The Duke lowered his gaze reflexively and looked down at his teacup. In a clear and transparent tea water, his hardened face was reflected. At that moment, someone's voice flashed past his ear.

-When you're with her, look into the tea water on her teacup, Father. 'Ah.'

The duke swallowed back the groans that almost burst.

He completely forgot. Before running away from home, Penelope had said that. 'Why did Penelope suddenly tell me that?'

Confusion poured in like a tidal wave. The Duke desperately revived the conversation at that time. For some reason, he suddenly wanted to have a luncheon with Penelope. So he called her to the greenhouse. After that, we talked about....

'An outing.'

Yeah, we talked about Penelope's going out. Under the pretext of going out, he was saying he would help her even if she ran away from home.

He couldn't bear to see the child who keep losing her weight every day after the coming-of-age ceremony, so it was a decision that he made after much consideration all night.

When she said that, that was what Penelope said suddenly. Look at the tea.

An eerie flowed through the back. If she was a person, there was no way she would not be reflected in the tea water.

Of course if it's a person...

'Who the hell is that kid in front of me?'

Yvonne had reached the stage of certainty that she was his biological daughter through countless tests.

Even though the appearance resembled his ex-wife who died, secrets, mole, and memories that only he or she could ever know.

It was never a lie.

If it weren't for Penelope, he would have announced that his daughter had returned without hesitation. 'Penelope. When did she know about this?'

What was her look like when she said that? Strangely enough, the memory of the luncheon was not clear. His head was spinning like a storm.

And at the end, there was Penelope's afterimage, frightened and hesitating for several times, barely uttered the words and ran away from the greenhouse.

-Be careful of her, Father!

It was around the time we got into.

".... I'm upset, but thankfully. I thought Leah seemed to like Paul a lot enough to be noticed"

"....."

"The two are now together foreverDuke?"

The duke awoke from his recollection with her calling voice. "Ah"

When he looked up, Yvonne stopped chattering and looked at him with round eyes. It was the face of gentle Yvonne, and somehow cold sweat flowed down the back of his neck.

"II'm sorry. What were we talking about?"

"Are there any foreign objects in the tea?" "Huh?"

"Because you keep looking at the tea." Yvonne didn't laugh.

The Duke clenched his fists under the table.

"Ohno, no. I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten."

"Are you in big trouble? You don't look well." "It's all right. Thank you for your concern." Yvonne quickly looked worried.

The Duke rose from his seat, trying not to show anything. Hee-ee-

"I have something to do, so I'll have to get up first. Let's have another refreshments next time."

"But, already?"

"It's not polite to hold onto a sick person for too long."

He tried to get off the table at the end of his remark. But even before he took a step back, his sleeve was caught.

"Duke.... I"

As he looked back, Yvonne was looking up at him with a face that had a lot to say. The Duke's eyes, looking down at the hem of his cuffs, became cooled reflexively. She hesitated and opened her mouth.

"Youasked me if I wanted anything."

"Oh, I did."

Only then did the Duke relaxed his stern expression and smile. "Did you already think of anything you wanted?"

"I don't want to have anything, but I want to go out."

"Go out?"

"Yes, I came here all of a sudden without saying good bye to the people in my original village. After I got sick, I missed them"

Coincidentally, it was the same subject that Penelope asked him in the last discussion.

"You're still not feeling well yet. There's a lot of time, so you will get better and go there soon."

"Ha, butThere are orphans who I take care of. I'm worried that they have starved while I was away. I

beg you, okay?"

Yvonne gently rub Duke's hand. It was a lovely figure acting cute. But the duke couldn't stop his eyes from turning into the empty teacup.

'She didn't do anything wrong like Penelope, but I couldn't think of a proper way to force someone to go out.'

The Duke replied hard after a short period of thought.

"...I'll get you an escort to go with you." "No, I can go by myself in no time."

"But it's dangerous outside the mansion, Yvonne. How can a woman be alone without any escort?" "I'velived outside the mansion all my life."

She spoke a little sullen. The Duke's face was distorted when he understood the words. Yvonne, who should have been raised preciously and abundant than anyone else in the world. My youngest daughter, who didn't get sick even if she put it in her eyes.

The youngest daughter of Eckart, who didn't sick whenever she's in his care. Just imagined she was living in a dirty and dangerous place she didn't know.

He brought Penelope with him in longing for his daughter, but his feelings of guilt didn't go away. "I'm fine, Father."

As if she knew how he felt, Yvonne smiled brightly at the Duke.

The duke who had been looking down at the warm blue eyes for a while, soon opened his mouth. "I'll give you a carriage. I won't force you anything than this."

"I'll take it."

"Be sure to come back before sunset." "Yes."

Yvonne smiled again.

The Duke looked at his daughter's lovely face, which he missed so much. "I will do it, Father."

She said without hesitation.

****

"Prepare Yvonne's outing."

Upon returning to his Office, the Duke gave a brief order to the butler. "Yes, sir."

The butler who answered faithfully, ask the duke back. "Did you... have a good talk with Lady Yvonne?"

The Duke turned his attention to the butler. Wrinkled eyes glistened with faint expectations. It wasn't just the duke and his two sons who waited for his lost youngest daughter.

It's cruel to Penelope, but everyone who remembers Yvonne's childhood eagerly waited for her to return.

"Pennel."

Instead of answering, the Duke called the butler's name heavily. "Yes, Duke."

The loyal servant, who had cared him for a long time, quickly recognized the signs of his master's temper quickly bowed his head.

The duke speak in a heavy voice. "Put someone to tail her."

"Yes? What"

"Call a wizard who can do tracking magic." The butler's eyes shook.

But the Duke's words were not the end.

"Andgather all the wizards along with the 1st Division behind the mansion. Derrick, call him in

quickly with the communication magic."

The carriage for Yvonne arrived in front of the mansion. The Duke's eyes looking out the window were cold. "There is an emergency in the mansion."

***

Vinter Verdandi who entered the upper alley at sunset. He felt his body seemed to be broken because he traveled all over the country all day long.

Nevertheless, he couldn't rest. Among the collected documents and information, the useful ones had to be classified, reproduced, and interpreted ancient characters.

Ancient magic is the only thing that can defeat Leila. However, after a fierce war, the ancient wizards had ceased to extinct, and the magic they used had been buried.

In addition, it took more than just strength to fight against Leila, who had long been growing her forces.

Vinter traveled all over the countries to collect old documents. Determine to rebuild the mirror of truth.

Even today, he slowly climbed the stairs, exhausted from seeking materials that unknown to be true or false.

'Hydra's horns, Palot's wings, and Urthus Lake water...' They were trophies he gathered with him tonight.

His office, in the deepest and darkest place on the upper street, was already immersed with darkness. He grabbed the doorknob and made the last spell, and the lock was unlocked.

'Click-'

The upper door had casted with magic that no one could open except his designated client. This was to prevent the situation where his clients would wait and return while he was away.

For example, a woman who left him heartlessly without blinking her eyes even after receiving purple flowers...

Click.~

It was around the time when he had just taken a step in a tiring move that would not seem strange if he fell down right away.

He paused, and glared somewhere sharply. "Who is it?"

Deep inside beyond the drawing table and sofa. Someone walked out of the darkness. "You're finally here."

Tep-

The steps stopped abruptly at the faint boundaries of light coming in from outside. "I'm here to make a request."

A weak and tender voice doesn't contain any threat at all. However, the eyes on the empty space flashed strangely.

"No... no, no, no, I'm here to find my lost item."

"...."

"Marquis of Verdandi."

Translator: COktavia Raw provider: Rose439