Chapter 18: Private Conversation

Ethan came to the Croizer family, claiming to want to check the progress of the wound just to be sure.

By the way, Rosa’s wound, which was said to last a lifetime, is almost gone.

“If you want to completely eliminate all the scars, it will take a little more time for treatment.”

“Well, it’s okay. It doesn’t stand out that much even without makeup.”

“But if you were a young woman, wouldn’t you be concerned? And Lord Croizer has ordered me to ensure there is not a single scar.”

“I don’t mind. Even if I stop treatment here, I don’t think my father will notice.”

Rosa said it in a casual tone.

“I see…”

As Ethan left, he handed her a note.

The note read, “If you have no plans, come to the Griffiths family mansion in the afternoon three days from now for tea.”

It seemed like a summons.

“Why didn’t you just inform me through a letter? Did you not think about that?” Rosa asked directly.

“Why? To meet like this. Besides, this time it’s an unofficial meeting.”

“Oh, it’s troublesome to write a letter and have my father suspect something strange. I understand.”

“…”

Seeming to hit the mark, for the first time, Rosa managed to deceive Ethan. She saw him off with satisfaction, and Ethan left without expression after completing the examination.

“Miss, what kind of deal is this?”

“Wow, you surprised me!”

Helena, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, and Rosa jumped.

“Miss, it’s not proper.”

“Because you suddenly spoke to me, right?”

“Rather, what kind of exchange is it?”

Casually extending her words, Helena asked

“Oh, I made a promise to His Excellency.”

The moment she said that, Helena widened her eyes in shock.

“Huh? Why would you do such a thing?”

Helena knew from their previous interactions that Ethan and Rosa were not on good terms.

“Oh, it’s just a little information exchange. It’s nothing major.”

“Then I’ll go too.”

Helena said it decisively.

“His Excellency seems not to want to be in my father’s ear, but Helena’s employer is my father.”

“Miss, that’s a misunderstanding. In fact, I also have knowledge of martial arts, and I was hired to protect you. I wasn’t hired specifically to inform Master of every move you make.”

“Is that what surprised you?”

“On the other hand, what did you want me to be surprised about?”

“I would say that I have some knowledge of martial arts.”

After nodding her head, Rosa spoke again.

“Well, I can’t go alone, so please take care of it on the day.”

Either way, it didn’t matter much to Rosa.

If this meeting were discovered by her father, the trouble would be more for Ethan than for Rosa.

On the appointed day and time, Rosa headed to the Griffith Duke’s mansion in a carriage without the family crest.

Upon arriving at the porch, the usher appeared. The entrance hall had a high ceiling and a marble floor. In front, a central staircase was extended.

Rosa was taken aback by the spacious area where her footsteps echoed. It had a different level of luxury compared to the Croitzer family.

Guided by the butler, Rosa and Helena were escorted to the salon.

As the butler opened the double doors, they revealed a beautifully embroidered sofa with chairs. A tea table with clawed feet was placed in the center.

Beyond that was a large French window, and a crystal chandelier reflected the afternoon sunlight from the high ceiling.

When Ethan saw Rosa, he stood up from his chair and greeted her. Rosa returned the greeting. Surprisingly, it was an ordinary exchange.

“The door will be left open, but I want to talk with Miss Croitzer alone. Would you two mind leaving your seats?”

Ethan said this to the butler and Helena. Helena looked worriedly at Rosa.

“It’s okay, Helena.”

“I understand, Miss. I’ll be waiting near the door. If you need anything, please call me immediately.”

Helena nodded at Rosa’s words and left the room. Despite being near the door, the salon itself was large enough, so there was no risk of the conversation being overheard.

As Rosa sat down, as recommended, Ethan spoke up.

“Your maid seems to be quite loyal. Or does she think I might harm you?”

The beautiful Duke, with long silver hair tied back, smiled gracefully. However, his eyes were not smiling at all, giving off a sense of intimidation.

(Eh? Did he move his mouth while talking?)

It seemed like music was playing from a beautiful ornament.

“My maid is a diligent and loyal worker. Please forgive her.”

“Rest assured; we use silverware for dishes.”

Ethan said it casually.

“I see, so there’s no arsenic in it, right?”

Rosa’s unnecessary remark made the atmosphere freeze again.

“Hehehe, do you think I would poison you?”

“I apologize; I’ve been having bad dreams lately, dreaming of being poisoned.”

Rosa forced a smile, trying to follow up on her own slip of the tongue.

In Rosa’s mind, Ethan was still Poisoner No.1.

“Do you have any grudges that would make someone want to poison you?”

Ethan elegantly held a teacup and took a sip of tea, as if to say that there was no poison.

“Fufufufu, you’re good at jokes. It seems you have a talent for that.”

Rosa opened her eyes and covered her mouth. She succeeded in hiding her strained smile, but a vein seemed about to pop on her forehead.

“Hahaha, it’s just curiosity. My apologies.”

Dry laughter echoed in the salon for a while.

(How did it come to this? And why did this person call me to the mansion?)

“Now, let’s stop this probing and get to the main topic, shall we?”

“Probing? Was that what it was?”

Rosa thought it was a sarcastic exchange.

“Hmm? Does Miss Croitzer still want to continue this exchange? Well, I don’t intend to spend any more unproductive time on this. So, about the main topic?”

“Of course, it’s about the incident at the recent banquet. What are your thoughts on that situation?”

“Oh, the peeping incident. Let me say in advance that, for the honor of our house, the Croitzer family did not harass the Moreau family.”

Rosa stated clearly, and Ethan nodded.

“Oh, I see. Lord Croitzer wouldn’t engage in such pointless behavior.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you surprised?”

Ethan tilted his head skeptically.

“Well, I thought His Excellency might be suspecting our family.”

“Lord Croitzer is a rational man who dislikes wastefulness.”

“Huh? I thought His Excellency simply didn’t like our family.”

Ethan made a face of disbelief.

“I don’t hold any grudges against the Croitzer family, and we have no prior connections.”

That means he dislikes only Rosa.

(Is he not the poisoner then? It’s just me he dislikes; he wouldn’t make an enemy of the Croitzer family just because he dislikes me. That’s too risky.)

Even considering this, Rosa doesn’t know much about the real-world Ethan, and he was not extensively portrayed in the manga since he was a side character.

However, she does know why he dislikes her. It’s because Rosa caused a lot of trouble for Ethan’s beloved nephew, Alex.

In the manga, Ethan doted on his nephew Alex, who was two years younger. He was always by his side.

The reason was that Ethan saw his own past reflected in Alex.