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nChapter 18.

nTranslator: Gold

n“What? Who is he to say that?”

n“He said Lady Artizea is the master of the Marquisate Rosan, so he would tell her about what happened.”

nMiraila stood up once more.

n“Tia is the master? You just stood there listening to him?”

n“It was the Grand Duke Evron. How could I dare to answer him? He could have slit my throat at that very moment.”

n“Ha.”

nMiraila felt her throat burn and reached out her hand. Bill quickly offered her a glass of cold water.

nMiraila drank the glass of water, sighed and sat back down on the couch.

n‘It’s strange. Where did she meet the Grand Duke Evron?’

nShe had a hunch.

nWhen it came to relationships between a man and a woman, Miraila’s hunches had always been right.

nRationally, she thought there was no way an unattractive girl like Artizea could catch the Grand Duke Evron. There was no way they could have met anywhere.

nBut her hunch told her otherwise.

nSomehow she felt a little unpleasant, no, she was really in a bad mood.

nArtizea was an ugly girl. Miraila thought that from the bottom of her heart.

n‘Artizea doesn’t resemble me at all. She’s 18 years old, but she doesn’t have any feminine traits, not even a charm. She could only live with me, because I’m her mother. She has no chance of getting married, right?’

nThat’s what she thought, but not the Grand Duke Evron.

nHowever, Miraila also believed that all girls were the same. Even with the odds against them, they would find a way to seduce men.

n‘Maybe I’m overthinking it.’

nAt that point. A servant knocked hastily at the door.

nBill offered a small apology to Miraila, and went to open the door.

n“Head Butler, Grand Duke Evron’s squire is here.”

n“His squire? What for?”

n“Apparently, after attending the ball at Count Enda’s estate, the Grand Duke and Miss Artizea went somewhere in her carriage. His Grace asked the squire to wait for him here.”

n“What?”

nBill glanced sidelong at Miraila, her face was turning fierce.

nJust then Lawrence appeared.

nHe had just returned home after going out for some fresh air. He was frowning, like he was upset about something.

n“Young Master, did you enjoy your outing?”

nBill bowed his head politely. The servant knelt quickly on one knee.

nLawrence used to stare at Bill, the Head Butler, when he was in a bad mood.

nAnd now, it seemed to be the case.

n“Bill. Grand Duke Evron’s squire is out there. What’s going on?”

n“Oh, that is…”

n“Lawrence, my prince, welcome home.”

nMiraila left her room with a bright smile, wearing a coat over her thin robe.

nLawrence looked at his mother with an annoyed expression.

n“Did any trouble happen with the Grand Duke Evron?”

n“No. How could I have a problem with the Grand Duke? He is a warrior who goes from one battlefield to another. He only came to visit Tia this afternoon.”

nMiraila grumbled. Lawrence’s face contorted.

n“Are you angry about something?”

n“You haven’t been disrespectful to the Grand Duke Evron, right?”

n“I haven’t even seen him. When the butler informed him that Tia had gone to the ball at Count Enda’s estate, he went over there.”

n“I understand. If he comes back, don’t interfere. Stay out of it. I’ll take care of it.”

n“Why?”

n“Mother, Grand Duke Evron is a man of integrity. It’s been a while since Tia did anything useful, but if someone like you interferes, it’ll all be ruined.”

n“What do you mean by that?”

nMiraila reacted startled. Lawrence said coldly.

n“Mother, the Grand Duke despises you. You talk as if you don’t know that. And unfortunately, he despises me, too. For that very reason, my father has not been able to trust me with the seat of the Crown Prince.”

nThe hidden meaning in his words was obvious. Miraila’s face turned pale.

nHowever, she did nothing.

nWith Artizea, she acted like the greatest tyrant in the world. But with her son, she was an understanding and submissive mother.

n***

nMarcus hesitated bitterly for a long time when she asked him to return to the Marquisate Rosan and help her.

nAlthough he had accepted Artizea as the heir apparent, returning to the Marquisate Rosan was another matter.

n「I will marry soon, and I will retrieve the Marquisate Rosan from my mother’s clutches. I’ll need Mr. Hanson then.」

nIt had been almost 18 years since he had last been to the Marquisate Rosan.

nCurrently, all employees of the Marquisate Rosan in relevant positions, serve Miraila.

nthe estate of the Marquisate Rosan was large and its wealth enormous. It would be difficult to fight them all at once.

n「I want to prevent the Rosan Family’s assets from being stolen and get it all back. Mr. Hanson, you know all about the Marquisate Rosan. Besides, you know most of the former employees, right?」

n「Well, that’s true, but…」

n「So I don’t think it’s difficult for you to understand and control the situation. It would be even better if the entire Hanson Family could come and help. Please, return to your rightful position and help me.」

n「But my family has been accused of poisoning the direct descendants of the Marquess Rosan, so how can we return?」

n「It was 18 years ago. Right now, poisoning has become a thing of the past. His Majesty intervened to clarify the situation, but the real culprit could not be identified.」

nArtizea continued.

n「My mother tried to incriminate the Hanson Family, but not only did she have no evidence, but no one believed her. So she thought, it would be better to leave it at that.」

n「Heir apparent…」

n「Anyway, I’ll make sure that incident doesn’t affect you.」

nIt was a great incident, since it had caused the Rosan Family to be exterminated. The fact that the perpetrator had not been identified was very burdensome for the Emperor.

n「In case this incident comes out again, this time, as the successor, I will be by your side, so let’s fight together until the end. If you are still worried, you can change your name and hide your identity until everything is resolved.」

n「I lived in the manor house of the Marquisate Rosan for 60 years, of which 45 years I served at master Michael’s side. Not only employees, but many of the aristocrats know about it.」

n「Why not do the same thing my mother did? It was because everyone was blindfolded that she managed not to be convicted of the poisoning incident.」

nArtizea spoke with dignity.

n「I will become the Marchioness Rosan, Mr. Hanson. As sole heir, I can handle matters relating to the Marquisate Rosan at my discretion. As long as Mr. Hanson is willing to return, I will take care of the rest of the problems.」

nHowever, Marcus could not immediately nod his head. The wound was too deep.

nBut he didn’t shake his head either.

nBack in the carriage, Cedric was the first to speak.

n“I am amazed, Lady Artizea.”

n“Pardon?”

n“The best way to reach a person’s heart is to move it, right? Lady Artizea, although you are still young, you seem to know this very well.

n“I did not intend to move Mr. Hanson. I was just trying to give him a valid excuse.”

n“An excuse?”

n“Mr. Hanson is struggling to make ends meet. He also has his 14-year-old granddaughter in his care. I’m sure he must have wanted to get out of Reve Street for a while now. But without a suitable excuse, he would not take my hand.”

nSaid Artizea. And she apologized for that.

nCedric chuckled. Artizea blushed slightly.

n“Why are you chuckling?”

n“Lady Artizea seems to consider herself as a villainess.”

n“…Because it’s true.”

nFor Artizea, that was as true as the morning sunrise.

n“Anyone who remembers honorable moments would want to escape disgrace. And that can only be determined by oneself. Lady Artizea, you did not give Hanson an excuse, you only made him remember honorable moments. So he will return for you.”

n“For me?”

n“Yes. Because he loves the Marquisate Rosan, and you are the only heir.”

n“However, I am not Michael’s biological daughter.”

n“He used to be the head butler, so he probably knows who your biological father is. You are a direct descendant of the Marquess Rosan. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted you.”

n“I see. I never thought of it that way.”

nCedric asked.

n“Aren’t you curious to know who your father is?”

n“No, there’s no point in knowing. Whoever my biological father is, at first glance, is an immoral person who committed adultery with the wife of the Marquess Rosan. But more than that, he’s an idiot who slept with the Emperor’s concubine.”

nArtizea said, biting her lips.

nWhen the wheels of the carriage began to move, the vibrations of the rattle were transmitted to their bodies.

nThen Artizea was silent, and Cedric said nothing either.There was only silence inside the carriage until it reached the front of the manor house of the Marquisate Rosan.

nOnce again, Cedric got out first and helped Artizea.

nArtizea bowed her head to him.

n“Your Grace, thank you for escorting me. If it were not for you, Mr. Hanson would not have trusted me. He would have thought that Miraila’s daughter had gone to plot against him.”

n“You are welcome. I understand well the importance of today’s meeting, for Lady Artizea and the Marquisate Rosan. I am grateful that you have invited me and allowed me to be present. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

n“If you say that, I’ll really feel free to ask him for anything. Even though I have no power, no wealth, no people right now.”

n“But you have this, right?”

nCedric tapped his temple with his index finger.

nArtizea smiled.

n“From now on I’ll have to show you whether it’s really useful or not.”

n“I’m counting on it.”

nThat’s when Cedric’s squire appeared, leading a horse by the reins.

nBill was following the squire in a hurry. He had left by order of Lawrence.

n“Welcome, Your Grace. How was your outing, miss?”

nArtizea tilted her head and looked at Bill.

nBill had spoken nervously.

nHe didn’t think Cedric would listen to him, since he’d made him angry earlier.

nHowever, Lawrence was strict when he gave an order, so he had no choice but to convey his message.

n“Your Grace, young master Lawrence has told me that he would like to invite you to dinner.”

nCedric narrowed his eyes as he looked at Bill, putting on the riding gloves his squire had given him.

nHe wanted to rebuke him again, but in the end he decided not to.

n“It will be another time. Unless, Lady Artizea invites me.”

nArtizea smiled.

n“As an unmarried woman, I am a little reluctant to invite a man who is not a relative into my home at this hour.”

n“I knew you’d say that. Then I apologize. Next time I’ll visit you with Olga’s Heart.”

nCedric bade farewell with a deep bow. Artizea also bowed politely to him.

nAs Cedric mounted his horse to leave, Artizea called out to him when a sudden thought crossed her mind.

n“Oh, now that I think about it, can I ask you something?”

n“Go ahead.”

n“Why do you act so formally with me? The other day, you weren’t acting that way.”

nArtizea gazed up at Cedric.

nCedric thought her turquoise eyes were bright and deep, rich in colour.

n“I must respect you, not because you are Miraila’s daughter, but because you will be my future wife.”

nCedric said and turned on his horse.

nArtizea lowered her head, feeling her whole face blush.

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