Duke, Is This Your First Time?

The Duke of Russet made Elysia Camellia the head of the aristocracy as soon as she succeeded to the marquise.

He thought that if she entered politics, the nobles who followed the Marquess Camellia would have no choice but to move.

Everything went as he expected.

The aristocratic faction quickly stabilized as the rebelling nobles began to step forward to protect the young Marquess Camellia.

Instead, the aristocracy split in two.

The nobles who followed Marquess Camellia, and the nobles who followed the Duke of Russet.

Fortunately, neither Elysia Camellia nor the former Marquess Camellia was a problem as they were still in his palm, but he wanted to make sure in case something happened.

One method was the union of the second Prince, Dustin and Elysia. There was no shackle as sure as marriage.

‘What the hell is that guy doing without getting a grip on that little girl’s heart?’

The Duke of Russet clicked his tongue softly as he recalled what he had just reported.

The method Dustin used against Elysia wasn’t bad. It was also a good move to choose Baron Jonathan Triel as a hand to use and discard.

The problem was that there were no results.

Even if he planned well, nothing changed. So even if it was bothersome, it was necessary to soothe Elysia first.

Duke Russet looked at Elysia, who was waiting for his answer, and said.

“Don’t worry about that, Marquess. I’ll take care of it so there won’t be any problems.”

“But Sir.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“… not that.”

Duke Russet felt satisfied with Elysia’s eyes full of dissatisfaction with Marquis Berten, but took a step back at his words.

He decided to give her a suitable consolation. A small sapphire mine under the Rockend Mountains would be a relief for today’s disgrace.

“Visit my residence tomorrow. I have something to give you.”

“Alright. Then I will trust you.”

As Elysia bowed her head to greet him and turned around, Duke Russet thought.

‘If you listen carefully, Marquess Camellia will be able to live up to her name without dying suddenly like her mother.’

***

“What do you want me to believe? I’d rather trust a passing dog. It’s not even funny.”

Elysia, who came to a place away from the Duke of Russet and the Marquis of Berten, viciously twisted her lips. At first it started with acting, but when the Marquis Berten believed in the Duke of Russet and brazenly came out as a counter-offensive, it really heated up.

She was proud of herself for barely holding back the swearing that had risen to the bottom of her throat without coming out of her mouth.

Fortunately, the Duke of Russet intervened and the matter did not escalate, but her anger against Marquis Berten was still unrelieved.

“You wait and see, one day I’ll give you a proper lesson.”

Elysia, who had been walking vigorously for a while, realized that something was strange. For some reason, the surroundings were very unfamiliar.

“Where am I?”

She stopped and looked around. It was a place she really didn’t know.

As she walked in anger, it seemed that she had fallen into a strange path that was not her usual way.

Elysia sighed as she looked around to see if there was anyone she could ask for directions, but there was no one around.

“Is there any more bad luck? Now I have to walk back. It’s all because of those two unlucky people.”

 It was when she tried to turn around, cursing the Duke of Russet and Marquis Berten. Suddenly, a rustling sound was heard from the next bush.

“Huh?”

Elysia looked back and blinked her eyes.

Surprisingly, what came out of the bush was a pretty boy with a wooden sword.

His curly hair, as if made of gold, glistened in the sunlight, and his silver eyes gleaming mysteriously in the moonlight.

If it wasn’t for his tanned skin, he was a boy so beautiful that he would be mistaken for a fairy.

Elysia, who was admiring that he would become a great looking man when he grew up, stopped for a moment.

‘Wait a minute. Golden hair and silver eyes? Why does it feel familiar?’

Her head was spinning quickly. The boy’s hair color was the same as that of the second Prince. And the eye color…

The moment she realized that the eye color of the boy standing in front of her was the same as that of the Empress’s, Elysia brought her left arm to her chest and bowed her head.

The third Prince she had only heard of was right in front of her.

“I see the little Sun of the empire. Your Highness, Prince Rashian Luke Hermann.”

In the Empire, greetings for the imperial family were fixed. The basic phrase was the same, only the name in it was different.

The emperor was the sky, the older prince was the sun, the younger prince was the little sun, and the Empress was the moon.

It was correct to call the young Prince the little Sun.

Rashian seemed surprised when Elysia recognized him.

“How do you know me?”

To the boy’s question full of vigilance, Elysia bowed slightly and made eye contact with him.

Judging by his height and physique, he seemed to be fifteen or sixteen. However, youth and innocence were seen on his pretty face.

“I think it’s more strange if I don’t recognize Your Highness, who has the color of His Majesty’s hair and the color of the eyes of Empress.”

“There were those who did not recognize it.”

“Because there will always be people who don’t notice.”

Perhaps he liked her answer, the vigilance that had filled the silver eyes disappeared and was replaced with curiosity.

“… who are you? I don’t think you’re a maid.”

“I’m Elysia Camellia. You can call me Marquess Camellia.”

“You’re Marquess Camellia?”

Elysia tilted her head while looking at the surprised Rashian.

It was surprising that he knew her, but she did not understand why he was surprised.

“Is there a problem?”

“I heard that Marquess Camellia is the best playgirl in the Empire.”

“…”

A strange expression appeared on Elysia’s face.

It wasn’t bad that the Prince, who was hidden and protected deep within the imperial palace, knew her. But the reason he knew her was a little different.

She wasn’t known as the head of the aristocratic faction, but the best playgirl in the empire. No matter how true this was…

‘Who is the education teacher of the 3rd Prince? Who are you to teach him like this?’

Elysia, who was grinding her teeth internally, heard Rashian’s words and looked up.

“I’m sorry if my words have offended you, Marquess. I think I was surprised that you are so different from the image I had in mind.”

At the Prince’s apology, Elysia blinked.

From the moment he found out about her identity, the informal language changed to respectful language, and looking at the boy’s expression, it didn’t seem like he said it intentionally.

‘He is a good boy.’

A small smile appeared on Elysia’s lips.

After dealing only with the beggar-like 2nd Prince, she somehow felt better when she saw the 3rd Prince who was not yet stained.

So, she decided to talk with the prince a little more.

“May I ask what you thought of me that surprised you?”

“I thought you would be a very flashy person. Hair, makeup, and dress.” 

Elysia, who heard Rashian’s answer, nodded her head as if she understood. It seemed possible.

Now, she had her hair neatly tied up, wearing a uniform, and had only very simple makeup on.

Still, she thought it was necessary to correct the boy’s misunderstanding, so she said, looking at Rashian.

“Just because I’m a flirt doesn’t mean I have to decorate it glamorously. Of course, I dress up when I attend a banquet, but I tend to keep things like makeup and accessories as simple as possible because my appearance itself is rather glamorous. There is nothing more distasteful than being overdone.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Your Highness. And it may be presumptuous, but I would like to say one more thing: don’t be quick to judge a person based on their appearance. Don’t let your guard down. There are many people who smile in front and stab you in the back. Do you know that I am the head of the nobility?”

Rashian nodded at her question.

“I know. The nobility supports you.”

“If you had known that, you should have just received my greetings and moved on. Why do you talk like this without hesitation?”

Elysia, worried about the young prince, nagged involuntarily.

She had been to and from the Imperial Palace countless times, but this was the first time she met the 3rd Prince, whom she met by chance today.

It also meant that the emperor was hiding the third prince well.

However, there was a problem with appearing like this and talking to her defenselessly. She had no intention of harming the 3rd Prince, but Duke Russet’s men or the nobles who followed the 2nd Prince would.

But when she finished speaking, Elysia felt awkward. She thought she shouldn’t have done that.

Fortunately, Rashian seemed to recognize her sincerity.

“I see. My thoughts were short. It was amazing to see a person I had only heard of in person. I will listen to the words of the Marquess.”

Is this what it feels like to teach a good student? Elysia, who had somehow felt proud, realized something strange.

‘But why is the way the Prince speaks so familiar? I heard this a lot somewhere.’

Her brow furrowed slightly. As if to solve her doubts, the familiar profound tone, not from the young Prince, but a man’s, penetrated her ears. 

“You’re here, Your Highness?”

Elysia’s eyes widened at the sight of the man coming out of the bush behind Rashian.

Surprisingly, it was Iker who appeared behind Rashian.

The cravat he wore had disappeared, and the button on his neatly locked shirt was loosely unbuttoned. The sleeves of both arms were also rolled up to above the elbows.

Without his jacket, his shoulders, as well as the muscles, were prominent under the shirt. 

A strong body was reflected.

He had a perfect body that she would normally admire and appreciate, but there was nothing like that in Elysia’s eyes right now.

‘No, why is this man coming out of there?’

She was genuinely perplexed.