51

A cold silence lingered.

“…”

“…”

Liam silently lowered his head.

In such a state, it was best not to provoke Dante. Quite literally, he was like a ticking time bomb ready to explode, consuming everything around him once touched.

“Well, fine.”

After a moment, Dante, who seemed somewhat calmer, twisted the corner of his lips slightly.

“That brat is in a pathetic state. Liam, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“…”

Liam felt his mouth go dry.

Naturally, it was best not to touch Dante in this state, like a bomb with a lit fuse.

“Anyway.”

A little later, a slightly calmer Dante threw a half-smoked cigarette butt haphazardly and muttered, “That weak brat has become a burden. There’s nothing you can do, Liam.”

“…”

Liam felt a chill running down his spine.

Under the gaze of Dante, who had been staring at him for a while, Liam sensed the unpleasant feeling of his skin crawling.

“But you know, why am I so irritated?”

“… I don’t know, sir.”

Liam felt cold sweat trickling down his spine.

It was only natural, considering that Dante, who should be brightly smiling like a blooming flower in front of his eyes, felt like he was hitting rock bottom.

“But, you know, why do I feel so annoyed?”

“… I can’t say, sir.”

Liam felt a dryness in his mouth.

That’s understandable since, despite Dante’s seemingly radiant smile, he could sense that Dante’s mood was hitting rock bottom.

“Anyway, I don’t have time to deal with this. Take care of these guys.”

With those words, Dante, who had briefly observed the fallen men, walked briskly outside.

“Yes, sir.”

Liam respectfully paid his respects as Dante left.

Only after Dante completely disappeared from view did Liam finally release a breath.

“… Phew.”

* * *

The next day.

I had a tea time with Brigitte after a long time.

“Countess Martin, would you like to try this blueberry scone?”

I pushed the plate with the scone towards Brigitte, smiling brightly.

“It’s your preference, isn’t it, Countess? Splitting the scone in half and spreading clotted cream and jam on it?”

“…You remembered all that?”

Of course. We’re friends, after all.

In response to my answer, Brigitte’s cheeks blushed charmingly.

“By the way, I heard you finally made your debut yesterday. Moreover, Marquis Offenheir graciously opened the townhouse for you.”

Brigitte offered her congratulations with an excited voice.

“Congratulations! It seems Marquis Offenheir holds Elze in high regard.”

“Ah…”

I gave a vague smile.

If you were to ask whether the time was enjoyable enough to receive congratulations, well…

Considering the glances of Dante and Benedict were enough to distract me…

But now, I was a villain who ardently loved Dante.

“Thank you.”

I should express my gratitude, pretending to be the happiest woman in the world.

However, at that moment, there was a knock.

Without much thought, I replied, “Come in.”

Up until then, I thought it might be a maid bringing refreshments.

However, the person who entered when I opened the door was surprisingly Dante.

I was momentarily stunned, and the reason was somewhat amusing.

‘Dante? Knocking?’

That’s right.

Dante roamed around wherever he pleased, acting as he wished.

Until now, he had never knocked on a door…?

“Oh, Marquis Offenheir… Nice to meet you.”

Pathetically, Brigitte was completely frozen, only rolling her eyes.

It was best to offer a greeting, moving her stiff tongue as the only way to respond.

To rescue Brigitte from her frozen state,

I smiled warmly and addressed Dante.

“Marquis, what brings you here?”

“Me?”

Dante lowered his eyelids with a smirk.

“I came to find you.”

…Why, all of a sudden?

I felt a bit uneasy.

Well, I did have something to say to Dante as well.

At the same time, Dante glanced back at Brigitte.

“So, Countess Martin.”

Dante raised his hand to my shoulder, flashing a charming smile.

“I’ll borrow your lady for a bit. Got it?”

“Yes, yes!”

Brigitte, suddenly coming to her senses, vigorously nodded her head.

Dante extended his hand to me.

“Come.”

“…”

Escorting a lady was a gentleman’s etiquette.

The gesture was quite refined.

“…Come to think of it, Dante seems to be conscious of external attention these days.”

Well, at least it felt like he was paying attention so that I wouldn’t be ignored outside.

But that feeling was probably a misunderstanding.

That man wouldn’t show such consideration to me.

Perhaps the intense affection Elze held for Dante in the original work led to interpreting Dante’s actions as positively as possible.

* * *

With mixed feelings, I placed my hand on Dante’s hand.

Later…

Dante and I settled on a white iron bench in the arranged garden.

I took a moment to look around.

“Indeed, the season has changed.”

It was suddenly early summer.

Slowly, the spring flowers were fading away, and clusters of purple bellflowers were blooming in this season.

The surrounding trees were full of sap, making them vibrant and lush.

In the distance, the red roses of the annex had shed almost all their petals, leaving only lush green leaves.

At that moment, Dante opened his cigarette case.

Skillfully placing a cigarette in his mouth, he glanced at me before taking out a match.

“…”

“…”

It might be perplexing for someone who knows me well.

Under normal circumstances, I would have hurriedly offered Dante a light for his cigarette.

But now, I simply stared at him without taking any action.

After a moment…

Sizzle.

Dante lit the match somewhat irritably.

With the cigarette lit, Dante exhaled a long puff of smoke and threw a question at me.

“Did you get upset because of the debutante party?”

“No, why would I?”

I shook my head.

“It was an urgent matter. I’m not upset about such things.”

“But why is your expression so dark then?”

“…”

I looked at Dante intently.

Then, I suddenly asked a question.

“Do you completely trust me, Marquis?”

“…”

Dante’s face stiffened for a moment.

“What are you talking about, love?”

Dante questioned me in a sharp tone.

To be honest, it was quite a bombshell statement even for me. Excluding the times when I begged Dante for his affection, I had never directly spoken to him like this.

I spoke calmly with a serene voice, “Otherwise, as the estate manager, there’s no way you could block all information about Duke Kalleid.”

“No, love. That’s…”

Dante tried to say more, but I interrupted him.

“Perhaps the Marquis also heard the report.”

Dante furrowed his brows slightly. Well, Dante must have experienced having his words blocked by others many times.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have dared to do something like this to Dante. But right now, it was a power struggle.

With an expressionless face, I continued, “Last night, the maids prescribed sedatives to Duke Kalleid without any authority.”

“Yeah, I heard about that. You said you held those maids accountable and locked them all in the underground prison?”

“Yes. But as I thought more about it, it seemed a bit strange.”

I looked at Dante with an annoyed expression and calmly continued, “Why did Duke Kalleid have such a seizure?”

“Well, how should I know the details?”

Dante sharply retorted, “What’s the problem if that bastard has a seizure? As long as he’s physically healthy and mentally sound.”

“…”

Surprisingly intense reactions crossed my mind, and I felt a bit puzzled.

‘Why is he so hostile towards Lucien?’

Dante must consider Lucien to be an important student.

Among the students imprisoned at Rose Cross School for the Gifted, Lucien was the one with the most information on finances.

Glancing at Dante, I asked calmly, “You don’t really think that way.”

“…”

It seemed my words hit home, judging by Dante’s discontented expression.

I continued in a composed tone, “I thought that assigning Duke Kalleid as a special student meant that you considered him special. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

Dante frowned slightly, but he didn’t counter my words.

Good.

Carefully observing Dante’s expression, I softened my voice a bit.

“Anyway, as you know, Marquis, sedatives aren’t that dangerous. Yet, Duke Kalleid experienced side effects.”

“Then?”

“So, I looked into why such a seizure happened.”

I recalled Lucien’s appearance from last night.

Pale complexion, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

Even so, he smiled candidly when he faced me.

“No.”

I forcefully suppressed my guilt.

I couldn’t afford to genuinely anger Dante right now.

“Duke Kalleid has been in poor condition all along. He suffered from recent nightmares, couldn’t sleep properly, and his body weakened.”

“But?”

Dante grumbled skeptically.

I stared directly into Dante’s eyes.

“Why didn’t you share the special student’s condition with me?”

“Why should I?”

“You should have. I am the only estate manager at Rose Cross School for the Gifted.”