Yejoo's first love was taken away, Chapter 38
For a moment, I thought my ears were deceiving me.
"Because of you, I can't use magic for a while, so you have to take responsibility!"
After making this bombshell announcement, Raymond seemed to have thrown away all his pride as he slumped to the floor and started being stubborn.
His rolling around and screaming made him look like a child throwing a tantrum.
‘Is this guy really crazy?’
I suppressed my irritation and shouted at him.
"You are a magician. You must have some magical tools to protect yourself at home."
"Because of someone, my magic power was sealed, and I can't even go to that house. Or you could unseal my magic power."
I had only heard today that his mother had sealed his magic power.
There was no way I would know how to unseal it.
When I didn't answer, Raymond dramatically placed his palm on his forehead and fell to the side.
"Surely you didn't set up such a barrier without a plan, did you?"
"I never imagined someone would come to the duchy like this."
Raymond smiled as if he had caught me in a weak spot.
I didn't like the way he was smiling.
Whenever he did this, things always took an unexpected turn.
I decided to have someone escort him out of the duchy.
"I have no obligation to help you."
"Then are you telling me to go outside in this powerless state?"
"That's your responsibility, Sir Raymond."
We weren't friends, and in fact, we were practically enemies. There was no reason for me to protect Raymond.
"Since you made me like this, the duchess has to take responsibility!"
"What are you talking about!"
I raised my voice in protest at his outrageous words, which anyone could misunderstand.
"Right. If you kick me out like this, I have no choice but to tell the truth. That the duchess did something terrible to me and left me."
Just then, the door shattered with a loud crack.
Father, who had entered the warehouse with the knights, approached Raymond with a glare.
"How dare you flirt with my daughter!"
Before I could stop him, Father grabbed Raymond by the collar and punched him.
Normally, he would have easily dodged, but this time he took the hit without resistance.
There was no way Raymond would have the decency to let Father vent his anger.
I suspected he had some ulterior motive, so I hurriedly tried to stop Father.
"Father, stop. Just kick him out."
As soon as I finished speaking, Raymond grabbed his arm and slumped to the floor.
He then winced and groaned.
As we were taken aback, Raymond shouted even louder.
He even seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"No matter how wrong I was, Duke, isn't it too much to break my arm? How am I supposed to defend against enemies?"
Raymond laughed with a shameless face. I urgently stopped Father from lunging at him again.
Then Raymond opened his red lips and taunted me.
"To seal my magic power and break my arm, the people of the Pionia duchy are truly cruel and ruthless."
There was no way Raymond's arm would be injured from a few punches by Father, who was a civil servant.
‘This guy is deliberately getting hit.’
I was already worried about what rumors he might spread if we kicked him out. Father and I stepped outside the warehouse to discuss what to do.
"I want to kick him out right away, but there's nothing I can do."
Father's shoulders slumped as he blamed himself for losing his temper.
"I didn't expect that Raymond would spread such a strange rumor about his arm being injured by Father."
I sent Father back and returned to Raymond.
Raymond was whistling softly as he waited for me. The knights who were watching him were becoming increasingly angry.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"I'll call a doctor. And I'll protect you at the duchy until you're treated."
"That's very honorable. Thank you, Duchess Pionia."
His mocking tone made me glare at him. He then widened his eyes and drew a charming smile.
Even though he couldn't use magic now, I somehow smelled a strong floral fragrance.
After that day, Raymond shamelessly began staying at the duchy.
He didn't seem to care about the open hostility from the duchy's people.
"Ah, as expected of an old family. It's much simpler than the Grand Duke's residence."
He even compared it to the Grand Duke's residence where Tatiana lived without hesitation.
Father was ready to do anything to torment such a Raymond.
I hastily wrote to Mother. I didn't want to contact her over such a matter, but the situation was getting worse, and I had no choice.
If this continued, an irreparable accident was bound to happen.
"Sure enough, there's a price to pay for every gain."
I sighed deeply and got into the carriage.
Not long ago, I received a letter from Daniel saying he had found Robert.
After his mentor died of an incurable disease, Robert had scattered with the friends he worked with.
I quickly found two of them, but not Robert.
‘Suddenly went into hiding.’
At that time, Robert was receiving attention from the academic community for his outstanding research achievements.
He seemed qualified to take over his mentor's position and continue the research.
What could be the reason for his sudden disappearance?
While pondering, the carriage arrived in front of the Malphiron duchy.
The duchy, elegant and refined, looked just as I remembered from my childhood.
At the door, a familiar face was waiting for me.
William, the butler of the Malphiron duchy, greeted me politely.
"Welcome, Duchess Pionia. How have you been?"
"Of course, how have you been?"
"Thanks to your concern, I've been doing very well."
He smiled and led me inside. William had always been kind to me.
He was one of the few who subtly took care of me when I was at my lowest after the engagement with Daniel was broken off.
"I didn't expect I'd have the chance to guide you again."
We walked down the duchy's corridors, making light conversation. Many familiar faces greeted us along the way.
Their warm greetings brought back old memories.
If I had married Daniel, this might have become a daily scene.
Although Daniel didn't like it, the people I met through him did.
The Malphiron family were all kind and principled people.
"The Duke will be out shortly. Please wait in the reception room, and I'll bring you some tea."
We soon arrived at the reception room. I sipped my tea and slowly looked around. Everything was just as I remembered.
The paintings on the walls, the sofas, even the fragrance, were all the same.
It felt like I had traveled back in time.
Daniel appeared after a short wait. I put down my teacup and stood up.
Daniel waved his hand as if to calm me down.
"Why are you in such a hurry? I have time to finish my tea."
He smiled and sat opposite me. Soon, a maid came in to warm the teacups and pour the tea.
The sunlight streaming through the translucent curtains filled the reception room.
It felt peaceful and cozy, so I waited silently for Daniel to finish his tea.
"Why Robert, of all people?"
"Your friend was doing well in the past, but not now. Wouldn't it be better to find someone else?"
The main reason I wanted to establish a hospital was to see the ending.
But there was no need to tell Daniel that.
There was another reason for finding Robert.
"Nivea? The perfumer who launched your perfume?"
"Yes. She lost her sense of smell recently. I tried various treatments, but it's difficult."
Daniel nodded as if he understood.
Recently, there was a lot of interest in Nivea in the social circles.
Partly because of the information Tatiana had spread about her.
While her overcoming her disability is now widely praised, it could backfire at any time.
"Alright, let's go quickly."
Daniel drained his teacup in one go and sprang up from his seat.
I followed him silently to the carriage waiting outside.
"What? You take a different carriage."
"Why bother? It's just more trouble. It's much more convenient to go together."
I was tired of this kind of argument, having had one with Raymond that morning.
His words weren't entirely wrong, so I closed my mouth and looked out the window.
The carriage soon set off.
Daniel tried to talk to me several times, but I ignored him completely.
I closed my eyes and waited silently for us to reach our destination.
"We've arrived. Duke, Duchess."
At the driver's words, we got out of the carriage.
We arrived at an old, dilapidated apartment building that looked like it could collapse at any moment.