Chapter 25

 

“I don’t have any friends, no one hangs out with me, so brother, come with me… … How can I say that with my mouth?”

 

Yulia raised her arm and randomly wiped the tears from her eyes.

 

“I asked you to just come with me, but what did you tell me? Weren't you annoyed? Do you really have no brains?”

 

“…”

 

“You can ask other girls to dance. You can get along with people even by using the duke's name. But what about me...”

 

In society, there was always an absolute shortage of men to dance with the ladies.

 

It was because not many men were brave enough to ask for a dance.

 

It would be easier for Jonas to mingle with people and he could step forward and introduce Yulia to others first, but he never once tried to help his sister with the excuse that it was bothered.

 

Yulia took a deep breath and tried to calm her sorrow as she spoke.

 

“Today, I danced for the first time non-stop thanks to Dame Iona introducing me to her acquaintances. She was more enjoyable than you could have ever been. I didn’t know it was such a good feeling that people care about me.”

 

“…”

 

“Dame Iona did something that even my family avoided doing because they didn’t want to do it, on your behalf.”

 

It was true that Yulia also had a bad impression of Iona; people from the dukedom would naturally have antipathy towards the imperial family.

 

How could a woman who stood at the forefront of the imperial faction as the prince's sword be welcomed as the duchess? However, Iona whom she met today was different from the woman without tears and blood that Yulia imagined because of rumors.

 

Iona was busy pampering Yulia in front of people and blocking the approach of men with bad manners.

 

It was meticulous consideration as if she had become Yulia's chaperone.

 

Iona told her not to feel pressured, but the favor she did was not to be taken lightly.

 

Even if she had other intentions, it was the same.

 

The sparkling moment she experienced today will never go away, and thanks to the people Iona introduced, she was promised the next one.

 

A long silence passed between Yulia and Jonas.

 

Jonas blushed as he felt both embarrassment and shame rushing in at the same time.

 

He hurriedly approached Yulia and hugged her.

 

"Sorry. I was short on thoughts. In our hometown, it isn't like that... … . You usually got along well with people, so I thought it would be okay here as well.”

 

"Go away. I hate cuddling with you.”

 

“I will definitely go with you in the future. I will definitely follow you wherever you go.”

 

Still, her anger didn't subside; Yulia crushed Jonas's instep with her shoe.

 

Jonas endured his sister's punishment without a single groan.

 

After a while, the siblings hugged and faced each other.

 

Yulia said while glaring at Jonas while holding the hem of her skirt.

 

“Apologize properly to Dame Iona. Otherwise, I really won't see your face, Jonas.”

 

Having said that, Yulia hurriedly covered her face with a cloak, as if she finally realized her condition.

 

Then she turned to Iona, "Thank you for today." she whispered softly and immediately turned around.

 

Iona and Jonas silently watched Yulia's back as she ran in the carriage.

 

Only then did Jonas turn his head to Iona, who was standing like a borrowed barley sack.

 

“Dame Iona.”

 

"..."

 

“I apologize.”

 

“Now I think I know roughly how careless a person Sir is.”

 

At Iona's words, Jonas fiddled with his fingers, not knowing what to do.

 

Iona crossed her arms lightly and went to his side to stand side by side.

 

Iona said, looking up at Jonas, who looked drooping.

 

"Above all, it's true that there were other ulterior motives as you said."

 

Jonas heard a surprised face. Meeting his eyes, Iona smiled softly.

 

“I wanted to look like a good person to you.”

 

“… …”

 

“Sir, I am more serious about this marriage than you think. I know that Sir Jonas doesn't trust me, and I think it's natural, but I intend to get along with the Duke pretty well in the future. As a real couple.”

 

However, even if Iona wanted it, Leroy's vigilance would not be relieved at once.

 

As she said before, it was up to her to make him believe in her, and Iona had to prove her changed mindset with her actions.

 

The Mordov family certainly served as a tempting lure, but money alone cannot buy people's hearts.

 

'If I want him to really believe in me, I can't satisfy only the material part.'

 

Leroy was surprisingly weak in recognition.

 

If he found out that she took care of his subordinate's younger sister, his evaluation of Iona would be a little different.

 

Above all, she showed it well to Jonas, so there was nothing bad about it. Jonas served the duke, so in the end, they will move in the same direction.

 

“If he and I can safely hold the ceremony, we will go to the dukedom together. Unless the duke suddenly rejects me, we will probably live together for the rest of our lives.”

 

“…”

 

“So I did it in hope that the duke would think well of me. Sir Jonas is the one who works for him, and I believe that eventually, you will work for me.”

 

Jonas asked with a trembling breath.

 

“You mean we can work for the same purpose?”

 

“Don't you know that your master is a good man? … … To the point of being the envy of others.”

 

It was not difficult for Jonas to understand that this was Iona's true feelings.

 

Jonas looked down at the floor for a while and finally closed his eyes.

 

He felt like he could understand a little why Iona had made such a ridiculous offer to the duke.

 

He turned to Iona and bowed politely to apologize.

 

“Sorry, Dame Iona. I was misunderstanding you.”

 

Iona's lips twitched.

 

She couldn't easily say that it was okay. Because the suspicion he had of her was not really a misunderstanding.

 

In her previous life, Iona lived as Richard's dog until she died.

 

She only changed her mind after crossing the threshold of death, but who would believe her change of mind?

 

Iona decided not to listen to this apology. Because she didn't think he did anything to apologize for.

 

“Keep your head high.”

 

Saying that Iona looked around.

 

'Is it because it is late at night?'

 

There was no one around except the gatekeeper yawning in front of the entrance.

 

Iona pulled out a small piece of paper from within her arms.

 

“I will regard it as nothing, Sir, and no apology. Instead, there is something I would like to ask you to deliver to the Duke.”

 

Jonas accepted the note from Iona with a bewildered face.

 

Expecting to run into Jonas, she had borrowed a piece of paper and a pen and had made notes on it.

 

Iona said plainly.

 

“This is a list of the nobles who invited me today. I plan to attend all of these events, so please tell the duke to stop by when it's convenient for him. We are getting married, but it would look weird if I went alone every time.”

 

“Ah, you can send someone else to fine-tune these things.”

 

“Since I live in my father’s house, if I send someone, they could easily get followed. Then, things might become troublesome.”

 

Jonas nodded as if he understood.

 

It was a well-known fact that even Jonas knew that Iona was not on good terms with her half-brother. If there was something he didn't understand, it was the other thing she said.

 

Jonas asked with a surprised face.

 

“Are you trying to start a social life?”

 

“Isn’t that a pretty late decision?”

 

Iona smiled self-deprecatingly and asked.

 

People's reactions to Leroy and her marriage have been surprisingly consistent.

 

In summary, it can be reduced to coercive, humiliating, and unpleasant.

 

In order to remove these negative rumors, it was necessary to show their closeness to the outside world.

 

'Above all, I have to get used to entering and exiting social circles so that I can approach the target naturally.'

 

It looked like there was going to be a pretty big uproar, but she wasn't particularly worried. Because she wasn't about to pick up her sword and fight the enemy like before.

 

'Nils probably won't even notice that his throat is being targeted.'

 

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