How the Useless Me Became the Beloved of the Devilish Duke Knight - Chapter 21
Chapter 21 : Invitation and Encounter
That evening, a luxurious two-horse carriage arrived in front of the Duke Germane’s mansion. When the well-dressed man and woman got out, a row of servants and butlers greeted them.
“Welcome. Thank you for taking the time to come here.”
“It is we who should thank you for the invitation—”
The father of the Tarcoza family, Zeaden, responded with an ambiguous smile and muddled his greeting.
They were servants, in other words, were supposed to be of lower status than themselves, who were nobles by blood.
However, when he saw the lace on the maids’ aprons, the cleanliness of the servants’ suits, which looked as good as new, and the size of the mansion made it clear that it would be unwise to adopt an arrogant attitude.
Although Zaden Tarcoza was an absolute ruler at home, he was also a man who didn’t hesitate to act subserviently outside.
In addition, he had a certain ability in sensing someone’s rank and putting distance to other people.
This made him surprisingly good at flattery, which is why he had been able to get through life up until now.
‘I don’t know the details, but before I could send Carolyn to the party, a huge opportunity presented itself. Germane—a noble with the rank of duke! Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, the heir who serves as a guard in the royal capital is still single. We cannot let this chance slip away.’
He glances out of the corner of his eye at his daughter, who is both an important asset and a potential source of trouble.
Although she gazes at the luxurious mansion with sparkling eyes, she holds her chin up arrogantly and displays clear disdain in her blue eyes.
In both appearance and arrogance, she is truly just like her mother. Her beauty and magical power are beyond reproach, but her personality is difficult to manage.
Earlier, she had been irritated by the rain preventing her from going out and started making a fuss about picking up the outfit that should have already been ready.
Without Elma, there was no one to divert her anger, so Zeaden was left frustrated and went out by himself.
However, when he returned after getting dressed at the store, he found that a messenger from an unfamiliar noble had arrived at the mansion!
‘Carolyn’s selfishness actually worked out well this time. Thanks to that, we can go to dinner even without Erma. But, seriously, that lazy person…where on earth is she wandering off to ?’
“His Excellency is a busy person and will come to greet you later. In the meantime, Please enjoy your meal.”
As Zeaden began to think about how he would punish Elma when she got home, the butler led him into the mansion.
‘Incredible. So spacious, with a long history, and everything is first-class. This is wealth! This is nobility! I, too, will soon live this kind of life…’
Suppressing his rising desire with a polite smile, Zeaden accepted the dinner.
He thoroughly enjoyed the food with Carolyn and even asked for seconds.
The fact that the butler himself was serving them indicated how much they were being favored.
It was worth the effort of distributing Carolyn’s picture and spreading rumors first, rather than suddenly showing up at the party.
‘A duchess… The status and wealth exceed what I had anticipated. Given Carolyn’s personality, she might quickly lose interest, but if we can secure an heir—or at least establish a fait accompli—then the rest will be ours. ’
As expected, an after-dinner drink was also prepared, and Zeaden was completely satisfied. Then, he was informed that the master was coming, and he stood up with Carolyn.
‘Well, even though he’s a high-ranking noble, he’s just the kind of man who could be swayed by the beauty of a girl he has never met. If we flatter and appease him as usual—’
However, the friendly smile froze as soon as the person arrived.
The moment a man with his face covered by cloth entered the room, the atmosphere clearly changed—at least that’s how it felt.
In fact, Carolyn, who was wearing her night clothes and had a lot of exposed skin, got goosebumps and almost chattering her teeth.
The man, dressed in a military uniform decorated with numerous medals denoting his high rank, was very tall.
Both Zeaden and Carolyn had to look up at him as a cold, low voice emanated from him.
“Welcome, Lord Tarcoza. I am Eugreek Germane, the owner of this mansion.”
‘What’s wrong with this man…!?’
They were invited here. The luxurious meal earlier and the hospitality of the servants were impeccable, even Zeden, who is skilled at finding fault, had no complaints.
So why does the host’s attitude seem so unfriendly?
Although his face was covered, it was clear right away that he did not seem very welcoming.
“Oh—oh my… I-I’m Zeaden Tarcoza. And this is my daughter, Carolyn. You know her already, right ?”
“Good evening, Eugreek-sama”
The daughter flashed a smile like a blooming flower.
Her inability to read the room might have helped to be bold like her father.
However, the man gripped Zeaden’s hand painfully with his cold fingers and made no attempt to take Carolyn’s hand.
Shouldn’t he be giving a kiss on the back of her hand and exchanging a few polite remarks in this situation?
“This face was injured during a mission a long time ago, and since then I have avoided showing it to the public. I hope you understand.”
“O-Ohhh…”
“I don’t mind at all. It’s a man’s medal, after all.”
Carolyn was a dazzling beauty, and had been professionally dressed.
Since she was young, it had always been the case that any man who received her smile would fall in love with her. Yet, the man before her was somehow different.
The corner of the woman’s mouth twitched as she smiled gracefully.
“So… um, did you happen to like my daughter?”
“Your daughter, Lady Elma, helped me out when I was in trouble. I invited you tonight to express my gratitude and discuss some matters.”
The friendly smiles disappeared from the faces of Tarcoza’s father and sister. One was shocked, and the other went serious.
“—Are you referring to Elma?”
“Elma Tarcoza. That’s the name I’ve heard. She wears patched-up clothes and has brown eyes and hair. Am I mistaking her for someone else, or did I mishear?”
“No—there’s no doubt it’s our Elma, but… what exactly do you mean by ‘helped’?”
“I was on my way to visit an acquaintance and accidentally tore my clothes. She happened to be there and repaired them for me.”
“…Ohh. Is that…all ?”
“That’s all?”
“No-nothing ! I haven’t said anything, ha ha.”
Zeaden forced a smile, struggling to lift the corners of his mouth.
His instincts warned him that it was dangerous to oppose the masked man directly. At the same time, he was confused and trying to think of a clever solution.
‘I thought for sure he had heard rumors about Carolyn, but it seems not. Elma… fixed his clothes? That’s so absurd, it’s just a minor thing. No, wait. Could it be that this man—’?
“Um, could it be that you were also the one who gave us the lathy the other day…?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“—! Oh, that! It was very delicious. Thank you so much.”
“Hei, Carolyn !”
‘Don’t be so pushy,’ the father restrained his daughter.
Truly, what a daughter to have, to ruin the lathy given by Elma. But she was dealing with the wrong person, and he didn’t want to provoke her.
The man seemed to be ignoring Carolyn entirely from the start, as if she wasn’t even there.
Did Carolyn finally realize that she was being deliberately ignored? Her face lost all color.
Zeaden, drenched in sweat, anxiously watched the man.
“Um… so, Besides the gratitude, what did you need to discuss?”
“To put it simply, I was impressed with Elma’s sewing skills. I would like her to work here.”
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Translated by : Cutae30