‘On the anniversary of my father, the Duke has to be alone in the mansion…’

Or would he go down to the ducal residence and spend the anniversary with his mother?

But considering the recent strained relationship with his mother, that didn’t seem likely. The Duke had said nothing about it.

Nelia lost interest in the delicious turkey dish she had been eating. Her mind was complicated.

Just then, Leighton chimed in, resting his chin on his hands.

“Isn’t it a bit strange? The late Duke Hart wasn’t someone who would harbor grudges, and they couldn’t catch the culprit either.”

Quite a sharp point for Leighton.

“Discussing the death of a person who has already passed is not right, Leighton. And it was Duke Hart’s family who wished to conclude the matter that way.”

Sean chastised Leighton with a stern voice.

But Leighton, seemingly unfazed, simply bowed his head and picked beans from his plate.

Before they knew it, the meal had ended and a brief tea time followed.

Sean and Lili asked various questions about Duke Hart. Whether his foot had healed, when he would start going to the palace, if he had any difficulties in his work, and such.

As Nelia answered methodically, her parents reacted exaggeratedly to even trivial matters.

She had felt it before, but people seemed to idolize Duke Hart.

He didn’t attend parties often and didn’t mingle deeply with people, adding to his mystique. Much like idolizing a celebrity.

After a series of trivial questions,

Nelia was beginning to feel drained when they finally stopped asking about the Duke.

“Nelia, when are you going back?”

Lili’s question made Nelia think she was hurrying it along.

Why was she more interested in Duke Hart than in her own daughter who had come home after a long time?

“Tomorrow morning.”

“What? So soon?”

“Yes, I have a lot to do.”

In reality, she didn’t.

Recently she had realized that Duke Hart could manage perfectly well without her.

Yet he consistently gave her work, probably to keep her by his side. A suspicion she was entertaining.

“You seem to be doing well in your work.”

“We were unnecessarily worried.”

Lili and Sean wore satisfied expressions. Seeing them, Nelia also felt not too bad.

They promised to have breakfast together the next morning, and Sean and Lili were the first to leave the table.

As Nelia was about to get up, Leighton’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Nelia.”

“What.”

Nelia, feeling annoyed, turned around.

Leighton was still sitting at the dining table, staring at her intently.

“I told you before that the Duke was taking vitality supplements, remember?”

At the word “vitality supplements,” Nelia’s eyebrows twitched.

She had thought Leighton was spouting nonsense, but it turned out half of it was true.

And… she had experienced its effects firsthand.

Just as Nelia was about to brush off the thought, Leighton’s voice rang out again.
“I don’t think it’s an energy booster.”

“What?”

Oddly enough, Layton’s eyes were gravely serious as they discussed the energy booster.

“I think it’s something to suppress something else.”

“…Suppress what?”

Intrigued by the surprisingly accurate speculation, Nelia cautiously asked.

“I don’t know myself. But recently, as I’ve been helping my father with his affairs, I learned that the Duke’s apothecary has been consistently purchasing Setia leaves.”

“What are Setia leaves…?”

“They’re often used as a magical suppressant.”

Layton flicked his fork.

“I’ve found out they often use energyboosting ingredients to amplify a certain effect. It puts a lot of strain on the body as well.”

“…So, the medicine the Duke takes amplifies suppression?”

The tone in Nelia’s voice lowered slightly as she asked.

“If you think simply, yes. It mixes energyboosting ingredients to amplify the suppressive force.”

Nelia swallowed dryly without Layton noticing. She was surprised by Layton’s accurate reasoning.

Even she didn’t know much about the medication, but Layton’s words made her feel like she understood the principle.

‘This is really dangerous. It feels like Layton might catch onto the Duke’s secret.’

She had never imagined worrying about Layton, of all people. Especially since he always seemed to lack common sense.

Layton lifted his head to look squarely into Nelia’s eyes.

“Why do you think the Duke is taking such medication?”

Unconsciously, Nelia clenched her fists. Layton continued calmly.

“Have you ever felt anything strange from the Duke?”

“…Not at all.”

There was a momentary pause between the question and her answer, startling her.

To act naturally, Nelia posed a question first.

“Why are you suddenly interested in Duke Hart?”

“I’m just curious. If the Duke everyone praises is hiding something, then it’s even more shocking.”

Yes, Layton was like that. Her briefly encountered brother was very spontaneous and driven by interest.

His extraordinary deductions also stemmed from his curiosity.

That’s why it felt dangerous. If such a person became obsessed, it felt like it would go to the extreme.

So Nelia fervently hoped.

She hoped Layton would lose interest in Duke Hart.

(This is a time separator.)

The next day, Nelia woke up with a sullen face.

People are indeed fickle. When she first slept on this bed, it felt so soft and comfortable as if she were on a cloud.

In her past life, she only had a hard, cold floor with a blanket.

However, after sleeping on Duke Hart’s highquality bed for a few days, this bed felt downgraded.

Due to that, she didn’t sleep well.

She finally shook herself awake and went downstairs.

She had planned to have a quick breakfast with the family, but Layton was nowhere to be found. It was better that way; his weird comments were already unsettling her.

Especially thinking about Layton’s deduction yesterday, it made her hairs stand on end.

Fortunately, when she said she didn’t know much about the medicine the Duke was taking, Layton quickly lost interest.

“When will you visit next?”

At the main door, Lily asked Nelia as she saw her off.

“I’m not sure yet.”

She initially planned to return home on the day of the lunar eclipse, but when she heard it was the anniversary of Duke Hart’s father’s death, she wasn’t too eager.

First, she thought she should have a conversation with Duke Hart.