Matiel had left the bustling hall early and moved to the inner part of the mansion.

He moved silently and without a trace, like a ghost or a well-trained assassin.

It wasn’t difficult, as even the occasional employees who encountered him didn’t raise any objections upon seeing his noble face and attire.

Whether they had experienced the revolutionary government or not, people adapted surprisingly quickly to the class system that had once disappeared and then reappeared.

‘Of course they would.’

Matiel felt uncharacteristically conflicted as he watched an elderly employee bow respectfully and make way for him.

In fact, even when the revolutionary government overthrew the rather corrupt old monarchy and declared Roynoke an independent republic, the class system itself had never truly disappeared, though it was invisible.

The main difference was that it was simply divided into nobles and commoners—though looking at the reality, it was more complex than mixing gravel and sand—and it was considered natural that there were restrictions based on social status.

During the republican government era, they simply preferred to use words like “national” or “citizen” instead of “noble” or “commoner”, but there were still those who accumulated more wealth and enjoyed power.

There remained vulgar individuals who liked to use that power to oppress those less fortunate than themselves.

There were also plenty of people who frothed at the mouth explaining why they should enjoy more rights than others, or who loudly proclaimed that they were far superior and better humans than others.

Of course, there was only one reason why they continued to spout such words while merely changing the terminology, and Matiel’s father—though he wasn’t called a duke at the time—had this to say about it:

“There are fellows who can only feel satisfied when they see people lining up wanting to lick their asses. I’d decline even if someone offered to lick mine. Guys who can only be satisfied when their asses are wet are the same wherever they go. Well, those bastards might as well just wear piss-soaked underwear instead of wagging their tongues.”

Recalling his late father’s grumbling voice, Matiel almost burst out laughing, forgetting what he was doing and where he was.

In any case, that’s how it was.

The world rolled on similarly during the old monarchy, the republican government, and now—Matiel was twenty-seven years old this year, so he was of a generation that had gone through two upheavals in its own way—and the class system was the same.

There must have been clear reasons why people who were all bound by the name of “national” or “citizen” adapted without much resistance when they were again divided into “nobles” and “commoners”.

‘Well, it’s not my concern.’

Matiel lightly erased that issue from his mind.

“You there.”

At Matiel’s call, an employee passing through the corridor bowed his head.

“Did you call for me, sir?”

“Do you know where Baron Lirald is?”

The employee had a thoughtful look on his face for a moment before nodding ambiguously.

“He should be in the study, or perhaps in the reception room. A guest came to see him earlier.”

“A guest? Do you know what kind of guest?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know that much…”

“Would you guide me to the study?”

The employee bowed politely again.

“This way, please.”

Matiel followed him. However, contrary to expectations, Baron Lirald was neither in the study nor in the reception room.

Moreover, there was no sign of the guest who was said to have arrived earlier. The employee looked around the empty reception room with a bewildered expression.

“I was sure he would be here…”

“Could he have gone out?”

“No, sir. There’s a separate carriage the baron uses when he goes out, and I was just tending to its axle a moment ago.”

Then he must be somewhere in the mansion. Matiel thought.

It was better than him having gone out, but with the official spaces—the study and reception room, or any area where guests might enter—being empty, it was obvious that things would get a bit more complicated.

“Thank you for the guidance. You may go now.”

“Will you be alright, sir?”

“If I go back and enjoy some wine, I’m bound to run into him eventually.”

The employee bowed his head as if to say ‘very well then’ and left. Left alone, Matiel began to think.

Every mansion has secret spaces somewhere.

Especially in the case of newly built mansions that had gone through the revolutionary government era—Baron Lirald’s mansion being a prime example—there was no need to even consider it.

Before the revolutionary government, the secret spaces in old generation mansions were mainly used to hide valuable and covert treasures, enjoy secret meetings, or voice dangerous ideas.

However, those who regained their noble status after experiencing the revolutionary government created new secret spaces for different purposes. As a kind of fortress concept, so to speak.

‘There must be an underground area stocked with food and necessities. It would be much faster to look for such places first rather than searching every corner of the mansion.’

Having made his decision, Matiel strode forward.

Although it was his first visit to Baron Lirald’s mansion, the structure of the mansion was almost perfectly laid out in his mind.

So-called newly built mansions tend to follow trends, and in Baron Lirald’s case, he was the type of person who thought he would be left behind in the world if he missed even one of those trends.

“Oh my!”

Matiel, who had been passing through the corridor with its dull decorations without much interest, stopped in his tracks at the sight of two people who suddenly appeared from the opposite direction.

He could recognize one of them the moment their faces met.

It was Baroness Lirald.

But the woman standing behind her, a young lady with silver hair and clear light green eyes, was someone he had never seen before.

‘Who is she?’

Whether they actively participated in social activities or not, the old nobles had a very dense and wide information network and kept all of it in their heads.

At least when it came to matters related to nobles residing in the capital or nearby provinces, there was nothing they didn’t know.

Matiel, mistaking Charlotte for an ordinary noble lady, felt a bit of displeasure at the sudden appearance of someone he didn’t know—at least someone whose value as information was uncertain for today.

Unaware of this, Baroness Lirald approached Matiel with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Oh, oh, oh my! Goodness. What are you doing here? The wine and music are over there, were you taking a stroll?”

After saying that, the baroness suddenly laughed like a drunk person.

Matiel thought she was already completely intoxicated, but despite standing so close, there was no smell of alcohol at all.

“Thank you for inviting me, Baroness. This is the first time I’m greeting you.”

Matiel said. Charlotte immediately realized that he was well-practiced in imitating a polite gentleman.

There was nothing to fault in his elegant tone or manner, but not even a nail’s worth of human warmth could be felt.

It was clear that he was not only ungrateful for the baroness’s invitation but also completely uninterested.

‘He’s quite the snake,’ Charlotte thought.

At that moment, Baroness Lirald grabbed Charlotte’s wrist, almost pulling her.

“Cherie! Why are you standing there blankly? The person you said you wanted to meet is right in front of you! Ah, I see. You’re speechless now that you’ve seen him in person? Why wouldn’t you be? It’s understandable. Everyone makes that expression when they first see Duke Elinak!”

At her words, Charlotte once again gazed intently at Matiel’s face.

This time, unlike before, it was a serious look.

The name Duke Elinak was deeply imprinted in her mind.

It was enough to make her momentarily forget even the baroness’s chattering as if she had lost her mind.

‘Duke Elinak… Duke Elinak. A name I’ve heard a lot. Though it’s my first time seeing him in person… Ah, yes. That person. The one who became duke when his older brother suddenly died.’

Charlotte recalled a rumor that had once circulated in the market.

The man who became the 2nd Duke Elinak—as the pre-revolutionary government generation had been erased from the records—was originally the second son of the ducal family, and there was a baseless rumor that he had poisoned his weak older brother out of a strong desire for power and seized the title.

‘By the way, to see such a famous family member in person, I’m not sure if I’m lucky or unlucky today. This might reduce my chances of learning more about the baroness… I thought she was just boasting when she said he was a big shot, but he really is one.’

Charlotte thought.

There were three ducal families in the Kingdom of Roynoke, and among them, the Elinak family was the most prestigious and famous in the capital.

Being a famous family, there were also many absurd rumors and hearsay surrounding the Elinak ducal family.

Of course, Charlotte would come to know all about these controversies and rumors surrounding the Elinak ducal family much later.

Charlotte carefully examined Duke Elinak’s appearance.

It was something she could do in the silence, knowing that they were both exploring each other.

The first thing that caught her eye was his deep golden hair reminiscent of a sandy beach, and his vivid sunset-colored eyes revealed under the hair that slightly covered his forehead.

‘What an unusual color. It’s red, but is it because we’re indoors that it looks like that?’

His straight nose bridge was manly.

His facial structure and bone structure were not bumpy, giving him a neat and sophisticated appearance, but his firmly closed lips that didn’t move and the distinct lines near his cheeks suggested stubbornness and a sense of authority.

While he was handsome enough that the word ‘good-looking’ alone would not suffice, the thought that he would be extremely difficult to deal with also followed.

Baroness Lirald said,

“Why don’t you two greet each other? Duke Elinak, you probably haven’t met this young lady before. She’s quite a rare sight at parties and gatherings, you see.”

Though thinking it was becoming troublesome, Matiel nodded politely and looked at Charlotte out of courtesy.

The more he looked at her, the more she captivated him with a strange feeling.

How should he put it… She was beautiful. Beautiful, yet somehow felt distant, as if she didn’t exist in this place.

Realizing this fact almost gave him a slight chill.

‘What is this?’

At that moment, Charlotte slightly bent her knees and crafted an almost perfect smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Duke Elinak. I’ve heard a lot about you, but it seems fortune is smiling upon me today. My name is Cherie.”