Duke, Is This Your First Time?

“Getting fired is overwhelming, isn’t it?”

‘As expected, this b*stard won’t stand still.’

From the moment she saw Dustin’s seat prepared next to hers, Elysia had her mind ready. It was obvious that he would pick a fight because of her refusal.

She didn’t want to answer much, but she replied calmly, because it wouldn’t be good to provoke him when he was angry.

 “You can follow the results as they come out, but seeing such differences of opinion because of me doesn’t make me feel good.”

“Follow the result? Do you remember when I gave the Marquess a choice?”

Elysia frowned slightly, as she heard the man’s angry voice. Dustin seemed more angry than she had expected. Searing rage could be felt through her skin.

As she hesitated to answer, he continued to speak in a low, sullen voice, as if growling.

“You must have something to believe in. Otherwise, you won’t turn down my offer.”

‘I wouldn’t go to a guy like you even if I didn’t have anything to believe in.’

Elysia, who swallowed her words that had jumped up to her throat at that moment, pondered her answer.

An answer that would be appropriate and could be overlooked.

Then, as if to rescue her from her plight, Countess Aria Delorence’s high-toned voice rang out in the conference room, beating the voices of other nobles.

“Don’t you think we should check with the leader first about the situation that day?”

Aria, who stood up from her seat, raised her eyes sharply as if she couldn’t stand the situation.

She glared at Marquis Berten and continued.

“I don’t know if it’s justified to accuse her of being unreliable without accurate evidence of the circumstances that day. Isn’t that right, Marquis Berten?”

“….”

‘Nice, Aria.’

The corners of Elysia’s lips rose slightly.

Of course, she was grateful to have Aria on her side, but she was even more grateful for the opportunity to get out of Dustin’s tricky question.

But without any expression, she whispered softly to Dustin.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I will give you an answer to the question in a little while after the meeting. As Countess Dolorence said, I think I need to explain the situation now.”

“…”

There was a sound of gritting teeth, but Elysia looked at Marquis Berten while trying to ignore it.

After Aria’s logical refutation, Marquis Berten’s face was hardened.

‘Aria is right.’

In general, in such a situation, whether it was a discussion or a vote, it was right to listen to the explanations of the parties first and then decide.

However, Marquis Berten secretly skipped that step. Aria did not miss it and pointed it out.

The dissatisfied gazes of the nobles following Elysia were focused on Marquis Berten. Although it was less than half, it was a number that could not be ignored.

After being silent for a moment, Marquis Berten opened his mouth. His expression did not change, but there was a deep dissatisfaction in his eyes.

“I thought that there was no need to listen to a separate explanation because the Marquess had already made an official statement, but if you think so, let’s hear it.”

Elysia felt absurd. Isn’t it funny that he speaks like a sympathetic person while proceeding with the normal procedure?

Just because her circumstances were unfavorable, it didn’t mean she should surrender.

Elysia, who stood up from her seat, opened her mouth, looking at Marquis Berten with her smirking face. 

“Marquis Berten is very insightful.”

“….?”

Marquis Berten’s dark eyebrows furrowed slightly as if asking what she was talking about.

“So you’re saying that you understood the whole situation with just my official statement? There were only three lines in the statement, though. So I can only admire you, Marquis.”

“That … !”

“I had an unexpected accident on the night of the banquet. His Excellency, Duke Deimos, who was passing by at that time, saved me, and I only woke up in the morning at the Duke’s mansion. I borrowed the Duke’s clothes and returned to my residence, but there was nothing so unsavory as in the newspaper article.”

Elysia, who had finished telling her story, turned her gaze away from Marquis Berten and looked at the nobles.

“Likewise, I would like to ask a question to those who agreed with the opinion of Marquis Berten. Do these three lines of the statement really make sense?”

The nobles who followed the Duke of Russet looked at each other.

Of course, some of them were needlessly brave.

Viscount Orte coughed in response to whether he was trying to impress the Duke of Russet.

“Hmmmm. Isn’t that understandable enough?”

“Is that so? Then I’ll ask Viscount Orte. Do you know what unexpected accident I had that day, and for what reason I dressed as a man and returned to my residence?”

“No, that’s…… ”

Elysia, stared at Viscount Orte, who was bewildered and unable to answer, turned her gaze back to the nobles.

“But he said he understood. It seems that there are only really good insightful people here.”

The aristocrats met her eyes then turned away.

Both Marquis Berten, and the Duke of Russet, looked at her silently with dissatisfied expression.

There were no nobles who refuted Elysia’s words.

Elysia, who had reversed the atmosphere, deliberately let out a sigh and opened her mouth. It was to give the nobles the feeling that she was frustrated.

“As some of you may know, I have side effects with certain foods. How Baron Jonathan Triel knew that, with impure intentions, he gave me a cocktail containing the ingredients, and after drinking it, I suffered severe side effects.”

“What!”

“Oh my goodness!”

Surprised voices came from all over. All were nobles who followed Elysia.

Aria jumped up as if startled, and hurriedly asked.

“Are you okay now, Marquess Camellia?!”

“I’m okay. Thank you for your concern, Countess Dolorence.”

Reassuring Aria, Elysia looked around the nobles and continued her explanation of the scandal.

“When I found out that the side effects had occurred, I went out of the hall to find my escort. My fever was rising and I was confused. The man I met while staggering was the Duke of Deimos.”

In reality, she jumped on Iker, and her conscience was pricked, but she ignored it.

“I remember the first time I told him to call Sir Tesque quietly because I didn’t want to make a fuss, but I can’t remember anything after that. The Duke told me I lost consciousness when I saw him, and he took me to his residence.”

When Elysia spoke up to that point, Marquis Berten, who had been quietly listening to her, asked a question sharply.

“That part I don’t understand. If the Marquess fainted, the Duke could have taken you back to your residence, why did he take you to his residence? Couldn’t he also call the Imperial Palace’s servants?”

“On that day, the imperial court was vacant due to urgent business. And the Duke said that because I vomited so badly that both his and my clothes were dirty, he had no choice but to bring me to his residence.”

Seeing the Marquis’s fierce momentum had gone, Elysia smiled inwardly.

The scenario she was talking about now was Lulien and her idea that they came up with together.

It was practically impossible for a nobleman who valued his face to visit another noble family while his clothes were stained with vomit.

In addition to that, Lurien and she meticulously wrote a full screenplay of the situation that day. It was a scenario that took into account all the parts that the nobles might have doubts about. Of course, the completed scenario was also delivered to Iker. It was to keep it just in case something might happen.

What was surprising was that he pointed out a part or two that the two of them did not think of.

It was also known thanks to a letter sent by Iker that they knew the royal court maid had left the palace that day.

Thanks to this, the scenario was completed close to perfection.

So, Elysia had nothing to fear in answering. She calmly continued her explanation.

“The next day, Duke Deimos offered to get my clothes from my residence, but I refused. Because it was obvious that the paparazzi or newspaper reporters would see him and make a lot of noise. So I dressed as a man and came back to my residence myself. But now that I have come this far, I don’t think I was wrong that morning.”

It was long, but the gist was simple.

It was a hint that she made that decision because she knew the people would overreact like this.

The faces of Marquis Berten and the nobles who attacked her hardened, noticing the meaning contained in her words. On the other hand, the faces of the nobles who followed her brightened.

So far, there has been no part in Elysia’s words that could be used to argue.

Elysia took a deep breath as she looked around the conference room, where silence fell for a moment.

Everything that could be logically criticized was blocked. Now they had only one weapon left.

‘Now then, will the stubborn one come out?’

Obviously, they were going to bring up something she couldn’t explain and attack her.

Elysia, who was preparing her heart, saw the door of the conference hall opened and the butler came in.

She tilted her head.

‘What’s going on?’

For a moment, silence fell in the room, and the nobles’ eyes focused on the butler, who quickly approached Duke Russet.

So was Dustin, who had been staring at Elysia terrifyingly before the meeting even started. This allowed Elysia to squint towards the Duke of Russet without worrying about meeting the blue eyes blazing with anger.

The brow of Duke Russet, who was being reported by the butler, frowned, and his expression hardened.

 ‘It must be something unusual.’

Otherwise, Duke Russet could not have made such an impression.

It was unknown what orders were given to Duke Russet, but the butler turned around as the conversation was over.

Elysia quickly straightened her head. She was afraid that she might make eye contact with Dustin.

Unsurprisingly, not long after she straightened her head, she could feel the glare again. But it felt more stinging than before. 

‘What’s wrong with him?’

It was when Elysia’s brow furrowed slightly. The voice of Marquis Berten broke the silence and echoed in the conference hall.

“I heard your explanation, Marquess Camellia. This does not mean that all doubts have been resolved. You went to the Duke’s and dressed as a man, how are you going to prove that nothing had happened with Duke Deimos?

“Would a person who had a side effect and had a high fever and even vomited do anything?”

“I don’t know. I understand that the side effects, include high fever and vomiting, but also increased sexual desire.” 

Marquis Berten shrugged his shoulders and twisted his lips.

“Perhaps it’s possible that you had a hot night with Duke Deimos thanks to the effects.”

‘This b*stard!’

It was when Elysia tried to refute, feeling the tendons on the back of her head. A heavy low voice resounded along with the sound of the door opening wide. 

“The words of Marquis Berten now sound like you don’t believe me.”

“….!”

Not only Elysia, but all the nobles in the room turned to the door in an instant.