Do Your Best and Regret

Chapter 44

The office of Duke Giovanni Madeleine.

Midday sunlight penetrated the round glass window. Lord Huxley sighed as the sunlight slowly crept up onto his desk and quickly closed the curtains.

Fortunately, the Duke didn't say anything.

The crunching sound of pen tips filled the office. It was a daily routine no different from usual.

However, Sir George Huxley, who had been assisting the Duke of Madeleine for several years, instinctively knew that the Duke's current condition was the calm before the storm. And in this situation, Lord Huxley, as his aide, knew very well what he had to do.

Lord Huxley left his office silently. As soon as the door closed, Giovanni Madeleine let out a heavy breath.

Sharp, sharp amethyst eyes stared at the document. While the letters were distorted and difficult to see properly, only the face of Grand Duke Vikander, seen at the last noble meeting became clear.

"That's it. Didn't I speak kindly, Duke?"

After the noble meeting, it was time for Giovanni to grit his teeth and look for Olivia. Instead of Olivia, whose whereabouts were nowhere to be seen, his languid voice that sent shivers down his spine was directed at Giovanni. When Giovanni reflexively turned, the natural Grand Duke was standing there as if it was.

"Are you declaring that you will become my enemy by trying to come any closer?"

"Are you saying it's a threat for a father to try to see her daughter, Your Highness?"

Even when Giovanni spoke with his own mouth, it felt gritty, like his mouth was full of sand. At the same time, the Grand Duke burst out laughing. The eyes that grinned as if it was very funny were cool.

Then the Grand Duke shrugged his shoulders and spoke quietly enough for only Giovanni to hear.

"Oh my God. What kind of father would let his daughter curl up alone?"

He guessed that was possible because she wasn't his daughter. Giovanni, caught off guard by the words he said, closed his mouth. The Grand Duke raised one corner of his mouth at an angle as if he had hoped for that.

... He wasn't told to cherish his luck or to limit himself to that point.

"I hope you will heed today's warning."

Even though several days had passed, the voice still remained in his mind. Giovanni, who was glaring at the familiar desk in his office, suddenly took a deep breath and frowned. The Grand Duke does not know. He can say things like that because he doesn't know.

Twenty-one years ago, Olivia's mother, a dancer who made money, was with him while he was drunk. He didn't know at the time that the night he had a private meeting with the Duke of Elkin, a member of the noble family, and that night when he was more dizzyingly drunk than usual, would become the biggest regret of his life.

Giovanni's head felt dizzy and his breathing became faster. These days, the frequency of neck pulling and headaches has increased. It seems like it's been quite a while since he met the congressman, but he was just thinking about it.

"The tea got cold so I brought a new one."

Sir Huxley held out a new teapot and teacup with a faint scent. The scent of transparent brown tea soothed his frayed nerves.

"Thank you."

Giovanni raised his teacup. It was a warm tea just to his taste. The Duke's expression softened little by little as he drank tea.

Lord Huxley saw this and sighed inwardly. The tea that sometimes cools the Duke's anger is not far away. If he had known this would happen, he would have at least asked the first Princess a long time ago.