After a while, Rose opened her eyes while lying on her bed.

Hmmm.

The sun outside the window was casting brighter glares than usual.

What? I slept this long..? Why didnt they wake me up?

Rose Brumayer always acted like a picky youngster. Especially after waking up.

The maids were supposed to wake her up at the appointed time in the morning.

But no one came.

Rose had been inside the house since she was humiliated by Laritte and rejected by her fiance.

Because of that, her hysteria got worse.

In the past, she would have bullied Laritte as a way to express her tantrums. Similar to how children disturbed ants who minded their own business on branches.

Since she couldnt do that now, her stress just piled up.

She gritted.

Derpy employees. Im sure theyre slacking since I havent lifted up my whip lately!

She decided to release her anger on them.

She rushed outside the room. She turned left through the corridor on the second floor to find a man standing in front of a painting.

Hey, you!

She approached him as he thought he was a servant.

When the man turned around, she froze.

It wasnt a servant. Rather, it was a government personal dressed in a uniform.

Only then did she take a look at her surroundings.

The hallway was empty. Devoid of any sculptures, flower vases, or any decorative items for that matter.

Whats worse, the official was currently taking off the remaining paintings.

W-Who are you? Why are you taking that?

The man shook his hand at her as if he was being bothered.

Im just following orders from above, so make a complaint there, Miss.

Rose may have been expelled from social gatherings, but she was still an aristocrat. The daughter of a family who owned an estate.

She raised her voice.

You lowly! Are you out of your mind?

The man casually spoke.

Is it necessary to properly treat a fallen aristocrat who has no land?

F-Fallen? What?

He did not respond anymore.

Rose ran down to the first floor, still in her nightgown.

On her way, she saw many officials carrying their furniture and other miscellaneous things they owned out of the mansion.

She ran to the Countess, who was sitting in one corner.

Mom! Whats happening?

The Duke has filed a lawsuit with the investigative agency. The mansion and estate are now in his possession!

That means.

Boom!

Rose felt as though a big rock came crashing down on her.

Without a mansion and estate, the title of an aristocrat meant nothing.

No wealthy merchant would deal with the Brumayers.

Were finished, Rose!

The Countess ran her fingers over her head, messing up her hairstyle in the process.

But this price was less than what plagued Laritte for those many years.

Rose stopped an official the moment she spotted him carrying away her dresses.

Those are my clothes!

Everything in this mansion has been ordered to be confiscated. Be happy we didnt take away your gown.

Where are you taking them all?

The man checked the documents before he answered.

The estate, the mansion, and the rest of your possessions now belong to the Duke of Reinhardt. There had been a demand to send the belongings of the count we are taking away to his estate.

Theyre going to the Duchy?

Rose had an idea.

She would definitely find Laritte at the Dukes mansion. There was a chance she could get back her possessions if she begged Laritte for forgiveness.

Mom! Dad! This is not the time to be sitting here idly. Lets hurry and make our way to the Dukes mansion.

What are you planning to do?

Laritte is there! We could try apologizing to that girl!

The Count and his wife exchanged looks out of concern.

Rose continued, determined to convince them.

If nothing happens even after apologizing, we will reveal it to the public and get our house back. We cant get thrown off without a penny!

Thats not a bad idea!

Having been convinced by Rose, they began to prepare to leave.

Ian and Laritte were having a peaceful time.

Ians excessive work had also gradually diminished. Even so, he didnt appear in any gathering again.

He agreed with Larittes opinion on such a place being annoying.

Plenty of activities could be done in the house of the Duke itself.

The two could spend time eating together, or if the weather was nice, they could have a light picnic in the garden.

Or choose to talk about a random luxury item.

They spent the afternoon as usual when each chose a book to read from the study.

The study looked so old that it seemed as if it were built a hundred years ago. But that didnt mean it was true.

From the open window came light sun rays pouring in and the refreshing scent of flowers accompanying the slow breeze.

Ian and Laritte read the books in their hands while taking a bite of the cookies the chef had made ambitiously.

At some point, Ian asked.

Ive been wondering about this for a while, but is that what its about?

The title of the book in Larittes hand was 100 Easy Recipes Starting With Dragons.

This was the first time he came to know that such a thing existed in the study.

It contains recipes that contain dragon parts.

The ingredients found from dragons were known to be very rare.

The remains of runaway dragons were distributed in the order in which they contributed to the destruction of villages.

However, Ian, being a Swordmaster, had never eaten anything made of a dragon part.

Where do they get them from?

I assume thats the reason why they wrote it in their imagination.

Ian became more curious.

No, if thats the case, is it meaningful as a recipe?

This is where it gets interesting.

Laritte returned to concentrate on the book again.

Ian was going to question her again.

However, his eyes stopped on her appearance.

Her silver strangles swayed as the breeze from outside touched them.

He felt his pulse accelerate again.

Now, he had accepted this as an everlasting feeling.

For days, he had thought of too many excuses to explain it. But he failed.

Laritte was beautiful.

Objectively at that.

Would such a person grow less attractive in his eyes if she remained a friend?

No wonder it made him tremble!

He would be fine once he got used to it over time.

Then, a maid quietly walked into the study.

My Lord, I have come to say something

She whispered to him.

Count Brumayer, Countess Brumayer, and their daughter have come to see the Madam. Do you want me to send them off? I thought Madam might feel uncomfortable.

Theyre here?

Now that he thought about it, today was the day the family of the Count would be thrown out of the house.

I can see why theyre here.

Now, there was no need to hide it from Laritte.

He closed the book and told her the truth.

Laritte, the Brumayers have come to the estate.

Them? Why..

Ive confiscated the Counts property. Ah, and the dress of Duchess Selena that they stole must be on the way back, too.

It was so sudden to Laritte.

When did that happen?

Im sorry I didnt tell you in advance. I was afraid that youd stop me.

She wasnt angry, of course.

Ian read her face and said.

They wish to see you. You can go swear at them or use violence. There will be no one watching.

Hmm.

She agonized for a moment and shook her head.

She had no reason to meet them.

The warm treatment she was receiving at the Duchy was enough.

Ill go if you ask me, Ian.

Then you dont have to. Ill go take a look myself.

Ian stood up.

His walk to declare the familys death sentence was extremely relaxed.

Meanwhile, the Brumayers stood still at the door of the huge mansion.

Count Brumayer crossed his arms before his chest.

Why arent you taking us to the parlor?

The Duke has only allowed you to stay here. Please wait here.

The maids expression was very cold.

So were all of the employees.

The Brumayers deserved it for whatever they did to Laritte.

The Count had never been disgraced like this.

How dare you!

The Countess stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

Have patience, honey.

It wasnt just the servants.

The knights also looked at them coldly from afar.

Rose responded.

Thats right, dad. Lets just stay low for a second. Until that little Laritte..

Hmph! I understand. I cant wait to see how bright her face has become.

A knight cleared his throat.

Ahem! Ahem!

This is the Duchy. If you use profanity toward the Duchess, itll be close to impossible for the Duke to spare your life.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep