Nelia knew that the duke would catch up to her lies when he visited her house since she told him that her parents, who were said to go down to the fief, were living well in mansion in the capital.
She spoke hurriedly to control the situation when he sighed.
“Your Grace, you don’t have to mind what Leighton said.”
“How could I do that? He’s Nelia’s family.”
The duke slowly dropped his gaze.
“I’ll make sure to greet your parents while paying a visit to your house, Nelia.”
“Pardon……? Why would Your Grace have to greet my parents?”
“Because they’re your parents. Isn’t it natural for me to want to appear good in front of the parents of someone I like?”
Nelia was speechless for a moment upon the duke’s honest answer.
It felt strange that she felt as if her toes were curling when he expressed his thoughts directly these days.
Nelia shook her hand, ignoring the unfamiliar feeling. Nelia shook her hand, turning a blind eye to the unfamiliar feeling.
“Your Grace doesn’t have to do that. My parents already have a good impression of you. Even if you want to look good, it will only bother you.”
“Is that so…….”
“Yes, so don’t ever think about visiting my house.”
To say it bluntly, the duke indeed looked sullen. Nelia asked while pretending not to see the duke like that.
“More than that, why is it said that Leighton was here?”
“Well, I think he came over to see Nelia, but I was too occupied to ask him more.”
Nelia furrowed her eyebrows.
‘That brat…… He’s been wandering around in the place I came to lately.’
But he would also try to ask her to let him see Elena’s Tears.
Nelia spoke to the duke while attempting to hide her uncomfortable sense.
“It wouldn’t have been for a big reason. I guess he must have stopped by on his way.”
However, the duke didn’t seem to think so. He shook his head with a solemn expression.
“I can’t be like that either. If I can’t possibly visit Nelia’s house, it would be convenient to have Mr. Leighton in the mansion at least once in a while.”
And first thing…… inviting Leighton here?
She was so against the idea of Leighton coming here.
Leighton may say rude things to the duke, or even damage the rare objects that the duke owned as he has never seen them before.
If he came over without their parents, there would be no one who would look out for him. He’d act as he pleased.
And above all that……. When Leighton comes over, it may be revealed that Zenu is actually not her cousin.
Actually, it was the most relevant reason why Leighton shouldn’t come here.
“Your Grace, it’s fine, really! You don’t have to worry about anything. I will write to Leighton to apologize on your behalf instead.”
When Nelia strongly opposed the idea, the duke blinked slowly and nodded.
“All right. If Nelia doesn’t really want it, there’s nothing I can do.”
The duke wouldn’t think it’s strange that she hated the idea that much, knowing they were not in a good relationship in the first place. (Nelia and Leighton)
Nelia decided to write to Leighton about the matter that brought him here tomorrow instead.
***
Meanwhile, Leighton was wandering the dark alley the next day after his visit at the duke’s mansion.
‘I was told about the place around here…….’
Leighton’s gaze remained at the door of a building after looking around with a frown.
At the entrance of the gray-brick building, there was a picture of a crow.
‘Picture of a crow!’
The notoriously famous black market trafficker in the capital, who is known to buy anything shiny and lucrative, was called Crow which originated from an animal, crow, that tends to pick up shiny things.
Having confirmed there was a picture of a crow, Leighton knocked on the door almost immediately.
Soon, a man wearing a black robe with a hood hung deeply on his head appeared.
“May I know what brings you here?”
“Are you Crow, the black market trafficker?”
She couldn’t tell what kind of expression he was having on his face because of the hood, but he was staring at Leighton up and down, seemingly scanning him.
He should have let Leighton in by now, but Crow asked warily as if Leighton wasn’t very trustworthy.
“May I know what brings you here?”
“Uh…… I want to sell you something.”
“What is it?”
“You know a pharmacist named Griff who sells medicine behind the name of Werther’s Farm, right? It’s a vitality medicine that he made. It also has a label in there.”
Crow immediately stepped aside, as though the pharmacist named Griff had a huge power.
“Come on in.”
There were all sorts of things in the building. Things like unknown liquids and toothed plants that emit green smoke.
Leighton walked in cautiously with a frown.
“Take a seat here.”
Crow pointed to a chair at the table in the middle of the room. Leighton slowly sat down in the chair that had been pointed for him and looked for anything on the table.
Crow asked as soon as he settled in the chair across Leighton.
“First of all, can I take a look at the vitality medicine properly?”
Leighton put the bottle of pills on the table.
“Here you go.”
“Please give me a moment.”
Crow seemed to scrutinize the label on the bottle. He spoke again.
“So this’ Griff’s creation.”
“Of course……! Did you think I was lying?”
Despite Leighton’s confident attitude, Crow caressed his chin in wonder.
“However……. I know he doesn’t sell this much vitality medicine at once. How did you get it?”
(t/n: he’s referring to the pills contained in the bottle)
“I-I’m an exclusive customer!”
Leighton thought that even though Griff was the best pharmacist, if it’s Duke Hart, he must be treating the duke like an exclusive customer.
Of course, he’s not Duke Hart, but Crow didn’t ask customers about their identity anyway.
Therefore, it meant that he could pretend to be someone as great as Duke Hart.
“Since you say so, I won’t ask more about the quantity of the medicine.”
Phew, thank God……
“However, I think we need to see if this medicine is indeed a vitalizer. Do you mind if I analyze it more closely this time?”
Analyzing the medicine?
From what he had noticed, it seemed to contain other ingredients compared to common vitalizers.
Was it Seitia Leaves……? After all, it contained ingredients used in magic suppression. That’s why he told Nelia that the medicine the duke takes wouldn’t possibly be a vitalizer.
“If it’s confirmed to be a vitalizer, I’ll buy it for one gold.”
One gold?
It was much higher than he expected.
“I-is it that expensive?”
“Vitalizers are always highly demanded. If it’s Griff’s, I can’t buy it because there’s no other way, so this is definitely worth it.”
Crow asked Leighton once more, who opened his mouth like a fool at the thought of hitting a jackpot.
“Do you mind if I analyze it now?”
“O-of course.”
Right, let’s just have it analyzed now.
It could have been a vitalizer containing magic suppressor, or Crow might not have noticed it.
Crow smiled faintly and entered the room with the vitalizer.
Leighton, who was left alone, was relieved at the thought that he would hear the sound of a piece of gold coin.
‘It’s a good thing I went to visit Nelia yesterday.’
Although he didn’t meet Nelia, wasn’t it good that he got such an expensive vitalizer?
Even if it turned out to be other types of medicine, he expected that the owner would still buy it since it was made by Griff.
Leighton calmed himself and decided to look around the black market trafficker’s store while he waited.
There was a blue sword, a golden helmet, and many interesting things.
Leighton looked around the store while lost in a daze, and it was when his hand caught something before it fell to the floor.
However, it was strange. There was the sound of something hitting against the floor, but he couldn’t see anything there.
‘What’s that…….?’
Leighton crouched down and checked the floor, but found nothing.
It might be just his feeling. Leighton was about to get up when something brushed against the skin of his hand.
Leighton lifted the invisible thing. The soft and flexible texture felt like a fabric.
When he retrieved the back of his hand by any chance, it didn’t seem like it had disappeared.
‘What’s this…!’
Crow came out of the room. Leighton had no choice but to return to his seat quickly.
Leighton pulled out the chair and sat down while trying to control his surprise after stumbling upon the mysterious object.
“How is it…….?”
Crow’s mouth that was seen under the hood seemed unusually stiffer than a moment ago.
“This medicine is not a vitalizer.”
Leighton’s face was filled with dismay.
“Although it contains ingredients of vitalizer, I think this medicine is created for other purposes.”
D**n it…….!
“Unfortunately, we can’t buy medicine that we are unable to identify.”
It sounded like a bolt out of the blue to Leighton.
‘My one gold!’
He couldn’t give up just like this.
“T-then, what if I find out what kind of medicine this is?”
Although it indicated that Leighton actually didn’t buy the medicine from Griff, Crow didn’t make an issue out of it.
“I think this is the medicine Griff created, so I’ll buy it when I know what kind of medicine it is. After all, his medicine is valuable.”
Leighton nodded swiftly.
“Alright…….! I understand.”
Leighton, who came out of the store, frowned and stared at the bottle.
‘It really wasn’t a vitalizer……!’
Leighton put back the bottle inside his pocket in an angry manner.
He said to Crow that he would find out what kind of medicine it was, but he actually had no idea how to figure it out.
He couldn’t visit Duke Hart and ask him about this medicine since he snuck it, but he couldn’t sell it either because he had no idea about it.
‘Maybe Nelia knows……’
She might know because she had been working with Duke Hart for quite some time. However, she would obviously answer that she didn’t know about it.
Although Nelia originally wasn’t the type to talk to him about anything, she was particularly quiet when it’s about Duke Hart.
When was she able to become such a loyal maid?
‘This won’t do.’
He thought it would be better to find out on his own because he would just be told off for sticking his nose in useless matters again if he asked Nelia.
How could he identify this medicine……
Leighton was lost in his thoughts and concluded that there was no other way except hearing it from the duke.
However, rather than asking personally, he should secretly figure out the identity of the medicine by asking the duke if he felt any pain or he could say that he want to have a body as strong as the duke.
But he stumbled upon one more problem.
It’s about how to create a situation to have such a conversation with the duke.
‘Should I visit His Grace’s mansion again?’
However, if he visited the mansion just like that, Nelia might try to chase him away even before he got to meet the duke.
Leighton, who was grinding his brain for ideas, recalled the words of the duke’s butler yesterday.
‘It would be nice for you to meet Zenu while you’re here, but he might have gone out with Nelia as he’s currently not in his room.’
The butler had spoken as if Zenu was Nelia’s cousin.
He didn’t know what that girl Nelia was doing by making someone act as her cousin, but it was such valuable information for him.
Leighton looked up at the sky and laughed.
***
Ton approached Nelia and stood in front of her, as she sipped her coffee leisurely before concluding her lunch break.
“Young Lady, a letter has arrived for you.”
“Letter……?”
“Yes, the sender seems to be Young Lady’s brother, who visited the duke’s mansion a few days ago. There was ‘Leighton Benedict’ written on the envelope.”
Leighton?
She was about to write a letter to him soon to ask about the reason he visited the duke’s mansion, but he sent one much earlier than her.
Nelia immediately put down her cup and opened the letter.
Nelia’s expression gradually stiffened as she read the letter. Duke Hart, who was glancing at Nelia over the cup, asked.
“What’s the letter about, Nelia?”
Nelia answered while barely moving her stiffened chin.
“Leighton…… wants to visit the mansion.”
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