IVF 35

Chapter 35

“Ash, why are you…? No, maybe I went too far expressing myself.”

I should have left out the dust and bugs.

Trying desperately to move to a less luxurious room, pretending to be restrained, I ended up getting carried away.

Lumina held back the urge to smack her own mouth, while Lucius spoke in a low voice.

“This room is for you and Karayan to share. Since there are outsiders, you should stay in the same room, don’t you think?”

Lumina recalled a fact she had momentarily forgotten.

Although she and Karayan had married for a purpose, they were still legally husband and wife, so sharing a room was natural.

“Karyan doesn’t come home often, so practically, it’ll be your room alone….”

“…….”

“But eventually, when Karayan returns, you’ll have to share the room, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to give him the attic.”

If it inconvenienced Karayan as well as herself, she had no choice.

Gradually, Lumina found herself persuaded.

“Above all, if the Duchess of the Hart family were stuck in an attic-like shabby room, she’d be looked down upon.”

His tone was high-handed.

“So use it.”

It wasn’t a suggestion—it was an order.

There was no way to defy the Duke’s command.

“Yes, I’ll follow your instructions, Father.”

Lumina bowed politely, as though kneeling before an overwhelming, merciless authority.

She didn’t really have to, but now it was necessary to maintain her composure.

Inwardly, Lumina felt immense gratitude toward Lucius.

Honestly, being human, she also wanted to stay in a nice room.

A demon called desire?

Just as she had worn the dress Lucius had gifted her, she thought that maybe if she compromised with her own heart, it would be fine.

Even if it wasn’t fine, she had no choice.

Right now, Lumina had no options.

‘A spacious, stylish, comfortable room. This is perfect!’

Lucius left, telling her to rest after the tiring journey.

Ash also moved to wait outside, leaving only one person behind.

“Olivia?”

Olivia remained.

No longer dressed in her maid uniform, she wore a neat official outfit, instantly giving the impression of someone extraordinary.

Even her hair was tied into a tidy ponytail, and she wore glasses.

At a glance, one would never recognize her as “Maid Olivia.”

“I have something to report.”

Olivia revealed her identity with determination, as if confessing a serious crime.

“Actually, I am not an ordinary maid, but Duke’s aide, Olivia Munez. My lady, I apologize for hiding my identity and approaching you under false pretenses.”

“…….”

“I know you must feel betrayed. You were probably disappointed that I didn’t reveal my true identity from the beginning.”

Lumina gazed at Olivia with soft eyes.

And shook her head.

“No. Even if you’re the Duke’s aide and not a maid, you’re still Olivia.”

“But…….”

“You weren’t pretending to be kind just to stay close because I disliked you, were you?”

“No, absolutely not!”

“That’s fine then.”

Lumina gently held Olivia’s hand.

“I like you for who you are, Olivia.”

Sorry, Olivia.

I already knew you weren’t an ordinary maid.

And I also knew that you might one day betray the Duke.

‘According to my memory, it won’t be long… but just how meticulously will Olivia betray him? It seems the Duke hasn’t even noticed yet.’

Lumina had asked Ash before, but he had only three possible answers to give, so she got nothing useful.

Should she try to coax Olivia herself?

As she thought this, Olivia seemed to remember something.

“Oh, right. I have something for the young lady.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Olivia pulled something from her bosom.

Lumina’s eyes widened as she recognized it.

What was this?

Late at night, in the Hart Duke’s study.

Two people reunited after half a lifetime apart, running toward each other like lovers.

“Honey!”

“Darling!”

Olivia and Branden embraced, pretending as if they might cry tears of emotion.

“You’ve gotten haggard since I last saw you.”

“You can change your face anytime, so there’s no way you could be damaged.”

Olivia looked at Branden with concern, while Lucius, unable to hide his irritation, scolded them.

But they acted as if they hadn’t heard him, filling the room with a pink, romantic atmosphere.

“This is all because we haven’t seen each other for so long.”

“Tch.”

Lucius couldn’t throw them out the window, as much as he wanted to.

But he just clicked his tongue, because they had always been a genuinely close couple.

If only this had happened once or twice.

Moreover, Branden had been absent for a long time without notice.

Because of his abilities, Branden often took on dangerous tasks, and Olivia had been worried endlessly.

Outwardly, she pretended otherwise, but Lucius, knowing her inner thoughts, patiently waited with his arms crossed.

Exactly ten seconds.

“Branden.”

“Honey, do this. Ho-.”

“Branden!”

“Yes, yes!”

Counting silently, Lucius called Branden sharply as soon as he reached ten.

“Why were you so late?”

“Ah.”

Branden looked momentarily troubled, then said,

“Sorry, Captain. No matter how much I investigated, nothing came up, so it took longer than expected.”

“You were innocent all along, young lady!”

“Olivia, stay quiet for a moment.”

Lucius stripped Olivia of her speaking rights after she had completely lost objectivity in recent days.

“There was nothing related to the doctor. There’s no suspicious backer. You came to the Captain entirely on your own.”

Tap, tap.

Lucius drummed his fingers on the desk.

Olivia and Ash returned empty-handed, without results.

If anything, a positive evaluation would have been preferable.

‘Ash…’

“How was it, spending time together for a while?”

“It was fine.”

“Ash, you don’t have to give the answer I specify.”

“No, sir.”

“You don’t have to. What do you think of Lumina Ranchus?”

“She’s ordinary.”

“No, I said speak comfortably.”

Ash felt unfairly treated.

He had answered honestly but kept being misunderstood.

Unable to protest with Lucius present, he chose his words carefully again.

Innocent, round eyes. Small enough to fit in a pocket.

Long, wheat-colored hair flowing, yet striking at weaknesses without hesitation.

And most importantly, her pink eyes never showed any trace of hatred when looking at him.

Violent, unpredictable, peculiar tastes…

“……To put it precisely, she seems… strange.”

Ash replied with a blank expression.

Lucius, having observed Ash for a long time, easily realized it wasn’t meant negatively.

“Captain. I’ve used every method possible. Unless you torture her yourself, there’s no way to know anything else.”

“Honey! How can you say such a cruel and ruthless thing!”

“No, it’s not that…”

Olivia almost grabbed him by the collar, while Branden looked awkward.

Lucius glanced at the couple, whose love had collapsed in an instant, and said flatly:

“If you want to investigate my daughter-in-law more, become her personal servant and watch her yourself.”

My daughter-in-law.

The intimate title slipped naturally from Lucius’s lips.

“But she’s young. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for her if a female, rather than a male, attended her?”

“Then apply as a maid.”

A blunt reply.

In fact, Olivia and Branden didn’t even look at him.

“Shall we? Wait a moment. What face should I use?”

But Branden took it seriously.

He turned abruptly and began changing his face.

The handsome features of Branden shifted moment by moment.

Glancing at him, Olivia stood before Lucius.

“Duke. We may need to adjust the schedule.”

“Why?”

Olivia took ‘that’ from her bosom. Lucius’s lips tightened into a straight line.

“We need to move with the young lady, so I informed her first.”

“Her reaction?”

“She said it’s perfectly fine. She even seemed to be looking forward to it…”

“Let’s go, then.”

As soon as Lucius heard that Lumina agreed, he nodded without hesitation.

A decisive affirmation.

Late evening, with the sunset casting long shadows.

A massive carriage bearing the Hart Duke family crest stopped.

Even passersby paused, intimidated by its presence.

Thud—.

The carriage door opened.

A large, dark, imposing man stepped down.

It was Lucius.

“That’s the Hart Duke.”

“Why did he come all the way here?”

People whispered among themselves.

And watched him carefully, standing still at the carriage door.

He was in a posture to escort someone. Who could he possibly be escorting?

The question was quickly answered.

A cute girl in a pastel pink dress appeared, popping out delightfully.