Without the veil, Irene’s face was cleaner than I had expected. If one looked closely at her dense, delicate features, there was something quite endearing about them—even if that cold expression masked it.
Come to think of it, Irene didn’t resemble anyone in her family. Not her half-siblings, and certainly not Baron Rios.
*An ugly duckling, then.*
A spinning, amused light filled Diego’s eyes. He seemed to find it terribly interesting.
Baron Rios’s illegitimate daughter, hm… well.
Just then, the housekeeper pushed in a tray. Diego cut the chain of his thoughts and donned a practiced smile.
“Give it here, I’ll do it.”
Leticia pushed past the housekeeper and began setting the tea service. Her movements were elegant, as if she had practiced the ritual many times. She handed the teacup to Diego.
*Oh?*
At that moment, Irene’s eyes widened slightly. A faint clinking sound had echoed in the silence—so soft that she was the only one who had noticed it.
She realized too late that the sound came from the cup Leticia was shoving toward him. A moment later, the tea splashed over the rim, soaking the back of Diego’s hand.
“Oh my!”
The smile vanished instantly from Leticia’s beaming face.
Irene stared at the bewildered girl. A tense Leticia, a flustered Leticia—these were sights entirely unfamiliar to her.
“Your Grace!”
Javier, who had been standing like a shadow, stepped forward. His expression was rigid as he looked at Diego.
“Are you alright?”
A chilling silence descended upon the drawing room. The Baron, his wife, Lucas, and Leticia all turned pale, nervously gauging Diego’s reaction.
Diego kept a faint smile on his lips as he reached into his robe. Baron Rios looked on in terror, as if whatever Diego withdrew would be a blade meant to take their heads.
However, the object in Diego’s hand was merely a blue handkerchief. He wiped the back of his hand with slow, deliberate motions.
Still, no one dared to breathe.
“…….”
Every gaze shifted to Baron Rios. He opened his mouth with difficulty, burdened by the task of breaking the silence.
“G-Grand Duke.”
Diego said nothing. He merely arched one eyebrow, a subtle motion. Yet, the pressure weighing down on them was palpable.
Baron Rios gulped, unable to help himself. Perhaps he had become too comfortable with the man who wore the face of a guest, momentarily forgetting that this was a power capable of deciding their very existence.
Just as despair settled over the Baron’s face—
Diego brought the teacup to his lips. Every eye in the room was nailed to his fingertips, his lips, and the porcelain.
After taking a sip, Diego looked at Leticia with eyes that curved into a thin, charming smile.
“The fragrance of the tea is truly excellent.”
“!”
The air, previously as precarious as walking on thin ice, shattered. The atmosphere in the drawing room softened instantly, like an afternoon in spring.
“T-Thank you, Grand Duke.”
Baron Rios let out a shaky breath and bowed his head deeply.
“Your Grace.”
Just as Javier was about to interject, Diego raised a hand to silence him. Javier retreated, standing down instantly.
Only then did Leticia mutter, “I am sorry,” with eyes full of practiced melancholy. Irene knew that expression well.
When Baron Rios had broken his prized imported porcelain, Leticia had worn that exact mask. The moment she left the study, she had skipped toward the kitchen, shouting, “Eva, give me a snack!”
Diego, wearing a generous smile, shook his head.
“It is merely Miss Rios’s heart overflowing; how could that be a matter for apology? My hands were feeling cold just now. I am fortunate, thanks to you, that they are warm.”
“……Thank you, Grand Duke.”
Leticia wore an expression of genuine emotion. Her eyes sparkled, and her cheeks flushed pink.
He was cut from a different cloth than the men of Therapia. If they were in his place, they would have cackled and mocked Leticia’s clumsiness. Furthermore, their tongues were so loose that by tomorrow, the entire city would know she had spilled the tea.
Compared to that, Grand Duke Cassis was… *wonderful.*
Leticia clasped her trembling hands together, staring at Diego with eyes bathed in ecstasy. A short scandal would be fine. No, she wanted to be his woman, even if only for a single night.
*How gentle must he be with a lover?*
Irene, who had been watching the half-entranced Leticia indifferently, glanced at Diego. He wore a mild smile, as if nothing had happened.
Diego had the power to soften the air. It was a gift Irene lacked. The only talent she possessed was the ability to freeze the atmosphere solid.
At that moment, Leticia pushed a teacup toward Irene.
“Sister, here.”
“…….”
Diego took his cup to his lips again, casting a subtle glance at Irene. She was staring at the cup as if it were poison. She likely didn’t even realize her own reaction.
*Pfft.*
A silent laugh leaked from between Diego’s teeth. Irene, oblivious, continued to glare only at the china.
It was a rare experience in this house to be given her share of tea. In fact, there was no memory of the family ever sitting together to partake in such a thing.
Irene couldn’t bring herself to reach out, her gloved hands clenching tightly. The memory of being locked in the attic for days, nearly starving to death after craving food that wasn’t meant for her, remained vivid.
Because of that, Irene had little greed for food. She had learned to give up early.
That was why she had been so flustered when she first went to the school cafeteria and realized she could take as much as she wanted. Only after standing there blankly and witnessing a steak disappear in the blink of an eye had she gathered the resolve to join that fierce battle.
Leticia’s voice, higher than usual, broke through Irene’s thoughts.
“You don’t need to offer empty compliments. Surely, Grand Duke, you drink tea far better than this every day?”
“No matter how expensive the tea, how could it compare to tea infused with Miss Rios’s sincerity? To me, this feels far more fragrant.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
Leticia blushed again and bowed her head. The Baroness tapped the back of her hand, looking pleased.
Lucas, who had been fidgeting with the handle of his teacup, quickly spoke up, fearing his sister would steal all of the Grand Duke’s attention.
“I have heard many tales of the Grand Duke’s heroism. There is not a single person in the Kingdom of Divoa who does not know. You have been holding the Norte region firmly at the front lines, have you not? If given the opportunity, I, too, would like to fight for the kingdom in the Grand Duke’s territory.”
“Did you not say a moment ago that you were a businessman?”
Diego’s laid-back attitude contrasted with Lucas’s impatience, making the latter appear all the more petty.
“I feel it would be more rewarding to be a soldier of the kingdom than to conduct business for my own sake. If I could give my life for the fatherland, there would be no greater honor.”
Lucas stared directly at Diego with a resolute expression, as if to prove his patriotism. Diego merely nodded once with a thin, smiling face.
He had witnessed countless people like Lucas—sycophants who spouted empty words to win favor. If they were actually dropped on the battlefield, they would surely be the first to tuck their tails and run. Diego loathed those who looked down on soldiers.
At the very least, those soldiers were heroes who risked their lives. Regardless of the reason they held a sword—even if that reason were money—the fact that they stood on the front lines did not change.
Diego, shifting his gaze away from Lucas, spoke casually to Irene, who was sitting there like a neglected sack of grain.
“I hear that even though it has been over a decade since the Royal Medical College opened its doors to women, the old-fashioned culture has yet to vanish. It is impressive that you have consistently held the top rank within that environment. That could not have been an easy feat.”
Irene didn’t know what to say. In fact, she didn’t even understand why she was sitting in this room.
Diego was a person entirely unlike her. If Irene was a ghost invisible to others, he was the sun that drew every gaze to himself.
A ghost and the sun.
Could there be a more ill-fitting combination? When the sun rose, the ghost had to vanish. While Irene was lost in a daze, the Baroness rebuked her with a sharp voice.
“The Grand Duke is asking you a question.”
“It is fine. It seems Miss Irene does not quite fancy me. That must be why she flatly rejected the proposal to become my personal physician.”
“What… what are you talking about?”
Baron Rios frowned, as if this were the first time he had heard of such a thing.
Diego feigned a troubled expression, murmuring, “Ah, my,” as if he had absolutely no intention of using her family to pressure her.
“It seems you have not heard the news from Miss Irene.”
“A personal physician? Irene? That is preposterous. Irene does not possess the skills for such a thing.”
“If someone who passed the Royal Medical exam as the top student does not possess the skills, then who exactly does?”
Diego asked back with a light laugh.
Baron Rios shut his mouth, appearing to have no words. He glanced at Irene with suspicious eyes.
It was the same for the other family members. They had no interest in Irene’s academic grades; they had simply been glad that she had left the house on her own.
*She, a top student? Since when? And the personal physician to the Grand Duke Cassis?* They didn’t know which part of the news to be more shocked by.
“Is that true?”