The day of the banquet passed quickly in Molitia's mind. Her face turned to contemplative as she tried to recall everything she had said to this person that she had a passionate love affair with.

"Hey, Molitia!" (The Count)

"Yes, Yes?" (Molitia)

"What are you doing?" (The Count)

"What is that…" (Molitia)

Molitia then noticed that her grip on the cup had loosened and the tea was spilling out of the teacup. Her face flushed red with embarrassment at her mistake as she quickly wiped her hands with a handkerchief."

"It's okay. I guess Lady Molitia was a little surprised." (Duke Linerio)

The Duke of Linerio's eyes casually glanced at Molitia.

"Well, I heard that you got sick after attending the banquet." (Duke Linerio)

"Ah, yes." (Molitia)

"I'm sorry. I should've visited you as soon as I heard the news, but something urgent came up." (Duke Linerio)

It was an obvious lie. Even though he was smiling, there was no warmth from his smile. He didn't care for her at all.

"That's fine. I heard that a Duke had a lot of work to attend to, so it's only right that you get your job done first." (Molitia)

"Lady Molitia's consideration is very generous." (Duke Linerio)

With that said, he sat down across from her. It wasn't a narrow table, but he stretched out his feet and put his shoe tip on the tip of her shoe.

"I think we will be a couple that fit well." (Duke Linerio)

"Cough!" (Molitia)

A cough spilled out from her mouth when she heard his words. She choked on a piece of refreshment that she had just put inside her mouth. She continued to cough even after her face turned bright red.

"Molitia!" (The Count)

The Count's sharp voice pierced through her ear as he condemned her behavior. The Count did not appreciate the way her daughter was acting, so he quickly responded in his daughter's stead.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more. The more I look at the two of you, the more I believe that you'll make a wonderful couple." (The Count)

"Is that what Count Clemence sees?" (Duke Linerio)

The Duke's lips were thin. Even though he took a sip from his mug, instead of looking at his tea or at Count Clemence, he was staring at Molitia.

The index finger slowly skimmed the handle of the smooth teacup. Her face flushed red when she noticed that he was blatantly staring at her. His stare was so intense that it seemed as if he could see through her clothes.

She had a lot of questions for him, but those questions were best asked when they were alone.

She wondered why he was here, why he didn't reveal his identity at the banquet, and why he had just listened to her remarks, which might be rude.

Molitia was still weak from falling ill; as soon as she recovered a little, she was forced to get out of bed and meet with the Duke. Her body could not handle the sudden rise of blood pressure and stress.

The room started to spin, and her head fell backward. The useless chair that she was sitting on was more of a stool than a regular chair. There was nothing preventing Molitia from falling back, so her body collapsed backward powerlessly.

Thud!

"Molitia!" (The Count)

"Lady Molitia!" (Duke Linerio)

Listening to the Count's angry voice and how surprised the Duke sounded, she knew she had to apologize again in front of the Count.

When she woke up, the back of her head felt numb.

"Ah…"

She must have hit her head when she fell. When Molitia put her fingertips at the back of her head, she felt a slight bump.

Even a slight touch made it painful. It would probably take over a week to recover. She looked around slowly with a pale face.

Molitia gazed out the window. It was day time when she passed out, but now it was dark outside.

The unchanged clothes bothered her, but she didn't have time to care about them. She had to catch up with the Duke, who might have already left. There was a lot she wanted to say. At this rate, it was clear that her wedding would be held with a lot of misunderstandings.