🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 9~
“Sylvia.”
Dominic gently kissed the back of her hand as usual.
Her hand, covered in thin lace gloves, trembled under his lips.
“This rumor… it isn’t true, right?”
Dominic straightened and answered in a calm, emotionless voice.
“It isn’t polite to gossip about someone who isn’t here.”
He did not clearly deny it. Sylvia’s face twisted in pain.
“Then… the rumor is true?”
Instead of answering, Dominic quietly lifted his wine glass and drank.
“That’s impossible.”
She slowly shook her head, trying to reject the situation.
“I don’t understand. Even I don’t know this woman well, and I know everyone in high society. How could the Duke know her and cause such rumors?”
Her reasonable doubt made her even more upset. Rumors needed some truth to feel believable.
“Does the Grand Duchess know about this?”
A moment ago, she looked heartbroken. Now she tried to stay calm.
“Sylvia. Today is a royal celebration. This is not the right place for this conversation.”
Dominic spoke dryly.
At that moment, the famous architect and host of the event passed by. Dominic immediately smiled and greeted him.
“Benjamin Rosso.”
“Your Grace.”
Benjamin smiled brightly and bowed.
“I admire your work. How did you turn an old building into something so magnificent?”
“You flatter me.”
Benjamin was thrilled. Praise from the Duke was rare.
“I was looking for you earlier. I want to renovate an old mansion. Can we discuss it?”
“It would be my honor.”
Soon the two men began talking, leaving Sylvia awkwardly behind.
“Sorry, Sylvia. We’ll talk next time.”
Dominic walked away with Benjamin.
“How can he treat me like this…?”
There was no affection in his attitude at all.
From a distance, Jonathan watched Sylvia holding back her anger.
The Crown Prince approached her with two glasses of wine.
“Sylvia, you don’t look well. Are you alright?”
She turned toward his warm voice.
“Y-Your Highness.”
“If you’re not feeling well, shall I take you somewhere to rest?”
“N-No, I’m fine.”
She shook her head, but when he gently touched her back, she relaxed.
Dominic’s coldness had hurt her.
The Crown Prince’s kindness comforted her more than she expected.
For the first time, Sylvia looked at him sincerely.
The tall blond prince smiled warmly, looking only at her.
A Few Days Later
Early in the morning, the Baron and Rosana spoke quietly.
“Do you think the rumor is true? People keep whispering, but I can’t believe it.”
Rosana shook her head while holding her teacup.
“What could the Duke possibly see in someone like Elin…?”
The Baron’s face hardened.
“‘Someone like Elin’? She just doesn’t dress up. She looks like her mother. She is beautiful.”
At the mention of Elin’s late mother, Rosana’s eyes burned with anger.
“Oh? Do you still miss your dead wife that much?”
The Baron sighed and hid behind his newspaper.
Rosana hated hearing about Marisa.
Even she knew how beautiful Marisa had been.
Elin looked exactly like her.
That was why Rosana disliked her.
Just then, Elin’s voice came from the hallway.
“I’ll go out for a while.”
The couple turned in surprise. For a moment, Elin looked like Marisa.
She was dressed neatly and wearing a hat. She left the house.
Rosana quickly followed.
“Elin! Where are you going? Why not take the carriage?”
The Baron shook his head. Rosana had never offered her the carriage before.
Elin walked for a long time and finally reached the Duke’s mansion.
The sky, gray for days, had cleared, and the weather was bright and sunny.
Tall trees lined both sides of the path leading to the Linderto Duke’s mansion.
A bird suddenly took flight. Elin looked up, and the grand mansion beyond the forest suddenly felt very close.
Last time, I was too worried to notice this road… but today, I can see every detail of the scenery.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a horse approaching from behind.
‘Another visitor?’
She stepped aside and waited, but the horse stopped abruptly right in front of her.
Elin squinted against the sunlight and looked up at the rider.
The Duke’s black hair blew in the wind as he looked down at her.
“It seems you made your decision faster than I expected.”
He smiled as if he had expected her to return.
Elin felt slightly embarrassed.
She had left firmly before, yet now she stood here, returning to him by her own choice.
“The weather is nice. Let’s walk together.”
He jumped off the horse and lightly kissed the back of her hand.
“If you came here by mistake, or don’t want to see me, you can turn back now.”
He smiled confidently, as if he already knew what she would say.
Elin felt her pride hurt slightly, but now was not the time to insist on it.
“No. I have something to tell you, Your Grace.”
They started walking side by side.
The summer forest sparkled like tiny water bubbles in the sunlight.
Elin walked silently beside the Duke for a while.
Walking in broad daylight with him felt strange.
The Duke, standing next to her, was taller and more solidly built than she had imagined.
Her head barely reached his shoulder.
She suddenly felt the weight of his large body near her.
The memory of the night in the greenhouse flashed back, and she hurriedly spoke.
“I thought about what you said last time.”
They stopped, facing each other.
“It’s embarrassing, but everything you said is true. My situation… isn’t good.”
Dominic tilted his head slightly without answering.
“When you said you needed someone to marry… I thought you were just teasing me to embarrass me.”
It was hard to say the word marriage aloud in front of him.
Dominic waited patiently.
“If you haven’t changed your mind… I want to accept your proposal.”
She gathered all her courage for this moment.
Her hands trembled as she gripped her dress, and Dominic gently lifted her chin.
Her eyes, bright like the summer forest, looked at him sincerely.
Seeing that gaze, Dominic suddenly felt guilty and quickly withdrew his hand.
“You made a wise choice, Elin Nelson.”
His professional smile made her feel a strange emptiness in her chest.
Her heart felt heavy and hollow, as if pierced.
The Duke she had secretly loved for so long saw her only as a business partner.
There was no emotion in his eyes.
Not even anger or hatred.
To him, she was not someone worth any emotional energy.
Dominic noticed the momentary sadness in her eyes. His expression immediately grew cold.
“Are you regretting this already? If your resolve is weak, we can stop now. I won’t force you.”
His dry voice pressed on her chest even more.
Elin shook her head with a complicated smile.
“No. I’m not doubting my decision. I’m just worried whether I can do it well.”
He chuckled softly. She looked up at him.
“I understand. It’s only one year, but being the Duchess won’t be easy. The servants will do their best to help you.”
“Okay.”
Elin forced a calm expression, pretending to feel relieved.
“I’ll handle everything else. You just need to focus on making your family understand.”
Elin gave a bitter smile.
Her stepmother might faint from joy—she’d be thrilled.
Her father would push his failing business, relying on the Duke’s support.
Her stepsister would burn with jealousy, realizing her despised older sister’s husband is the kingdom’s top match.
‘She probably won’t even believe it until I walk into the wedding hall.’
Edward would be happy—thinking she had found a man better than Royce, just as expected.
Elin thought about each family member’s reaction, and her worry grew.
Her great-aunt in Castia?
She was old but sharp and clever.
If she learned about the marriage, she would certainly start by doubting it.
