# 67
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Ian Cloud was in a rather bad mood.
It was late in the morning, and he was sitting in his office, frowning as he stared at a document filled with deny written text. There was one word stuck in his mind, refusing to leave: Why?
Ever since he left the dining hall, that single word had been filling his thoughts.
After fixing his blue eyes on the document, he turned to the newsletter on the corner of his desk.
When he picked up the newsletter, his eyebrows furrowed deeper.
The content was terrible from the first page.
The references were to Duke Roger's shy smile, the supposed unusual atmosphere between them, and how everyone was watching Ian Cloud's reaction. And nothing was more ridiculous than the comments section below.
-If I were her, I wouldn't be able to resist it either. Honestly, both of them are said to be among the most handsome men in the capital.
-It's a shame he's not part of the royal family...otherwise, polygamy might be a possibility. Isn't it time to amend the law?
-Oh my God, these are bold words!
– Well, it's anonymous, so who cares? Moreover, the article didn't mention that the Grand Duchess had feelings for Duke Roger, did it?
- who knows? Maybe by next year, she'll be Duchess of Roger, not Grand Duchess of Cloud!
-Oh my God, you can't really say things like that, even anonymously!
-Didn't Duke Roger and the Cloud family have a bad relationship?
- Yes, I heard that they did not agree since the Grand Duke was a prince.
-So is he really trying to steal her?
-Be careful what you say!
Ian found it ridiculous that these people were exchanging baess speculations about Eloise and Duke Haydn Roger.
It was hard to believe that those who wrote such humble notes were nobles.
'Pathetic idiots.'
Ian tossed the newsletter aside in disgust.
In fact, what the newsletter published was not something Ian should care about.
At least, it should have been so.
Unless Eloise had already met Duke Roger secretly, there was no reason to bother him.
Lunch was something Ian himf agreed to.
Of course, he could criticize her for allowing her name to appear in such a lowly newsletter, but considering the other scandals that had come to light over the past two years, it wasn't worth scolding her for.
However, despite all these reasons, Ian Cloud was overly obsessed with the newsletter and their meeting.
'What is Hayden Roger thinking?'
He and Duke Roger were never on good terms, even as a formality.
When Hayden enters the palace as Eliseo's childhood companion, Ian's first impression of him is bad.
Hayden was always smiling, and was constantly trying to keep Ian under control, just like his father did.
When Ian was about six years old, during a boat trip with Haydn and Eliseo, he was attacked by a noble from the Empress faction.
Eliseo was injured while protecting him. While his injuries were not serious, it became known that Hayden viewed Ian as a threat to Eliseo's safety after that incident. As a result, whenever the two crossed paths at monthly events in the capital, the tension between them was palpable.
“And now, suddenly, he is approaching the Grand Duchess...?”
But that wasn't the only thing that bothered Ian.
“Ah, well, Haydn—I mean, Duke Roger’s chef—”
“Since when did they start calling each other by their names?”
During the two years they were married, Eloise never called Ian by his name.
As Ian found himf lost in these thoughts, the usual noise heralded Kyle's entrance.
"Sir! You've arrived- oh, oops."
Cale immediately sensed the tense atmosphere and hunched his shoulders.
“Why are you in a bad mood today? I could barely breathe as I entered the office.”
Although he gauged the mood carefully, Kyle still spoke his mind, as always.
Finally, Ian tore his gaze away from the newsletter to look at Kyle.
The intensity of his gaze made Kyle shudder, but after glancing between Ian and the newsletter a few times, Kyle smiled.
“Aha.”
He had a keen intuition for these things.
“Now that I think about it, there was a lot of talk about the Grand Duchess and Duke Roger. On my way here, I heard people talking about it. Even in the bustling streets, that's all everyone was talking about.”
Despite carefully monitoring Ian's mood earlier, Kyle now seemed intent on teasing him.
"But honestly, who wouldn't be? You and she never went to that restaurant, but she went there with Duke Roger, right? Everyone says the atmosphere was something special. Even the wizards of my tower have been talking about it all morning."
Ian frowned. The Sorcerers' Tower is located far to the west, far from the capital.
The fact that the news actually got there was surprising.
Not only were these wizards eccentric, but they also had unnecessarily sharp ears.
The worst among them was the one standing in front of him, Cale, who had somehow managed to pick up on all kinds of rumors.
"But Duke Roger is strange too. Why would he go there, of all places, with Her Highness the Grand Duchess, as if to show off? It's as if he's genuinely interested in her!"
Cale continued to babble, seemingly unafraid of his master. Ian gave him a scary look.
“Kyle.”
“Well, am I saying anything that's not true?”
Kyle shrugged shamelessly, still encouraged by the fact that Ian hadn't called him by his full name yet.
This means he still has time to talk. With a naughty gleam in his red eyes, Kyle smiled.
“You're upset about that, aren't you?”
Ian's silence was the confirmation Kyle needed, and he laughed. It was difficult to tell whether he was a loyal servant or an enemy at this point.
“I remember you once said, ‘It’s just a matter of family alliance. There is no reason to care about personal matters, a line must be drawn firmly.’”
Kyle dramatically imitated Ian's expression and raised his eyebrows.
“I knew it would come to this.”
His expression was as if he was practically scolding his master.
"Honestly, it's time to admit it. You should be feeling a sense of crisis now."
“What crisis?”
“Don’t you understand? At this rate, in a few months, Her Highness might end up becoming Duchess of Roger, not Grand Duchess of Cloud—”
“Kyle Elzer.”
Oh no. At this point, continuing to provoke him would be the death of him.
Kyle closed his mouth and smiled innocently, thanks to his impeccable timing.
Ian gave him a murderous look, examining him from head to toe.
Kyle felt it was time to change the subject, so he quickly turned around.
“By the way, did you deliver the message you mentioned last time?”
“What message is it?”
Kyle gasped in disbelief.
"Did you forget again? Didn't I tell you that Her Highness the Grand Duchess told me personally that she was concerned that her efforts as Grand Duchess had not reached you?"
A few days ago, while following Eloise into the palace garden, Cale heard a golden piece of information.
Eloise probably thought he wouldn't notice, but once Kyle heard her concerns, he knew it was about Ian.
After all, if anyone had a keen intuition for these things, it was Kyle Elzer.
He looked at Ian. And judging by his silence, Ian might have ignored the advice again.
“So, you didn't tell her, did you?”
“…I did.”
"Sorry?"
“I said, I did.”
Kyle's face became expressionless for the first time. Did he say he actually did it? Of course, Kyle passed on the message, but he never imagined that Ian would actually pay attention to it.
“Well, I've lived long enough, and I've seen it all.”
After a moment of confusion, Kyle's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Did you really do it? My God, even you can grow, right. So, how did Her Highness respond? Did she blush?”
Unlike Kyle, whose voice rose with excitement, Ian's expression was conflicted.
He didn't really know how to explain it.
He took Kyle's words to heart and told Eloise over breakfast that he acknowledged her efforts.
Of course, Kyle would have given him a long speech about how poorly he got the message across, but for Ian, this was his best effort.
So, Eloise's reaction...
After a long pause, Ian finally spoke.
“…I dropped a pea.”
“A pea?”
“…on her plate.”
flat.
Ian tapped the desk with his index finger, imitating the moment, as if he wanted to paint the scene.
Kyle's facial expression became tense.
'What is he even talking about?'
Cale, who was silent now, made a quiet and sincere apology to Eloise in his thoughts.
'You must have been in a difficult situation, Your Highness.'