Chapter 40

Mr. Mike's proposal, as the head of the Third Knights, is as follows:

"Duke Cedric has met Victoria before. If they meet, it’s inevitable that he will recognize her. The best course of action would be to meet him before the ball and ask him not to say anything to His Majesty and the First Prince."

However, Duke Cedric, during his time as the Second Prince, was someone who persistently asked me for martial arts training. I can't help but feel that he might offer to teach me martial arts in exchange for my silence.

"I'll discuss it with my husband."

"Yes, please do. I hope you talk it over."

On the way back in the carriage, Nonna, worried about my gloomy mood, asked:

"Who is the Duke? Is he someone I know?"

"There was an important person who visited the Clark household. Do you remember, Nonna?"

"Was it the sparkly person? I remember that person."

"That person. I might have to meet that person."

"Mom, you don't want to meet them, do you?"

"If I could, I wouldn't. But I feel like I can't avoid it."

"Is it because Dad became a viscount?"

"Nonna, you are such a smart child."

"Hehe, Dad will surely figure something out."

"I hope so."

When I got home, Jeffrey still wasn't there, and I waited anxiously, wondering what to do. I had anticipated that something like this might happen, but I felt too guilty to involve Jeffrey in my troubles. Should I meet Duke Cedric and try to persuade him to pretend not to know me at the ball?

Jeffrey returned from the castle by dinner time. The moment I saw his face, I knew he was already aware of the situation with Duke Cedric, as deep wrinkles were etched on his forehead.

"Anna, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yes."

"Today, Mike came to me and told me about Duke Cedric. I understand you've heard about it too."

"Yes."

"What do you want to do? If you don't want to, we can both skip the ball, or I can attend alone."

"Wouldn't that be bad for you?"

"If you have any complaints, I can renounce the viscount title. You are more important to me than any title."

I had expected him to say that, but it would be a loss to think about it.

Even if Jeffrey renounced the viscount title, it wouldn't sever the connection with Duke Cedric, and the problem isn't just that Duke Cedric wants martial arts training.

Prince Conrad, the First Prince, likes Jeffrey very much, so he probably wouldn't approve of the renunciation of the title. Instead, he would likely question why Jeffrey wants to renounce it.

No matter how I answer, it would be futile. If it's because the viscountess has never appeared in society, it would be truly troublesome.

"Jeff, I think I should meet Duke Cedric. I'll ask him to pretend it's our first meeting at the ball."

"No, that will just make him ask you to teach him martial arts again."

"I'll teach him once and be done with it. If he can't touch me in three minutes, he should give up or something."

"That... might just motivate the Duke even more."

"But what other options do we have?"

We both looked gloomy. Then, Nonna, who had been listening quietly, said:

"Can I challenge the sparkly person? If he hasn't seen Shen martial arts, I think I can win the first time."

Jeffrey and I froze simultaneously, thinking the same thing: "That might work!" But we also warned her at the same time:

"Stop calling the Duke 'sparkly.'"

After much deliberation, Jeffrey and I came to this conclusion:

It takes about two weeks by carriage from the Duke's territory to the capital. If we send a letter now, it might miss Duke Cedric, who is already on his way to the capital for the ball.

So, Jeffrey decided to meet him first:

"I'll visit the castle the day before and ask Victoria to pretend not to know her if they meet."

If Duke Cedric offers martial arts training in exchange for his silence, Jeffrey will counter with the condition that he must win a match against Nonna first.

Duke Cedric wouldn't expect to lose to a twelve-year-old girl. We'll take advantage of his underestimation.

"Great! Can I fight the Duke seriously? Should I avoid his face? What about his neck? Oh, I can't touch his face or neck? So, it's okay to hit his stomach and back, right?"

Nonna is overly enthusiastic, which is a bit worrying, but we concluded that this plan is the safest.

"If he gets too persistent, I'll silence him with sword training."

I politely declined Jeffrey's suggestion, as it was a bit too forceful.

(Still, Duke Cedric is of noble birth and isn't a bad person.)

Our family's evaluation of Duke Cedric is so low that I can't let the servants hear it.

I want to update more frequently, but it's difficult to find the time, so I apologize for the sporadic updates.

I'm still trying to figure out how to balance everything since returning to work.