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Chapter 231

If I had to point out what made me most uncomfortable, it would be the fact that they sent knights and a carriage all the way to the Tower—but I bit my tongue, fearing it might sound like sarcasm, and forced a smile.

"Thanks to the Duke's thoughtful consideration, I arrived very comfortably."

"I'm sure the Duke will be delighted to hear that."

Melion, with a kindly smile, pressed his hand to his chest and bowed politely, then turned with measured grace to lead the way.

"Then allow me to escort you inside."

I followed Melion, carefully stepping past the knights standing at rigid attention, as if their postures were carved in stone.

We soon arrived at the Duke's study—a place both familiar and nostalgic.

Knock, knock.

"My Lord, Lady Tia has—"

"Come in."

Before Melion could finish, permission came from within. The door opened, and the distinctive scent of paper from the study mingled with the Duke's cool gaze as it met mine.

"It's been a while."

The Duke of Archalade, greeting me with his low, resonant voice, looked exactly as he had before.

Impeccable attire without a single crease, an air of sternness. He seemed untouched by time—so much so that I found myself staring at him without realizing it.

"You've grown…… quite a bit since I last saw you."

"Well, ten years have passed, after all. But Your Grace hasn't changed at all."

A brief exchange of pleasantries, and then, as if waiting for this moment, an array of elaborate desserts began to fill the table.

What caught my eye in particular was the Mont Blanc cake, piled high with an appetizing chestnut cream.

But the oddly tense atmosphere made me hesitate to pick up my fork, so I sat still.

Then, as if observing me quietly, he spoke slowly.

"……Has your taste changed?"

"Huh? No, not at all."

Perplexed by the strange question, I soon realized his gaze was fixed on the untouched cake plate.

'Ah—is he worried because I'm not eating?'

Catching the concern hidden behind his curt tone, I hurriedly picked up my fork.

"It's my favorite dessert. I'll enjoy it!"

I took a large bite of the Mont Blanc cake.

The rich, nutty chestnut flavor and the smooth cream filled my mouth, and I couldn't help but smile.

'Somehow, this really has become my favorite dessert.'

For him, it must have been a memory from ten years ago—but from my perspective, it had been less than a year, so I remembered it vividly.

The reason I first said I liked Mont Blanc cake was, in fact, a white lie—I had made it up on the spot to help the Duke of Archalade, who had been disappointed at not being able to have tea time with Ishtar.

But he, never one to let anything slip, had remembered those words and prepared it for me every time, just like today.

And because he kept giving it to me, it had become genuinely true—whenever I thought of my favorite dessert, Mont Blanc cake was the first to come to mind.

Lost in my thoughts, I busily worked my fork until the last piece of Mont Blanc cake disappeared into my mouth.

Only after confirming that I had cleared the plate did the rigid furrow between his brows finally soften.

"Mmm! It's absolutely delicious!"

"I'm relieved I won't have to go through the trouble of replacing the chef."

With that remark—whether a joke or sincere—he set down his teacup and cleared his throat.

"Tia, to be honest, I didn't call you here simply to have tea."

At once, the atmosphere grew heavy.

'Did something happen to Ishtar?'

Since the only topic we shared was her, I wondered what he was about to say—

"Regarding the matter with Mardek…… I wanted to formally apologize."

He brought up an unexpected subject.

But what followed was even more shocking.

The Duke of Archalade suddenly rose from his seat and bowed his head deeply.

"As the head of the family, and as a knight, I take full responsibility for the fact that a member of my household caused you great harm and danger. I am truly sorry."

I froze in place.

Never in my wildest dreams had I expected him—someone at the very pinnacle of the noble hierarchy—to apologize with such sincerity.

"Your Grace, I'm fine—please raise your head."

Still staring blankly at his crown, I finally snapped out of it and hurriedly stood, grasping his arm to stop him.

"That incident wasn't your fault."

I pleaded with him repeatedly, flustered by the sudden turn. Slowly, he raised his head and met my gaze.

"Besides, I've already resolved that matter through an honest conversation with Sir Mardek."

It was true.

As soon as the aftershocks of the great upheaval—when the gods vanished—had settled and stability was restored, Enlirsian had arranged a meeting between me and Mardek.

"And though you may not believe it, I never held a grudge against Sir Mardek in the first place."

This, too, was sincere.

From the perspective of Mardek, raised in a class-based society, the safety of the Duke's daughter would have been the highest priority—so eliminating me, a commoner, would have been a natural choice.

Or rather, if a knight hesitated to protect the lady of the house in order to save a commoner girl, that would have been a dereliction of duty.

When everyone else hesitated, unable to strike me—possessed by the dark mage—he alone set aside personal feelings and made the most efficient decision.

'Besides, if Sir Mardek hadn't acted, the damage might have been far worse.'

As my blurry vision cleared from those thoughts, I noticed the Duke of Archalade looking at me with an unreadable expression.

Was it my imagination?

His face seemed to hold not only apology, but also a complex relief—as if I had brushed off the wound and smiled at him.

'Perhaps… the Duke cares for me more than I realized.'

The thought flickered through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it—it felt like overthinking.

At any rate, after I gave a rough account of how I had reconciled with Mardek, the tension in the study finally melted away.

We spent a long time sharing trivial stories about life at the Tower, and before I knew it, tea time had come to an end.

"Lady Tia, to tell you the truth, Lady Ishtar has been very busy with external duties lately, and the mansion has grown rather lonely."

Melion, who had been silently attending to us, refilled the tea and broached the topic gently.

"If you don't mind, how about visiting regularly—once a week, perhaps?"

His bold proposal made my heart sink.

'Once a week, regularly?'

No matter how kindly the mansion's people treated me, visiting a ducal residence of the empire as if it were my own home was quite a burden.

I desperately tried to maintain my manners and choose a polite refusal.

"I appreciate the invitation, but…… if I came too often, I'd be taking up Your Grace's precious time—and he is one of the busiest people in the empire."

For a hastily made excuse, it was fairly reasonable—I felt relieved and glanced at him.

But then—

"Time, I have more than enough."

The Duke's firm rebuttal struck me.

"……Pardon?"

"If you come, I can finish my paperwork ahead of time, even if it means staying up all night."

He even replied in a tone so serious it couldn't possibly be a joke.

"And since His Grace has gone so far as to say that, if you don't visit, I'm afraid his heart will grow quite lonely indeed."

Melion chimed in slyly from the side.

'These two—they work way too well together.'

It felt as though refusing would make me the most ungrateful person in the world.

In the end, I let out a wry smile of surrender and accepted.

"Alright. If I'm not particularly busy, I'll drop by about once a week."

At my answer, a very faint but unmistakable smile of satisfaction spread across the Duke's lips.

He seemed to remember something and added,

"Oh, and next time—bring your sister, Ansharie, was it? Come with her."

"Hmm, would that be alright?"

"Of course. Ishtar will be happy to have her friends visit too."

He spoke as casually as an ordinary father inviting his daughter's friends over—but his gaze held a gentle warmth toward me.

First Osiris, and now the Duke of Archalade—it seemed my circle of steadfast, or perhaps overbearing, guardians kept growing.

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