Chapter 135

 

After Iona inherited her title, all matters were swiftly and efficiently resolved.

 

Iona, having received Hayden’s body from the royal family, laid him to rest in the Modrov family cemetery.

 

Yvonne, confined to the mansion, and Nils, still under investigation at the royal palace, could not attend the modest funeral.

 

Iona herself had only issued the orders and did not witness the burial, leaving only a few workers to watch over Hayden’s final journey.

 

Hayden, who died a dishonorable death, was quietly buried without a proper funeral.

 

Nils, who had acted without consulting anyone, surprisingly showed no reaction, though one might have expected him to be furious.

 

Considering who needed to keep Hayden’s death under wraps, it wasn’t strange at all.

 

Hayden had been humiliated by none other than his own son.

 

Thanks to Nils abandoning his father to secure his own safety, just as Iona had hoped, he was likely spending most of his time reporting his father’s misdeeds to the newspapers.

 

It was unthinkable that he would have the decency to visit his father.

 

Regrettably, even after abandoning his father, Nils could not escape all responsibility.

 

Yvonne and Nils were Hayden’s legitimate children, and his death did not free them from its repercussions.

 

Branded as troublemakers by the royal family, they were no longer the proud direct descendants of the Modrov lineage.

 

Instead, Iona, who had been an outsider, now represented the family, freed from the collective responsibility of the era.

 

It was ironic. Because Hayden had refused to acknowledge her as kin, she ended up inheriting everything from him.

 

“Countess, it’s almost time for the guest to arrive.”

 

Alerted by the call, Iona looked up from the documents she had been examining.

 

The butler, who had treated her father similarly, now bowed respectfully to her near the door.

 

In the past, Iona had repeatedly seen the same scene from the same angle in the same place.

 

Feeling anew that everything was back in its place, Iona took in her surroundings with a fresh sense of awareness.

 

After a moment, Iona suddenly remarked.

 

“We should change the chandelier.”

 

“The chandelier... you mean?”

 

“Yes, that would make it perfect.”

 

Saying so, Iona stood up.

 

The butler, slightly puzzled by the sudden request, did not inquire further.

 

Iona neatly arranged the papers she had spread out and then moved to the side of the desk.

 

“Has the carriage crossed the main gate?”

 

“No, not yet, but the Duke tends to arrive early...”

 

“That’s true.”

 

Iona responded with a cheerful voice.

 

As the butler said, Leroy usually arrived earlier than scheduled.

 

Even during his last visit, when the drawing room had been filled with flowers, he had arrived much earlier than he let on, not magic, but it’s impossible to transform a space into a completely different world in just about 10 minutes.

 

While it wasn’t a surprise gift, Iona also had something she wanted to give him today.

 

Imagining Leroy’s reaction, Iona followed the butler out of the office.

 

By the time they reached the entrance, it was bustling with people.

 

It seemed that many servants had come out in advance to greet the guest.

 

“The carriage has just passed through the main gate,” a servant announced.

 

At his signal, the others swiftly arranged themselves into two neat lines.

 

As this was the first guest Iona was receiving since becoming the head of the family, the reception had to be flawless.

 

After a quick inspection of the surroundings, Iona looked towards the main gate with a satisfied expression.

 

Soon, the door opened and a familiar face appeared.

 

Leroy walked in, his gaze fixed on Iona, and said, “Thank you for the honor of being the first guest of the new head of the family.”

 

He playfully greeted her and then drew her hand to his lips for a kiss.

 

At that, Iona inadvertently remembered a kiss they had shared recently.

 

The intrusive thought was beyond her control.

 

‘Maybe today, too…’

 

Secretly, Iona bit the inside of her cheek.

 

It was a terribly indecent thought to have, given that she had invited a guest over in broad daylight.

 

Regaining her composure, Iona cleared her throat and asked.

 

“Did you have any trouble getting here?”

 

“I did have to restrain myself from coming here sooner.”

 

Leroy replied playfully.

 

Iona had to make a considerable effort not to blush at his response.

 

Even though she knew the question was just a polite formality, she felt a bit foolish for reacting to every word.

 

How nice it would have been if she felt confident enough not to worry about appearing inadequate in his eyes.

 

Of course, Iona knew that showing such thoughts was not particularly attractive.

 

Extracting her hand from his, she said, “I’ve prepared a luncheon, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to show you around the mansion first. I think I’ve only ever escorted you to the drawing room before.”

 

“That sounds good.”

 

Leroy readily accepted her offer.

 

Iona dismissed the servants and personally guided him around the mansion.

 

As it was a house with a long history, the Modrov mansion boasted many impressive artifacts.

 

Whenever they came across a painting, Iona kindly explained the artist’s biography and the piece’s approximate value.

 

“This landscape was painted by Hugo Delarosa, a renowned artist from Everett. It was acquired by Lord Lindeman, a previous count, at a charity auction. I believe its value has increased significantly since the artist’s death; it could fetch at least 5,000 gold now.”

 

After finishing her explanation, Iona continued on to the next painting without pausing.

 

And with that, she recited in detail what she knew about the artist.

 

It was after Iona had diligently guided him through about ten paintings that she began to introduce the eleventh piece, but Leroy abruptly raised his hand to stop her.

 

“Hold on, hold on.”

 

“Is there something more you’d like to know?”

 

Iona turned back towards the previous painting and asked earnestly.

 

Leroy then extended the hand he had raised to calm her and grasped hers.

 

He seemed worried she might interrupt him as he hurriedly shared his thoughts.

 

“No, I was going to say that this is enough. I appreciate your desire to spend a beneficial time with me, but... I usually prefer to focus solely on the painting itself.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Iona responded blankly, still staring at their intertwined hands.

 

She thought he would agree and let go of her hand, but instead, he just turned his head and began admiring the painting while still holding on.

 

Feeling somewhat awkward, Iona turned her gaze to align with his.

 

Leroy stood motionless for a long time, seemingly captivated by some aspect of this particular painting.

 

As Iona quietly observed the lake depicted in the painting, she eventually couldn’t hold back and spoke in a soft voice.

 

“Still, you should at least know the title of the work.”

 

“Was I mistaken, and it’s not my fiancée I’ve come to see, but a broker?”

 

Leroy leaned closer to Iona and whispered this, his voice lowered just like hers.

 

His breath tickled the back of her ear with a small laugh, making Iona feel a tingling sensation.

 

Unknowingly, she clenched her fingers.

 

Trying to suppress the strange fluttering feeling in her chest, Iona firmly responded.

 

“Still, a basic explanation is necessary. It’s going to be the property of the Duke soon.”

 

At that, Leroy stiffened slightly.

 

He had been leaning towards Iona, but now he straightened up and looked down at her face in silence for a moment.

 

He didn’t appear surprised, nor particularly pleased.

 

Iona felt a bit flustered.

 

She had expected him to be delighted by her remark, but his reaction was not at all what she had anticipated.

 

Why did he seem so reluctant when they were finally about to fulfill a long-delayed promise?

 

Leroy, his brow furrowed in thought, finally spoke.

 

“It seems we do need to discuss that matter.”

 

“Countess!”

 

Just then, someone burst in, interrupting Leroy.

 

Iona and Leroy both turned towards the source of the voice.

 

A servant hurried into the exhibition room, his face pale as he stammered.

 

“Please, come to the annex for a moment.”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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