Chapter 196
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
‘She didn’t have a ring on her finger, I think.’
Now that he thought about it, Mikhail’s complexion didn’t seem as good as usual. Was he under emotional strain? He looked more on edge than he normally did.
‘I’ll have to bring it up later.’
He needed to understand what was on the Duke’s mind. He wanted to ask if he still sided with the King.
“It might be a good idea to take a break. Everyone could use a bit of relaxation.”
Marquis Gepetto’s suggestion was met with nods of agreement from everyone.
Mikhail took out a cigar, lit it, and sank deeply into his chair.
As he was about to close his eyes, Marquis Gepetto approached and sat beside him.
“Why start doing things you normally don’t do?”
“Is something wrong? You don’t look so good.”
“You’re too concerned about me.”
“It’s a good thing to have someone worried about you, isn’t it?”
Mikhail raised an eyebrow at his sly reply. He slowly straightened up in his chair and looked up.
“Say what you want to say.”
“I’m curious about the Duke’s thoughts. Unlike the others, I truly believe the Duke inherited that bloodline.”
Marquis Gepetto whispered softly. Mikhail half-opened his eyes and glanced around. Luckily, the members were engrossed in their own conversation, oblivious to the two of them.
Mikhail exhaled a puff of smoke, crushed the cigar in an ashtray, and tilted his head while staring intently at Marquis Gepetto.
It was strange. It shouldn’t be like this, so why?
He asked a question he didn’t even want the answer to.
“You’ve been acting in a way that makes me curious about your intentions. Have you changed your mind about something?”
Mikhail was curious why the man, who had kept neutral, was now showing such interest in him.
“Well, lately I’ve been thinking a lot.”
He gave a vague answer.
“If you want an answer, invite me somewhere. This isn’t the place for this conversation.”
“But before that, I want to ask why you’re giving off a familiar scent.”
It wasn’t a mistake. Every time Marquis Gepetto moved, a faint rose scent lingered.
Mikhail leaned in close, and Marquis Gepetto flinched in surprise.
“Duke Heinrich, what are you doing?”
Despite Marquis Gepetto trying to pull away, Mikhail moved even closer. He inhaled deeply to catch the scent, gripping the Marquis’s collar tighter.
“Duke!”
Marquis Gepetto’s voice grew higher. Mikhail smelled again, and the rose scent was unmistakable, lingering at the end of Gepetto’s perfume.
The strange behavior of the two men made the members stop talking, their faces filled with shock.
“Has something happened at Duke Heinrich’s house recently?”
“Quiet. Something has happened, hasn’t it? No matter how much they’re married, living with someone who might have been responsible for the destruction of their family is never easy.”
“From the Duke’s attitude, it seems like he didn’t do it… but there’s been no word from the royal family either.”
Count Ablio looked troubled. Duke Heinrich’s power was currently far superior to that of King Adrian.
However, turning against the king was akin to committing treason. Unlike others, he was on the king’s side.
Count Ablio’s comment was met with a whisper of agreement from Marquis Kerren.
“His face today… doesn’t seem like he’s in a good state.”
“I’m worried about the upcoming business briefing by Baron Benjamin. I’m not sure he’ll be up for it.”
“Isn’t it Duke Heinrich himself? He’ll know to separate business from personal matters.”
The members nodded, still unsure, but Mikhail was still holding onto Marquis Gepetto’s sleeve.
The murmurs around them caused Marquis Gepetto to sigh, pulling Mikhail’s hand away. He patted his clothes, checking for any creases.
“There are many eyes on Duke Heinrich. What exactly is going on?”
“Rose scent.”
Mikhail responded shortly. He didn’t have to say much.
Usually, Marquis Gepetto wore a heavy, musky fragrance. Why would he smell like flowers?
Mikhail’s red eyes gleamed.
“Rose scent?”
Marquis Gepetto sniffed his own clothes as if he didn’t understand.
“I don’t know what you mean by rose scent.”
He casually extended his hand to the surrounding members and asked,
“Do I smell like roses?”
“No, men don’t usually smell like that. I can’t smell anything, no matter how hard I try. Did you buy some rose-scented perfume or something? Ha ha.”
One of the members chuckled and scrunched his nose.
“The Marquis do smell like roses.”
Mikhail persisted, seemingly indifferent to the fact that others didn’t notice it.
Finally, Marquis Gepetto shrugged with a resigned expression.
“Ah, this is just too much. Not even the Duke’s dog nose could catch it.”
He lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper for only Mikhail to hear.
“I’ve been meeting a woman recently. I suppose her scent has rubbed off on me. I wasn’t sure about it until now, but how did you know?”
“…Does she use rose scent?”
“Yeah, the scent is so strong that even if we’re only together for a little while, I end up smelling like it. Never thought you’d be able to catch it!”
Mikhail stared intently at Marquis Gepetto. He examined his eyes closely, but the Marquis remained calm.
‘Is he lying?’
He sighed, feeling a headache coming on, and lit a new cigar.
His body reacted sensitively to even the smallest trace related to her.
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