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Silence fell in the drawing room. Marlon’s eyes widened in bewilderment, then he turned to Lobelia with a scowl. His eyes asked her whether or not Jade Ferrado’s words were true. Lobelia lowered her head and feigned ignorance. The time to reveal her cards was yet to come.

“I was already taken by Miss Lobelia during our brief encounter at the temple,” Jade said, piercing through the silence, “but after yesterday, I helplessly fell in love with this beautiful, kind-hearted lady.”

Lobelia watched him in silence as he uttered the most embarrassing words she had ever heard with a solemn face as though he were, in fact, in love. In the Original, Jade Ferrado was described as a flirt, but the book did not elaborate on his triflings with women. Lobelia, naturally, did not expect he could so easily plant a kiss on a woman’s hand and gaze at her lovingly.

“What nonsense!” exclaimed Marlon. He had jumped to his feet and looked alternately at Lobelia and Jade with frantic eyes. “I can’t give her away,” he said.

Jade raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why?”

“You’re asking the obvious,” replied Marlon, “Lobelia is my responsibility.”

Jade shrugged his shoulders at his answer. “I don’t think so,” he said, “As far as I know, Miss Lobelia has nothing to do with the House of Evelentia. Isn’t she the illegitimate child of the deceased Julia Evelentia?”

Marlon looked at Jade, who had nonchalantly brought up Lobelia’s birthright. Aristocrats would never meddle with other people’s affairs, even if it was just for the sake of saving face, but Jade was different.

Marlon’s panic subsided and his callous demeanor resurfaced. His eyes, which had been shaken by the duke’s unexpected announcement, regained their focus. He cleared his throat and said, “You have to embrace the faults of your family.”

Jade was a formidable rival, but Marlon was not the type to yield easily either.

“Lobelia is indeed an illegitimate child,” he continued, “but she has the blood of the woman whom my brother dearly cherished during his lifetime. And when Lobelia lost her father when she was only three years old, I took her into my home.”

Marlon raised the corner of his lips into a smile, but it only felt cold and ingenuine.

“I have a duty to be loyal to my brother’s wishes and take care of this child to the best of my ability.”

Jade patted the armrest of the chair with one hand and scoffed, “To the best of your ability?”

“Yes, I have an obligation to provide the best environment for this child,” Marlon insisted. “I’m sorry, but I’ve heard rumors about you, sir. If this girl trusts the Duke’s good faith and leaves Evelentia only to suffer a great disaster, I will have no face to show my brother even in death.”

Lobelia gritted her teeth. He was the one who forced them to live in the dilapidated outhouse in the middle of cold winter and the one who turned a blind eye on the abuses of his wife and daughter.

Marlon inwardly smiled triumphantly, believing he had defeated Jade with his speech, and glanced at Lobelia. When the Duke of Ferrado leaves, he intends to lock her in the outhouse and nail the doors. For who would scorn a man who simply fears the daughter of a gypsy? Away from the duke’s sight, Ferrado would lose his interest over her and cease his pursuits.

“Then how about this,” Jade said, gently stroking the back of Lobelia’s hand. Lobelia almost pulled her hand away at his foreign touch. Jade glanced at Lobelia knowingly, and so she welcomed his caress, albeit unwillingly. Jade continued to stroke the back of her hand contentedly and proposed, “I will be Miss Lobelia’s benefactor.”

“What do you mean?” Marlon asked, the crease in his forehead deepening.

“You know that Ferrado accepts and sponsors young people with promising futures,” Jade smiled and gave Lobelia a look. His eyes couldn’t have been more warm and gentle. “I’m going to include Miss Lobelia’s name on the list,” he announced.

He tugged Lobelia slightly, and Lobelia obediently followed along.

“The House of Ferrado will write an academy recommendation for Miss Lobelia,” he added as he cupped Lobelia’s hand as if he were proposing a marriage.

“I don’t think there is a better environment in this empire for women of Miss Lobelia’s age than the Academy,” said Ferrado. He turned his gaze to Marlon, who was glaring at him with bulging eyes and whitened face. “Tell me, can you provide a better educational environment than the Academy?” he asked.