However, Deborah couldn’t fully trust the butler’s words, so she used half of the gold coins to purchase medicine for her mother.

Afterward, she asked her neighbor to take care of her mother, not knowing when she would return.

“Is it over now?”

“…Yes.”

After organizing everything, Deborah followed the butler onto the carriage. She felt uneasy about where they were going and why, but she had received adequate compensation, so she tried to calm herself.

After a long wait, they arrived at a place that couldn’t be described in words due to its dazzling grandeur. It was a magnificent mansion.

Deborah, who had disembarked from the carriage with a bewildered expression, hurriedly followed the butler’s swift footsteps.

And then…

“I brought her.”

Inside the room they had arrived at, there was a sharply dressed man. It was Duke Rodrigian.

After listening to the butler’s explanation in advance, he scrutinized Deborah from head to toe.

She was momentarily uneasy and swallowed dryly at his intense gaze.

“She really resembles her.”

The Duke, looking very satisfied, complimented Deborah, causing her to bite her lip in confusion. She had no idea what he meant by resembling whom.

Then, the Duke, now wearing a somewhat compassionate smile, gestured for Deborah to sit on the sofa.

“It looks like this might take a while, so let’s have a leisurely conversation over tea.”

Seeing that they might only have a conversation without any actions, Deborah felt a slight relief and took a seat across from the Duke.

“Is your mother sick?”

“Oh, yes…”

“I heard you didn’t hesitate to beg for money to buy her medicine.”

The Duke took a sip of tea as he asked. His tone wasn’t mocking; he was merely trying to gauge how difficult her life had been.

What she had done without any hesitation just yesterday suddenly made her feel ashamed when she accepted it positively in this luxurious mansion.

Deborah lowered her head slightly and nodded faintly. The Duke, with a satisfied expression, finally brought up the main topic.

“If you grant my request, not only will I provide the money for the medicine, but I’ll also ensure you live a luxurious life for the rest of your days.”

Deborah raised her head, her eyes blinking in confusion.

“What request…?”

“It’s nothing much. I simply want you to get along well with my son.”

“Your son?”

The son of someone living in such a splendid mansion?

Although she wasn’t sure about the Duke’s exact position, she could tell he was no ordinary noble. For such a person’s son to want to get close to her, it couldn’t possibly mean what it sounded like, could it?

The Duke, however, seemed to have expected her confusion and waited for her definite answer.

“That’s right. If you give birth to a child, I’ll give you as much money as you desire.”

“…Yes?!”

It wasn’t just a one-night request, but a child? This extreme proposal left Deborah speechless, and the butler, who had been waiting nearby, was also in shock.

Did he want to use her to secure an heir? She wondered if he had given up on Fersen and now wanted to have a new heir of his own.

The Duke had considered adoption, so it wasn’t that strange of a request.

“Why are you asking me this…?”

Numerous questions came to her mind, but Deborah voiced the one that puzzled her the most.

Why her?

If this grand mansion belonged to such an exceptional family, they should have found a woman from a similar background, not a woman who had struggled on the streets like her.

“It’s because you have a face my son might like.”

Although she didn’t resemble Luna perfectly, she had a somewhat confusingly similar face. With some grooming and makeup, she could easily pass for Luna Peils.

But that didn’t mean she would readily agree to a proposal as extreme as giving birth to a child.

If she had had the temperament to accept such a proposal, she wouldn’t have gone through all this hardship.

Deborah remained silent and absentmindedly toyed with the teacup in her hands, and the Duke promised her specific rewards without any further words.

“If you grant my request, I’ll give you 10,000 gold coins.”

“10,000 gold coins?!”

That amount was beyond a luxurious life. With that much, she could not only cure her mother’s illness but also live comfortably for several lifetimes.

However, not everyone who wanted to have a child could have one. If it were that easy, they wouldn’t offer 10,000 gold coins for it.

Despite making such a tempting proposal, when Deborah didn’t respond, the Duke, who had stood up, signaled to his butler to take care of her and ensure her comfort.

“Provide her with the best room, and let her stay here to think for a while. Prepare the necessary items.”

“Yes, understood.”

Accordingly, the butler took Deborah out of the Duke’s office and gave her various advice.

“It’s a good offer, so you should take it. Even if it’s for your mother’s sake. There is a limit to the life you can sustain with medicine.”

The butler was right. Although she was somehow surviving with medication now, it would have been better to get surgery from a competent doctor as soon as possible.

Moreover, if she refuses this offer, the day will come when she won’t even be able to get the medicine.

When she will beg on the streets and sell her body for a low price just to feed herself.

But…

“It would be better to think again after washing and changing clothes. Oh, since we don’t have any clothes for you to wear, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go out and buy some.”

As Deborah continued to worry without making a decision, the butler thought of a way to persuade her.

At this moment, she was simply hesitating due to her lack of knowledge of the world. Once she tasted the luxuries, she would likely find it hard to refuse.

With that in mind, the butler, walking down the corridor, called over the servants who happened to be nearby.

“She’s an important guest, so assign her the central room on the second floor and assist her with bathing. We plan to go out later, so prepare suitable clothing.”

“Yes, understood.”

The servants greeted the butler and then examined Deborah’s face, slightly taken aback. Although she looked slightly different upon closer inspection, at a glance, she resembled Luna Peils quite closely.

“What are you waiting for? Get moving!”

However, as if she had suddenly received a sharp reprimand from the butler, nothing unusual happened, and she was quickly guided upstairs.

Then…

“Jillian?”

The Duchess, who happened to see this, called the butler by name. Lately, he had been frequently absent, making her wonder what he was up to.

“Who is that?”

“Oh, it’s a guest.”

Since the Duchess didn’t seem to know anything about this situation, the butler hesitated for a moment and then mumbled.

Fortunately, it seemed she didn’t hear their conversation accurately, as she asked the butler about the guest’s identity.

“Whose guest?”

“His Excellency’s guest.”

“His guest?”

Upon hearing the words of the woman the Duke called, the Duchess’s forehead wrinkled.

“Why did she come here?”

“I don’t really know.”

“…”

The Duchess bit her lip as the butler avoided answering, even though it was obvious that she knew.

She had been quiet for a while, while the Duke was trying to sort out the mess after Fersen, so she felt a little relieved, but then they suddenly brought a young woman.

She hadn’t really complained about the Duke until now, but she wasn’t happy with his actions.

Although he always said that he was acting for the sake of the family, it seemed like all he did was ruin the Dukedom.

* * *

Returning to the inn early in the morning, Luna stared intently at Laura, who was sitting across from her.

When had she become involved with Royer like this? So, Royer had offered to come along with her because of that?

She had made it quite obvious but acted as if she hadn’t known.

Nevertheless, she should have declared their relationship when she suggested they were dating. She had been exposed for everything she had done since that moment, yet Laura had hidden it all so skillfully.

“Miss… has something happened?”

Since Luna stared at her so intently, Laura eventually couldn’t stand it and spoke up. It had been puzzling why Luna suddenly acted like this when everything seemed fine just yesterday.

In response, Luna sighed deeply and lowered her head.

“No, it’s nothing. I just thought you had become an adult without my knowing.”

“Yes?”

When she first saw Luna, she had just turned eighteen, but she was already an adult. At that time, Luna was only ten years old.

“Laura, do you enjoy being in a relationship?”

“…Yes?”

Why are you asking me? In fact, Luna was the one who was having an open relationship, but because she said something she didn’t mean, Laura’s eyes widened.

In a hurry, Luna tried to justify her question, saying:

“Oh, no, I mean, I’m not really sure. It seems like there’s not much difference between before and after being in a relationship.”

Thinking it was quite a plausible excuse, Luna responded with a question.

“What are you talking about? You seem to be having so much fun these days.”

“That’s because I got rid of Fersen. I made a lot of money, and discovered several mines.”

“Oh, that’s different. You look so comfortable with Lord Antes.”

Laura laughed softly, still not understanding what Luna meant.

“What’s different?”

“Well, should I say it looks comfortable?”

“Really comfortable because you’ve never seen me getting along so comfortably with anyone other than family.”

Laura, who was very confident, answered like that.

Luna was just trying to ask Laura if she liked being in a relationship, but instead heard something strange.

When Luna rolled her eyes and tilted her head, Laura added that it was always like that.

“It’s natural that we don’t know much when we’re together. Antes and the lady are so close. Normally, you have to go through difficulties to realize things like this.”

“Difficulties?”

“Yes. For example, when someone takes an interest in young lord Antes, or when you suddenly grow distant.”

Laura smiled slightly, saying that although it is best not to know, you will probably realize it when something like that happens.

Luna was about to reply that it would never happen, but closed her mouth.

In the first place, it was something that should be celebrated since she was desperately hoping that someone would be next to Antes.

Laura, reading Luna’s expression, shook her head, saying that Luna still had a long way to go before she became an adult.