The Art of Reforming Villainous Men - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Translator: Yonnee
—
The moment she saw it, Adeline’s feet moved before her mind.
At that moment, her desperation outweighed her shock.
“No!”
She dashed up the stairs in one breath and blocked the workers carrying the portrait.
“Who gave you permission to touch this portrait? Put it back, now!”
“Pardon? Permission?”
But the workers only looked at her with puzzled expressions or as if she were an inconvenient obstacle in their way.
“We were ordered to get rid of this. They said it’s useless now and plan to burn it.”
“Who on earth—”
“Obviously, the owner of the mansion gave the order.”
“…What?”
The words, the owner of the mansion, made Adeline’s face go pale.
“The owner of the mansion? What are you talking about…?”
The owner of the Zeller Duchy’s mansion had always been Adeline.
Before her father passed, it was his. Now it belonged to her.
No one else could claim ownership of this house.
As she was about to voice her disbelief, voices came from further down the hallway, and two figures appeared.
The approaching steps belonged to two men.
One was a handsome young man with silver-blue hair neatly combed back, the epitome of a noble gentleman.
The other was a man with a cold expression, black hair as sharp as if carved with a blade, exuding the presence of a sheer cliff.
It was the silver-haired young man who first addressed Adeline.
“Ah, perfect timing. It’s been a while, Duke Adeline Zeller.”
With a gentle smile as refined as his appearance, he approached her and extended his hand.
Then, as if realizing something, he exaggeratedly withdrew his hand with a sheepish expression.
“Ah, that’s too formal between us, isn’t it? Shall I call you Renée, like before?”
“…Millein?”
Adeline’s brow furrowed involuntarily as she spoke the young man’s name.
Her gaze shifted between Millein, who was smiling at her, and the black-haired man standing a step behind, observing them calmly.
“And you, Mr. Jack Hatzfeld… What are you both doing here?”
It was only after she spoke that Adeline realized her voice had trembled slightly.
And no wonder—both men standing before her were people she knew well.
The young man who had extended his hand was Milleinberg Ishmire Belov.
He was the eldest son of the renowned Belov Marquisate, and someone who had been like a childhood friend to Adeline.
‘He even proposed to me once.’
Of course, that had been before her father passed, so it was a matter long forgotten.
The man standing one step behind Millein was Jack Hatzfeld.
Jack was the head of the company that managed the Zeller family’s assets when her father was still alive.
Two men who seemed to have no connection to each other shared only one thing in common.
‘Since I became the Zeller Duchy’s household head, I haven’t had any contact with either of them.’
So why were they now here, at the Zeller mansion?
Her question was soon answered.
“It seems you haven’t heard the news yet.”
Seeing the confusion still evident on Adeline’s face, Millein spoke in a kind tone.
“The Zeller Duchy is no more, Adeline.”
“…What? What are you talking about?”
Adeline’s face twisted in an instant.
The Zeller Duchy—protected by her father and by herself for a lifetime.
How could the family disappear in just the two weeks she had been away?
And without informing her, the current Duke of Zeller?
Adeline forced a scoff at Millein’s words.
“Don’t say nonsense, Millein. I am the Duke of Zeller. How can—”
“Oh, Renée, you truly know nothing, do you?”
Millein stepped forward and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Last week, the imperial family decided to revoke the Zeller family’s title. The bank submitted documents stating that the Zeller family could no longer repay its debts.”
Thud.
At that moment, a chilling cold ran through Adeline’s veins.
T/N: ‘Duke’ and ‘Duchess’ have different connotations in Korean because ‘Duke’ is a person who holds the title in their own right, while ‘Duchess’ is (literally translated) a ‘Duke’s wife’. Given this context, this translation will refer to Adeline as ‘Duke’.
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