The night after Dylan accidentally woke up in Avril’s room, he spent the entire day working as a lord.

After the last scheduled meeting of the day, Dylan returned to his study where Chris greeted him.

“Thank you for your hard work, Lord Dylan. Also, as expected of Lady Avril, she fulfilled her role as lord well in your absence.”

“I see. In addition to her talents, she’s also the type who’s well-liked by those around her. I can’t believe she was mistreated by her own family.”

“Honestly, I was worried about how the former duke would react. But after that first meeting, I’m sure even he will be wary.”

““…””

The two reminisced about the meeting between the former duke and Avril the day before. The former duke was sizing her up while also attempting to provoke her. In response, Avril enthusiastically pretended to be a villainess.

At that time, Dylan, who anxiously watched her move, couldn’t help but lend his assistance when he saw that she was stumbling.

—As long as there was a separate building in the mansion of the Duke of Lancester, where his concubines lived, Dylan had no intention of settling down in his territory. Nevertheless, he intended to visit the duchy several times a year as he had done in the past. However, during those visits, Avril was supposed to remain in the royal capital.

I have no intention of getting her involved with the former duke. I hope this visit doesn’t lead to any trouble.

Regardless, from that brief exchange, his perceptive fiancée must’ve realized that the feud between father and son ran deeper than she initially thought.

Perhaps, Avril had resorted to such aggressive behavior to show everyone that she was a force to be reckoned with.

…The only issue was that she wasn’t the type to throw a cup at someone else in the first place. Thus, the rest was history.

Chris seemed to be thinking the same.

“…Once again, Lady Avril has caused a miracle. If we ignore the rest of the performance, she was a wonderful villain.”

“Seeing the former duke on his behind made me want to scoff. I’ve never felt that way towards him before.”

“Isn’t that a good sign? This is my first time hearing that since I started working for you. By the way, I can’t believe you ended up sleeping in her room until morning. I’m truly grateful that Lord Dylan now has a place where he can rest.”

“…”

Chris spoke casually, but the two had known each other since childhood. Hearing the words from his old friend, who knew the situation well, Dylan cleared his throat in earnest.

“I think Avril heard something about the former duke in the separate building. Otherwise, it’d be strange…”

“I suppose so. Speaking of the separate building, given the purpose of this stay, you should’ve just questioned to each and every person in that building and deduced the flow of cash from that. Why are you going through such a roundabout process?”

“…Well, that was my intention at first.”

“But…?”

Dylan found Chris, who knew the reason yet still dared to ask, annoying. Nevertheless, he ended up admitting it.

“…Because she seems to be truly enjoying herself.”

“Ahaha, Lord Dylan indulges Lady Avril too much.”

“That’s my line. I’m sure the rest of the servants will follow suit. Avril will probably stop pretending to be a villainess once the former duke becomes less obnoxious.”

“I hope so. So far, I don’t know of anyone in the Duke of Lancester family who hasn’t bonded with Lady Avril… Although, I’m praying that the former duke will be an exception. Let’s hope it won’t become trouble.”

That was something Dylan was also concerned about.

“…For now, I’ll visit the separate building tomorrow by myself. Despite visiting the territory, I can’t just appear there as I please. I’ll also tell Avril to stay here. Isn’t it too early for them to learn that the skillful new maid is actually the future duchess?”

“That’d be great. It seems that she isn’t going to the separate building anymore, as she will be spending her time here. Although, I feel bad for taking away the princess’ playtime.”

---

***T/N: Avril will totally sit still

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