“Oops.”

Elodie looked back at Rayan in surprise. Unintentionally, with a joyful heart, she had called him “Rayan” instead of “Ian.”

It seemed his known name was Ian. Could it be a problem?

Meanwhile, the Duke, who was momentarily uncomfortable with the fact that his daughter affectionately called another man’s name, suddenly felt a strange sensation.

“Rayan, it sounds like a name I’ve heard before.”

But he couldn’t exactly figure out where he’d heard it. He just had a feeling.

During the brief moment the Duke was lost in thought, Elodie tried to make eye contact with Rayan.

She looked at him as if asking if everything was okay, but Rayan simply stared back at Elodie.

“It doesn’t seem to be a big problem.”

Worried that she might have made a mistake, Elodie felt relieved when she saw that Rayan seemed unbothered.

The current situation was the real problem.

“He really came. If Masa hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known.”

If it hadn’t been for Masa’s words that a goodlooking man with black hair and red eyes, who looked almost crazy, had come to the mansion, she wouldn’t have known that Rayan had visited.

“Why didn’t you call me? Ian is the benefactor who saved me…….”

To Elodie’s question, Duke Ferdia answered calmly.

“I intended to call.”

“…….”

Duke Ferdia lightly ignored the gaze of Rayan who was staring at him.

Elodie, unaware of the subtle atmosphere between the two men, moved towards the sofa to sit down.

Just as she was about to take her seat,

“Elodie.”

“Yes?”

Startled, she looked up, and the Duke spoke firmly.

“Sit here.”

The Duke pointed to the seat next to him.

This was truly an unfamiliar command to Elodie, who had never sat side by side with the Duke.

Sitting rigidly next to the Duke, Elodie looked across. Her eyes met Rayan’s again.

“It’s been a long time, Ian.”

“Yes. Have you been well?”

“Thanks to you. I was grateful last time.”

“I only did what was expected.”

Today marked the third meeting with Rayan.

The embarrassingly short first meeting, the second meeting when he saved her life, and now.

Though she now knew the name and status of the man whose name she didn’t even know, she still couldn’t let her guard down, as she couldn’t understand his intentions.

‘If I’m not the only one with memories of my past life, that might be a bit troublesome.’

Rayan had said he saw Yoon Gaeul in his dreams but didn’t speak about seeing himself in that scene.

Elodie recalled all the memories of her past life at the moment her mother’s keepsake broke.

Just like that, she hypothesized that Rayan might also recover his memories of his past life if something triggered it.

Anyway, the existence of Rayan was a significant variable, and her need to keep him close and observe him hadn’t changed.

Elodie, who seemed somehow displeased, asked Duke Ferdia.

“Father, what were you talking about?”

“We were discussing the reward for saving you.”

“That’s right. If it wasn’t for Ian, I wouldn’t be alive and well.”

The Duke’s discomfort grew at her words.

“……I’ll consider the matter of compensation closed, as we discussed.”

“I will decline.”

Caught in the conflict between the Duke and Rayan, Elodie became confused.

‘What kind of reward were they talking about?’

The Duke, who had even ordered her to spend 100,000 Larits a month, was not stingy with money.

So, it couldn’t have been a paltry monetary reward.

Rayan, who had been confronting the Duke, turned his gaze towards Elodie.

“I saved Miss Elodie, so I want my reward from you.”

“Me? What reward do you want?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Rayan replied.

“Please employ me.”

Employ him.

Rayan was the leader of the Sky’s Hawk mercenary group and was known as a skilled mercenary king.

If such a skilled person was asking for employment…

“Is… the financial situation of Ian’s mercenary group very difficult…?”
So dire that you must go out and sell it yourself?

The two men fell silent at Elodie’s cautious but earnest question.

“…….”

“…….”

Elodie realized that she had guessed wrong from the gaze of the Duke and Reian looking at her.

Coughing awkwardly, Elodie asked Reian,

“So, you mean I should hire Ian as a mercenary?”

“Yes.”

“Why? If it’s not about money, I don’t understand why it has to be like this.”

Reian glanced at Duke Ferdia and then turned his gaze back to Elodie.

“Because the Second Prince is trying to capture me.”

“The Second Prince?”

“Yes. Since we are the only mercenary group recognized by the Emperor, he is trying to contact us to bring me under his control.”

Elodie could understand why Reian said he would be hired by her.

As long as the Second Prince decided to capture him into his power, he could not be completely free from the struggle for the throne.

Then it would be better to connect with the First Prince’s forces and block the Second Prince’s approach.

“It’s not bad for me either.”

Elodie weighed the options in her mind.

Skyhawk Mercenary Group.

The mercenary group owned by Reian had fought a war with the Nelter Kingdom two years ago and had established a significant victory.