Chapter 20

I'm staring at my reflection as the maid carefully combs my hair. I still couldn't help but admire Roesia's beauty. My current appearance is far greater than Saintess Lucia's beauty.

Her skillful hands worked with precision as she began to tie my hair into a loose braid.

As I waited for her to finish styling my hair, a sudden knock came at my door.

"Milady, this Garvin."

"Come in."

The door opened and revealed a man in his late 60s standing outside the door. He is wearing butler clothes with no visible creases. Gavin was also wearing white gloves and a monocle with a thin golden chain attached to his clothes.

"Good morning, Milady," Garvin bowed his head and greeted her.

"What is it?" She asked without sparing a look toward the old butler.

Garvin raised his head and politely answered, "His Excellency wanted you to join him for breakfast."

My brows furrow at his words. It's not the first time that the Duke invited Roesia to join him for breakfast, but she still couldn't shake the deeply rooted nervousness in her system whenever she dined with her father.

"I understand. Please tell father that I'll be joining him once I get ready."

"Yes, Milady," Garvin bowed his head and left Roesia's room.

The old butler stroke his chin as he marched toward the dining room to inform the Duke that the young lady would be joining him for breakfast.

He cared for the lady, like she was his granddaughter when she was just a young child, and saw her grow into a refined and elegant woman. During her audience with the lady, Garvin noticed a subtle change in the lady's demeanor. Roesia's actions are still the same, yet her voice became firmer than usual, and her eyes that bore a timid expression became sharper.

"...I wonder what brought the lady to change?"

* * *

I walk through the hallway with heavy footsteps as if I am marching toward my execution. The nervousness that I felt earlier intensified as I came closer to the dining room.

My feet stopped in front of the wooden double doors. The servant standing beside the door lowered his head to greet me before opening the door, "Milord, the lady has arrived."

"Ho!" I exhaled and straightened my posture before I entered the dining room.

The duke was already sitting at the head of the table, with a newspaper in his hand, as he waited for me to arrive. As I approached the seat beside him, my heart thumped wildly in anxiousness.

"Good morning, Father."

The duke briefly turned his gaze and gave me a nod before shifting his attention to the newspaper. The servant pulled my chair, and as I was finally seated comfortably on the chair, the duke folded the newspaper and handed it to Garvin as he ordered him to bring in the food.

I swallowed my dry saliva as I stole a glance at the duke.

For a man in his 40, the duke seems younger than his actual age. He has the same color as Roesia's hair swept sideways and hawk-like gray eyes that appeared to look down on everything.

My palms sweated as I felt intimidated by his noble-like appearance. His posture is perfect, and his movements are all elegant and refined.

"Yesterday," I unconsciously flinched when the duke suddenly spoke to me. "I heard you stayed in your room all day."

"Yes, I wasn't feeling well yesterday."

"I see."

The conversation ended with his curt reply. I can tell why Roesia is distant from her father, and that is because she is afraid of him. Duke Jarvis gives a daunt demeanor which makes it hard to approach him. His voice is cold, and he mostly talks with few words, which made Roesia think that her father hated speaking with her.

Uncomfortable silence envelopes the two of them, and only the sound of the cutlery can be heard. I carefully cut a piece of the chicken sausage asparagus quiche on my plate while contemplating whether to tell my father about Killian's affair.

I sneakily peek at the duke as I tried to find the right time to speak when he suddenly caught me looking at him.

"What?"

I opened and closed my mouth repeatedly before I was able to muster the courage to speak.

"Duke, I—" I couldn't finish my word when I saw his expression hardened.

Did I say something wrong that offended him? Or did he not simply want to hear what I wanted to say?

After a moment of contemplation, I realized that I wrongly addressed him and called him to duke instead of father.

Roesia never called him by his title, and because I mistakenly called him duke and he was probably surprised by it.

I wonder if Duke Jarvis is secretly a doting father like those fathers in novels that I read. He probably doesn't know how to show affection and close the gap between him and Roesia.

Should I try to take my chances and try to call him dad? I supposed there's no harm in trying it.

"D-Dad."

Oh?

The Duke's expression loosened considerably, and the tail of his mouth curved upwards.

I was right. I was relieved to see the duke's positive reaction. However, I couldn't help but feel envy toward Roesia because her father is here alive and well.

They have a distant relationship because of a lack of communication, and now that I am Roesia, I will make sure to get closer to my father, duke Jarvis.

"What is it?" Duke Jarvis replied while concealing his forming smile with his usual poker face.

"About the party of Marchioness Mydrede... Is it alright if I go with you as my partner?" I asked nervously.

I waited for his reply, but he kept his silence and continued eating his food.

Is it a no? Does he find it bothersome to attend the party with me?

I withdrew my gaze from him and lowered my eyes to my plate. I lost my appetite as a pang of disappointment struck my chest. Maybe I shouldn't have put any expectations on him, I really thought that he would agree, but I was wrong.

His silence became unbearable to me. I stopped fiddling with my fork and decided to leave the dining table to escape this awkwardness and hide from my embarrassment.

I was about to leave my chair when he spoke.

"Alright."

"Pardon?" I asked, thinking that I misheard him.

"You'll be attending the party with me."

"Really? Are you truly going with me!?" I exclaimed without hiding my surprise.

"Yes. Find Garvin if you need anything," The Duke replied with a warmer tone and gentler expression.

I couldn't contain my excitement and jumped out of my chair and kissed him on his cheek, "Thank you, father!"

The duke stiffened when I expressed my gratitude toward him. It must be a complete shock to him when his distant daughter changed drastically. He must be wondering what brought her this sudden change.

My face reddened in embarrassment. I didn't mean to act this way. However, there was a brief moment when Duke Jarvis appearance momentarily overlapped with my father Elknox.

"I, I...I'm sorry, father," I awkwardly said and quickly fled the dining room.

* * *

Click!

I closed the door of me and walked toward my bed. I am exhausted early in the morning because of the nerve-wracking breakfast I shared with my father. However, it all went well as I managed to get a little closer to him, and that made me feel relieved, knowing that there was a chance that my father would stand by my side if I ever caused any trouble.

Will he get furious if I asked him to break my engagement with that cheating b*stard, Kaillan?

"...sigh." I laid on my back and fiddled with the crystal on my necklace, "I need to find conclusive evidence of Kaillan's affair."

Father wouldn't doubt me if I have showed him proof of his infidelity, and in that way, I will have a reason to break the engagement and disassociate myself with those trashes.

I was lost in thought when suddenly the crystal shined brightly, to my surprise, and projected a video out of nowhere.

"Oho, would you look at that?"

My lips curved and formed a villainous smile as luck fell in my hands easily.