Ch. 65

While I was thinking, the man approached me. "Good day, I am the butler in charge of this estate."

He was a man with a prominent white beard. His tone was calm, but his gaze subtly scanned me before shifting to the small box I was holding. "You have brought chocolate chip cookies?"

"Yes, I believe the duchess will like them," I said with a smile, my confidence barely visible.

The butler stepped aside, allowing me to pass. "Our duchess dislikes chocolate chip cookies that are not to her taste, and you seem like someone I have never met before. Which family do you hail from?"

I hesitated for a moment before responding, "I come from the Everitt family."

It felt different saying my family name out loud. Most nobles wouldn’t know my last name. After all, it was from a common family with no power.

"A family I have not heard of before. Did you come from the countryside?"

"No, I’ve always lived in the capital. And just to clarify, I’m not a noble, but a commoner."

The butler's gaze became more disdainful. He watched me for a moment before extending his hand. "Our duchess does not meet with commoners, but I will take these cookies inside."

I handed the box to him, and he quickly accepted it and walked into the estate. I stood by the door, waiting.

I wasn’t particularly offended by the butler's attitude. This was a society based on status, and it was indeed difficult for a commoner like me to meet with a duchess.

I had come only to assist Ardion, but I still felt anxious. Perhaps I should have lied or made up something to get inside without hindrance.

Despite my inner anxiety, everything around me seemed peaceful. In the center of the courtyard, a fountain shot up, creating a rainbow, and the neatly trimmed garden trees looked magnificent.

Suddenly, Derol spoke up. "Master, are they going to throw us out?"

"I’m sure the cookies will taste good. The duchess might even invite us in after tasting them."

Although I said that, my anxiety was still there. I was trying to sound confident to Derol, but honestly, I wasn’t sure how things would go. The cookies might not even be to her taste.

At that moment, I noticed ants crawling around the garden. The duchess reportedly disliked small insects, so there was a chance she might not appreciate the ants either.

"Derol, do you think you could catch those ants?"

Derol looked around, then replied confidently, "No problem. Master, do you need them now?"

"Not right now, but if I end up speaking to the duchess, I might need them. She doesn’t like small insects, so if I release some ants in her room, it might help the conversation."

This would be my last resort if I couldn’t communicate with the duchess. However, it would only be effective if she agreed to meet with me in the first place.

Derol exclaimed from my pocket, "I’ll catch them right away!"

His confident shout gave me a little surge of confidence. I wasn’t sure how things would turn out, but it was better to be prepared.

"Derol, you can handle this carefully, right?"

"Of course, Master. Just give me a signal, and I’ll release the ants."

I took Derol out of my pocket, but just then, the door swung open. I quickly turned away, hiding Derol, as the butler stood at the door, looking at me with a stiff posture.

"The duchess has requested to see you."

Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but smile. It seemed the chocolate chip cookies were a hit after all. I passed the first hurdle.

With a subtle smile, I stepped inside the mansion.

The inside of the mansion was grand and elegant. Massive columns stretched up to the high ceiling, with intricate designs carved by craftsmen, making them look like works of art.

From the large portraits on the walls to the spacious central hall... it truly was a noble estate.

The butler led me down a long corridor and stopped at an archway. "The duchess is waiting inside."

"Thank you." I nodded politely to the butler.

His face froze in surprise, but he soon turned and left.

I greeted him as I usually did, though I wondered why he reacted like that. It seemed he thought I didn’t know the proper noble greeting. I checked my dress once more before entering the parlor.

Duchess Heverun elegantly held her teacup. She took a sip and slowly lowered the cup.

It was a small movement, but there was an undeniable elegance to it. She then slowly turned her head towards me.

Upon seeing me, she gave me a slight smile. 

"I’ve tasted the cookies." She gestured to a nearby sofa. "Please, have a seat."

I politely nodded to the duchess before sitting across from her.

"They were sweet enough, and they tasted better than other cookies I’ve tried. How did you make them?"

Since I didn’t know the recipe myself, I was caught off guard but didn’t show it. Smiling, I replied, "If you let me finish what I’m about to say, I’ll tell you how I made them."

The duchess leaned back against the sofa and scoffed. "Are you trying to bargain with me over cookies? A commoner like you dares to speak to me like that after I’ve allowed you to meet with me?"

I had expected it to be difficult, but she was proving to be a much tougher opponent than I had thought. Still, I didn’t let my smile falter. If I showed weakness here, I’d be in even more trouble. This was the kind of skill I had learned while dealing with Duke Orchid.

I looked the duchess in the eyes and said calmly, "Of course, it’s truly an honor for someone like me to meet you. But when it comes to recipes, even after 10 or 20 years of research, it’s hard to get them just right. More than anyone, Duchess, I believe you, who loves chocolate chip cookies, will understand the effort that goes into making them."

"Hmm, you’re right. Even though I’ve wanted to enjoy such delicious cookies, I could never find the perfect ones. I even tried making them myself, but I always failed." She scrutinized me. "So, what exactly do you want to talk to me about?"

"I came to tell you that the crown prince's marriage is a mistake."

As soon as I said that, the duchess’s face turned cold. "You know I don’t like hearing such things, don’t you? And I’ve heard your family is a common one. How dare you say something like that to me? Leave. Now."

Her eyes were fierce, and it seemed that the conversation wouldn’t continue at this point.

I pretended to stand up and look around. Derol was waving his hands next to the duchess. I signaled to him, and he quickly released a few ants from his small hand.

After seeing Derol flee hastily, I said with a surprised expression, "Duchess, there are ants…"

Before I could finish speaking, the duchess shouted, “Oh my, get rid of them now! Butler!”

It was an ear-piercingly loud voice. I quickly caught the ants and sent them out through the window.

The duchess looked at me with a stern face. “H-how could…”

I hurried over to the frozen duchess. “Duchess, are you okay? I’ve already thrown them out. But I think I might need to take another look at it. I know how to use water magic. Would you like me to clean the area up with it?”

Hearing my calm voice, the duchess still looked embarrassed. She just stared blankly at me.

I held the duchess’ hand tightly. Her hand was shaking, clearly because she was very startled.

“Duchess, there are no ants here anymore. You can rest assured.”

“Th-thank you,” the Duchess said with difficulty and exhaled. She briefly placed her hand on her heart and shook her head. “How can you catch them so easily? I can’t even look at those disgusting things.”

“Actually, I also find them distasteful. But seeing you so surprised made me feel like I should step forward.”

The lady’s face looked completely enthralled by me. She was looking at me as if I were a hero. She gripped my hand tightly. “Don’t think too deeply about what I said to leave earlier. By the way, you even clean with water magic?”

“Yes, I make a living using my magic.”

“You’re very versatile. There are many nobles who can’t handle their mana properly. I’m no different.”

“I’m honored to hear you say that, Duchess.” I smiled brightly and bowed my head.

The duchess’s face became softer than before. “You’re even polite. I’ve never seen someone like you before. Even though I yelled at you and shamed you, you stepped forward to help me…”

The duchess looked me over.

I smiled and bowed my head to her, staying like that for a few seconds.

“By the way, what was it that you were talking about earlier?”

The conversation finally started to loosen up a little. I raised my head with a happy face. “I came here to inform you that His Highness the Crown Prince’s marriage is wrong.”

“Rowell may be selfish, but I support the marriage.”

“May I ask why you support it?”

“Rowell is the one who must succeed the emperor. I can’t help but be happy that he’s finally getting married after not showing any interest in marriage until now.”

I wondered if Duchess Heverun knew about what Rowell had done. Would she still support this marriage even after knowing all that…?

I thought about it carefully and then opened my mouth. “Do you know that His Highness is marrying a commoner?”

“Oh, I heard. I don’t like it, but if he gives her a title before getting married, I won’t mind. Then the House of Nobles will stay quiet.”

“But Rowell is not qualified to marry a commoner, Duchess.”

“What do you mean?”

“The trial results will come out in 5 days, and Rowell is the one who killed the people in the arson incident.”

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