To commemorate the conclusion of my engagement with Jamon, I came to the Erpeso Ducal residence with Hans.

‘It’s a relief that Jamon handled the aftermath well.’

After even greeting the Emperor, Jamon had insisted on taking care of the follow-up matters himself.

It seemed obvious, yet I couldn’t help feeling grateful that I no longer had to worry about it.

“Welcome.”

Upon hearing that I was accompanied by Hans, Duke Erpeso personally came out to greet us. Whenever I visited the ducal residence alone, he wouldn’t even show his face beforehand. It seemed he was quite taken with his son-in-law.

With a Confucian smile, Hans said,

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

“You have no idea how surprised I was when I heard the news. Come on, let’s go inside.”

“Don’t I get a greeting?”

Regardless of what I said, Duke Erpeso went inside first with Hans.

“……”

From today, I decided to act as if I had no family.

“Sister.”

“Big sis, you’re here?”

No, there were others besides Duke Erpeso.

Looking over, I saw Finley, who had just come out nonchalantly, and Selena beside him.

“What are you doing here? Why not go inside?”

“Enjoying solitude.”

“You’re still as peculiar as ever.”

This guy.

Selena chuckled awkwardly beside him. For her sake, I decided to keep quiet.

“Finley, can you move my luggage to my room?”

“What? Order a servant! I’m right here!”

“It’s something important, so I trust you to handle it. Please?”

“Ugh…”

Despite a snort of disbelief, Finley obediently carried my luggage as I asked. He was a younger brother who listened well at times like this.

There was a reason I sent Finley away.

“Selena.”

“Yes?”

“Did you talk to father?”

I had something to ask Selena.

At my question, Selena hesitated.

“No, not yet…”

She hadn’t even spoken about it amidst all that had happened.

I understood her hesitation. However, with Finley’s fiancée about to be rescued, delaying too long wasn’t good.

“You know procrastination won’t help, right?”

“Yes…”

Selena replied dejectedly.

I understood her hesitation. But time was of the essence.

“Let’s make a promise, Selena.”

“What…?”

“Let’s talk about it during dinner tonight.”

“That, that’s…”

“You can do it.”

Despite my efforts to encourage her, Selena hesitated.

“If father says anything, I’ll be there to protect you, so don’t worry too much.”

Selena nodded weakly. Even with my support, she seemed scared.

‘Duke Erpeso is quite stoic, after all.’

I often had trouble understanding what he was thinking. I could only imagine how difficult it must be for Selena.

‘Anyway, let’s wrap this up at dinner time.’

I couldn’t delay it any longer either. Somehow, it had to be resolved today.

* * *

After parting with Selena, I returned to my room.

Hans was waiting for me in front of the room.

“You could’ve gone in and rested, why wait?”

“Just felt like waiting.”

Hans was as curt as ever in his speech.

“How does it feel to be back after so long?”

“Not much of a feeling.”

Such an unromantic angel. Even after returning to his room after a long time, Hans was nonchalant.

“Hans, can you help me with something?”

“I don’t have any points left.”

“Do I look like I only care about points?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

“Right.”

It was an undeniable fact.

But what of it now? There’s no need to accumulate points anymore.

I did enjoy broadcasting, but after collecting all the points, I couldn’t help feeling relieved. It was like understanding the heart of a wealthy, unemployed person.

“So, what do you need help with?”

Such a shy one. Despite hesitating, he would help in the end.

“Convincing Duke Erpeso. Selena still hasn’t told him about her relationship with Finley.”

“Leave them be. They’ll soon be nothing to us anyway.”

“Cold-hearted.”

Hans wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t just ignore it since I had a soft spot for Selena.

“Honestly, it would be best if Selena could handle it herself. But since there’s a chance the Duke might firmly refuse, let’s step in as a last resort. The Duke likes you a lot, Hans.”

“Alright, fine.”

He agreed readily. It wasn’t particularly difficult or awkward for Hans.

And so, the much-anticipated dinner time arrived.

* * *

Perhaps it was because of my return or thanks to Hans, but the dinner table was splendid. It was clear Duke Erpeso had given direct orders.

“Selena, relax a bit.”

I nudged the visibly nervous Selena. Startled by my whisper, she jumped.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Very.”

“Ugh…”

Selena groaned and made a pained face. The prospect of speaking to the Duke seemed overwhelmingly daunting.

I felt sorry for her, but speaking up wasn’t something I could help with. My role was to intervene after she spoke, if the atmosphere turned sour.

Then, as if she had made up her mind, Selena put down the fork she was holding.

“I have something to say.”

Her words drew everyone’s attention to her. Selena looked resolute.

“Selena.”

It seemed Finley had an inkling of what was about to unfold. He must have been briefed by Selena beforehand, but he didn’t seem to expect that she would reveal it today, and he too appeared slightly stiff.

Duke Erpeso’s expression was impassive, as always.

After hesitating for a moment, Selena finally spoke up with determination.

“Actually, Finley and I… we’ve been seeing each other.”

The truth she had struggled so much to reveal.

I knew how much courage it took for Selena to speak those words, and how hard it must have been for her to muster that resolve.

But Selena faced her fear and spoke out. It was an admirable sight.

“……”

I discreetly glanced at Duke Erpeso. His expression was unreadable as he looked at Selena.

There was no sign of surprise, just a quiet question.

“Is that so. For how long?”

“A, about two months.”

“I see.”

The Duke sighed, his expression starting to show some signs of emotion.

‘He’s troubled.’

The emotion was clear enough for even me to recognize. He definitely wasn’t pleased by the news.

“Selena, I consider you family, you know that.”

“Yes, of course! You’ve been so kind to me…”

“But being kind and placing you in the position of Duchess are two different matters.”

Selena faltered. Regardless, the Duke continued.

“Even if you are treated like family in the Ducal house, in the eyes of the nobility, your status is no different from that of a fallen noble, practically a commoner. Your ascension to the position of Duchess could complicate things for the Erpeso Ducal family.”

“But…!”

I was about to interject out of frustration, but Hans stopped me.

“Hold on.”

Hans whispered to me, holding me back. I looked at him, puzzled.

Following Hans’s gaze, I saw Selena.

Selena was biting her lip hard. Then, she stood up abruptly.

“I know! I know that… to the eyes of the nobility, I am nothing but a commoner.”

Before coming to the Ducal house, Selena had lived her whole life as a commoner.

“But I am a noble. I am of noble blood.”

Selena was right.

There was a reason why Duke Erpeso had chosen Selena among many fallen nobles.

Once, Selena was the heir to a great noble family that dominated the empire. It was a story from the distant past, but it was an undeniable truth.

“I am proud, and I can do it. I can withstand it! Whether it’s the gaze of people, the pressure, the responsibilities. Anything. So, please, trust me.”

Selena paused to take a breath, then continued.

“Trust in me, the one chosen by you and Finley.”

Selena, who spoke these words, was unbelievably assertive, far from the demure girl she usually was. Perhaps even audacious.

A silence hung in the dining room. Even the servants present were staring blankly, absorbed in the scene.

“Ha.”

What followed was the sound of laughter.

“Hahaha. Impressive, Selena.”

Duke Erpeso was laughing. It was the first time I had seen him laugh like that. He laughed so hard that tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

Selena and Finley looked utterly bewildered.

The Duke took off his glasses and wiped his tears before speaking.

“I knew it all along. That you two were in that kind of relationship.”

“What?”

My surprise made me blurt out a response.

“Then why did you bring up the matter of Finley’s fiancée?”

“Why, you ask? To see this exact situation.”

The mischievousness on display was unlike the Duke I knew.

“Finley, you are well aware of what it means to sit in the position of the Duchess.”

“Ah, yes.”

“What do you think? Do you believe Selena is fit for the role of the Duchess?”

“…….”

Finley spoke with a serious expression.

“Selena is stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. You can tell just from when she stood up to protect her sister at her first social event.”

The event was well-known, so Duke Erpeso must have heard of it.

When I was being isolated in society, Selena stepped up first to protect me. Despite it being her first social event, where she must have been very nervous.

That alone was proof of Selena’s strength.

“I believe that Selena will do well.”

Finley said so. And I shared the same belief.

Hearing the answer, the Duke smiled kindly.

“I see.”

Then he looked into Selena’s eyes.

“I’ve always thought the same. That Selena would do well.”

“Then…”

At Selena’s murmured words, the Duke said,

“Congratulations on truly becoming family, Selena.”