I Picked Up a Witch With Amnesia

10. What Happened One Night – 04

One evening, Duke Decraznan and his daughter, Noel, were leisurely sipping tea as an after-dinner treat. The little Duke Perzel said he had something to do and got up first, so the Duke of Dekaraznan was able to spend a relaxing time alone with his daughter for the first time in a long time.

Noel was happy to spend time alone with his father, but at the same time he was well aware that the duke had something to say to him and called him here. Also, he had a vague idea of what kind of questions he would ask after he sat there.

“Noel.”

“Yes, Father.”

After the duke had a few chats with Noel, he finally got to the point. Seeing the Duke’s serious attitude, Noel also put the teacup on the table and straightened up to listen to him.

“A while ago, I heard that you had a sparring with Duke Estelle at the gymnasium. So, what kind of person was the Duke of Estelle that you saw in person?”

The duke did not ask what the outcome of the sparring was. Because he knew full well that even if only half of the rumors were true, Noel wouldn’t be able to beat him. What he really wanted to ask his daughter was the human image of Duke Estelle from Noel’s point of view and his evaluation.

Duke Decaraznan also talked to Duke Estelle a few times. As a result, he was able to realize that the small duke was quite a decent young man. The military power of the individual was also impeccable, and the family was also a family with a skeleton that was not lacking at all compared to the Duke of Dekaraznan. Now, the only thing left for the duke was what kind of feelings his daughter, who could be said to be in charge, had towards him.

“…Are you saying what kind of person was Duke Estelle?”

At the duke’s sudden question, Noel involuntarily recalled his own face. From Noel’s point of view, Duke Estelle was the ideal warrior she had been envisioning. He was strong, and even possessed a personality befitting his might. In addition, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is an underdog compared to him.

Although we never talked to him seriously face-to-face, unfortunately Noel was a bit of an old-fashioned mindset, with a belief that he could gain insight into another person just by engaging in a bout of swordplay. it was a woman However, the bean pods had already been covered, and in her eyes, Duke Estelle was only seen as a good person.

“…He seems to have been a better person than I thought. father.”

Noel, who had the dignity of a princess, answered while maintaining a modest attitude as much as possible. However, the expression on Noel’s face when he answered like that was clearly different from his usual cold expression, showing a slightly excited expression. It was only then that Duke Dekaraznan was able to harden his heart, seeing his daughter’s appearance clearly change every time he talked about Duke Estelle.

“Then what do you think about marrying him?”

“…ho, marriage? Are you talking about the marriage between Duke Estelle and me?”

“To be precise, it would be an arranged marriage with the Duke of Estelle.”

The moment he heard the Duke’s words, Noel’s body instantly froze. It was not only because the story was so sudden, but also because the shame that embraced her as if the desire that was inherent deep in her heart had been exposed.

But that was short-lived, and after weighing several things, she gently nodded.

‘I don’t think it’s bad.’

First of all, Duke Estelle’s face wasn’t too bad. No, if you dare to discuss Michu, he belonged to the sufficiently handsome axis. Since Noel’s brother, Perzel, was originally handsome, even Noel, who had a fairly high standard of beauty, did not have a bad impression when he saw Duke Estelle’s face, so he could also be said to be quite handsome.

Also, unlike other young people from aristocratic families who are rude, he had thoughtfulness in every action, and consideration for her was hidden behind his seemingly incomprehensible behavior. If that’s enough, it can be said that there is nothing to blame in terms of personality.

Crucially, he was strong. He was much stronger than Noel himself. Whatever the case may be, the essence of the woman named Noel von Decaraznan was a warrior. For a martial artist, isn’t the identity that symbolizes himself only the martial arts he has accumulated throughout his life?

In that sense, it could be said that the Duke of Estelle was fully qualified to occupy himself. Since ancient times, the winner has had the right to take everything from the loser. And he defeated himself, and himself was defeated by him. With that fact alone, the Duke of Estelle had more than enough right to take her.

There’s only one thing I’m concerned about, but there are so many rumors about Duke Estelle about women.

‘Well, doesn’t it really matter?’

Noel thought of Estelle’s face and shrugged as if he had understood something. Certainly, it was to the point of feeling that women’s history went beyond the level of complexity and was promiscuous, but isn’t it ‘common sense’ that women are swarming next to a well-mannered man?

Besides, even if it was the past, there weren’t that many women next to him in the present. Since he had broken off his engagement to Sarah Cernard, it could be said that the past had already passed, and it was clear that the white-haired woman who had been arrogant towards her was a concubine at best. It was said that he went to the brink of getting engaged to Bianca del Castana, but I heard that the engagement itself was put to shame due to an unknown attack.

There were rumors that the princess was interested in him and visited Estelle’s house, but it was unlikely that the interest stemmed from curiosity between a man and a woman. How can one man seduce so many women in such a short period of time?

Crucially, Noel was confident. It was because I had been sick of being called beautiful all my life. In other words, it was not easy for him to think that he might be pushed by another woman.

‘Anyway, if I have to get married, Duke Estelle isn’t such a bad choice either.’

Noel, who finished the calculations in an instant, nodded to Duke Dekaraznan. It was an obvious, acknowledgment.

****

“…I heard you were looking for me. Duke.”

The office of Duke Dekaraznan. When Sara entered the office after being called by the duke, Duke Dekaraznan greeted her with a smile.

“Welcome, Lady Sernad. Let me apologize in advance for asking the young lady to come so suddenly without any notice in advance.”

“no. If it’s the duke’s call, I’m always welcome. I didn’t even think about it, so you can rest assured.”

It was the moment when I was fed up with the nagging of a human being called my uncle, who had come to the Duke of Dekaraznan, but where he was and what he was doing. It was clear that he would not say much to her for the time being if he heard that he had met the duke alone, so this meeting could be said to be an advantage for her as well.

“Hmm, nothing else, there are a few things I want to ask the young lady. To be specific, I want to know information about Duke Estelle.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, don’t get me wrong. What I want to know is not such a big deal, but it’s about what kind of person the Duke of Estelle is from the young lady’s point of view, what his usual personality is like, and things like that.”

At Duke Dekaraznan’s explanation, which was not an explanation, a moment of doubt flashed through Sara’s eyes.

“…But why are you asking me such a question?”

Without having to go far, Duke Estelle is currently staying here, so why would he ask himself such a question?

To Sara’s question, Duke Dekaraznan only smiled wryly at Sara.

“It was a bit burdensome to ask the Duke himself such a question. Also, since the young lady personally knew the duchess well, I thought she was the right person to ask these questions.”

…Well, what the duke said wasn’t entirely wrong. Certainly, the woman named Sarah Cernard knew very well the man named Cain von Estel. That’s right, except for the trivial fact that he and Cain are tied up in a messy relationship called ‘ex-fiancée’. As for questions asking about the personal details of the man she was once engaged to, it was normal that she shouldn’t be too happy about it.

However, the moment the duke asked her such a question, Sarah somehow felt excited. The reason for this was never known. However, there was only a strange sense of satisfaction that swirled around his whole body, wondering if he knew a lot about Cain and understood a lot about him to the extent that someone would ask him such a private question.

…Then, where should I start talking? What should I say to tell you what kind of person Cain von Estel was and what kind of relationship he had with him?

comes to mind From the time I first met him, to the eventual breakup, many things that happened with him flash through my mind.

Even then, he was a very ugly looking person. At that time, when he only looked at his appearance and acted as if he would pull out his heart and hand it to him, he was no different from the countless idiots who fell in love with her appearance and chased after her. Not once or twice did she wonder if this pathetic man was her fiancé.

…but lately he has changed a lot. First of all, he’s gotten a lot better. As if he had aged about 10 years without seeing him for a few months, his seriousness was evident in every action.

Also, he has a sense of responsibility. Unlike in the past, when he recklessly asked her to like him because he was engaged, he figured out the situation she was in faster than anyone else and then set out to save her.

…and, more than anything, it became cool. The moment he whispered that he would save her and hugged her tightly, she tasted the pounding that made her heart burst. To be honest, it was a foul play. Where is a woman who can resist and not fall for a man who declares that he will only save you without succumbing to any external pressure?

This was just an aside, but Sara preferred a man who would lead her in front of her.

Thus, she gradually began to open her mouth about the image of Cain she remembered. At first, she stammered out of embarrassment for some reason, but before she knew it, her heart started to heat up, and when she came to her senses, she was talking about the duke as if she were excited.

And seeing the sight of Cain von Estel’s compliments pouring out of Sarah’s mouth, Duke Dekaraznan nodded naturally. If a man and a woman who were originally lovers break up, the relationship between the two changes so that even empty words cannot be expressed as good. But look. At present, Sarah Cernard is not only talking about the merits of Cain von Estel.

As expected, it was just a rumor to say that the reason the two broke up was because of Cain von Estel’s affair. In fact, arranged marriages were very easy to break as they were marriages that were concluded only for political purposes. It must be clear that a political purpose intervened behind the breakup of such a well-matched couple-

“I think that’s enough, Lady Sernard.”

The duke smiled warmly at Sara and said this.

“Thanks to you, it helped me a lot to harden my mind. I want to say thank you to the young lady.”

“…I am of help to the duke?”

To Sarah, who tilted her head as she did not understand what the Duke was saying, the Duke finally revealed his intention of asking Sarah such a question.

“Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t tell the young lady beforehand. The reason I wanted to know about the everyday aspects of Duke Estelle was to promote a wedding between the Duke and my only daughter.”

“…Yes?”

The moment she heard those words, Sarah’s mind turned white.

“If the young lady I was once engaged to would say that, it would be that the Duke of Estelle is a really nice person. I’m thinking of putting a hawk on the Duke of Estelle sooner or later. If that’s not the case, it wouldn’t be bad to talk directly to the Duke and talk about marriage.”

Listening to Duke Decraznan’s chatter, Sara unknowingly made her fists tremble. As soon as the word ‘marriage’ came out of the duke’s mouth, she found it very difficult to keep her sanity.

…even now it’s not too late. This time, let’s say bad things about him, gossip about him. If he were to enumerate in detail every one of his known shortcomings, Duke Decraznan might reconsider his decision-

“…Me, Duke.”

“Why are you like this, Lady Sernard?”

“…But, Duke Estelle, so Cain…”

…but in the end, she couldn’t say anything wrong with Cain. No, I couldn’t tell. It was only when I came here that I realized. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t gossip about Cain in front of other people.

Alas, that was it. The moment he hugged her and whispered that he would save her, she already-

‘…Cain.’

Feeling a stabbing pain in her chest, Sarah closed her eyes tightly.

“Why are you doing this, young lady? Do you have something to say?”

“…Nothing, no. Duke.”

In the end, Sarah couldn’t say anything about Cain’s flaws until the moment she left the Duke’s office. Only her throbbing heart for unknown reasons spoke for her feelings.

…Thinking that jealousy must be really ugly.