I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 84

Chapter 43.1

Marie cautiously observed my reaction as she set the teacups down in front of my father and me.

I gave her a reassuring smile before adjusting my posture. She lingered for a moment, clearly uneasy about my father’s unexpected visit, but in the end, she had no choice but to leave the room. With a soft click, the door shut, and my father lifted his teacup before parting his lips.

“I’ve been hearing some interesting rumors lately.”

His low, measured words made me tighten my grip on the hem of my dress.

Even from the corner of my eye, I could feel the weight of his cold, indifferent gaze. As he brought the teacup to his lips, he continued.

“I hear there’s something unusual going on between you and Grand Duke Kaisian.”

Keeping my expression as natural as possible, I offered a slight smile before replying.

“It was nothing more than a chance encounter where we exchanged a few words.”

“So, you’re saying it’s not true?”

“It’s not something you would approve of, Father.”

At my words, my father stared at me, his face devoid of emotion. The silence grew so suffocating that it felt like the air had thickened when, suddenly, a system window flickered into view.

[ 〈 SYSTEM 〉

Baltanium Aidelis’s trust increases by 3%

Baltanium Aidelis’s current trust: 15% → 18% ]

[ 〈 SYSTEM 〉

The maximum holding amount is increased. (Maximum 18 gold)

Ardi’s current possession: 7 gold ]

Seeing the system window appear before me brought a small sense of relief, but just then, my father chuckled, as if he found something amusing.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want that. As if a mere grand ducal family could ever be enough for me.”

As he spoke, my father’s eyes glistened with greed. Then, with a pleased smile, he placed his teacup down and began speaking again.

“Make sure you don’t get swept up in unnecessary scandals.”

“Yes, Father.”

“But if there’s a way to use the situation to your advantage, then you should.”

‘Take advantage of it?’

My father rose from his seat, a strange smile playing on his lips. By the time he turned to look at me, his expression had already returned to its usual unreadable state.

“I’ll tell Darren. Make sure to prepare the outfit you’ll wear to the palace ball in a few days.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As I stood up after him, my father fixed me with a piercing gaze and spoke again.

“You must be the highlight of the evening, not Perideline Kaisian. Do you understand, Ardi Aidelis?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Satisfied with my response, my father departed, leaving behind an icy presence.

With a soft click, the door shut, and as soon as it did, exhaustion washed over me. I sank into my chair. The moment I rested against the back of the sofa and shut my eyes, a sharp knock broke the silence.

“M-My lady! It’s Marie!”

“Come in.”

The moment I gave my permission, Marie stepped inside and hurried over to me.

“M-My lady, are you alright?”

“Of course, I’m fine.”

“Oh goodness, that must have been such a shock! I was completely caught off guard when I heard His Excellency was asking for you. I couldn’t imagine what it was about.”

Her exaggerated reaction made me chuckle softly.

‘Honestly, considering how widespread the rumors have become, it’d be foolish to assume Father hadn’t caught wind of them.’

Marie, oblivious to my thoughts, spoke with concern in her voice.

“Uh… could it be that His Excellency called for you because he knows you recently met with His Highness the Grand Duke?”

“Seems like someone must have spotted us talking at the cafe the other day.”

I replied nonchalantly.

Thinking back to my conversation with Perideline, it seemed like the rumors about us had already spread throughout all of Erhel.

Whether or not they were true was another matter.

‘I thought ignoring them would make them fade away, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.’

In a way, I felt relieved that things had ended here. However, I couldn’t shake the lingering unease that there were still things my father had said that I didn’t fully understand. I pushed those unanswered questions aside for the time being and tried to move on, but Marie’s unusual silence caught my attention.

I turned to find her looking unusually serious as she spoke.

“My lady, I don’t think I should continue receiving treatment from His Highness the Grand Duke.”

“What?”

“The fact that His Excellency came all the way to your room just to talk to you means he’s definitely going to keep an even closer eye on you from now on.”

“Marie…”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me, my lady. And since I’ve been fine since that day, I don’t think there’s any reason to worry! So, let’s just stop my treatment.”

“Don’t say such nonsense!”

Lev had made it clear that since Diel was the one who cast the spell, he was the only one capable of treating Marie. There was no one in the world with magic power on the same level as Diel.

But Marie, unaware of the situation, remained firm. Her expression was stubborn as she argued back.

“His Highness the Grand Duke isn’t even in the capital right now because of the incident in Neitzia. How are you supposed to reach him in a situation like this? His Excellency is bound to notice.”

I watched her confidently state her case, then exhaled a quiet sigh before asking.

“So, if there was a way to contact him without anyone knowing, would you continue the treatment?”

“Pardon?”