“What?”
Like a deflated balloon, a disbelieving chuckle slipped through Carl’s lips. Responsibility?
“Based on what you’ve just told me, the only advice I can offer seems to be just that.”
“Responsibility?”
For the first time, Carl shifted his position to face Clovis fully, with a look of displeasure on his face.
“I simply mentioned… a woman with suspicious circumstances appeared, calling Your Highness ‘father’ with a child.”
“Isn’t that too far-fetched? How can you jump to such conclusions?”
Wasn’t it a question with a predetermined answer? If there was a woman with whom he had an affair, and she appeared with a child, even calling him ‘father’?
Carl, usually inscrutable, was especially unreadable today. As Clovis was about to respond, Carl cut him off.
“And more importantly.”
“More importantly?”
“That woman is publicly known to have a lover.”
“Pardon? You mean, a woman with a known lover and you had such… an affair…?”
A fleeting look of shock passed through Clovis’s eyes, which usually gazed at his superior with awe.
Had he ever seen such a bold Duke? To think he was a womanizer who meddled with a woman who already had a lover, contrary to his stone-cold demeanor towards women… The thought briefly crossed his face.
Brief as it was, Carl didn’t miss the flicker of expression on Clovis’s face.
“Why that look?”
“What about my look, Your Highness?”
“It’s quite different from the usual look of respect you have for your superior.”
“That can’t be. Your Grace is always an object of my reverence.”
“You’re still really bad at lying.”
What seemed like a serious conversation turned into their usual banter. The knights, tense from Carl’s solemn face, now relaxed a bit.
It seemed like a minor issue if he could joke around with his aide like that.
“So, who is she?”
Since the moment Carl first mentioned a woman, Clovis had been eager to ask. Lowering his voice so the knights standing afar wouldn’t hear, he posed the most critical question.
So, who is this remarkable woman who captivated the Duke, renowned for his indifference to women! A burning curiosity blazed in Clovis’s eyes.
There was a reason for his intense interest.
Carl was a man unusually indifferent to the opposite sex. He had never had a lover and even avoided the typical scandals that followed noblemen of his age – a paragon of asceticism.
Perfect looks, noble lineage, high status, and reputation.
Clovis could never understand why Carl, having everything, showed less interest in women than in roadside stones.
It wasn’t just Clovis. Everyone serving under Duke Albrecht, including many in the royal household, wondered about Carl. They even speculated: is there something wrong with him, to not show any interest in women at his vigorous age?
Even Duke Toskurr and Franz, often mentioned as Carl’s rivals, were compared in this regard. Similar in age and royal hierarchy, they differed starkly in their relationships with women.
A person who shows no interest in women, and another like an open revolving door, not stopping any woman who comes nor holding onto any who leaves.
The latter didn’t seem very admirable, but if forced to choose, most would prefer it over the former.
After all, it’s better to have many descendants than to have the royal lineage end, even if they are half-siblings.
“Pardon? Are you not going to tell me?”
Silence. Carl’s mouth closed firmly again, a sign of seriousness. Clovis’s expression, which had been partly playful, also hardened.
Women and Carl. The two most mismatched words had somehow come together.
This was no ordinary matter. As his aide, Clovis couldn’t just overlook this issue. The original purposes of the Swabian Duke’s murder investigation and the investigation team had long been forgotten.
The baby quieted down as soon as he was given an apple. It was so silent, one would think the house was empty. He’d heard somewhere that if a child eats sweet fruit first, they won’t eat milk or baby food, but he had no choice.
“What will you do, bringing just anyone home?”
Hannah’s displeased voice echoed loudly.
“There, there, good boy.”
Pretending not to hear, I focused my attention on Valery.
“It’s a good thing I returned just in time. Otherwise, you could have been wrongly accused and taken to the capital.”
“Would that have happened?”
“Of course. Duke Albrecht personally said that you were suspected of murdering the Duke of Swabia.”
“But still…”
Hannah, clearly annoyed, stomped over and snatched the apple from Valery’s hand.
Valery, deprived of his snack, puckered his lips to cry, but then burst into a happy smile when he was handed a bottle of milk.
“It’s quiet now, but he’ll probably come again tomorrow. Probably.”
“Most likely…”
The man was indeed Duke Albrecht, the protagonist of the novel. Hannah, who had left the house briefly to buy necessities, returned just in time to kneel before the man, calling him ‘Your Grace!’ – a shock beyond words.
Hannah was one of Countess Louisette’s closest aides and a member of her household.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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