* * *

Luna, along with Antes, rode the horse that was tied near the Duke’s residence and went straight back to her mansion.

Despite the deep night, several servants including Laura, Emma, and Royer were waiting for Luna at the entrance.

“Laura! Emma! Sorry for being late.”

Luna greeted them with a bright smile. She appeared slightly dirty from rolling on the ground, which made Laura rush to her crying out.

“Miss!”

“Miss! Oh my God…! What happened?!”

Emma looked as if she was about to scold Luna, but she was primarily concerned about Luna’s condition. Royer nearby suggested calling a doctor with a serious expression.

So, Luna demonstrated that she was perfectly fine by moving her arms and legs vigorously.

“It’s okay. Nothing happened. The young lord came to rescue me at the right time.”

Antes, smiling deeply as if he had been waiting for those words, wrapped an arm around Luna’s waist.

“True. There was a minor incident, but she’s safe.”

“An incident? What happened?!”

Laura asked with wide eyes, to which Antes responded with a meaningful smile.

Luna, fearing Antes would say something unnecessary and worry everyone, whispered to him not to mention her fall from the third floor.

“Oh my!”

“…?!”

While Antes pretended to understand, he took the opportunity to lean down and lightly kiss Luna’s cheek.

“Young lord?!”

Luna tried to step back in surprise, but Antes already had a firm grip on her waist. Unable to move even a step back, Luna’s face turned red. Antes grinned and gave a flimsy excuse.

“I couldn’t hear you clearly, so I leaned in.”

Even a three-year-old could tell it was a lame excuse.

Yet, for some reason, Luna didn’t get mad as usual but simply turned her head away.

The spectators realized that the relationship between the two had progressed while they weren’t looking. The pair now looked like a genuine couple, making onlookers feel a mix of surprise and admiration.

Luna noticed everyone’s reactions, especially since Royer was smirking.

Eager to change the subject before her face turned even redder, Luna’s eyes caught a small figure.

“Oh, Deborah?”

It was Deborah, who seemed to be sobbing a little distance away from Luna.

“Ah! Miss told me to take care of her in the note, so I brought her back to the mansion with me.”

Thankfully, Laura followed the instruction and brought Deborah safely. Relieved, Luna smiled at Deborah.

“I have good news.”

“Good news?”

“Yes. Want to see?”

Luna lightly tapped Antes’s arm, prompting him to produce a set of documents. They included Deborah’s contract and a check they had deceitfully acquired from the Duke.

Luna, omitting the risks she took to acquire these, explained how crucial these pieces of evidence were and how they would be used.

“We’ll go straight to litigation. Given the gravity, even the royal court will investigate. He’ll probably lose his title and go to prison. Stay with us until then. I’ll also ensure more guards for your mother’s room.”

“Lady Peils…!”

Overwhelmed, Deborah shed tears and sat down. She felt she had only been a burden, yet she kept receiving help.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we gathered crucial evidence. If it weren’t for you, I might have been tortured by the Duke for the rest of my life. Oh! And could you testify in court?”

Luna made this proposal so Deborah wouldn’t feel sorry anymore. Though the evidence was already enough, a testimony could evoke more sympathy.

“Is that really okay?”

Deborah’s eyes asked, to which Luna responded with affirmation.

“Testimony from the victim is the most solid evidence. Right, Royer?”

Luna urged for affirmation, but Royer, with a dazed expression, couldn’t reply immediately. He was too engrossed in the evidence which could completely devastate the Duke’s family.

“Do you not want to? Maybe we should find another lawyer.”

“No! No! Of course, I’ll do it! Yes, yes! Lady Luna is absolutely right!”

Antes never missed an opportunity to tease Royer, causing him to hurriedly agree and snatch the documents from Luna.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to resolve this. Why would I miss this opportunity to repay all the hardships I’ve suffered? I’ll start by drafting the complaint so that the remaining evidence isn’t destroyed.”

“If there’s no law, I would even create one to finish this.”

Knowing that he would be engrossed in work and might not sleep for a while, Luna apologized to Laura.

“I’m sorry for taking Royer away again, Laura. Once this is over, I won’t take him away from you.”

“…What?”

However, unfortunately, the two of them hadn’t publicly acknowledged that they were dating.

This left Laura blinking in surprise, frozen like a statue. Royer was the same.

“What are you talking about, Miss? Taking Royer away from Laura?”

Emma, unaware of the situation, tilted her head in confusion, but Luna couldn’t find any excuse.

So the only person left was Antes. He chuckled at his lover’s cute mistake and spoke on her behalf.

“They are dating. It seems Royer has been considering marriage.”

He wasn’t lying. Antes dropped the bombshell, suggesting they should date openly.

“Ah, Lord Antes!?”

“What, marriage?! Really, Laura?!”

Shocked not only by their relationship but also by the news that Royer was thinking about marriage, Emma shook Laura by the shoulders.

“No, not yet! The lady should go first!”

“What are you talking about, Laura! I thought you would be the first to marry?!”

Suddenly, Laura grabbed Luna’s hand, causing her to blurt out anything. Silence filled the mansion.

“…So, you mean you’re thinking of getting married…?”

Always emphasized living alone in the world?

Cornered, Luna stammered, ‘I mean… we’re still young…!’ but failed to give a proper answer.

Antes, once again seeing her burdened with responding, gave a cryptic smile to Luna and gave a vague answer.

“It seems the order is set.”

* * *

The next day, a thunderbolt struck at Duke Rodrian’s mansion. Initially, it was because Fersen, after overdosing on sedatives, had disappeared.

Luckily, the only place he could’ve gone was Deborah’s room, so it wasn’t hard to find him.

However, the problem came after. They found the unconscious Fersen, but the owner of the room was missing.

The wide-open window and the trace of something fallen beneath it hinted she might have escaped, but there was one strange thing.

“These big footprints are…”

Confusion grew over Antes’s footprints, who apparently left the mansion without any intention of hiding.

“Ha! It means there was a man. Damn it!”

This fueled the Duke’s anger, mistakenly believing the butler and the Duchess were having an affair.

Of course, the misfortune of the Duke’s family didn’t end there. For some reason, Fersen, who had fainted, didn’t wake up.

Even after being slapped in the face, seeing that there was nothing wrong with him, he didn’t awaken.

“Wake up! Wake up, you fool!”

Watching the Duke take out his frustrations on Fersen, Beth moistened her dry lips with her tongue.

‘What on earth happened…?!’

She couldn’t understand why Deborah had run away or if she indeed had.

There was no need for Fersen and Deborah to share a bed, so there was no reason to flee.

But why…

‘Maybe she was kidnapped?!’

It was a mansion she couldn’t escape from on her own.

‘If that’s true, what should I do? What should I report to the madam…?’

While she agonized over the situation, an unexpected guest arrived at the Duke’s mansion.

“Your, Your, Your, Your Excellency…! You need to come down quickly…!”

Even with the news of an important visitor, the Duke, still angry, wasn’t in the mood to meet anyone. He intended to send them away.

However, the visitor didn’t wait politely for the Duke.

“There’s no need for you to come down. I’ll just greet you and get on with my business, so please don’t worry.”

Ten officials and knights from the imperial administration in uniform politely greeted the Duke and conveyed their message.

“We have received a complaint that the Duke has evaded a large amount of tax using multiple names. We will search the mansion from now on. You have no right to refuse, so please rest here comfortably.”