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The Count, who had been standing there stunned for a moment, suddenly burst out in anger.
“What in the world…!”
“S-Sir, this is Lady Rubetria Diolus.”
Sarah quickly spoke, and the Count froze.
There were plenty of people who didn’t know my face because I didn’t go out much, but there was no one in this academy who didn’t know the ‘Diolus Duke family.’
The Diolus family was a prestigious one, on par with the royal family.
Seeing the Count blinking, unable to process the situation, I tilted my head and spoke.
“It’s nice to meet you, Count Ergetti. But…”
“…”
“Didn’t Sarah just introduce me? I’m Diolus, you know?”
“Ah!”
The Count hastily took off his top hat, held it in front of his chest, and bowed his head.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady. I’m Nobun Ergetti.”
“Well, it’s a bit awkward receiving such formal greetings from a Count who’s old enough to be my father.”
“…”
“I guess you don’t mind the age gap between us, right? I’m sure you don’t care about that.”
I sneered as I remarked on how he was shamelessly flirting with Sarah, who was practically old enough to be his granddaughter. The Count’s face turned red.
He knew he was embarrassed, so I clicked my tongue loudly.
“Sorry for the intrusion. Please continue your conversation. I’ll be back for dinner later…”
“Wait.”
As the Count was about to leave, sending a glance at Sarah, I stopped him.
“There’s no need for that. I’d rather you didn’t come back here.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Actually, I came here with my father to see the play. And, I had something I wanted to propose to Sarah, which is why I came to talk to her.”
I smiled and said, and the Count’s eyes wavered in surprise.
I had just said that I came here with my father, Duke Diolus, to see the play, and I had a proposal for Sarah.
That could only be interpreted as the Duke wanting to make Sarah his mistress, just like everyone in the industry did.
“Well, sorry if I’m wrong, but if you came here to propose something to Sarah…”
“…”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to back off.”
It wasn’t like Count Ergetti, who was much less influential than the Diolus Duke, could keep approaching Sarah after hearing that the Duke had shown interest in her.
The Count understood what I was saying but couldn’t bring himself to leave. He stood there frozen.
‘It seems like he’s spent so much time trying to make Sarah his mistress, it’s hard to let go. What a disgusting old man.’
I urged him to leave.
“It’s pretty obvious what the nobles want from actresses in this industry, right? I don’t think I need to say more.”
I didn’t specifically mention what I was planning with Sarah, but no one would think I meant anything else.
I gave the Count a mocking smile and pointed toward the waiting room door with my fan.
“Well then, go ahead and leave.”
A few moments later…
‘This is crazy! Look at how much time I’ve spent trying to win Sarah over!’
The old Count, Nobun Ergetti, could barely hide his anger as he walked away from the meeting.
‘Damn it!’
Every time he imagined walking through the academy with beautiful actress Sarah Wigo by his side, his blood would boil.
Though old, he still expected people to admire him as a powerful, capable nobleman.
But now, here came the Diolus Duke?
The Diolus family was as powerful as the royal family. He had just seen the daughter of that family and was so intimidated that he turned and walked away without saying a word.
‘What the hell is going on?!’
Still furious, he stood in the hallway, grinding his teeth, unable to leave just yet. A servant approached and whispered in his ear.
“Count, is it true what the girl said?”
“What?”
“It’s just… a bit strange. You said you hadn’t seen the Diolus daughter before, right? But the Diolus family daughter I know doesn’t look like her.”
“What do you mean?”
The Count frowned but paused for a moment.
He remembered hearing something about the Diolus family’s daughter. Though still young, she was already famous for her beauty and had a strong presence in the academy.
She was referred to as the ‘Diolus Swan’ because of her golden hair and angelic beauty.
“Ah, yes. I remember now. I heard about her. But she doesn’t look anything like that swan girl. If her eyes are gold, then she must be from the Diolus family…”
“Yes, she’s probably the Duke’s biological daughter. Unlike the famous ‘swan’ girl, she’s not well-known, and there’s a lot of talk about her. She doesn’t come out much.”
“Talk? What kind of talk?”
“Didn’t you know? The Diolus family is famous for being spirit users, but she’s the only one without a spirit. People in the academy may not know her face, but everyone knows about her condition.”
The servant rambled on as the Count listened in silence, but then he clicked his tongue, no longer interested.
“So what? She didn’t get a spirit, so she was cast out by the Diolus family? She seems fine enough to go out with the Duke, though. Tsk.”
“Didn’t you hear? The Duke has become a fool. They say his wife passed away, and he’s been hiding in his house ever since, only coming out to watch plays now? I doubt he even knows Sarah Wigo’s face, and now he’s trying to make her his mistress?”
“What? A fool?”
Now the Count’s eyes were interested.
“Yeah. Everyone knows it. Since a few years ago, the Duke’s eldest son has been handling all the official events and public meetings. They say the Duke has been practically dead since his wife passed.”
“What?! So you’re telling me that girl lied to me?”
“Seems like it. She’s hiding her flaws, and she’s been pretending to be something she’s not. She probably thinks she can fool you, but you shouldn’t have bothered with Sarah.”
The Count, now enraged, turned back to the waiting room with a burning desire for revenge.
“That bitch…”
As he stormed off, the Count was ready to return to the waiting room when he saw someone’s large shadow turn the corner of the hallway.
‘What’s that?’
The man looked so intimidating that he could have been a massive tree standing in the hallway.
The man had a sharp face, carved almost like a sculpture, and his expression was cold and emotionless.
‘Could it be… the Diolus Duke?’
The Count stared at him, wide-eyed, realizing who he was.
The same red hair and gold eyes — signs of a spirit user — gave it away.
The Duke had a noble and arrogant expression on his face, clearly displaying his power.
The Count, realizing who it was, immediately took off his hat and bowed.
“Y-Y-Your Grace, Duke Diolus. I’m Nobun Ergetti…”
The Count started to speak but stopped when the Duke simply walked past him without acknowledging his greeting.
The Count awkwardly straightened up and turned to look back at the Duke, who had passed him by and was heading straight for Sarah’s waiting room.
The staff outside the room recognized him and froze in panic.
“Y-Y-Your Grace, Duke Diolus. It’s an honor to have you here.”
“I’m here to see my daughter. Is she in here?”
“Y-Yes… Duke Diolus. Your daughter, Lady Diolus, wanted to speak with Sarah, so we’ve prepared a place for her inside. Would you like to join them?”
The Duke glanced at the door to the waiting room but shook his head.
“No, I’ll wait outside. I don’t want to interrupt.”
The Duke folded his arms and leaned against the wall.
The Count, staring at him in awe, was caught off guard when their eyes met. He quickly turned away, trying to hide his humiliation.
His face flushed with shame and anger, but as he left, he walked with a respectful posture, making sure the Duke didn’t see his rage.
Back in the waiting room…
After the Count left, Sarah and I were left alone in the room.
Sarah, still looking a bit shocked, turned her eyes away from me as soon as we made eye contact.
Then, in a voice filled with a bit of resentment, she said,
“I-I guess you had another reason for coming to see me today…”
Seeing her so tired of it all made me feel bad for her.
