Amid misunderstandings and shocks, Antes, who alone accurately grasped the truth, couldn’t hide his joy, as if he had the whole world, while he was cooking. No, he even created a menu by date and shared it with Emma.

Emma was thrilled that Antes was now even taking care of Luna’s diet.

Rosemary, relieved to see Antes not acting wild, urgently asked Luna:

“Did you send the letter?”

“Yes…”

Why did she send that letter? She just wanted to check his feelings. Luna, who unintentionally caused unexpected issues, left a lingering response. It was thanks to Rosemary’s advice that Antes was in the kitchen like that.

No, as soon as she realized he liked her, she felt embarrassed and couldn’t even make eye contact. The one with feelings was Antes, but Luna didn’t know why she was behaving like this.

Luna gave a deep sigh and responded, leaving a shocked Rosemary with her mouth wide open.

“Did he already cater to the Lady’s demands?! What did you ask for?!”

You saw it earlier. It’s food. This will make me her slave– or rather, her provider(?). He’s still hard at work in the kitchen.

However, Luna couldn’t say this and was trying to beat around the bush, but Antes, as if he had been waiting, joined the conversation.

“What are you talking about so seriously?”

And naturally, he sat next to Luna. Antes usually occupied the seat next to Luna, but today, for some reason, Luna unconsciously moved away without realizing it.

“…!”

Naturally, an awkward silence ensued. Luna, who made a needless move, stiffened, and Antes, seeing this, couldn’t help but smirk.

Of course, it was because he found the tense Luna cute, but Rosemary misinterpreted it as a snicker due to absurdity and became thoughtful.

This is bad, really bad.

Thanks to the overflowing misunderstandings, it was pure chaos.

But seeing Antes cooking showed that he realized Luna’s state and was trying to mend their relationship(?). Therefore, Rosemary, determined to ensure the two don’t break up, abruptly stood up.

“I need to go now. I suddenly had something to do.”

“Already?”

Stay a bit longer. It’ll be awkward if we’re alone. Luna pleaded with pitiful eyes to Rosemary.

Naturally, Rosemary wanted to stay, but for a bigger cause, short-term joy had to be sacrificed.

‘I need to step in and make sure she doesn’t get swayed by someone.’

Clenching her fists, Rosemary nodded, indicating she would leave.

“I’ll visit again later. Definitely. So, let’s part for now.”

With a significant farewell, she left the mansion.

Anyone would mistake her for a sorrowful heroine by her pitiful appearance. Antes, puzzled by her behavior, turned his gaze to Luna.

“Try it. It’s freshly baked.”

“…You baked it yourself?”

“Emma prepared the dough, but I did the rest.”

Adding flavor, shaping, baking, decorating; Antes answered with a soft smile.

And Luna… then stared at the heart-shaped cookie speechless.

Not all were heart-shaped; there were round, triangular, and square cookies. But for some reason, the heart-shaped ones stood out the most, and unfortunately, Luna saw only those.

Hesitant to reach out, Antes brought a cookie to Luna’s face.

A heart-shaped cookie.

“Try it.”

“No, wait a moment.”

Why that one? I can eat it myself. Luna declined Antes’ excessive care.

Antes put the cookie down. Afraid he’d feed her again, Luna quickly took a square cookie and took a bite.

“…!”

The rich taste filled her mouth.

Without a doubt, Antes had the skills to start a restaurant. Luna, eyes wide in surprise, took another bite.

It was fun watching her reactions. Without asking if it was delicious, Antes chuckled, seeing how much she seemed to enjoy it.

* * *

“I’ll accept the proposal.”

After a long hesitation, Deborah’s decision made the Duke’s lips curl in a smile

 It was regrettable to keep him waiting for such a trivial thing, but finding a woman resembling Luna wasn’t easy.

‘Moreover, she’s the best to use and then dispose of.’

It would be great if she took money and behaved well, but in most cases, she will continue to extort money using the child as an excuse.

It really might be annoying.

Deborah, who had a family environment that was very convenient to dispose of in the unlikely event that such a situation arose, was the woman the Duke wanted.

“Good decision. Then, as soon as you’re ready, meet Fersen.”

But as they were rushing to proceed, Deborah cut off the Duke’s words with a serious face.

“But there’s a condition.”

“Condition?”

It was outrageous to interrupt, and now a condition?

He had already offered money, even promising to cure her mother’s illness. What was this brazen attitude all about?

Being so cheeky, the Duke seemed to imply that once everything was settled, he would definitely get rid of Deborah and her mother.

“…While staying here, let me buy whatever I want. Jewels, dresses, and such.”

And then, he couldn’t help but scoff at her subsequent response.

They thought she was naive just by her appearance, but her demands were quite materialistic. Yet, he wasn’t angry or planning to scold her. It was even better to openly demand riches. Easier to handle.

“Alright. So be it.”

Acting on the advice of the Duchess, as the Duke seemed to let his guard down completely, Deborah secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the Duke, who had kept the contract in his drawer all along, took it out and urged Deborah to sign it.

“After signing, I’ll tell you how to behave from now on. The way you look now is a bit lacking.”

She had already heard about Luna Peils from the servant the Duchess introduced to her. And she had received this proposal because she looked like the woman Fersen was obsessed with. So, she didn’t ask why.

Deborah, trying to hide her trembling hands, completed the signature on the contract.

Then, as if he had been waiting, the Duke called someone.

The person who appeared in front of the nervous Deborah was thankfully the servant left by the Duchess. Foolishly, the Duke still seemed unaware that she was a confidant of the Duchess.

“Take her. Train her and let her meet Fersen. As soon as possible.”

“Understood.”

Deborah, who left the office with the servant and the butler, unknowingly sighed deeply.

The butler, who took a glance at her, clicked his tongue softly and started giving instructions.

“When in front of Fersen, don’t show such an attitude. That woman has never been tense in front of him.”

Don’t hesitate or stutter. If she feels tense, she better stay silent and cold. The explanation continued.

“If everything goes well, as I mentioned before, we will cure your mother’s illness completely. So just focus on finishing this quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Deborah unknowingly clenched her fist.

The advice of the Duchess played a part, but the main reason for her decision was her mother’s situation.

“…You’re taking good care of her, right? She’s okay, right?”

“Yes. She’s getting drug treatments in a good hospital, so don’t worry.”

The butler lied without a second thought. The ‘free hospital’ didn’t exist, and the sudden disappearance of Deborah’s mother was supposedly due to sleepwalking.

But a person who can barely walk couldn’t possibly sleepwalk. And a longtime neighbor wouldn’t lie.

It was an obvious lie, and at that time, she was in shock and believed him momentarily. But not now, because someone had verified whether it was true.

“If you’re done explaining, can we start with the bath and makeup now?”

The servant, who had been listening to the conversation carefully, cautiously asked the butler. After a moment of consideration, he nodded.

After all, just explaining wouldn’t make her the perfect Luna Peils.

Even if it’s a little clumsy, if they make her face look similar with makeup, it should work somehow.

“Go ahead.”

With a nod, the servant gently pushed Deborah out of the butler’s sight and disappeared.