LTP 09

Chapter 09

“I’m back.”

Damia slowly opened the door to the mansion, where no one was there to greet her.

It was already a familiar situation for the Ponti family, who were unable to properly pay their servants.

“Damia, come here.”

From the living room, where I thought there would be no one, I heard the voice of Viscount Ponti.

Damia sighed softly and took a reluctant step.

“Have you been to Duke Sarkis’s residence?”

“yes that’s right.”

The image of the little duke coughing up blood suddenly came to mind, but Damia tried to answer calmly.

I didn’t want my father to see my confusion.

“Judging by the fact that you even received a proposal, it seems the Duke is quite fond of you.”

Viscount Ponti was quite reassured when he saw the marriage proposal bearing the seal of the Sarkis Dukes’ house.

“I told you, we’re deeply in love.”

“I still can’t believe it… but, you’re so pretty.”

“Yes, I can’t tell you how lucky I am to resemble my mother.”

“Yeah, that’s fortunate, just like you said.”

It was a reserved reaction, unlike his father, who would count down the days whenever the story of the dead countess came up.

‘Is there anything you would like to ask of me?’

As Damia narrowed her eyebrows, Viscount Ponti coughed in embarrassment.

“So… Did you receive anything else in addition to the gift to commemorate the engagement?”

“yes?”

“I wonder if they could help with the land or the financing.”

Damia opened her eyes wide.

“I haven’t even had my debutante ceremony yet. It’s still a long way before we’re officially married.”

“Tsk, who doesn’t know that?”

“Father, please… isn’t it a bit shameful to be asking something like that already?”

“The Duke of Sojo said that he was so fond of you that he forced this engagement between you and your classmates.”

The count licked his lips, glancing at Damia’s expression.

“You can tell how sincere someone’s heart is by looking at the money they spend.”

In the end, it was all about money again. My father was just as shameless as he was in his previous life.

Damia burst out laughing.

“Count Fabron promised enormous financial support even before our marriage. So, it would be wise for the young duke to show his sincerity as well…”

“father!”

“No, why are you raising your voice like that?”

“Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“Damia, if the Duke changes his mind, do you know how much damage you’ll suffer? You should understand how worried your father is that you might be hurt.”

“You’re worried about your father, not me. You’re worried he might have missed the opportunity to sell me for a higher price.”

“Damia, what kind of habit is that you have now!”

The father, who had been hit hard, cried out in pain.

“I don’t want to hear any more. I trust you, Little Duke.”

As long as he had the purple herb, Cassian, who had a limited time, could not betray Damia.

Further conversation was pointless.

It was the moment when Damia got up from her seat and was about to return to her room.

“Butler, do you really think Duchess Sarkis would allow marriage, let alone an engagement?”

“If you’re asking for my opinion… I don’t think it’ll be difficult.”

“There’s no way to get a piece of the pie right away, and Count Fabron would have been better.”

“Actually, it’s a bit of a difficult situation. There’s a limit to how much I can turn it around….”

“Tsk. Is there no hope for Count Fabron now?”

“Ah, fortunately, Count Fabron…….”

Perhaps conscious of Damia, he lowered his voice considerably, but the house was small to begin with, so it was impossible not to hear.

“I can hear everything, Father.”

Damia stood still and glared at the two.

“I don’t want to die if it’s not the Duke of Sarkis, so don’t say anything that will cause trouble.”

I was sick of everything.

To break the bad bonds of a past life and start anew, it seemed like the only way was to escape to the kingdom.

* * *

When I arrived at the old but cozy room, there was a letter on the desk.

At that moment, the frown that had been so intense because of my father and the butler softened.

Because there was only one person I exchanged letters with during this time.

“Is it Arsene?”

Damia hurriedly picked up the envelope.

The welcoming name written on the outside brought a smile to my face.

“How long has it really been?”

Arsene was the eldest son of Mr. Cadiz, a successful commoner businessman, and Damia’s only childhood friend.

Damia, a noble daughter who was as poor as a commoner, was an ambiguous figure among her peers in many ways.

‘There was no one who would hang out with me except the kind Arsene.’

However, as soon as the business grew, the Cadiz family fled to the Kingdom of Rodion, next to the empire.

On the day Arsene left, Damia was heartbroken, but Viscount Ponti was as happy as if his ailing teeth had been lifted.

The viscount trembled at the thought of a commoner ignorant of his place associating with a noble lady.

‘My father was worried that I might later try to marry Arsene.’

For a father who had nothing but the pride of being a nobleman, having a commoner son-in-law was a humiliation worse than starvation.

Even though the Viscount Ponti family was on the verge of bankruptcy, and Cadiz was wealthy enough to rival any nobleman.

‘Anyway, it was a needless worry. We were just friends.’

Perhaps it was because Arsene was a rare pretty boy in the neighborhood that his father found him even more unusual.

Damia has had a discerning eye for beauty since she was young.

‘When did I lose contact with Arsene in my previous life?’

It was so long ago, including my past life, that it felt like a distant memory.

‘I’ll definitely come back to see you again, so wait. Don’t ever forget me!’

A boy like a spring flower who followed his father to the Kingdom of Rodion, but who worried about Damia until the very end.

In his previous life, Arsene took over his father’s business and established himself in the Kingdom of Rodion.

‘Arsene has kept his promise from his childhood.’

Because he, now an adult, really came to see Damia again.

The Count wanted to open a business with the Kingdom of Rodion and tried to establish a friendship with Mr. Cadiz, a successful businessman.

And he invited his son, who happened to be visiting the empire, to the mansion.

‘The Count had no idea that we were childhood friends.’

In any case, the Count played the role of a loving husband to Arsene until the end.

But as soon as the two of them were left alone, they turned violent again.

Was it because that memory was so horrible?

Although I swore I would never forget, I had already forgotten the boy’s existence.

‘for a moment.’

Damia, who was opening the envelope with a knife, stopped.

‘Couldn’t Arsene help me with my exile?’

It seemed that there could be no more reliable helper for moving to the kingdom.

Maybe Damia could be of help to Arsene too.

Damia was very interested in the herbal medicine business that the Viscount Ponti family had abandoned long ago.

Damia’s eyes began to sparkle.

* * *

A few days later, Cassian invited Damia to the duke’s residence.

‘Boating on the lake? Has the Duke recovered somewhat?’

While I was tilting my head, a luxurious carriage arrived at the duke’s residence.

“Little Duke! I didn’t know you were with me.”

Cassian was waiting for Damia alone at the entrance to the mansion that almost looked like a castle.

“Are you feeling better? I was really worried.”

“are you okay.”

It seemed like it wasn’t a lie, his handsome face, which had regained its color, was shiny and glossy.

‘I was so nervous that I couldn’t even sleep… … .’

The boy in front of me looked very healthy, as if my worries were for nothing.

I was worried that it might be a side effect of the treatment, but it seems my worries were unfounded.

“Your Majesty, have you missed me these past few days? Is that why you’re here?”

“No, I just came to greet my fiancée since she’s invited. It’s basic courtesy.”

The habitual line drawing was still there, and everything was the same as usual.

but…….

‘Why do you keep avoiding eye contact?’

Cassian kept glancing at Damia’s fingertips instead of her eyes.

It seemed like there were some words that were difficult to say.