# 48
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Episode 48
Ruelia's eyes trembled.
Help Ruelia. Why was the word “help” crossed out with bold, violent X’s dozens of times, while its name remained untouched?
'Expulsion?'
She almost tore the paper from shock.
At that moment, Belen entered the office.
“Oh? Miss Assistant, you here?”
Belin stopped, holding papers, when he noticed a black aura surrounding Ruelia.
“W-what's wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Ruelia took a deep breath and quietly pushed the note aside.
Then she stared at Belen. She had something to question him about.
“Master, why did you go to the Mercenary Guild yesterday?”
Belin was taken aback for a moment, his eyes quickly rolling around.
“Because I am assigned to protect you secretly. It looked like you were going to enter the building, so I checked in advance.”
There were no holes in his alibi.
But his sweat made Ruelia's eyes narrow.
Belen laughed embarrassedly, scratching his head. His eyes were fixed on the Duke's desk, not on Ruelia.
'No matter how I look, he looks like a guilty person...'
Her violet eyes sparkled as if they would reveal the truth.
“So, how did you and the Duke find out about our house yesterday?”
Belen's eyes shook even more.
He had a guess as to why the Duke was acting strange, but he couldn't tell the truth.
That would have brought on the Duke's wrath.
After thinking, he clenched his fist and said:
“We received information that someone with a grudge against you was approaching, so the Duke himf went to rescue you.”
It was the best answer he could think of.
As he expected, Ruelia's violet eyes sparkled with emotion.
This encouraged him, and he said:
“The Duke cherishes you very much.”
“Indeed. He always takes such generous care of me.”
“Yes, you are the most distinguished among the servants.”
A mysterious smile appeared on Ruelia's lips.
Belen watched her with a proud face, as if he had accomplished something, and placed the papers on Caelis's desk.
“Okay, I'll go now.”
After Belin left, Ruelia’s smile disappeared.
She looked at her desk with a frown, where the note she had hidden was.
Crossed out x marks on the word “help”.
What are you supposed to understand from this?
‘Contrary to what Sir Belin thinks, I am not a special assistant? No, my name is carefully circled…'
After staring for a long time, the answer came out of her mouth in surprise.
“I am not in need of help, but am I needed?”
Ruelia covered her mouth with her hand. She remembered her words and her face turned red.
Her heart beat strangely.
'The woman the Duke said he wanted to marry...'
“Me?”
Ruelia looked with astonished eyes between the note and the Duke's place.
Many thoughts flowed through her mind.
The Duke does not fall in love with Ayla after meeting her.
Duchess nomination papers that Belén brought, which turned out to be hers.
Ayla's reaction.
'I support you, Miss Ruelia.'
The Crown Prince's reaction was also not normal.
It seemed that everyone, inside and outside the Duke's family, and even the strangers at the party, knew.
'You saw his look for help. A man who is definitely in love.'
She would have been stupid not to notice.
The evidence is too much to deny as you did before.
Ruelia's heart continued to beat violently, and her reddened cheeks did not calm down.
She felt dizzy from the heat that invaded her head.
At that moment, I remembered the Duke's words.
‘I need help. There's no one I'd want to adopt as a duchess anyway.'
Ruelia slapped her cheeks hard.
“I seem to have gone crazy.”
Ruelia quickly recovered from her delusions.
She almost made a mistake and embarrassed herf earlier.
Most importantly, she knows her place.
Instead of wishing for a tree you can't climb and it falls, it's better to watch it from afar.
‘I am an orphan from the common people, I do not know my parents.’
Even the Grand Duke couldn't change that.
Ruelia understood why the Duke changed his words about not wanting to get married.
He's a really respectable person.
'He did it because he thought I would feel a burden.'
Fortunately.
It seems that he wants to continue their relationship as a manager and assistant. He may have been going through an internal struggle, as the diary shows.
Ruelia looked at the paper carefully, then brought out a new paper.
“Write the apology report well, Ruelia.”
Since this precious person keeps apology reports carefully.
* * *
“Did you get the message across well, Filior?”
Galion asked as he looked at a rose that was beginning to bloom in the garden of the Crown Prince's Palace.
“Yes, His Highness. I sent her directly to the aid house today, not to the Duke of Aber’s family.”
The prince's guard commander replied with a slight bow.
"Well done. Thanks to yesterday's events, I'll be less cloy watched by Kyles now."
Galion cut the branch of a red rose with scissors and carefully placed it in a basket provided by a servant.
“Will the Duke be deceived?”
"Who knows? He's smart. He might figure it out soon."
“He'll think you tricked him, His Highness.”
“Maybe, but what should I do? I have to survive first. If Caelus finds out, he will object because of Ruelia.”
Galleon carelessly cut off another rose branch.
“You had a lot of trouble yesterday, didn't you?”
“I consider it a good experience.”
“This man, when it comes to Ruelia, is out of his mind. He pretends to be rational in front of others, but he is actually crazy.”
“Maybe because it's a new feeling for him?”
“Well, who else will understand?”
Galleon shook his head.
Levinel remembered the terrifying moments of yesterday, and his shoulders shrank for a moment.
“But, are you really going to leave the Second Prince?”
“For now, I must leave him. If I move, the Emperor will consider me a traitor.”
So he strictly forbade Kyles.
He's just the crown prince now. There is no point in confronting the Emperor. There are still other sons to take his place.
“So, Kyles needs to be monitored more. To prevent him from causing problems.”
“Isn’t he the type of person who moves without justification and with your permission?”
"This is correct."
Galleon finished trimming the roses.
He looked at the guard commander following him and asked:
“So, when did you have your tea time?”
“In ten days, probably.”
"Quick. Good. What's next? A reading club? Or a flower show? Isn't there a quicker excuse?"
Galleon smiled happily as he saw his subordinate's embarrassed face.
* * *
After quickly writing the apology report, Ruelia returned to her focus on work, but the calculations did not match, so she put down her pen and stretched.
"Yes."
Either her concentration weakened, or her math skills suddenly declined.
She hasn't made a mistake with numbers in a long time.
“Is someone embezzling?”
There is no one in the Duke's family who does that.
Well, there is someone.
‘If the Duke is secretly preparing a rebellion, he will need secret funds…’
Ruelia shook her head.
The Duke's fate has already changed. You should not think inappropriate thoughts.
As I tried to focus again, the butler suddenly entered.
With a serious face, he presented her with an envelope.
“An invitation came from Countess Bellona’s family. I tried to return it, but they insisted that the matter was agreed upon.”
“I promised.”
Senior's eyebrows rose for a moment.
His look was concerned, not scolding.
“There are some last things to arrange.”
"when?"
“In ten days, apparently.”
“Fortunately, the Duke’s schedule is free. It would be a good idea to ask to accompany him.”
Ruelia extended her arms and shook them vigorously.
“No, how could I ask the Duke for something like this?”
“Of course you can. You must show that the Duke is your biggest supporter. This way no one will dare treat you badly.”
“I know, but… I will ask Miss Ayla to accompany me instead.”
It's not a bad option to go with a friendly Nabila.
“No, I will accompany you.”
A firm voice rang from behind him, as if he rejected the idea completely.