“No? No, I didn’t come here shamelessly asking for help. I just came to inform Lady Rose of my situation. I have enough money to find a temporary place.”

Although he said that, it seemed like Gwen, who had been waiting for himself for more than half a day, needed help.
Rose silently looked at Gwen, pondering.

‘As the Duke wanted to meet Gwen, let’s bring them inside for now. The Duke can probably find them a safe place to stay.’

Instead of explaining this and that, it would be more effective to let them meet in person.

Duke Artem was very curious about Gwen, Rose’s business partner.

Since he personally requested to invite Gwen, there shouldn’t be much trouble bringing them into the mansion.

‘But I can’t bring them in like this.’

It was awkward to introduce Gwen as a business partner.

Rose slowly opened her mouth toward Gwen.

“Cedric’s remnants didn’t follow you, right?”

“According to Seren, Cedric himself assured that he has no intention of bothering me recently.”

“!”

How did Seren know about their secret signal? It seemed that Seren helped Gwen.

“Seren helped you?”

“Yes.”

Without asking for anything, Seren took care of Gwen meticulously, and he was extremely reliable.

“Seren is also hosting Lady Rose. I was very surprised.”

“I seem to be a lucky person. There are really many good people around me, including you, Gwen.”

“It’s because Lady Rose is a straightforward person. It’s natural for good people to gather around straightforward people.”

“Thanks for saying that, Gwen.”

Gwen’s compliment made her feel somewhat embarrassed.

“Gwen, I know it’s hectic, but can I ask for a favor?”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“Duke Artem wants to meet you.”

“The Duke?”

“Yes. It seems that the Duke is investing heavily in our business, so he might feel a bit uneasy trusting funds to someone he hasn’t even seen.”

Gwen’s expression didn’t seem pleased at Rose’s words.

“Don’t feel too burdened. Just think of it as a casual meal.”

“But…”

Gwen blurred the end of his words and looked at his son and wife beside him.

“It’s not easy for me to leave them alone while being chased.”

It seemed that leaving them alone in a place where they were being chased bothered him.

“Bring them along. I will explain to the Duke properly.”

“But… is it okay?”

Unexpectedly, Gwen’s eyes wavered at Rose’s words.

“Of course. The Duke is not someone harsh. Relax. Despite appearances, he is a very warm-hearted person.”

At Rose’s words, Gwen’s mind flashed with the sly face of the Duke.

‘He doesn’t seem like a warm-hearted person…’

He muttered in a low voice, unable to hide his uneasy expression.

“Then, I’ll go get my wife and son again.”

Reluctantly, Gwen accepted Rose’s suggestion as there was no other way.

“Okay. I will inform that you’ll attend the dinner.”
After a brief reunion with Rose, Gwen left with his family. Rose watched Gwen’s back for a moment and quickly headed into the mansion.

Meanwhile, in the garden, Neran, who was left alone, still had his head down. Rose’s words kept echoing in his ears.

‘How despicable.’

Neran tousled his hair with a complex expression.

“Ha……”

Despicable. It was the first time he had heard such a word. He seemed unable to easily escape from the shock.

‘Did I really misunderstand her?’

He was confident about Rose.

He thought of her as someone wasting her life talking about a love that would never happen.

However, the confident and infinite eyes that Rose had facing him were nothing like the dull image Neran had imagined.

He couldn’t hide his perplexed expression.

Perhaps… he thought he might have misunderstood Rose.

“……”

Clap, clap, clap [dash].

Then, somewhere, cheerful applause was heard.

“It seems everything got tangled up because of you, Neran.”

The owner of the voice was Julius.

He rose from the bushes where he had been hiding and brushed off leaves from his hair and clothes.

“……Crown Prince?”

Why was Julius there?

Hidden in the bushes, he was covered in leaves and leaves, making him barely recognizable.

“Hush, here you should call me Princess. What if someone hears us?”

He winked at Neran, laughed heartily, and then jumped over the bushes to approach Neran.

“It was really fun.”

“…Your Highness?”

Why was Julius here?

Rose confidently exposed her emotions, and her attitude was quite audacious.

Moreover, she invited him to the conference as if she was declaring a challenge.

‘She’s a woman full of confidence… Extremely bold.’

Although Rose seemed fragile, she turned out to be a woman with a strong stance.

‘Confident… Extremely bold.’

Even though it didn’t sound like a significant business when heard, she gathered all sorts of luxury items.

Moreover, she said she would build it not in the capital but in the Artem territory.

In a place almost like abandoned land?

It seemed reckless enough to worry the Duke, who fully supported this business.

However, due to Rose’s confident attitude derived from her certainty, he found himself wanting to attend her conference.

Suddenly, Neran asked Julius, who had popped out of nowhere.

“When did you start hiding here?”