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Chapter 19
“It’s a long-awaited reunion with my daughter. Could we have the room?”
The moment I stepped into the audience chamber of House Allozé, the Duke said this with a smile.
Of course, his eyes were fixed on the Argentta people who had followed me in.
Pielle and the rest of the Argentta group hesitated.
“You don’t actually think I’d harm my own daughter, do you?”
The Duke of Allozé asked, feigning disbelief.
At that, Pielle and the others stepped back—but not before I gave them a look to signal that I’d be fine.
—Creeaak… thud.
And the moment the door shut behind me, the Duke’s smile vanished.
His gaze was no longer that of a father—it was the cold stare of someone regarding a tool.
“So? How are things progressing?”
Apparently, secretly sending someone to demand proof of our wedding night wasn’t enough for him.
The fact that this was the very first thing he asked upon seeing me again said it all.
“I heard the two of you are practically glued to each other.”
The Duke continued casually.
A hollow laugh nearly escaped me, but I dutifully gave the answer he wanted.
Because right now, I had to be his loyal pawn.
“Well, I’ve managed to keep sharing the same room with Dielo. But the issue is…”
I made an uncomfortable expression as I trailed off.
“…he’s way too much of a romantic.”
“What?”
When lying, you should mix 95% truth with 5% falsehood.
That way, it’s harder for the other person to suspect you.
Dielo might not be a pure-hearted romantic to that extent, but in many ways, he was rather innocent.
“Anyone who comes and goes from the 4th floor of Argentta—those people can be trusted.”
I recalled the night he said that, and let out a small sigh.
“I think the fact that I’m from Allozé is making it hard for him to open up.”
“Are you sure you’re not the one who’s slacking off?”
The Duke gave me a sharp glare, scanning me from head to toe.
I shook my head firmly.
“Of course I’m trying. But you know as well as I do, don’t you? For the Patriarch and the Phero to truly be joined, it’s not enough to simply take his virtue.”
“…Yes, I know.”
The more the Patriarch opens his heart to the Phero, the more the seal that suppresses his power begins to fade.
“So I think it’ll take some time.”
“Tch. You didn’t see that coming?”
The Duke of Allozé clicked his tongue.
Then he said, with a disgustingly shameless face:
“There’s a reason the phrase ‘falling for the body’ exists. Can’t you even do that properly?”
I already knew he was garbage, but seeing him face to face, he was worse than I’d imagined.
Since I had transmigrated during the carriage ride to Argentta, this was actually my first time facing the Duke one-on-one.
And so—this was my first impression of him.
Trash. Utter scum. A piece of walking filth.
As I was thinking that—
Fwoooosh.
The air in the room shifted. More precisely, it felt like even the moisture in the air was pressing down on me.
Then, from the teacup between us—
I felt a crushing pressure emanate from the liquid inside.
Naturally, the source was the Duke.
The water-manipulation ability of House Allozé’s head was beginning to bear down on me.
My breath caught in my throat.
“Didn’t I tell you to seduce him by any means necessary?”
—Swoosh!
The water in the teacup before him suddenly turned into a sharp blade, aimed directly at my throat.
“!”
A sharp sting followed—something warm trickled down my neck.
It wasn’t tea.
It was blood.
My blood.
Chills ran down my spine.
“…Of course, I am trying to do that.”
Without meaning to, my voice lowered.
I wanted to speak louder, but I feared it would cause the blade to strike deeper.
“What’s the use of effort without results?”
The Duke furrowed his brows.
The pressure made it hard to even breathe.
It’s fine. I knew to expect this much pressure, right?
In the original story, the Duke of Allozé had always been a meticulous piece of garbage.
At this rate, I’d have to start giving daily reports on how far I’d gone with Dielo in bed.
Not that there’d be anything to report.
If this was how he wanted to play, then sorry, Dielo—I had no choice but to use my final card.
“…But it’s really not going well, my lord.”
I bit my lip and looked troubled.
“What, are you saying he lost his ability at that age?”
He clearly wasn’t talking about Dielo’s fire-manipulation ability.
No, it was obvious he meant something else—his sexual prowess.
Absolutely disgusting.
I figured he was low, but this level of crudeness was even worse than expected.
I shook my head.
“That’s not it. But…”
Sorry, Dielo!
I made my silent confession before putting on my most desperate face.
“…He says he can’t spend the night with me because he just doesn’t feel anything.”
He’s not interested, okay?! What am I supposed to do?!
“If I force him, he’ll just shut down emotionally. It’ll backfire. So I’m trying to get closer to him slowly, step by step.”
“…Unbelievable. Talking like this is some sappy love story…”
The Duke leaned back against the sofa in disbelief.
But as the head of a house with a Phero of his own, he would know—
If the heart isn’t open, spending the night is meaningless.
—Splash!
The tea water that had nearly slit my throat returned to his cup.
He lifted it to his lips, drinking it without hesitation—even with my blood still mixed in.
Then he spoke.
“No one knows when the real Phero will appear. You must rob that bastard of his potential before then. Understood?”
“…Yes, my lord.”
The Duke narrowed his eyes.
“Above all, the most important thing is not getting caught. Don’t forget, Croa Allozé.”
He used his fingers to tilt up my chin.
“Useless tools get discarded.”
And even useful ones are discarded once they’ve served their purpose.
I already knew that—but I still nodded.
That was the nature of the relationship between Croa Allozé and the Duke.
Even in the original story, the Duke had never once acknowledged Croa, the illegitimate daughter, as his true daughter.
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
This level of conversation was within the range of what I had anticipated.
Pretending to read his mood, I opened my mouth again.
“But, my lord, I do have a request.”
The Duke raised a brow.
Who would ever call this a father-daughter conversation?
“What is it?”
He looked annoyed.
What could a failure like her possibly have to ask for now?
“I’d like you to redirect the duchess’s allowance to me. Not all of it—just one-tenth would be enough.”
“Ho?”
The Duke looked dumbfounded.
So she’s failing at her mission, but she still has the gall to ask for money?
But I had already prepared my reasons.
“There’s almost no money available for the duchess’s personal use once the allowance is deducted.
If I want to win Dielo’s heart, I need to dress nicely, take care of my appearance—something.
But without funds, I can’t do any of that.”
Of course, you can’t buy someone’s heart with money alone.
But there is someone who believes that’s possible.
And that person is the Duke of Allozé.
His brow twitched—but then he nodded.
“…You’ve got a point. I’ll have part of it transferred to you. But.”
Then his eyes flashed.
“When you return next month, I expect better results. Got it?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Success!
The duchess’s allowance I’d seen in Argentta’s records was enormous.
It would be more than enough to start buying up the currently unclaimed land in the center of the continent.
“Very well…”
The Duke made a dismissive hand gesture.
It meant: You may leave now.
Just as I was rising to my feet—
“Then turn around.”
“…Pardon?”
My back? Now?
When I asked back, confused, the Duke’s expression darkened.
“Dielo Argentta’s name.”
—Tap tap.
He knocked on the table—and black-clad servants of House Allozé appeared silently.
They each grabbed one of my arms.
At some point, the Duke had drawn a small blade into his hand.
“We’ll rebrand you.”
His chilling words fell like a blade.
