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An absurd idea
“You aren’t… upset?”
Confused by her unexpected reaction, Gianna revealed her feelings to the small villain without any filter.
Instead of answering, Atalante gave a toothy grin.
Gianna has never seen a young lady with a smile that had so many white teeth on display before. In the first place, she’s not even a young lady.
Was it because she was too shocked that she found that smile so captivating?
“An advice for you, it would be great if you don’t talk about seeing me here today. As you’ve experienced earlier, His Highness the Grand Duke isn’t in his right mind.”
Atalante giggled like she had just cracked a joke, and stood back up.
When she approached the door, Gianna, who was in a daze, jumped up and shouted.
“Why did you help me? I’m an aristocrat. I’m going to be an imperial citizen soon! I don’t need sympathy from a villain like you…!”
“I didn’t help you.”
Atalante didn’t bat a single eyelid at her arrogant lines.
A calm gaze briefly landed on her, and it was followed by an even calmer voice.
“I just did whatever I wanted. Aren’t you being too self-conscious?”
As soon as the knight opened the door, Atalante stepped out, as if she had been waiting for that moment.
With a hand clutching the hem of her dress in a sudden movement, perhaps finding the flowing skirt of the dress annoying.
Gianna’s face slowly warmed as she stared dazedly at her disappearing figure.
However, it wasn’t out of anger or humiliation.
‘W—What’s wrong with me…?’
As the glasses Gianna wore slid down to the tip of her nose, she patted herself on her cheeks several times in order to erase the lingering afterimage of Atalante from her head.
Nevertheless, the dazzling figure of the beautiful villain didn’t vanish from her thoughts.
From when she boarded the carriage prepared by the Blanc family to her arrival at the boutique and baptism of questions from her staff, throughout it all.
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“I hope that you’ll humour my wishes until the debutante is over. You had promised to give me some leeway, after all.”
In the morning, when Atalante was already looking forward to that night’s dinner, Lionel looked for her and said that.
Atalante, who had confirmed Paul’s thoughts and decided to temporarily follow his tune, had only nodded silently.
She had not forgotten her determination to test the limits of the drug’s effect in her spare time.
However, when she heard that a designer who would customise her debutante dress was expected to arrive soon, she couldn’t help but be drained.
She was wary of revealing her identity without making proper preparations.
‘According to Paul, there’s already been a rumour going around that Lionel brought a girl to the capital.’
Everyone assumed that she’s an aristocrat from the Western borders.
Atalante couldn’t help but laugh dryly.
How would they react when they realised that she was a wanted criminal?
“If you’re concerned about being caught here, please don’t worry about it.”
She was even more worried despite Lionel’s reliable words.
It was very obvious how the grand duke would block their mouths when someone discovered her true identity.
Atalante was well aware that there was a very simple method.
But she preferred not to hurt others for no reason, and as such, Atalante made a firm resolution.
If that designer refuses this request, she’ll just send them back home without a fuss.
Of course, she didn’t make that decision in order to garner some petty sympathy.
It was just because she wasn’t willing to do so.
‘Even if a rumour spreads, there isn’t anyone that would dare to enter the grand duke’s mansion carelessly.’
A single person’s voice was powerless. Even more so when it’s the voice of someone lofty-minded.
To be honest… The reason she didn’t actively prevent the designer’s visit was because she had secret expectations for new clothes.
While the dress she was wearing now was quite pretty, it was readymade clothing that the maids had fitted to match her body.
Just imagining the clothes that were made for her, caused her to feel excited.
‘I had no idea that I possessed such vanity.’
Atalante’s basic wardrobe consisted of comfortable shirts, pants, and boots.
She was definitely influenced when she was next to the grand duke. As she kept noticing the areas where she didn’t have interest in.
However, the designer had predictably refused to make her clothes.
It wasn’t that bad up till then, but the problem lay in Lionel’s following actions.
Though Atalante was familiar with the term ‘cold-blooded person’ who kills and injures without emotion, the scene that she had witnessed earlier gave an odd feeling.
‘How should I describe it as, it was as if…he was bewitched by something.’
After leaving the drawing room with a disturbed look on his face, Lionel didn’t even show up for dinner.
Not having to partake in a meal while facing him obviously made her happy, but for some reason she felt uncomfortable.
‘I have enough worries of my own, so who am I to worry about him?’
While clicking her tongue softly, Atalante checked the unresponsive artifact again today.
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The members of the organisation must have managed to hide safely in the Kingdom of Paille, seeing as how there isn’t any news from them.
To the underground, no news was equivalent to good news.
‘While possessing an artifact is good, the problem is, I don’t know how to use it.’
Atalante knocked on the artifact shaped like a compact and called out the names of her family members one by one, but there was only silence.
Still, having something is better than nothing.
Atalante stuffed the black compact next to the rifle, laid onto the large bed and stared at the ceiling that’s larger than her.
What will happen from now onwards?
The members of the organisation would definitely return to the capital when they hear rumours of Atalante’s appearance in this debutante.
No matter what, she had to coax the grand duke and lay foundations for the safety of the members of the organisation before then.
“What should I do with you?”
Should she use him as she pleases, should she continue to test the effectiveness of the drug, or should she just run away now?
Yet to make a decision, her mind danced back and forth several times in just a single day.
Would he still be so affectionate if he knew that his love was fake?
‘Nonsensical thoughts.’
Since she was in the capital, Atalante vowed to secretly meet Esma as she slowly got to her feet.
Firstly, she should check the grand duke’s condition.
Since she couldn’t fall asleep.
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“The Grand Duke of Blanc brought a woman from the West?”
At the same time, Emperor Kaiser wasn’t in a good mood.
“I’m positive that that’s what the supervisor of the Western Warp Gate said. Apparently, he was alone in a carriage with an unidentified woman.”
As Count Evita conveyed the situation with precise articulation, his green eyes, which were similar to Esma’s, were dyed in a strange light.
“Although I tried to identify her by mobilising some connections in the gray area, it was impossible.”
Marquis Federa added credibility to the words that the Count had said previously.
In his dictionary, there wasn’t any information that he couldn’t uncover, but this time was an exception.
‘I’ve inquired with the commoners, but originally, red hair isn’t commonly seen in the West.’
Marquis Federa admitted that this was his first failure, and swallowed the alcohol in front of him, along with the rising irritation.
The young Marquis was the sole person with shining eyes, Dione Elphiorim, glanced at the serious facial expressions of the nobles in the Imperial faction, before opening his mouth.
“Perhaps the woman that the Grand Duke of Blanc brought with him… is a fairy or something like that?”
As soon as he finished speaking, sharp gazes were aimed at him.
“Are you already drunk?”
“How can you still say such nonsense at your age?”
“Can’t you take a leaf out of the previous Marquis Elphiorim’s book?”
Sullen due to the rebukes that came one after another, Dione immediately lowered his head.
Dione, who lost his father after just turning of age, inherited the Marquisate at an early age.
He was hardworking in his own way, but he was too carefree and was naturally slow-witted, hence he would be criticised at every meeting.
Kaiser sighed deeply instead of criticising Dione, gave a worried expression before speaking.
“I can understand the change in his temperament after what happened to the former grand ducal couple, but the way the Grand Duke keeps acting in defiance of traditions and customs… I can’t say that it isn’t worrying.”
“That’s right. His arrogance is soaring through the roof, and in my opinion, we can no longer wait and see.”
“I’m of the same opinion as Count Evita. I completely understand Your Majesty’s feelings of pity for the Grand Duke, but it has reached the limit.”
Instead of saying anything, Dione nodded in agreement with their opinions.
“Although it breaks my heart to do so, I’ll have to follow your opinions this time. Even if it’s for the Grand Duke’s sake.”
The emperor sighed with a gloomy expression, before turning his gaze towards Count Evita.
“Count, isn’t your daughter coming of age this year?”
“That’s right.”
“I heard that the Young Count will return from the Academy in time for his beautiful sister’s debutante. Rumour has it that he’s intelligent enough to be persuaded to stay by the Academy and that he’s quite dashing?”
Count Evita didn’t change his expression as per usual, accepted his son’s praises with a short, “I’m honoured.”
However, the emperor was quite sharp. As soon as the topic of his son and daughter was raised, affection for his children tinged his eyes.
‘I once had such a gaze before.’
A face that the emperor missed suddenly came to mind, before its blurry afterimage was cleanly cleared away.
“I heard that the Young Count and the Grand Duke had a brief exchange when they were young.”
Perhaps because he had noticed what the emperor was going to say, Count Evita, who’s face hardened unknowingly, slowly nodded.
At this, the emperor gave a satisfied smile, and spoke in a caring voice.
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“I’d like to ask a simple favour of your son, would that be alright?”
Although it was spoken as a request, the emperor was clearly aware.
That Count Evita won’t be able to refuse his ‘request’.
When a request couldn’t be denied, it wasn’t a request anymore.
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