‘Although I said I would stay here longer for now…’

Leah sighed after finishing her tea time with Dmitry. However, as she returned to her room, she kept biting her lip nervously.

‘The Duke didn’t look well earlier.’

Strangely, Akkia had not seemed to be in a good mood throughout the meal. Even when she tried to ask him what was wrong with a glance, he remained silent.

‘What exactly was the problem?’

At first glance, it didn’t seem like Akkia and Duke Belarus got along very well.

Maybe there had been some problem while working, she was vaguely thinking at that moment.

She ran into Akkia waiting in front of her room door. Leah quickly scanned her surroundings, wondering if this was the right room, but it was indeed hers.

That meant Akkia had some business with her.

“Duke. Why are you here? It seemed like you had urgent matters earlier, did they get resolved well?”

“Urgent matters?”

Akkia’s expression darkened, as if recalling the earlier situation. What urgent matters could he possibly have had in this mansion to begin with?

And as expected. The urgent matter the butler mentioned was merely a letter from Rikel asking about his well-being.

‘It’s so transparent.’

It was an absurd excuse from the butler to bring Leah and Duke Belarus together, as anyone could see.

Akkia was not in a good mood, feeling like he was competing with an old duke over Leah.

“Ah, and the Duke made a request of me…”

Akkia’s eyebrow twitched as he watched Leah avoid his gaze and trail off. What kind of request could he have made to make Leah hesitate like this?

Even before hearing the content of the request, Akkia was already displeased.

“Why are you hesitating so much before saying what you want to say?”

“Well…”

As he urged her to speak as if telling her to hurry up, Leah reluctantly opened her mouth.

“Duke Belarus said it would be nice if I stayed at the mansion a while longer.”

“What?”

Leah glanced at Akkia while relaying the story. Seeing her seem to be watching his reaction, Akkia felt even more agitated.

‘What on earth is he planning?’

He wouldn’t have improper feelings for a woman young enough to be his granddaughter at his advanced age. If that had been his intention, he would have done so long ago.

Duke Belarus was a man who had no scandalous rumors after losing his duchess at a young age.

It made no sense for such a man to take a concubine in his old age.

‘Then why?’

Why show such interest in Leah whom he just met yesterday? Not knowing Akkia’s thoughts, Leah’s face was full of concern for Duke Belarus.

“It seems he’s reminded of the duke’s daughter when he sees me. With the duchess gone too, how lonely he must be? He said the deceased daughter’s birthday is in three days. I thought I could stay until then…”

Leah’s words were longer than usual, filled with such heartfelt feelings. Akkia looked down at her and crossed his arms.

“So you’re saying you’ll stay here longer?”

“…If you allow it, Duke.”

Leah lowered her voice at the sight of the duke who seemed angry.

She had just thought she could keep the lonely old man company for a little while before leaving.

“No. There’s a lot to do back in the capital.”

“I suppose so?”

Leah nodded slowly as if she had expected that, immediately resigned. It seemed she would have to tell Duke Belarus that it would be difficult to stay longer.

“Then I’ll go tell the Duke.”

“Leah.”

Akkia’s low voice stopped Leah as she was about to go out. But after calling her, Akkia hesitated for a long time and couldn’t say anything.

‘Duke Belarus wouldn’t, but just in case.’

Akkia didn’t think Dmitry was so shameless as to have ill intentions towards Leah.

Duke Belarus was still a cold-blooded person who wouldn’t even adopt his collateral relatives as heirs.

Only direct lineage. He was merciless to anyone not of his own blood.

‘But, for such a person to show this much favor just because she resembles his daughter?’

Akkia’s narrowed eyes landed on Leah and then moved away.

‘It’s unsettling.’

He kept feeling bothered, as if there was some reason for Duke Belarus’ excessive behavior. Moreover, he felt oddly left out between the two of them throughout the meal.

Additionally, he even felt hurt seeing Leah only concerned about Duke Belarus.

‘I should keep her at a distance until I confirm what Duke Belarus is thinking.’

Leah was staring blankly at his darkened eyes. Akkia’s lips, which had been twitching for a while, slowly parted.

“I’m saying this just in case.”

“Yes.”

“I have a higher status.”

After all that build-up, was this what he wanted to say? Leah doubted her ears, wondering if she had heard wrong.

But Akkia’s solemn face, looking her in the eyes, was saying it was the truth.

“…Pardon?”

Leah blinked her eyes.

“Plus, I’m young and handsome. As you can see, I have a good body too.”

Leah was dumbfounded at the duke’s utterly absurd words.

‘Is this also a side effect of the new medicine?’

Leah was looking at the man listing his own merits out of nowhere with a bewildered gaze.

“And above all.”

Not knowing Leah’s thoughts, the duke drew closer to her. Then he pulled Leah’s waist closer to him.

Leah, suddenly drawn to Akkia, barely stopped before falling into his arms. With each word the duke spoke, his thick breath settled on her face.

Akkia, who had suddenly come close enough for their noses to almost touch, gave Leah a strange smile.

“I can satisfy you.”

Leah’s eyes shook violently at the duke’s ambiguous words.

‘Satisfy…?’

Economic satisfaction, food satisfaction, housing satisfaction. There are so many types of satisfaction in this world.

Among all those choices, Leah naturally recalled the night she had spent with him.

‘Is he, really talking about that?’

Leah inwardly sighed.

At the sight of his lips curling up lazily, Leah’s heart started pounding.

Dmitry felt empty-hearted in the garden where traces of Ariel remained, as if feeling a chill even in midsummer.

“You must think the same as me, Barton?”

Duke Belarus asked the butler following him as he strolled through the empty rear garden.

“Yes. She resembles Miss Ariel whom we last saw spitting image.”

Barton bowed his head to Duke Belarus, who had suddenly stopped and turned towards him.

“Indeed. I couldn’t see that damned father’s face at all. I thought my daughter had come back to life just as she was.”

Duke Belarus gritted his teeth, as if deeply agreeing with his words.

He had clearly heard that the child his daughter had given birth to had died back then. Something was strange. As if, someone had smuggled his granddaughter away.

“Send someone to the south to find the midwife. Tell them to investigate again about when Ariel gave birth.”

“Understood.”

Dmitry’s keen sense, honed from decades of living as the head of the family, was telling him that Leah was his granddaughter.

As proof of this, didn’t Leah also have the legume allergy that Ariel had?

Allergies were originally strongly influenced by genetic factors.

Not only that, but the red hair that shone as if it had swallowed flames. It was so similar to Dmitry’s hair.

“And.”

Duke Belarus called Barton back as he was about to turn away from him.

“How do you see the relationship between that young duke and Leah?”

“…You mean those two.”

Barton recalled when he had taken Duke Haidern away earlier on the pretext of urgent business.

Akkia had watched for a long time as Dmitry and Leah walked away.

Even as he followed Barton out, all of Duke Haidern’s attention was directed to where the two were.

Recalling the two of them, Barton answered Duke Belarus honestly.

“It doesn’t seem to be an ordinary relationship.”

“Indeed… You think so too?”

Dmitry stroked his chin, recalling Akkia’s behavior he had observed earlier in the dining room. Clearly, Akkia’s words and actions were not those of treating a mere apothecary.

When Dmitry had held Leah back to have some tea, he saw sparks fly in Akkia’s eyes.

That guy who got heated at him as if he had romantic feelings for Leah.

‘To think that Akkia fellow likes my granddaughter.’

He was already certain that Leah was his granddaughter.

Although it had only been a few days since they came down to stay at his ducal residence, Dmitry honestly saw Akkia in a new light.

Akkia, standing face to face with him who once commanded the empire, did not shrink back at all. The more he looked at him, the more Akkia seemed to resemble his father, Phillips III.

‘He’s quite different from when he was a prince.’

In his days as a young prince. Whenever they encountered each other in the imperial palace, Akkia couldn’t even raise his head, overwhelmed by his presence.

But Akkia, whom he saw again after more than a decade, had grown up. Having shed any hint of sickliness, he seemed to suit the emperor’s position even more than the current Emperor Illey.

‘No. He might have been hiding his claws all this time.’

He imagined what Illey, who would be in the imperial palace by now, would look like. If even he felt this way, what thoughts would the emperor have had looking at Akkia?

He became interested in Akkia. At first, he hadn’t cared whether Akkia was buried in the mine or not.

‘If it’s a matter involving my granddaughter, that’s a different story.’

Duke Belarus wore a strange smile.

“Duke Haidern…”

Duke Belarus seemed lost in deep contemplation for a while. Then, having finished his thoughts, he spoke to Barton.

“Call Cox.”

“Duke, surely you don’t mean…”

Barton trailed off, looking at Dmitry with a surprised expression.

“I can help out once in a while, can’t I?”

A meaningful smile bloomed on Duke Belarus’ face.