Chapter 12
Duke Sentoren pretended to be oblivious even after receiving Riv’s attention.
“Marianne sent a letter, huh?”
He picked up Marianne’s letter with the rose-shaped stamp and opened it with a knife.
His eyes quickly read two or so lines, and his expression turned into one with utter displeasure.
“Is this what you call a letter?”
“……”
Sweat ran down Riv’s back as she watched the letter crumple in Duke Sentoren’s hands.
“Read the letter, madame.”
“What?”
Duke Sentoren crumpled the letter even more and threw it to Riv over the table.
Riv carefully opened the letter and looked through the contents.
Duke Sentoren held his chin and stared at the back of Riv’s head.
“Marianne will soon become an adult, and the contents make me question her mental age.”
Marianne’s letter seemed pathetic and childish to Riv.
Only complaints and whining about not wanting to get married were scrawled messily on the paper.
The letter was concluded with threats to Duke Sentoren to take responsibility after the engagement gets dissolved.
Duke Sentoren’s forehead creased.
“Madame Katana, if you wanted to push ahead with the marriage, it would have been better to check Marianne’s letter.”
“I-I wasn’t thoughtful enough.”
“Marianne must have enjoyed writing this childish letter by herself. She must be quite stubborn to write a letter like this.”
“I don’t think it’s like that.”
However, it was actually as Duke Sentoren had said.
Marianne was vicious and petty enough to secretly write that letter.
“Marianne will do anything not to marry me.”
Duke Sentoren did not touch the gifts, perhaps tired after reading Marianne’s letter. Riv also couldn’t think of an excuse, so she put the thought out of her head. There was nothing nice about getting on his bad side.
Duke Sentoren thought for a bit and then asked back, “Did Marianne say something to you?”
“N-No, nothing much, not that I remember of.”
“Hmm.”
Riv was extremely nervous and anxious.
She was sitting near him, but she couldn’t move quickly in Madame Catana’s clothes. And Duke Sentoren’s gaze felt too strong.
What had she said when she first met this man? Recalling those moments felt excessively embarrassing.
She had kissed him.
She wanted to kill her past self who told the Duke to choose her instead of Princess Marianne.
“Stop playing around, Riv Katana.”
Riv ignored the Duke’s gaze.
The difference between her actual appearance and Madame Katana’s guise was like that of heaven and earth. She thought it would be okay even if anyone said so otherwise.
“I-I don’t know what the Duke is saying.”
“Did you think you could fool my eyes with that terrible disguise?”
“……”
The inside of Riv’s head turned white.
“It’s too obvious since Madame Katana is Queen Selina’s maid. The queen would have made you take on a strange disguise, but you are probably the only maid who has put on that disguise for more than five years.”
“Did you research about me?”
She didn’t think that a lame excuse would work for Duke Sentoren, who could find out about her just by asking who Madame Katana was.
Come to think of it, it was amazing that Riv’s sloppy and clumsy disguise worked for more than five years. Besides-
‘The duke’s family treasure saved me.’
Riv returned to the past due to his heirloom, the ruby ring. The ring was still hanging around her neck.
She didn’t know about Duke Sentoren, but for her, the Duke was a lifesaver. Riv stretched out and faced the Duke of Sentoren.
“So, now you’re brave enough?”
Duke Sentoren, who was staring at Riv was much more overwhelming than a few days ago.
The pressure he gave off under the bright light was immense.
His eyes, previously drowsy, flashed threateningly. The red scar on his cheek also stood out.
Duke Sentoren was a natural beast.
Riv was the prey who exposed her weakness in front of the beast.
It feels like she was completely naked before his eyes.
Riv was terrified of his amber eyes. A strange smile lingered on the man’s mouth.
“Your style was so different that I almost couldn’t recognize you, except your face and voice gave it away.”
Duke Sentoren rose from his seat and approached her side.
‘What does he want?’
Riv was stiff because she did not know his intention. Even she had no immunity to men.
“You’d better take off that terrible bonnet.”
The man who spoke to her, reached under Riv’s neck and untied the strap of the bonnet.
“Why are you…?”
“Wait a minute.”
Duke Sentoren took off Riv’s bonnet with a sigh.
The hair that had been arranged under it was messed up at once.
“So this is what you look like.” Duke Sentoren’s hand grabbed Riv’s face and dragged it towards him.
Riv tried to take off his hand, but her body hardened when it grazed her skin.
‘What is he up to?!’
Duke Sentoren grabbed her hand and suddenly put it on his chest, right where his heart was.
His heart was beating hard.
“The fact that I’m interested in Madame Katana, don’t you already know that?”
“M-Me?”
Riv stuttered without realizing. The only cloth Duke Sentoren had on was a thin shirt.
She could see his bare skin under the shirt. And she could feel his warm skin, muscles, and heartbeat under her palm.
“This might be awkward.”
Riv was weak to this temptation. The moment she made eye contact with Duke Sentoren, she felt like a prey trapped in his deep amber eyes.
The blank feeling stayed for a moment, before his hands began to feel under her skirt hem.
“What are you doing?”
“How many layers of skirts are there? I can’t even lift it.”
“Get off me!”
Duke Sentoren fumbled over her thick dress.
He wanted to find her flesh hiding somewhere below it.
Riv tried to push Duke Sentoren off to her best.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
He was neither hit nor pushed out.
In fact, he seemed to be very angry with something.
He whispered in her ear, trying to wrap his arm around Riv’s waist.
“What kind of deal did you make with Marianne? Did she tell you to seduce me?”
“W-What?”
Riv’s eyes expanded at such an unexpected remark.
“What do you mean by that?”
While stuttering, Riv realized why Duke Sentoren was pissed. Duke Sentoren seemed to think that Marianne had sent her.
The last time they had met, and this time too.
If Duke Sentoren’s scandal broke out, Marianne could break her engagement under that excuse.
‘Did this man only think about Marianne?’
She didn’t know about Duke Sentoren’s feelings for Marianne.
However, Riv’s existence was not important to this man at all.
The interest that Duke Sentoren showed in Riv also stemmed from Marianne.
Riv’s pride stung.
She laughed at herself, who was almost attracted to Lionel. Even her little heart that might have wanted him quickly cooled down.
“Are you angry?”
Duke Sentoren was looking at her, but what about it? From the beginning, this man had no intention of choosing her instead of Marie Anne. She guessed that he was just interested in what she was saying. And she knew one thing for sure.
“I don’t have the talent to seduce the Duke.”
Madame Katana, who disguised herself, could not have caught anyone’s attention especially if they didn’t know the original Riv Katana.
Riv, who got up from her seat, stepped back.
She escaped from Duke Sentoren safely.
Come to think of it, this was the Duke of Sentoren’s mansion. The uninvited guest was her.
“If you don’t have anything else for me, I’ll go back.”
Riv’s dress suddenly slid down from her shoulder.
While she didn’t see it, he had pulled it down, or maybe it was from the rough movements earlier, the heavy cloth had fallen off. Embarrassed, Riv firmly secured her clothes.
She became even more flushed because she couldn’t see her bonnet anywhere.
Duke Sentoren was a swift man.
Riv couldn’t help but want to crawl in a hole.
Duke Sentoren, who wondered about Riv’s embarrassment, said, “Madame Katana must not have been ordered by Marie Anne.”
“Duke Sentoren overestimates me.”
“What?”
Riv looked down at her horrible dress. Her appearance would have been terrible for anyone’s eyes.
“I didn’t receive Princess Marianne’s orders and I don’t know much about things between her and the Duke.”
A maid seducing a duke? It was a ridiculous thought.
“If Princess Marianne was going to seduce Duke Sentoren to create a scandal, she would have sent a proper opponent.”
“That’s true too.”
There was no need to explain more, but Duke Sentoren talked about her condition.
“One can’t even tell how many people would be hiding in this terrible pile of clothes. Can you move in that outfit?”
“Are you done saying what you wanted to say?” She spoke to the Duke of Sentoren, quietly lowering her eyes.
“The bonnet is on your left side.”
“Thank you.”
As she turned around, the bonnet was there, as Duke Sentoren said. Riv bent over and picked up the bonnet.
“……?”
Duke Sentoren looked at the scene in a strange way.
“You can pick it up.”
When Riv was puzzled, Duke Sentoren replied.
“If you were fat, you wouldn’t be able to pick it up easily.”
“Isn’t that a far-fetched guess?”
When Riv snorted, he added again, “Your terrible disguise doesn’t work on me.”