The pungent smoke from Clayton’s cigar spread hazily.

Clayton, perched on the armrest of the sofa, carefully scrutinized the three people.

Even through the hazy smoke, his distinct red eyes resembled those of a fierce beast.

They might have been silently gauging each other’s reactions. Just as the room temperature seemed to drop so low that one felt their bones chilling, Jackson opened his mouth.

“D-Duke! This is a misunderstanding. What we said was just…”

“Just?”

At the cold voice, Jackson rubbed his hands against his trouser hem as he continued.

“I-It was just light-hearted banter that naturally comes up when young men gather! You know well that we didn’t say those things with any real intent, don’t you, Your Grace?”

It was a pitiful excuse.

Where had their confidence gone? They were now squirming like puppies needing to relieve themselves.

Clayton let out a small laugh, seemingly amused by the men’s attitude that had changed as quickly as flipping one’s palm.

“Light-hearted banter… I suppose it could be.”

As Clayton seemed to unexpectedly accept their words, the expressions of the four men relaxed somewhat.

Seeing Jackson’s words being accepted, the others began to add their own explanations one by one.

“Yes! It was just light banter. We’re all at a vigorous age, so that level of ribald talk…”

“But you know what?”

However, their continued excuses were abruptly cut off by Clayton’s voice.

“I’m in a bad mood.”

Was it just an illusion that his red eyes, now flashing even more intensely than before, seemed eerie?

In the silence created by the four men, only the sound of dry swallowing could be heard clearly.

It was at this moment, as they silently watched the man dominating the room, racking their brains on how to escape this crisis.

Clayton, who had been gazing at them indifferently, put down his cigar. Then he turned to Jackson, who had made the most malicious remarks about Dalia, and asked.

“More importantly, how is the ship construction progressing at the Devon Count’s estate?”

It was a completely different flow of conversation from before. Jackson raised his head abruptly at the somewhat out-of-the-blue question.

“Pardon? Ah… Yes! Thanks to Your Grace’s investment, it’s progressing without any issues.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes…!”

While Jackson answered quickly, he also began to feel uneasy.

It was quite bizarre to bring up business talk in this situation.

Jackson bit his lip, feeling an ominous premonition. The Sayer family was known to be as wealthy as the imperial family.

Especially the current duke, Clayton, was called a genius investor due to his excellent judgment.

On one hand, there was even a joke circulating that any business invested in by Clayton was bound to be a huge success.

Moreover, Clayton was famous for not interfering in the business process.

Compared to other investors who often meddled when making large investments, Clayton invested heavily but never interfered, making him practically the best investor.

And the shipping company run by Jackson’s family was thriving without major issues, thanks to Clayton’s investment.

The ship construction was now at the final stages of completion.

Previously, he had shown no interest in the progress of the business, but suddenly asking about it now made Jackson uneasy. He cautiously asked back, gathering his courage.

“But why are you asking about that…”

“Ah, that.”

Clayton replied without changing his expression.

“Let’s just say I’m thinking about when would be the most damaging time to withdraw my investment.”

Jackson’s face contorted at Clayton’s answer. Withdrawal of investment? It was like a bolt from the blue.

The others, excluding Jackson, also held their breath and stiffened, fearing the fallout might affect them too.

“Y-Your Grace…! What do you mean…!”

In contrast to Jackson’s voice, which was close to a scream, Clayton remained as calm as a tranquil sea.

“I’ll send someone to the Count’s estate tomorrow. You can hear the details through your father.”

Clayton rose from his seat after watching Jackson’s face change moment by moment as if enjoying a theater performance.

As his figure, devoid of any compassion, receded, Jackson hurriedly chased after Clayton.

“Your Grace! Please reconsider…! Your Grace!”

But when Clayton showed no reaction, Jackson bit his lip.

The withdrawal of the investment itself wasn’t the problem.

If rumors spread that the Duke of Sayer suddenly withdrew his investment, existing investors might leave, and it would be difficult to attract new investments in the future.

That would ultimately lead to the family’s bankruptcy.

If this fact reached his father, the Count of Devon, as it was, he might not only lose his successor status but could even be expelled from the family registry.

“If you withdraw the funds at this point, Your Grace will also suffer considerable losses!”

For this reason, Jackson threw out a move to somehow prevent the Duke of Sayer from withdrawing his investment.

It wasn’t particularly a good move, though.

Clayton stopped at Jackson’s desperate attempt.

Thinking his threat had worked, Jackson curled his lips with a somewhat triumphant voice.

“In just two months, all ship construction will be completed. If Your Grace withdraws the funds now, you’ll be losing all the money you’ve invested so far. Are you really okay with that? Aren’t you a rational person, Your Grace?”

Clayton tilted his head towards Jackson, who was acting out of line without knowing his place.

“You thought I was a rational person?”

His relaxed lips twisted.

“You have poor judgment of people.”

* * *

Clayton’s steps were rough as he left Cavern House.

His footsteps were heavy as he descended the stairs one by one, neither slow nor fast.

The coachman, who belatedly noticed Clayton coming down the stairs, hurriedly opened the door.

“Your Grace, is there some urgent matter…?”

Although he didn’t visit often, on the rare occasions he did, he usually stayed for at least two hours, so the coachman was quite surprised.

But Clayton got into the carriage as if he couldn’t hear the coachman’s voice.

“To the mansion.”

“Ah, yes…!”

It was strange to depart right after arriving, having spent well over an hour, but the coachman quietly drove the horses, noticing that the Duke was in a bad mood.

As the sound of hooves and the rattling of the carriage were felt, Clayton leaned back against the backrest and closed his eyes.

‘Is there a law saying only the Duke can hold branches? Who knows, maybe the Duchess also has branches in both hands.’

But as soon as he closed his eyes, the unpleasant memory struck, and he bit his lip.

‘Damn it.’

He had come to cool his head as past events were particularly vivid today. But instead of cooling down, he felt as if he had been slapped with hot water.

‘I shouldn’t have let it slide.’

He seemed to have forgotten that he had just struck Jackson’s name from the family registry.

He considered turning the carriage back but soon clicked his tongue and gave up the idea. Instead, he carefully chewed over the words they had said again.

‘Dalia has another man?’

He wasn’t unaware of what they meant by ‘branches’.

Branches in both hands would mean she was enjoying having another man in her grasp besides him.

“Nonsense.”

A timid woman who was always mindful of others couldn’t commit such a bold act.

To begin with, her nature wasn’t the type to commit adultery.

Thinking about it again carefully, Clayton let out a hollow laugh at how ridiculous their words were.

He seemed to have reacted sensitively because unpleasant old memories had surfaced after a long time.

At times like this, he should quietly rest in his room and compose himself. With that thought, Clayton looked at the carriage curtains blocking the light.

The sun must be setting soon, he thought, and pulled back the thick cloth, intending to clear his head by looking at the scenery outside for the first time in a while.

Outside, they were passing through the busy city center. They were about to leave for the outskirts after passing through the crowded square.

A familiar person caught his eye. He fixed his gaze outside the window and ordered.

“Stop.”

Along with the signal of knocking on the carriage wall, Clayton’s voice was heard, and the carriage slowly reduced speed.

As the carriage came to a complete stop on the sparsely populated road, he frowned, having identified the person he had seen.

“Why is Dalia here…”

It was because Dalia, who should have been at the mansion, was entering an old bookstore alone.

And she was holding the kitten he had seen earlier.

Why she was entering that place holding a kitten, and where she had left the maid and guard who should have been with her, being alone.

Everything was full of questions. Perhaps that’s why Clayton got out of the carriage, intending to follow her.

No, he was about to get out. Until an unexpected figure appeared before his eyes.

“…Rose Hertz?”

Although wrapped in a black robe, it couldn’t deceive his eyes.

The red hair peeking out from under the robe and the face looking around as if surveying the surroundings. It was undoubtedly Rose Hertz.