“In my view, Arist Lady is a flawless prospective Duchess. You’ve raised your daughter well, just as befits a Cler. You must have worked hard to raise her so uprightly on your own.”

“My goodness!”

Lady Berium began to well up with tears.

“To have Your Grace recognize my efforts, I am overwhelmed.”

Lilia handed her mother a handkerchief, and her mother dabbed her eyes with it.

Liz thought something was going terribly wrong.
Marriage. And with a villain who is twenty years older than me, no less.

‘This is absurd!’

“So when would be a good time for the wedding? No, wait. Should we start with the engagement first? The royal family has a tradition of formal engagements, after all.”

“Royal traditions are of little concern. What matters is my daughter’s wishes.”

Duke Montaner looked at Liz with a smile on his face.

In Liz’s consciousness, which had been blankly observing the situation as if it were someone else’s problem, only that ambiguous smile was clearly etched.
“I won’t demand an immediate answer. Take your time to think it over and let me know. I’ll wait.”

“Oh, thinking, you say? No need for that…”

“Ah, I forgot I have an appointment. Would you excuse me for getting up first?”

The Duke interrupted my mother’s words and stood up. That, at least, was a relief.

“You’re leaving so soon?”

My mother held onto him, not out of mere politeness but genuinely regretful.

“You’ve come all this way, you should at least have a meal before you go. Everything should be ready by now.”
The Duke wore a regretful smile and politely declined.

“How could I not be sorry? I have an important appointment that I must attend right away. I should have informed you in advance; it’s a serious oversight on my part. To make amends, may I extend an invitation for dinner at my residence next time? Will you accept?”

By all means.

“If you’re inviting, I’d be delighted to come.”

“Then, I’ll have an invitation sent to you through my butler soon.”

With those words, the Duke rose from his seat, prompting everyone else to stand as well.
The Duke respectfully bowed to his mother and Lilia, then grabbed the nearby Liz’s hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Liz.”

Liz felt her body stiffen. The man’s kiss on the back of her hand felt as if it were a new mark left by the god of death on her body.
In the meantime, those detestable lips lifted from the back of her hand, and the Duke turned to leave the reception room. His mother, who was following him to see him out, urged the frozen Liz.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

Finally coming to her senses, Liz followed her mother and Lilia out of the reception room with a vacant expression.

It was just as they entered the corridor leading to the entrance.

Liz nearly jumped out of her skin when she discovered a presence she had completely forgotten about.

Kain was walking toward her from the opposite side.

He had just returned from going out, a thick ash-gray coat draped over his shoulders.

Like Liz, he seemed startled by the sudden situation but quickly stepped aside, avoiding attracting the Duke’s attention.

A tense nervousness enveloped Liz’s entire body.

She knew he wouldn’t recognize her because her face had changed, but still felt that way.

Such a feeling persisted until the Duke passed by Kain, who was bowing his head with the other servants who had opened the doors.

Suddenly, Kain seemed pitiable.
How much indignation must he be swallowing, bowing his head to a malevolent uncle who plotted to poison his parents and even kill him as a child?

Yet, even that was not the height of humiliation.

“Ah, Your Grace. Your shoelace has come undone.”

At his mother’s words, the Duke halted and looked down at his shoe.

One end of the loosened shoelace was under his foot.

“Ah, so it is.”

The Duke chuckled and began to bend down, but his mother urgently stopped him.

“Please stay still.”
His mother directed Kain.

“You, come here and tie His Grace’s shoelace.”

Liz’s eyes quivered noticeably. Something even more shocking than receiving the Duke’s proposal had happened.

It was but a fleeting moment, yet Liz saw it clearly.

Kain, uncharacteristically, hesitated for a moment.

For him, who rarely faltered, to hesitate like this, his pride must certainly be at odds.

“What are you doing? I said tie the shoelace.”

His mother spoke once more. It seemed Kain had made up his mind in that moment. He moved toward the Duke.
Kain bent his waist and knelt on one knee below the Duke’s feet, then began tying the shoelace with delicate and courteous hand movements.

Liz couldn’t bear to watch and turned her head away.

That Lilia didn’t turn her head was surprising.

Wasn’t she the one who believed all humans are equal?

Finally, Kain finished tying the shoelace and retreated to his original position. The Duke casually walked down the path opened in front of him, while his mother and Lilia resumed their steps behind him.

Liz was the last to follow them, sneaking a glance back at Kain.
His eyes were deceptively calm, yet Liz knew.

There was no place for me in those eyes.

Watching him follow only his step-uncle with a persistent gaze, Liz thought,

Perhaps this stinging humiliation could be the catalyst for his return to the royal family…

So I should be happy, I should be glad…

But Liz couldn’t muster a smile, not even a little.