🔊 TTS Settings
His face must have flushed red with heat.
Something inside him felt unsettled.
‘This woman… what is she? This can’t be her first time in a place this raw.’
And yet, for all its roughness, it wasn’t a place an ordinary commoner would use.
There was a clear sense of order and elegance to it.
Nowhere in Leongrad had he ever seen such a bold, unconventional interior.
“Do you… like it?”
“…”
It had been his decision not to rebuild the burned-down Bloodstone estate and to stay at Cliffside Fortress instead.
It wasn’t due to lack of funds or mere laziness.
He liked the fortress’s barren, rugged exterior—
The rough rock, the unyielding texture—it gave him a strange sense of relief.
Of course, he hadn’t decorated the inside the same way.
He had left it in the hands of a professional.
Partly because he also had refined, noble tastes.
‘Perfect. The space she designed is exactly the image I had of the fortress.’
His time spent with Marianne Whitehouse had been brief.
They’d met twice and exchanged a few words at most.
‘How did she figure out my taste? Was it just luck?’
Not only had she understood his preferences, but she’d gone beyond his imagination with the design.
If someone like her were to start a business, he could support her freely—not just as an investor, but even as a sponsor.
‘…Then why do I feel so uneasy?’
He had no choice but to admit he was shaken.
It felt as though she had seen right through him.
His face remained stiff and cold.
Even though he knew it might look like he disliked her work, he couldn’t help it.
“Your Grace…?”
Mari asked again, her tone uneasy from the long silence.
As she stepped closer, the faint blue scent around her grew stronger.
Caught in an unfamiliar emotion, Calix responded curtly.
“…May I have a moment to think?”
They both sat around a stone table.
Calix laced his long, elegant fingers together.
The red sunset lit up his black hair.
The soft lighting made his features stand out sharply.
Even with a mask on, he was beautiful.
“…”
Mari noticed the Duke’s cold expression and realized he wasn’t pleased.
‘Why is he taking so long to answer?’
He even seemed angry.
His red eyes behind the black mask almost looked like they were glaring at her.
It was clearly not the mood for praise.
‘Does he not like it…?’
In fact, when she first saw the massive rock in the center of the room, she almost gave up.
There wasn’t enough time or the right equipment to remove it.
But then, an image flashed through her mind—
A house she’d once seen in an interior design magazine.
It was a newly built house that had left a large rock uncovered during construction.
‘That house came to mind because of the rock.’
The magazine home had turned the giant rock into the centerpiece of a sitting room instead of removing it.
The structure here was different, but the concept seemed workable—so she decided on impulse.
With some added detail, the result was stunning.
‘I transformed an underground cave into a luxury lounge…’
From the window facing the cliff, one could see all the way down.
It felt like the best view from a high-rise building.
And since the window faced west, the setting sun filled the space with golden light every evening.
It wasn’t intentional, but it added richness and elegance to the room.
“My lady! How did you come up with this?”
“Unbelievable, Lady Whitehouse! Everyone said this room was only good for storage, but you’ve used the rock as-is? Truly ingenious!”
Even she could hardly believe she’d created this.
“…”
But the one person whose opinion mattered remained silent.
His lips were firmly sealed.
‘Maybe it’s too far from the usual noble taste, which favors flashy decoration. Should I have gone for something more classical?’
She’d been slightly anxious the entire time.
Though she was confident in the design itself—
This room had been inspired by the one at the top of the fortress.
‘You can tell a lot about a person from the space they live in… but this man, who is he really?’
She kept seeing the image of the Duke silently gazing out over the ruins of the Bloodstone estate.
That memory was so vivid it had naturally influenced the design.
She hoped he would spend time here instead of that isolated room.
‘Why do I dislike the idea of him staying in that room so much? It’s not even my business.’
Finally, he spoke.
“…I’ll invest.”
Despite making her wait, his decision was brief and direct.
“Thank you.”
Mari responded professionally, keeping her composure.
But Mildred, standing beside her, couldn’t hide her joy and quickly covered her gaping mouth.
As if remembering something, Calix added:
“Ah, I have one condition.”
“A condition?”
“That rocking chair I saw before… give it to me.”
“The rocking chair?”
Mari’s eyes widened.
“You said it wasn’t for sale since it couldn’t be priced. Then how about gifting it to commemorate our deal?”
He was asking for a secondhand chair as a gift?
She couldn’t understand it.
“You… really liked that chair?”
“Who knows.”
Calix wore a troubled expression as if he didn’t want to explain.
But his face was serious.
“…It still needs some finishing. Can I send it to you in a few days?”
“Fine. Discuss the details with my lieutenant later.”
With that, he left the lounge with a grim face.
—
A few days later, at the demolition site.
Calix handed off his horse to a servant and walked casually toward the site.
Josh greeted him cheerfully.
“My lord, you’ve arrived. We were just about to blow it up.”
Today was the scheduled demolition of a recently purchased estate.
A group of shabbily dressed people had gathered near the three-story villa.
“Who are they?”
“Ah, residents from the neighborhood, I believe. Looks like they’re hoping to scavenge something. The Viscount’s family left a lot behind.”
They were clearly poor.
Despite the peace, life remained hard for the less fortunate.
That they were here hoping to collect noble trash said enough.
“Viscount Brian must not have taken good care of the locals. They all look thin and worn down.”
“…Proceed.”
“Yes, sir.”
Calix always personally oversaw the demolition of estates.
That was one reason he was known as the Destroyer of the Cliff Fortress.
‘Does he need to witness every explosion himself?’
Many believed Calix simply enjoyed destroying homes.
Even his lieutenant Josh wondered the same.
After all, the mansion could have easily been left standing.
“What will happen to this land once it’s cleared?”
“Open it to the locals until we find a use for it.”
“Then they’ll farm it however they want. And without rent?”
“Yes.”
“…Understood.”
Josh nodded outwardly, but inwardly, he shook his head.
His lord was truly impossible to understand.
But it wasn’t his place to question it.
‘…That strange woman.’
Calix recalled his conversation with Mari.
He couldn’t read her at all.
Her clear green eyes… something about them made him uncomfortable.
It wasn’t unusual to be stared at.
But with her, it brought an unease he couldn’t explain—and that annoyed him more.
‘I should avoid meeting her in person. I’ll leave everything involving her to Josh.’
Still, she was a woman with determination and strength.
She’d struggle at first, but in time, her interior business would thrive.
‘I am curious how she’ll grow it…’
After relaying instructions to the construction foreman, Josh returned to Calix’s side.
Glancing at him, Josh casually changed the subject.
“…There’s a ball today at the Count of Weatherwood’s estate. I heard Lady Whitehouse will attend.”
“A ball? How do you know that?”
Calix’s voice turned slightly sharp.
Had she asked Josh to be her partner?
Josh may not have had rank or wealth, but he was still a noble.
Attending a ball wouldn’t be odd.
Yet for some reason, it irked Calix.
“Oh? Ah, well, I got a chance to speak with her regarding the investment contract.
It’s a smart move. To run a business, you have to enter high society.”
“…That’s true.”
“But I’m a little worried.”
“…About what?”
Josh didn’t notice how attentively Calix was listening to his every word.
“Hey! Move back—this house is coming down soon! Everyone step away!”
Josh gave orders to nearby workers from time to time.
Unaware that, for once, his lord was paying more attention to him than the demolition.
“Let’s hurry this up!”
“…What’s the worry?”
Calix finally asked, impatient.
“Oh, that. She said she’s never been to a ball before.”
‘Is that why they call her a recluse…’
“But if it’s her, she’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know… Society isn’t easy. Once people get a certain image of you, it’s nearly impossible to change.”
“…”
No one knew that better than Calix himself.
“And she’s a woman, after all. If no men ask her to dance, that’s it.”
“…!”
“They call them ‘wallflowers,’ don’t they?
The girls without partners, left to stand alone against the wall.”
“She wouldn’t… she won’t end up like that.”
Calix shook his head lightly.
But Josh shook his head even harder.
“Oh, come on. Don’t you know how vicious noble ladies can be when they want to isolate someone?
It’s brutal. One wrong step, and she’ll be humiliated.”
“…”
Calix
said nothing.
But in his mind, he saw the beautiful green-eyed woman standing alone, awkward and small against a wall.
“…And by the way, the investment hasn’t been deposited yet. Will she even be able to cover the cost of attending a ball?”
“What?”
Calix didn’t even realize his face had darkened with a scowl.
