# 50
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“Bold of them to spread such dirty rumors in my palace.”
Instead, Matthias decided to find whoever started the rumors.
Once he finds him, it will make him deeply regret his action.
“Where is Miss Elinor?”
“It was said that the lady went into the greenhouse.”
"truly?"
Matthias was surprised when he heard Elinor's location from one of his followers.
When he told her about the greenhouse, she seemed uninterested, but it seemed like she was secretly interested.
He intended to go straight back to his room, but he changed his mind and headed into the greenhouse.
Peep, peep.
The birds that Cornelia had imported were so expensive, they twittered so pure.
Matthias looked around for Elinor.
As he moved closer, he felt the presence of people.
But the attendance was not for two people, but for three.
“Is she with a maid?”
Matthias thought the rumors circulating among the maids were false.
A woman knows no man in the palace except him, so who will she meet?
Therefore, when he saw Elinor standing with a man instead of a maid, his thoughts stopped for a moment.
'Who is this?'
It was a man he had never seen before.
Tall, with red hair, he looks very young.
Moreover, he seemed very friendly.
When the man whispered something, Elinor smiled tenderly.
A woman who rarely smiled at him like that.
Matthias's heart beat unusually.
If her sister Charlotte was beautiful like a radiant rose, then Elinor was like a cherry blossom blooming elegantly and radiantly.
Come to think of it, Elinor was very popular even in the countryside.
So popular that someone like James, an idiot, harbored ill will towards her.
'Were the rumors about her encounters with men every night true?'
He thought it was ridiculous rumours, but now his heart was shaken.
Matthias tried to eavesdrop on their conversation.
But, for some reason, even though the distance was not far, he couldn't hear their conversation.
Meanwhile, the man grabbed Elinor's hand.
Elinor did not reject his hand and remained calm.
Matthias's eyebrows drew an arch.
‘When I held her hand in the carriage earlier, I was very surprised.’
Why didn't she reject this man's hand and remain calm?
to cut.
A branch that Mathias was holding broke.
Upon hearing the sound, the two, who were immersed in their own world, noticed Matthias' presence.
Mathias drew an elegant smile on his lips.
“Mother of the child, what are you doing here?”
He moved towards them without hesitation.
“The Duke.”
Elinor shuddered.
As if she had been discovered in a position where she should not have been seen.
What scares her so?
Mathias spoke calmly, with a smug smile.
“I was going to go back to my room after the banquet, but I heard that the baby’s mother went to the greenhouse.”
“Were you looking for me?”
“Cornelia was looking for you. She was sorry that you didn’t come to the banquet. I told her that you didn’t come because you didn’t want to attract attention with the child.”
The corner of his eyes bent long.
“But the baby’s mother seems to have another purpose.”
He intentionally called her “baby’s mother.”
Because this woman has a child, no one will think of vain dreams.
But, contrary to Matthias's warning, the man seemed unconcerned.
The man, who was laughing in an annoying manner, smiled and suddenly extended his hand to Matthias.
“You are Duke Hilliard, aren’t you? Nice to meet you.”
Mathias' eyebrow rose.
"I don't know you."
“You don't have to know me.”
"What?"
“He was one of the attendees at the banquet, but he lost his way.”
Elinor interjected suddenly, surprised by the man's response.
“He said he got here while wandering around... I was directing him to get out.”
"truly?"
Matthias sneered silently.
He saw how they were talking cordially and laughing intimately, and now she was lying innocently.
He tilted his head to the side.
“So friendly, holding hands?”
“That was…”
“I have a disorder that makes me feel anxious if I don't hold someone's hand.”
The man, making a strange excuse, suddenly grabbed Matthias's hand.
“See, like this.”
“Are you crazy? Let go of my hand immediately!”
"What is this?"
At that moment, the man's yellow eyes curved long.
“There's something interesting here too.”
Matthias smacked the man's hand away.
Who the hell is this man?
His attitude towards the Duke was extremely rude.
No, beyond rudeness, he looked crazy.
Matthias said to Elinor:
“Mother of the child, if you are going to meet a man, why someone like this?”
“Way back to the banquet hall over there.”
Elinor quickly pointed to the exit.
“Since you know the way, please leave now.”
“But the request-”
“He asked for your help in guiding him? You can ask that of any servant you see when leaving the greenhouse.”
Elinor pushed the man away.
She was so desperate.
The man smiled suspiciously, then shrugged and turned around.
“Okay, I'll see you later.”
"I am waiting."
Matthias tried to stop him.
But at that moment, Elinor grabbed Matthias's arm.
“Didn't you come to see me?”
The strength of Elinor's hand holding Matthias was weak.
But Matthias felt as if his body had stopped moving.
While he was frozen for a moment, the man in front of him disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Elinor lowered her hand from Matthias' arm.
"Who is he?"
Elinor pursed her lips.
"I don't know him. I saw him for the first time."
“You seemed very friendly with a stranger.”
“I was just being polite to someone I had just met.”
“Ha, ‘polite’.”
Do you think he is an idiot?
It was obvious that she knew him, and that she had just sent him on purpose.
It was embarrassing for him to let the man go just because she grabbed his arm, but her lying so carelessly was also confusing.
“It is true that the fiefdom is open to outsiders because of the dueling tournament. But that does not mean that you can bring any man to the duke’s palace.”
Mathias crossed his arms with a smug attitude.
"What were you talking about? Did you ask for his help to escape because you were being held captive in the palace?"
"What do you mean? No, it's not."
“Do you know of any rumors going around in the palace now, mother of the child?”
“Rumours…?”
"It is said that the child's mother meets men every night. A new man every day."
Elinor's eyes widened.
It was unclear whether she was surprised because she didn't know, or because her secret meeting had been discovered.
Matthias felt upset for some reason.
The image of Elinor smiling intimately with a strange man kept repeating itf in his mind.
Finally, sarcastic words came out.
“It seems the rumors weren't a lie.”
He made fun of her.
“I, Palace Master, was the last to know.”
“Duke, that is not the case.”
“Not so? I saw it myf. Were you secretly walking around like this? Did you need a new stepfather to help you unconditionally?”
In fact, he already knew that she didn't leave her room at night.
The palace itf was Matthias's eyes.
There was always someone watching Elinor, anytime and anywhere.
However, he was scolding her because he was angry about her lying.
He hoped she didn't have anything to hide from him.
So, if she was honest now, he would understand everything...
“And what does that have to do with you, Duke?”
But Elinor never moved according to Matthias's thinking.