Harsen’s footsteps as he was walking through the corridor stopped with a brief signal. Duke Garten was waiting for him at the end of the corridor.
“I guess the Lady doesn’t have a good father.”
Duke Garten smirked and stroked his gray beard, “She would prefer I have another audience with the king than be at her Coming-of-Age ceremony. She’s greedy and clever because she takes after me.”
“…”
“However, she’s also foolish just like her mother. She’ll get what she wants no matter what, and doesn’t know to back down. At times, she even speaks without thinking. The Duchess has a lot to teach her.”
Duke Garten shrugged his shoulders as if he had given up trying to read Harsen’s expression, which only showed an apathetic reaction to his words.
“As the Duke knows, you and I are not the same.” He approached Harsen with an acknowledging attitude. “Unlike you, the world criticizes me for being a person driven by desire. But it’s funny, you know. Where can you find a man without any desire? Everyone pretends to be noble, pretends to be different, but lives with a desire that would eat them up should they ever slip up. The Duke, as well….” Smiling like a snake, the man put his hand on Harsen’s shoulder. “Am I right?”
The Duke, who finished speaking leisurely, patted Harsen’s shoulder. Harsen’s insipid look was immaculate without a single crack. He was as dry as someone who had never felt raw emotion.
Harsen grabbed the Duke’s arm and took his hand off cleanly, all the while keeping his eyes on Duke Garten, he said without hesitation, “What a lengthy speech.”
Duke Garten’s sharp eyes sank grimly. His low, murky voice echoed in the corridor, “Desire is not a filthy thing.”
Duke Garten already knew that Harsen pretended to be noble, but he was no different from a man eaten by his desire. Intrinsic desires make humans move. Whether in the right way or wrong. And Duke Garten already knew what Bernhardt’s desire was.
“I want you to remember that.”
“…”
“Then I’ll go first. My daughter is waiting.”
With his hands behind his back, Duke Garten walked past Harsen. A pair of black eyes stared at the end of the corridor where he had disappeared.
Darkness without a ray of light.
He walked slowly into it. Every time he was engulfed by the shadow, a cool wind sharply grazed his skin. Unlike the woman he met back in the day, the wind was bitterly cold.
As the surroundings grew dark, the hours they spent together took shape. He could not forget each and every moment of it. When he vividly remembered even a single golden lock that brushed against him,
‘Desire is not a filthy thing.’
An unpleasantly persistent sensation crept into his ears.
* * *
Duchess Garten’s lips, which had been smiling throughout the banquet, were unusually shriveled. There was a faint hint of nervousness between her brows.
‘Why isn’t she coming?’
The party had already heated up. Since earlier, flatterers, those who want to show her their face, and those who secretly wanted to ask for favors, all had come, yet Duchess Bernhardt won’t even show her nose.
Even her relative, Marquis Visaride, had shown his face briefly.
Then why did she even come? Is she making a mockery out of me, hmph! I really don’t like this sibling duo much. Meanwhile, her husband, Duke Garten, had not come either, so her patience was on its last thread.
Seeing her upset, Mrs. Tran started to curry favor with Duchess Garten, “She has her nose in the air. How stubborn…” Mrs. Tran mumbled in discontent. She did not specify anybody, but there was no one who did not know who she was targeting.
Nevertheless, Duchess Garten’s mood was not relieved.
She has a huge ego in that tiny little body of hers. I don’t get duke Bernhardt, what did he see in her? That head of hers is a pillow at best. I don’t know if she has a brain in there or not, and even if she does, it’s a bust.
“Perhaps it’s because His Excellency isn’t here yet.”
She was unhappy but Duchess Garten managed to regain her smile. It was the Coming-of-Age of her beloved daughter. How could she make a bad impression on such a fine day?
“Mother!”
She heard a lovely voice.
“Olivia!” The Duchess smiled brightly at Olivia. Olivia certainly stood out as the main character of the party. The Duchess was pleased with her daughter’s beauty.
“Why not stay with your friends for a while?”
“I stayed long enough. When is Father coming? I miss him.”
Olivia was covertly asking when Young Duke Bernhardt would come. Duchess Garten inwardly praised her daughter for not showing her true feelings. Nothing was more miserable than hanging on to a man.
The anger she felt for her husband was bubbling up to her head, yet she instantly squashed it down. How much face did she lose because of his inability to keep his lower half in check? Now, even his son from his ex-wife ignored her.
“Your father will be here soon, Olivia,” said the Duchess, suppressing her emotions.
Olivia held back what she wanted to say by boringly twisting her long hair. The Duchess was not unaware that it was her daughter’s subtle whining gesture. She tried to soothe Olivia.
“Oh, His Excellency, the Duke is finally here!”
The sound of Duke Garten’s arrival spread throughout the hall.
The cry announcing the arrival of Duke Garten also reached Ercella’s ears. It meant that the greetings she was delaying knowingly or unknowingly could no longer be delayed.
“Madam,” Adora, who was nearby, approached her upon hearing the call.
Ercella said to her, “I think we should see Lady Garten now. Adora, would you like to join us? Or would you prefer to visit the Countess for a bit?”
Between meeting the lady or seeing her mother, Adora’s choice was obvious.
“I…think I’ll go see my mother.”
Ercella laughed as if she already knew. “Very well, go ahead. And don’t forget to come back.” She gently pushed Adora’s back as if she were sending a bird away.
Adora smiled at her and gently curtsied. “Of course. Then, have a good time, both of you.”
Vicente answered instead with a nod of the head.
Ercella looked at Vicente, “Now let’s go congratulate the Lady on her Coming-of-Age.”
“Yes.”
A boring reaction for a man who was about to meet the woman he might marry.
Ercella felt sad about it but Vicente was not a child. He was taller than most of his peers, and in many aspects, was more mature than her as an adult.
Just because Ercella and her friends treat him like a child, Vicente won’t really become one. Since he grew up alone, he did not need his mother. Similarly, he could decide about his engagement on his own.
Ercella made their way along with Vicente.
The Duke was surrounded by a crowd.
‘It’s loud. Will it be okay?’
Ercella observed Vicente’s face carefully. He did not look particularly uncomfortable.
“Duchess Bernhardt!”
Instantly, annoyance flashed across Ercella’s face. Even without checking, she knew who that voice belonged to— Duke Garten.
The Duke had such good eyes that he easily found her and Vicente amidst a wave of people. Anyway, thanks to him, Ercella and Vicente could easily reach the hosts of the banquet.
“I hope you’ve been well, Your Excellency?” Ercella greeted with a smile.
Duke Garten smiled with delight, “Long time no see, Duchess. It’s been a long time since we’ve met in person. How did we miss each other despite being in the same space?”
That’s because Ercella unilaterally avoided him. She feigned ignorance, “I’m so glad you came back safely after such a difficult journey.”
“It’s disconcerting that the Duchess isn’t actually worried about me.” Duke Garten did not hold back his shameless remark.
Ercella, who suddenly had to pretend to be worried for the guy in front of her, struggled to protect the smile she was about to lose.
Duchess Garten, who was staring at it, closed her eyes and turned to the Duke. “Why are you so late? Your daughter has been waiting for a while.”
For an instant, the Duke’s face flashed annoyance, but no one noticed. He looked at Olivia and stretched out his arm. “O-Olivia! How’s the party? Are you enjoying it?”
“I’m having a good time thanks to you, Father.” Olivia greeted him brightly.
The Duke hugged Olivia’s shoulder and looked at Vicente. He smiled, “Just as I’ve heard, he looks very much like the upright Duke Bernhardt, Your Grace.”
She had heard the words often, but the underlying nuance was strange. Kind of sarcastic… However, since the Duke’s words seemingly looked fine on the surface, putting aside the uncomfortable feeling, Ercella replied, “Everyone says so. Let me introduce him formally. This is my son, Vicente.”
“I, Vicente Bernhardt, greet the distinguished Lord of House Garten.”
“Nice to meet you. I spoke to your father earlier, Young Lord.”
Ercella tilted her head. Harsen said he was meeting with Duke Garten separately, so I thought he would only officially invite him to the manor, or that he would pay a visit to Garten. Having such a simple meeting is just like Harsen.
Still, she liked how Harsen did not see the Duke for long. Ercella asked with a running stream of consciousness, “What did you talk about?”
“We didn’t talk much, only about what we do these days.”
“It must be tiring for you to hold long conversations since you’re just back from Conrad today.”
“There’s that. But it doesn’t matter. Since we’ll have endless days to meet in the future.”
They will soon be tied by an engagement. No one there was oblivious to the true meaning behind Duke Garten’s words.
“Even though she’s still immature, I hope Your Grace will treat my daughter with kindness.”
“How can I dislike such a lovely young lady?”
“Haha, that’s a relief.”
The start was surprisingly smooth. The Duke, who could have made her uncomfortable by mentioning Caron, only brought up topics that would not be impolite. He also seemed to have decided to stop playing childish word games.
It was a good thing for Ercella. The formal greeting ended amidst the confusion. Perhaps because the Duke wanted the children to spend time together, he dropped out of the conversation.
As Vincente turned his back, a fine path was drawn for him. Over there, he and Olivia could be seen talking. She wondered what they were talking about, but couldn’t hear them well because of the large and small noises intertwined. Ercella gave up listening and had an awkward chat with Duke and Duchess Garten.
As they talked about the hot gossip these days, dresses, jewelry, and gardens, Duke Garten would simply reply with exclamations1. Ercella was bored, but she did her best.
In the meantime, the dance music, which had been temporarily stopped due to the Duke Garten’s arrival, resumed. The naturally changed song announced the second part of the Coming-of-Age banquet.
It was time for Olivia and Vicente to dance. After dancing and staying for a while, this meeting would be over. After that, they had the option of staying and enjoying the banquet or returning home.
Ercella wanted to stay there and see Vicente make friends, but she also wanted to go home and throw her shoes off.
Maybe because they were new, her heels were scraping against them like sandpaper. They were the shoes Anna brought her. Lianne or Beth would have looked carefully, but this seemed to have happened because Anna rarely tended to her.
Still, the shoes she brought were a good match with the dress she was wearing right now.
‘I’ll make sure to praise her when I return.’
Ercella checked the clock and glanced at Vicente and Olivia.
‘When will they dance?’
Then a hand appeared before her.
“Please dance a song with me, Your Grace.” Duke Garten requested a dance with his insidious eyes.
What kind of joke is this? When Ercella did not respond readily, Duke Garten pushed for a response. And as the Duchess’s eyes narrowed sharply, Ercella broke into a cold sweat.
“Is it not your first dance? I’m not confident enough to take Duchess Garten’s place, Your Excellency.”
Ercella had no intention of getting between the Duke and Duchess Garten. Just imagining it gave her the creeps.
“Goodness, are you going to turn it down on such a good day? I’ll be ashamed to face the Duke.”
Now, he was even making a subtle threat, by mentioning Harsen’s name. It was difficult for Ercella to guess what the duke was up to. There were many people who asked her for a dance today. Maybe he drank something weird with Caron. As her imagination ran wild, she seized her crumbling expression.
“Please don’t turn me down. When else could I dance with the Duchess, if not today? Our circumstances haven’t been favorable.”
Sadly, Duke Garten was oblivious to her reluctance to interact with this snaky man.
Ercella hesitated for a moment. For some reason, it seemed that even if she refused, the Duke would not listen. She would have refused if he was not from a family they were getting engaged to, so she was a little frustrated since she could not.
This was a ballroom where men and women danced, and the other person was the head of the family they were establishing relations with.
‘There’s no way around.’
Ercella tried to give her hand saying, ‘Yes, let’s dance,’ with the mindset of an adult. It was then.
“I’m afraid I still haven’t learned to dance. Please forgive my insolence towards you, my Lady.”
Vicente’s voice spread throughout the surroundings.
Harsen’s footsteps as he was walking through the corridor stopped with a brief signal. Duke Garten was waiting for him at the end of the corridor.
“I guess the Lady doesn’t have a good father.”
Duke Garten smirked and stroked his gray beard, “She would prefer I have another audience with the king than be at her Coming-of-Age ceremony. She’s greedy and clever because she takes after me.”
“…”
“However, she’s also foolish just like her mother. She’ll get what she wants no matter what, and doesn’t know to back down. At times, she even speaks without thinking. The Duchess has a lot to teach her.”
Duke Garten shrugged his shoulders as if he had given up trying to read Harsen’s expression, which only showed an apathetic reaction to his words.
“As the Duke knows, you and I are not the same.” He approached Harsen with an acknowledging attitude. “Unlike you, the world criticizes me for being a person driven by desire. But it’s funny, you know. Where can you find a man without any desire? Everyone pretends to be noble, pretends to be different, but lives with a desire that would eat them up should they ever slip up. The Duke, as well….” Smiling like a snake, the man put his hand on Harsen’s shoulder. “Am I right?”
The Duke, who finished speaking leisurely, patted Harsen’s shoulder. Harsen’s insipid look was immaculate without a single crack. He was as dry as someone who had never felt raw emotion.
Harsen grabbed the Duke’s arm and took his hand off cleanly, all the while keeping his eyes on Duke Garten, he said without hesitation, “What a lengthy speech.”
Duke Garten’s sharp eyes sank grimly. His low, murky voice echoed in the corridor, “Desire is not a filthy thing.”
Duke Garten already knew that Harsen pretended to be noble, but he was no different from a man eaten by his desire. Intrinsic desires make humans move. Whether in the right way or wrong. And Duke Garten already knew what Bernhardt’s desire was.
“I want you to remember that.”
“…”
“Then I’ll go first. My daughter is waiting.”
With his hands behind his back, Duke Garten walked past Harsen. A pair of black eyes stared at the end of the corridor where he had disappeared.
Darkness without a ray of light.
He walked slowly into it. Every time he was engulfed by the shadow, a cool wind sharply grazed his skin. Unlike the woman he met back in the day, the wind was bitterly cold.
As the surroundings grew dark, the hours they spent together took shape. He could not forget each and every moment of it. When he vividly remembered even a single golden lock that brushed against him,
‘Desire is not a filthy thing.’
An unpleasantly persistent sensation crept into his ears.
* * *
Duchess Garten’s lips, which had been smiling throughout the banquet, were unusually shriveled. There was a faint hint of nervousness between her brows.
‘Why isn’t she coming?’
The party had already heated up. Since earlier, flatterers, those who want to show her their face, and those who secretly wanted to ask for favors, all had come, yet Duchess Bernhardt won’t even show her nose.
Even her relative, Marquis Visaride, had shown his face briefly.
Then why did she even come? Is she making a mockery out of me, hmph! I really don’t like this sibling duo much. Meanwhile, her husband, Duke Garten, had not come either, so her patience was on its last thread.
Seeing her upset, Mrs. Tran started to curry favor with Duchess Garten, “She has her nose in the air. How stubborn…” Mrs. Tran mumbled in discontent. She did not specify anybody, but there was no one who did not know who she was targeting.
Nevertheless, Duchess Garten’s mood was not relieved.
She has a huge ego in that tiny little body of hers. I don’t get duke Bernhardt, what did he see in her? That head of hers is a pillow at best. I don’t know if she has a brain in there or not, and even if she does, it’s a bust.
“Perhaps it’s because His Excellency isn’t here yet.”
She was unhappy but Duchess Garten managed to regain her smile. It was the Coming-of-Age of her beloved daughter. How could she make a bad impression on such a fine day?
“Mother!”
She heard a lovely voice.
“Olivia!” The Duchess smiled brightly at Olivia. Olivia certainly stood out as the main character of the party. The Duchess was pleased with her daughter’s beauty.
“Why not stay with your friends for a while?”
“I stayed long enough. When is Father coming? I miss him.”
Olivia was covertly asking when Young Duke Bernhardt would come. Duchess Garten inwardly praised her daughter for not showing her true feelings. Nothing was more miserable than hanging on to a man.
The anger she felt for her husband was bubbling up to her head, yet she instantly squashed it down. How much face did she lose because of his inability to keep his lower half in check? Now, even his son from his ex-wife ignored her.
“Your father will be here soon, Olivia,” said the Duchess, suppressing her emotions.
Olivia held back what she wanted to say by boringly twisting her long hair. The Duchess was not unaware that it was her daughter’s subtle whining gesture. She tried to soothe Olivia.
“Oh, His Excellency, the Duke is finally here!”
The sound of Duke Garten’s arrival spread throughout the hall.
The cry announcing the arrival of Duke Garten also reached Ercella’s ears. It meant that the greetings she was delaying knowingly or unknowingly could no longer be delayed.
“Madam,” Adora, who was nearby, approached her upon hearing the call.
Ercella said to her, “I think we should see Lady Garten now. Adora, would you like to join us? Or would you prefer to visit the Countess for a bit?”
Between meeting the lady or seeing her mother, Adora’s choice was obvious.
“I…think I’ll go see my mother.”
Ercella laughed as if she already knew. “Very well, go ahead. And don’t forget to come back.” She gently pushed Adora’s back as if she were sending a bird away.
Adora smiled at her and gently curtsied. “Of course. Then, have a good time, both of you.”
Vicente answered instead with a nod of the head.
Ercella looked at Vicente, “Now let’s go congratulate the Lady on her Coming-of-Age.”
“Yes.”
A boring reaction for a man who was about to meet the woman he might marry.
Ercella felt sad about it but Vicente was not a child. He was taller than most of his peers, and in many aspects, was more mature than her as an adult.
Just because Ercella and her friends treat him like a child, Vicente won’t really become one. Since he grew up alone, he did not need his mother. Similarly, he could decide about his engagement on his own.
Ercella made their way along with Vicente.
The Duke was surrounded by a crowd.
‘It’s loud. Will it be okay?’
Ercella observed Vicente’s face carefully. He did not look particularly uncomfortable.
“Duchess Bernhardt!”
Instantly, annoyance flashed across Ercella’s face. Even without checking, she knew who that voice belonged to— Duke Garten.
The Duke had such good eyes that he easily found her and Vicente amidst a wave of people. Anyway, thanks to him, Ercella and Vicente could easily reach the hosts of the banquet.
“I hope you’ve been well, Your Excellency?” Ercella greeted with a smile.
Duke Garten smiled with delight, “Long time no see, Duchess. It’s been a long time since we’ve met in person. How did we miss each other despite being in the same space?”
That’s because Ercella unilaterally avoided him. She feigned ignorance, “I’m so glad you came back safely after such a difficult journey.”
“It’s disconcerting that the Duchess isn’t actually worried about me.” Duke Garten did not hold back his shameless remark.
Ercella, who suddenly had to pretend to be worried for the guy in front of her, struggled to protect the smile she was about to lose.
Duchess Garten, who was staring at it, closed her eyes and turned to the Duke. “Why are you so late? Your daughter has been waiting for a while.”
For an instant, the Duke’s face flashed annoyance, but no one noticed. He looked at Olivia and stretched out his arm. “O-Olivia! How’s the party? Are you enjoying it?”
“I’m having a good time thanks to you, Father.” Olivia greeted him brightly.
The Duke hugged Olivia’s shoulder and looked at Vicente. He smiled, “Just as I’ve heard, he looks very much like the upright Duke Bernhardt, Your Grace.”
She had heard the words often, but the underlying nuance was strange. Kind of sarcastic… However, since the Duke’s words seemingly looked fine on the surface, putting aside the uncomfortable feeling, Ercella replied, “Everyone says so. Let me introduce him formally. This is my son, Vicente.”
“I, Vicente Bernhardt, greet the distinguished Lord of House Garten.”
“Nice to meet you. I spoke to your father earlier, Young Lord.”
Ercella tilted her head. Harsen said he was meeting with Duke Garten separately, so I thought he would only officially invite him to the manor, or that he would pay a visit to Garten. Having such a simple meeting is just like Harsen.
Still, she liked how Harsen did not see the Duke for long. Ercella asked with a running stream of consciousness, “What did you talk about?”
“We didn’t talk much, only about what we do these days.”
“It must be tiring for you to hold long conversations since you’re just back from Conrad today.”
“There’s that. But it doesn’t matter. Since we’ll have endless days to meet in the future.”
They will soon be tied by an engagement. No one there was oblivious to the true meaning behind Duke Garten’s words.
“Even though she’s still immature, I hope Your Grace will treat my daughter with kindness.”
“How can I dislike such a lovely young lady?”
“Haha, that’s a relief.”
The start was surprisingly smooth. The Duke, who could have made her uncomfortable by mentioning Caron, only brought up topics that would not be impolite. He also seemed to have decided to stop playing childish word games.
It was a good thing for Ercella. The formal greeting ended amidst the confusion. Perhaps because the Duke wanted the children to spend time together, he dropped out of the conversation.
As Vincente turned his back, a fine path was drawn for him. Over there, he and Olivia could be seen talking. She wondered what they were talking about, but couldn’t hear them well because of the large and small noises intertwined. Ercella gave up listening and had an awkward chat with Duke and Duchess Garten.
As they talked about the hot gossip these days, dresses, jewelry, and gardens, Duke Garten would simply reply with exclamations1. Ercella was bored, but she did her best.
In the meantime, the dance music, which had been temporarily stopped due to the Duke Garten’s arrival, resumed. The naturally changed song announced the second part of the Coming-of-Age banquet.
It was time for Olivia and Vicente to dance. After dancing and staying for a while, this meeting would be over. After that, they had the option of staying and enjoying the banquet or returning home.
Ercella wanted to stay there and see Vicente make friends, but she also wanted to go home and throw her shoes off.
Maybe because they were new, her heels were scraping against them like sandpaper. They were the shoes Anna brought her. Lianne or Beth would have looked carefully, but this seemed to have happened because Anna rarely tended to her.
Still, the shoes she brought were a good match with the dress she was wearing right now.
‘I’ll make sure to praise her when I return.’
Ercella checked the clock and glanced at Vicente and Olivia.
‘When will they dance?’
Then a hand appeared before her.
“Please dance a song with me, Your Grace.” Duke Garten requested a dance with his insidious eyes.
What kind of joke is this? When Ercella did not respond readily, Duke Garten pushed for a response. And as the Duchess’s eyes narrowed sharply, Ercella broke into a cold sweat.
“Is it not your first dance? I’m not confident enough to take Duchess Garten’s place, Your Excellency.”
Ercella had no intention of getting between the Duke and Duchess Garten. Just imagining it gave her the creeps.
“Goodness, are you going to turn it down on such a good day? I’ll be ashamed to face the Duke.”
Now, he was even making a subtle threat, by mentioning Harsen’s name. It was difficult for Ercella to guess what the duke was up to. There were many people who asked her for a dance today. Maybe he drank something weird with Caron. As her imagination ran wild, she seized her crumbling expression.
“Please don’t turn me down. When else could I dance with the Duchess, if not today? Our circumstances haven’t been favorable.”
Sadly, Duke Garten was oblivious to her reluctance to interact with this snaky man.
Ercella hesitated for a moment. For some reason, it seemed that even if she refused, the Duke would not listen. She would have refused if he was not from a family they were getting engaged to, so she was a little frustrated since she could not.
This was a ballroom where men and women danced, and the other person was the head of the family they were establishing relations with.
‘There’s no way around.’
Ercella tried to give her hand saying, ‘Yes, let’s dance,’ with the mindset of an adult. It was then.
“I’m afraid I still haven’t learned to dance. Please forgive my insolence towards you, my Lady.”
Vicente’s voice spread throughout the surroundings.
