Gwen continued praising Neran, saying, “Very different from others.”

Frederick, who heard Gwen’s words, flinched.

However, he quickly pretended not to have heard Gwen.

“I will lead you inside.”

Neran spoke politely to Gwen’s party.

Rose and Gwen’s group followed Neran into the dining room.

The atmosphere in the mansion was a bit different from usual.

The corridor, which usually exuded modernity, was adorned with various flowers, creating a cheerful atmosphere.

‘It seems the Duke paid some attention.’
Despite thinking that he didn’t place much importance on welcoming guests, I felt his sincerity.

They arrived in front of the dining room.

“Duke, we’ll go in.”

Sejong opened the large door on both sides.

The massive door opened smoothly. On the long table, colorful flowers were adorned, and the candles were gilded, unlike usual.

Not only that, all the table settings were also golden.

“Oh my, is everything really made of gold?”

Although it had been quite a while since Gwen spent time in the Duke’s mansion, this was the first time he had seen such a luxurious dining table.

The Duke was a person who valued simplicity more than his wealth.

However, today, it was evident that he had put a lot of effort into welcoming the guests.

“You’re here.”

The Duke, who was sitting at the head of the table, stood up.

The Duke’s attire was different from usual, full of vigor.

He was dressed in clothes suitable for a banquet, and his expression somehow seemed more combative.

“Younae, come here.”

Julius was standing beside him.

Julius warmly shook hands with Rose.

Usually, Gwen would have scolded Julius for being too familiar with his woman, but in the Duke’s eyes, Julius was not the enemy; Rose’s business partner was.

Dressed up, the Duke approached Rose’s group with determination.

Without taking his eyes off one person, he walked resolutely.

That person was Rose’s business partner.

Duke Artem stood in front of the man with an imposing posture.

“Who is this? He looks quite scruffy.”

The first impression wasn’t very favorable.

No matter how you looked at it, he seemed slimy, especially when approaching Rose.

The Duke first extended his hand towards him.

“I heard you’ve been helping our Rose a lot.”

He emphasized the words ‘our Rose’ and smiled coldly.

“I am Duke Artem.”

Was it because he was overwhelmed by the Duke’s gaze?

Frederick, who was in front of him, trembled and didn’t know what to do.

This was because the person in front of the Duke was not Gwen, but his son, Frederick.

The Duke was extending his hand aggressively to a stern person.

Under the stern pressure of the Duke, Frederick reluctantly accepted the handshake.

“The hand is heavy.”

As the Duke uttered a somewhat urgent remark, Gwen blocked his son’s path.

Then he shook hands with the Duke.

“Thank you for the invitation. I am Gwen, Your Grace.”

The Duke’s gaze wavered for a moment when he faced Gwen.

Since he had only been glaring at Frederick the whole time, he hadn’t noticed Gwen standing next to him.

‘The butler of the Wentz Marquisate…!’

Only now did the Duke realize who Rose’s business partner was.

Contrary to his concerns, it was Gwen, who possessed the highest capabilities.

‘Rose’s business partner was Gwen.’

As he shook hands with Gwen, the Duke also looked at Neran standing behind him.

Under the intense gaze of the stern Duke, Neran turned his head, pretending not to have noticed.

‘Rose’s business partner was intentionally hidden as Gwen.’
It had been ten years since I knew Neran, but it was difficult to understand why he had hidden this fact.

He wasn’t the type to play such useless pranks.

Rather, he was much more mature than his peers.

I couldn’t comprehend Neran suddenly playing pranks.

The Duke frowned at Neran.

‘We’ll see about this later, Neran.’

He glared at Neran with piercing eyes until the last moment, then turned his gaze to Gwen.

He couldn’t afford to be rude in front of the guests.

“Well, then, I will bring the food. If you have any allergies or foods you can’t eat, please let me know.”

Neran made an excuse to bring the food and quickly left the room.

The wide-open dining room door closed.

Since entering this place, Rose had been busy checking the Duke’s expression.

She also intentionally didn’t mention to the Duke that Gwen was her business partner.

The Duke’s expression seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

‘Is it because Gwen worked for the Wentz Marquisate?’

She nervously looked at both of them.

“So, you are Rose’s business partner.”

“Yes. Although I’m getting close to retirement age, I started working together because Lady Rose kindly accepted me.”

Contrary to Rose’s concerns, a faint smile appeared on the Duke’s face.

‘He wasn’t like a swindler.’

He was relieved to find out that Rose’s business partner was Gwen, not Frederick.

Frederick didn’t look very impressive.

He seemed playful and likely to stab someone in the back.

Compared to him, Gwen was a very sturdy person.

Considering only the appearance, there was no reason to oppose Gwen as a business partner.

However, there was something bothering him.

‘Gwen used to work for the Wentz Marquisate.’

Moreover, he had been Cedric’s right-hand man for a very long time.

Although numerous other noble families had offered scouting proposals, he hadn’t blinked an eye.

He even rejected offers from the royal palace, showing high loyalty to Cedric.

Now, Gwen was working with Rose.

A corner of his heart felt uneasy.

In fact, he had heard rumors that Gwen was dismissed by Eric.

However, he didn’t think Gwen had no lingering feelings for the Wentz Marquisate.

Gwen, who had been with the Wentz Marquisate for thirty years.

Just like Serena became Rose’s double agent, Gwen could also become Cedric’s double agent.

Gwen fully understood the Duke’s unpleasant gaze.

“Lucas! Aren’t you keeping the guests standing for too long?”

At that moment, Julius, who was sitting at the table, spoke with a laughter-tinged voice.

“Hello. I am Princess Yulia of Mederion.”

She gracefully greeted while holding the edge of her skirt.
“Our Lucas lacks social skills. Leaving the guests standing for so long.”

She approached Gwen’s group, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

As Julius approached, the Duke raised his eyebrows.

He didn’t feel like having a meal together right away, but…

“…Let’s have a meal first.”

The Duke did not reject them.