Chapter 21.2

“Come to think of it, the business with the Grand Duke is almost at the end. Now it’s okay if you don’t come to the Marquis’ residence very often.”

Curtis opened his mouth, staring coolly at the Marquis, who was obviously changing the subject of the conversation slickly.

“What are you doing?” Curtis questioned him firmly but not impolitely.

Come to think of it, Curtis was a Grand Duke, but he had always been polite to the Marquis. The Marquis was his father’s age and may have influenced him when he was young, but the reason that the Marquis was his benefactor must be greater.

“Marquis.”

At his urging, the Marquis groaned in annoyance and pointed at me with one hand, “Why do you keep asking me so shyly? I was admonishing my disobedient daughter!”

“You were scolding Edith?”

“Yes! If you have eyes, you can probably see what this looks like!”

The Marquis shamelessly spat lies and started to play the ‘troubled father with a disobedient daughter’ persona.

“I know this child’s temperament well. I won’t wait to have it fixed when it’s too late.”

Curtis calmly listened to the Marquis’ lie, and then frowned and curiously asked, “But I heard that Edith was thrown out of the family.”

“It was an attempt to kill her temper, but why would I abandon this child that was raised as my daughter?”

The Marquis slickly moved his shoulders up and down and even hugged me as I sat on the floor.

“You know how much I care for Edith.”

I wanted to escape from the Marquis’ disgusting arms, but he put me on stage at his own will and wouldn’t give me a chance to go down.

“How many times have I asked you to make this child your lady? If I hadn’t considered her as my daughter, I’d leave Lirina to you and not her.”

He continued to speak as he covered my mouth tightly so I couldn’t speak and prevented me from being seen on the other side, probably afraid that I might ask Curtis for help.

“Sir Curtis, don’t you know that I’m a person who deeply cares for my family? So much so that even you who was abused by your mother, who didn’t know the meaning of family, came forward to me for help.”

Curtis didn’t say a word at all. It seemed like he had completely fallen for the Marquis’ lying tongue.

Please. Please don’t believe him.

I desperately prayed that Curtis would notice the current situation, even when I knew there was no hope.

“Just get out,” the Marquis said, “No matter how special Abina and Caballero are to each other, don’t worry about other people’s family affairs. Nothing good will be heard of it.”

He warned Curtis as the sound of the door closing again followed. I was appalled by what I heard, the last of my hopes shattered.

“Cheeky fellow. I was a close friend of his father, and he acted so arrogant that he inherited the Grand Duke’s position?” he snorted at Curtis and then approached me as I was still unable to move.

“You’ve finally become silent. Fortunately, I don’t even have to use it.”

I didn’t know what he was referring to, but the Marquis’ words made me want to jump out the window at that instant. Not because I wanted to log out, but because I really want to die.

“Come on, let’s go.”

The moment the Marquis’ thick fingers were about to reach me…

“I know it’s rude…”

The tightly closed door creaked open again.

“Edith has an urgent business to attend to. It’s about the ‘Lady of Caballero’.”

Curtis, who didn’t even look at me who was still on the floor, slowly moved his lips.

“May I borrow her for a moment?”

“…Well, fine. It can’t be helped if it’s that urgent. I will go out.”

The Marquis inevitably nodded and stepped out. As soon as he approached the door, he looked back, gave me a warning glare, silently telling me not to speak a word and left the study.

After confirming the Marquis was gone, Curtis approached me and asked, “What was the Marquis trying to do to you?”

He tried to get me up from the dusty floor.

“For now, get up.”

Only then did my stiff body loosen, and I roughly shook Curtis. If I were the original me, I would’ve jumped off the messy floor with his help, but now I was reluctant to even contact him.

This was Edith’s reaction.

“Edith.”

I was so upset and resentful by his voice calling me.

Curtis, who was looking down at me trembling badly, opened his mouth with a sigh and said, “What the hell…”