I Seducing the Black-Hearted Duke Wasn't Me - Chapter 8

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 8
“I beg your pardon?”
“The ring, of course. The Ruby Ring you always wear on your right hand. I understood it to be the Head of House’s ring, but am I mistaken?”
“Oh, I lost it a few days ago.”
“Good heavens, to lose something so precious. That simply won’t do.”
Silvia gazed at my hand with an expression of deep concern.
Yet her words rang hollow. There was no worry in her face at all—only a meaningful, knowing smile playing at her lips.
What was that about?
“Well then, we shall take our leave. Do ring us if you have a change of heart.”
I doubted that would happen.
Delighted to finally be rid of the sibling pair, I smiled broadly and waved them off.
A clear gesture: get out of my house.
* * *
“Honestly. Talking to someone so stubborn is impossible. You saw it yourself, Jerold?”
Silvia stepped into the parlor, her face twisted with irritation.
A servant who worked at the Marquis Estate bowed nearby, but she paid him no mind.
“You’re just as useless. How difficult can it be to seduce one woman? You bragged that a single finger would have her eating out of your palm, and it’s all turned out to be bluster. Pathetic.”
“Why are you blaming me?! You can’t reach the stars without looking to the sky. That woman won’t budge from the Marquis Estate—what am I supposed to do about it?”
Jerold protested indignantly at his sister’s criticism.
True to his words, he had prepared diligently on his sister’s instructions to seduce the Marquis.
He’d formulated a plan and executed the preliminary arrangements flawlessly.
The problem was that his target—the Marquis herself—refused to set foot outside the estate.
“I should have forced the matter back then.”
Jerold clicked his tongue, glaring at the closed door.
“But are you really sure that person you met outside a few days ago was the Marquis? It’s strange. I’ve never seen her wandering about so late at night.”
“I’m telling you, it was. I even showed you proof. Coming here today was to verify it.”
“Shh.”
At the word “proof,” Silvia hastily clamped her hand over Jerold’s mouth. Her eyes darted sharply about the room.
“I suppose you’re right about that much.”
“See? I told you I was certain about these things. Ugh, I should have forced the issue then and there—made it a fait accompli. That would have settled it. But that woman has eyes like a hawk.”
And more than just sharp eyes.
The fist she’d driven into his face had packed considerable force.
“Once we’re married, I’ll train her properly.”
“Yes. After marriage, you can do as you please. Just endure a little longer.”
Silvia patted her brother’s shoulder, coaxing and cajoling him.
Her gaze lingered on the opulent corridors of the Marquis Estate.
Once they were married, all of this would be within reach.
‘Count or not, Valentine’s house is on the verge of bankruptcy. But this Marquis estate—such wealth. I hear her business ventures are thriving, though of course it’s only because she was born into the right family. Inherited wealth, nothing more.’
Everyone knew of the Marquis’s formidable business acumen.
Even Silvia’s husband, Count Oscar, was desperate to cultivate a connection with her.
“What? An Academy classmate? How convenient. Could you perhaps put in a good word for me?”
“A good word? How would I do that?”
“How do you think? Give her a gift she’d like, or tend to her needs, or flatter her. Must I explain everything? Can’t you think for yourself?”
Silvia felt wounded by her husband’s words.
During their Academy days, she had certainly outshone Erna.
Yet the unmarried Erna was gaining social recognition, and it grated on her.
‘What’s the big deal about business anyway? Erna’s still a provincial nobody no matter how much money she has.’
Silvia steadied herself, recalling Erna’s appearance upon returning from her outing just before.
Yes, what good was money if you didn’t know how to use it?
‘Shouldn’t it go to someone who knows its value, rather than someone who can’t even spend it properly?’
And so she resolved to claim the Marquis estate’s wealth for herself through her own means.
To do that, she first had to deal with this Erna Zaherette.
“But, sister, you’re certain this will work? What if the Marquis already has someone else in mind—”
“What? Pfft. Erna Zaherette? Ha. Please. A bookworm like that, falling in love? She’s probably never even held hands with a man.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I hate it when someone’s already been claimed.”
This was rich, coming from someone who flitted from woman to woman so freely.
But Silvia held her tongue.
Her brother was the worst possible marriage partner.
Had she been in the bride’s position, she’d have fled the chapel before the ceremony even began.
But the bride would be Erna Zaherette, after all.
I thought it had nothing to do with me.
At least I could knock down that arrogant air of hers, this pretense that she’d become something grand.
Thinking of Erna Zaherette, her spirit utterly crushed by an unfortunate marriage, I found myself in remarkably good spirits.
“But why do you hate the Marquis so much, anyway?”
“I don’t know. I’ve just never liked her. The way she looks down on me, all smug about being a marquis’s daughter—it’s always rubbed me the wrong way… Oof!”
Thud.
Silvia collided with something as she rounded the corner of the corridor mid-answer.
Rubbing her forehead against the sudden pain, she lifted her head with a sharp glare.
“Watch where you’re going! Can’t you see in front of you?”
“Forgive me.”
The first thing she heard was a pleasant, deep voice.
A cheerful timbre, as if he were singing, struck her ears with force.
Then came a delicate floral fragrance.
‘Wait…?’
Her gaze, fixed on the large bouquet, shifted to the face of the man holding it.
Silvia’s mouth fell open.
“Gasp! B-B-Bernstein…!”
“Your Highness! There you are. The Marquis has gone up to his office. I’ll show you the way.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
While Silvia stood stammering blankly,
the man with the bouquet walked past her as though she weren’t there.
Though he merely brushed by, Silvia’s heart raced wildly.
Her breath quickened and heat flooded her body, as if they’d shared a deep kiss.
He was that remarkable a man.
Once you saw him, you couldn’t look away—the kind of man who bewitched people.
“S-Sister, that person just now—wasn’t that His Highness the Grand Duke?”
Jerold too spoke in shock, shaking Silvia’s shoulder repeatedly, as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes.
Silvia felt the same.
At the same time, a strange irritation welled up inside her.
‘Why is Bernstein here at the Marquis Estate?’
What on earth was their connection?
Then certain articles she’d read came rushing back to her mind.
Silvia’s face went pale with shock.
No… it couldn’t be!
* * *
‘Why is the Grand Duke here again?’
I closed my eyes and opened them again, staring at the man before me. Just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
But Lora, who stood beside him and winked at me, ruled out that possibility.
‘Wow, he really did come. This is driving me crazy.’
“We meet again, Marquis.”
“Indeed.”
I hadn’t expected to see him again so soon—less than a week had passed.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, the radiant Grand Duke smiled broadly today as well.
‘At least he’s not wearing his white vestments today.’
Perhaps that’s why—though he usually wore only white, the mere addition of a single layer of black fabric left me feeling strangely unsettled.
As if a dark, dangerous perfume had layered itself over his usual pure and noble demeanor.
Dangerous. This man is far too dangerous.
“I believe you asked for time to think. Surely you don’t mean to say that time was only two days?”
“Of course not.”
He smiled gently, assuring me he wasn’t so narrow-minded.
The servants who brought the tea flushed at that smile alone, unsure what to do with themselves.
Good grief, at this rate they’ll all lose focus on their work.
I waved them away, and Lora jumped to her feet in surprise, quickly ushering them out.
Through the narrowing gap of the closing door, I caught a glint in Lora’s eye that seemed far from innocent, but I chose to ignore it.
That wasn’t what mattered right now.
“So, what brings you here?”
I hesitated briefly before asking carefully.
Unfortunately, nothing had been resolved yet. I’d been hoping to go down to my fiefdom to buy myself some time, but—
‘I’ve been too distracted by settling past matters and searching for the ring. I should have left Jeriod sooner.’
If he demanded an answer from me right now, what would I do? Anxiety made my palms sweat.
I was waiting for him to speak.
“You weren’t planning to run off somewhere far away, were you?”
A gasp caught in my throat.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————