fact that he was an illegitimate child.

When reading the novel, Clea wasn’t curious about the process, but in the current situation, she smiled at the thought that it could be usefully exploited.

“If you want to protect that pitiful thing of yours, it would be better to respect my words from now on. Do you understand?”

Grit could only nod silently to Clea’s words and quietly withdraw.

To protect what he wanted to protect, as she said.