MPNV 08

Abellin shook her head with all her might.

“No? Absolutely not.”

At the sight, Ares let out a sigh of relief.

Even so, he didn’t relax the wary look he directed at Duke Libes.

While the twins were talking among themselves, Count Herols raised his voice.

“Surely you’re not saying that Abellin stole Your Grace’s jewel? When would Your Grace and Abellin ever have had the chance to meet…?”

“Yesterday.”

“Pardon?”

The immediate reply left Count Herols staring blankly with his mouth open.

“I saw her yesterday. In front of Siena Restaurant.”

“Siena Restaurant…”

As though remembering something, Count Herols trailed off. Then he quickly turned toward Abellin.

“Isn’t that where you met Viscount Berta yesterday?”

“Y-Yes.”

Abellin answered in a tiny voice. Right now, her head was spinning.

What in the world is going on?

It was already overwhelming enough that Duke Libes had suddenly shown up, but now he was claiming she had his jewel.

No matter how much she thought about it, she had never stolen a jewel from Duke Libes.

…Wait.

Suddenly, the shriveled-up jelly she had seen inside the duke’s carriage flashed through her mind.

No way.

Did he actually come looking for that jelly, calling it a jewel?

No matter how strange Duke Libes was, surely he hadn’t chased her over a single dried-up jelly that had been lying in his carriage.

“I’ve never stolen Your Grace’s jewel. I’ve never even seen it.”

So Abellin could confidently declare that she was innocent.

“You heard her, didn’t you? She says so herself. There must have been some sort of misunderstanding, so please leave.”

Count Herols rubbed his face tiredly as he spoke.

“The young lady is correct.”

But Duke Libes wore a kind smile, as though he were simply correcting a mistaken answer.

“My jewel.”

“…”

The duke’s bombshell statement was followed by a long silence.

Count Herols examined Abellin from head to toe with eyes full of disbelief.

She had obviously rushed over the moment she woke up, so her hair was messy and uncombed. Since she had been hiding away at home, she hadn’t ordered new clothes, leaving her dressed in indoor wear that had long gone out of fashion. And unlike a proper noble lady, she made no effort to control her expression, simply standing there with her mouth hanging open.

It was rather embarrassing to present her as a nobleman’s daughter.

Of course, her face was another matter. As Ares’s twin sister, she was blessed with looks worthy of someone whose brother ranked among the three most handsome men in the Empire.

The only thing Count Herols disliked was how she always looked so timid in front of him, trembling like a newborn rabbit.

No matter how he thought about it, the current situation looked exactly like Duke Libes had taken a liking to Abellin after their brief encounter yesterday, spent the entire night unable to calm his feelings, and rushed over at daybreak.

He had always wondered what kind of woman would end up caught by a man like this.

Never had he imagined it would be his own daughter.

Perhaps this isn’t so bad after all.

Watching Duke Libes gaze at Abellin with a gentle smile, Count Herols began calculating.

I sent her out to catch a rat, and she came back with a lion.

For the first time, Count Herols found his daughter admirable.

Abellin had always longed for his approval. If handled properly, perhaps she could be put to good use.

Concealing his thoughts, Count Herols spoke.

“Ahem. Forgive me, Your Grace, but if I heard correctly, did you just say that Abellin is your jewel?”

“That’s correct.”

The answer came immediately. Duke Libes no longer seemed interested in hiding his feelings.

“Could there perhaps be some misunderstanding? Are you absolutely certain that Abellin is your… ahem… jewel?”

There was always the possibility that he had mistaken her for another woman.

But Duke Libes’s expression did not waver in the slightest.

“There is no mistake. She’s shining so brilliantly.”

Everyone present glanced at Abellin.

Their expressions all seemed to say the same thing.

Our poor young lady has been targeted by a lunatic who only looks normal on the outside.

But at that moment, no one was suffering more than Abellin herself.

“A-Ahem! Abellin!”

Snapping back to his senses, Count Herols beckoned her over.

“Yes?”

“Come here.”

Still bewildered, Abellin walked toward her father, doing her best to avoid the duke’s unwavering gaze.

“His Grace has gone to the trouble of visiting us. Why don’t you show him around the garden?”

“What? Me?”

Abellin nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Father! It’s dangerous for Sister to be alone with him!”

Watching from the side, Ares also cried out in protest.

Abellin looked at her twin with sparkling eyes, deeply moved by his concern.

“You needn’t worry too much. I’m quite the gentleman.”

But the moment Duke Libes said that, Abellin truly felt like crying.

In the end, Abellin found herself walking alone through the count’s garden with Duke Libes—Teron.

Count Herols had intended to send Abellin back to her room to freshen up, but Teron had refused, saying that his jewel had no need for outward adornment.

As a result, Abellin was still wearing her messy bed hair.

Ares had whispered to her before she came outside.

“I’ll stay by the window the whole time. If anything happens, clap loudly three times. Got it?”

That alone had been a great comfort.

The twins exchanged solemn looks before heading off in different directions.

Throughout their walk in the garden, Teron remained silent.

Unable to bear the awkward quiet any longer, Abellin spoke first.

“Um… Your Grace.”

“…”

“If I caused you any discomfort yesterday, I’m truly sorry.”

Teron stopped walking.

“Sorry?”

Abellin never believed he had come because he genuinely liked her, unlike what her father seemed to think.

He doesn’t seem like the type to like anyone.

Besides, she had been the one who suddenly climbed into his carriage yesterday.

No matter how strange he was, an apology was only right.

“Yes. Yesterday I suddenly climbed into your carriage, cried, and even insulted you…”

The more she listed her actions, the more she realized how much she had done wrong.

I must’ve been out of my mind. No matter how angry I was, I should’ve held back.

Especially when the other person was the infamous mad duke.

“Is that all?”

His response was completely unexpected.

“Huh?”

“I’m asking whether that’s everything you have to say.”

There was clear dissatisfaction in his tone.

Hearing it jolted Abellin’s memory.

Something she had been trying to ignore suddenly resurfaced.

“Is this about the jelly?”

“Jelly?”

Teron’s handsome brows furrowed slightly.

Without noticing his expression, Abellin continued.

“Well… I was so hungry. If it was something you were saving to eat, then I’m sorry. But it’s actually a good thing you didn’t eat it. It was so old that the moment I touched it, it crumbled away… Ah! Your Grace, are you alright?”

Sneaking a glance at him, Abellin saw Teron suddenly staggering as though he were about to collapse.

She quickly caught him with both arms.

“What… did you just say?”

Leaning against her, Teron stared at her in disbelief.

“That the jelly was really old…?”

“Before that.”

“That it’s a good thing you didn’t eat it…?”

“Earlier.”

Abellin’s arms trembled under his growing weight as she tried to remember.

“Um… that it disappeared the moment I touched it?”

“Exactly that part.”

Still leaning against her, Teron nodded.

“So you’re saying… you touched the object that was in my carriage.”

“Well… yes.”

So it really had been about the jelly.

Honestly, she was quite shocked.

Still, touching something that belonged to someone else without permission had been her fault.

“I didn’t know it was a jelly you treasured. If you tell me which shop it came from, I’ll definitely buy you a new one.”

“It wasn’t jelly.”

Teron looked directly into her face.

“What you erased was my jewel. It disappeared the moment you touched it because it was absorbed into you.”

“…Absorbed into me? Ah!”

Startled by his words, the strength she had been using to support him gave out.

The two of them toppled over together.

“A-Are you alright?”

Abellin hurriedly checked on him in alarm.

Teron had wrapped his arms around her, taking the fall himself.

“Are you alright?”

Instead of checking himself, Teron first examined Abellin.

Oh…

Looking down without thinking, Abellin suddenly realized just how close Teron’s face was.

Heat rushed to her cheeks.

He’s much more handsome than the ex-husband I saw in my dream yesterday.

Her ex-husband had been quite handsome too, but he couldn’t compare to Teron.

On top of that, Teron was actually worrying about her like a normal person.

Her heart fluttered, just a little.

“I’m fin—”

“No, I’m talking about the jewel you absorbed. If that impact just now caused even the slightest crack…”

Already back on his feet, Teron reached toward Abellin’s stomach.

“Where do you think you’re touching?!”

Horrified, Abellin slapped his hand away.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t stop the words that came out of his mouth.

“From now on, please be careful with every single movement you make. If only for the sake of my jewel that’s now settled inside you.”

Just as Abellin was about to protest the horribly misleading statement, a commotion erupted nearby.

“Oh my goodness!”

Standing there was a maid with an empty basket, broken raw eggs scattered across the ground, and eyes widened in complete shock.