“Did it go well?”

“Yes, it went well.” Duke Bronant nodded lightly.

The Bronant family was an outlier to the royal family during Helena’s great-grandfather’s day, but now they only maintained distant kinship. However, the duke was selected as a close friend of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess as a child and grew up receiving education in the royal palace rather than his estate. He had a very good relationship with the King’s family. Even today, he was also the most powerful protector of the royal family among the nobles.

However, Helena could not ask any further questions because she did not know the details of the royal family and did not know why the duke had gone to the palace.

So, for a while, she felt awkward because she didn’t know what to say. After a brief thought, she opened her mouth.

“Today, I came to visit the Duke to formally ask for forgiveness. The Duke said yesterday that he wanted to ask a few questions? I will tell you everything I know honestly.”

Duke Bronant nodded lightly.

“Actually, there are some questions that have not been answered by the stories I heard yesterday, and I would like to hear more about them.”

The duke sat with his legs crossed. Helena swallowed dry saliva and waited for the duke’s next words.

“Why did you deceive me?”

Duke Bronant asked the first question

“I was afraid the Duke wouldn’t order clothes from <Book of Knights> if I didn’t.”

Helena answered truthfully. Maybe it was after she confessed the most difficult truth to reveal yesterday, but surprisingly, words came out easily this time.

“I’m sorry. I know that I did something unforgivable because I tried to deceive the Duke. But we were in dire straits. Half a year ago, the Duke trusted my father and had clothes made from <Book of Knights>. My father had been unable to move his arm for a while, so he was afraid that the Duke would withdraw his order. So I did instead.”

“Doesn’t Raynor Stud have a successor? Such as your brother?”

“It’s my brother.”

“Where is he? Why didn’t he come instead of you coming to see me?”

“Toby Oppa went on a trip half a year ago to study silk and precious jewels from the East. I decided that I couldn’t call my Oppa on time.”

“So, you came here dressed as a man?”

“…Yes,” Helena answered with a slightly red face.

“Who is the real apprentice of Raynor Stud?”

The duke was intrigued, but Helena had not yet realized it.

“His name is Willian Crowe.”

“Why didn’t he come to me directly?”

“The Duke has already met him. The day I first met the Duke, he accompanied along with Jerome, the butler.”

“Oh, I see.”

Duke Bronant nodded. He vaguely remembered the tall, skinny young man standing silently behind Helena. He was a young man with light brown hair and blue eyes like a frightened deer.

“But I don’t recall seeing him before.”