The person she wanted to meet at Duke Tormaite’s was Warren.

But the person sitting in front of her, drinking tea together, was….

“The tea is very sweet, Duchess.”

“Although the Archduchess made a surprise visit, I’m glad you like it.”

Duchess Tormaite spoke elegantly as she brought the teacup to her mouth.

“By the way, do you have anything to discuss with me?”

In fact, Laura had no reason to sit down with Duchess Tormaite.

She came to see Warren’s laboratory, which was located here.

Besides, who was Duchess Tormaite?

As Edward’s mother, she hated Laura very much.

Because she was afraid that pink rumors would spread between her and her unmarried son.

That’s why Laura was the last person she wanted to face right now.

“I’m a little surprised too. Honestly, I didn’t come to see the Duchess. But I’ll drink the tea anyway.”

Laura lifted her teacup.

The duchess bit her lower lip.

“I heard you came to see Lord Warren?”

“Yes. But the butler brought me here. Oh, of course, I’m happy to see the Duchess.”

“As the hostess of the Dukes’s house, it’s my duty to manage the guests who stay here. Do you understand?”

“Of course.”

“But why did you come to see Lord Warren….”

Duchess Tormaite looked at Laura with a wary eye.

She seemed very uncomfortable of Laura’s presence, no matter who she came to see.

But Laura easily understood her inner thoughts.

She must have been afraid that she would get involved with her son.

“I was invited.”

Laura clenched her jaw.

“Invited?”

Duchess Tormaite’s eyebrows rose in confusion.

“Yes. Lord Warren told me to come anytime and said he would show me around his laboratory.”

Warren had never said such a thing, but Laura decided to be brazen.

“Did Lord Warren give you permission?”

At Duchess Tormaite’s question, Laura nodded her head.

It was not true, but she decided to let it slide.

Strictly speaking, she had asked Edward for permission, but had not received a clear answer.

But she didn’t want to arouse suspicion by saying such a thing to Duchess Tormaite.

Laura smiled calmly, hoping she wouldn’t notice this little lie.

Clank.

The Duchess put down her teacup.

“Ha.”

She let out a long sigh, as if pouring out all the troubles in the world at once.

“Duchess, is there anything uncomfortable?”

“No. Just…”

As if trying to calm herself down, Duchess Tormaite put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath.

Then she stood up and approached Laura.

“Excuse me, Duchess?”

Laura leaned back, blinking her eyes as Duchess Tormaite stepped forward with a forceful stride.

Thump. The duchess, who had sat down next to Laura, reached out and grabbed Laura’s hand tightly.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Duchess Tormaite’s slender fingers clung tightly to Laura’s hand as if to crush it.

Perplexed, Laura just looked at her, her hand still held tight.

What the hell is going on?

“I was mistaken all this time. I want to apologize.”

“Mistaken?”

“Yes, I misunderstood the relationship between Edward and the Archduchess. I thought the Archduchess was seducing my innocent son.”

“……”

“Of course, Edward didn’t seem interested in the Archduchess. But recently, I’ve seen his heart waver. That’s why I was worried.”

“Excuse me, hold on!”

Laura quickly pulled her hand out of the tight grip.

And she repeated what she had just heard.

According to the duchess, Isabella had seduced Edward. And Edward wasn’t interested in her.

But recently his heart has been wavering?

“I realized it when I saw you and the Archduke together at the anniversary dinner. I didn’t know how affectionate you two were. I even warned Edward to stop his affection for you.”

“When did you say that?”

I asked without thinking, surprised.

Then I realized my mistake. The duchess must have warned Isabella, but I reacted as if she had warned me.

Fortunately, the Duchess didn’t seem to find it strange. Instead, she apologized for bringing up an uncomfortable memory and kindly answered my question.

“It was recently. No, about two months ago? Anyway, it wasn’t that recent.”

Anyway, there was a reason why Duchess Tormaite had been hostile to Laura at the tea party.

She had even warned her not to meet her son, but she had come to the Duke’s residence so confidently.

“That’s not all. Despite my warning, I told you that if you continued to hang around Edward, I would report it to Archduke Lucendorf.”

“Really?”

Wow. The Duchess’s words were shocking.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t tell the Archduke. If I hadn’t seen you two being affectionate at the commemmorative dinner…I might have told him, but thankfully I didn’t.”

Duchess Tormaite gently tapped Laura’s hand and told her not to worry.

“If I’ve been rude all this time, please forgive me, Your Grace.”

She looked at Laura with a face full of apology and guilt.

“It was a misunderstanding, that’s all. I’m glad I found out now.”

“You’re truly a big-hearted person.”

The relieved Duchess Tormaite smiled brightly.

The person who had been so hostile to her was now as affectionate as an old friend.

Will this turn out okay?

Laura was taken aback, but decided to accept the situation.

She had received infinite admiration from Duchess Tormaite in an instant, but there was nothing wrong with having her on her side.

Instead, she had gained a reliable colleague in the cold social circle.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve been holding on to the Archduchess for too long. You said you came to see Lord Warren?”

Duchess Tormaite called for the butler with a refreshing face.

After a while, the butler came into the reception room.

“I’ll have the butler guide you to Lord Warren’s laboratory. Have a good time.”

“Thank you, Duchess.”

The two hugged each other lightly.

Laura shook hands with Duchess Tormaite, who escorted her to the mansion entrance.

“She’s kinder than I thought?”

She smiled contentedly and followed the butler as he walked behind her.

Warren’s laboratory was a long way from the mansion.

After passing through a narrow path lined with well-groomed gardens and dense trees on both sides, a two-story building appeared.

The building, made of sturdy bricks, was not as flashy as the mansion, but had a solid elegance.

“Does Lord Warren use the laboratory alone?”

“No. Magicians from the Phaede Kingdom are using it together.”

“For the completion of the Elixir?”

“Yes. Of course, that’s the first priority, but for now, we’re focusing on making magic potions.”

Laura nodded her head.

Well, it would be more efficient to make completed magic potions than an elixir with an uncertain completion.

But can other magicians perfectly reproduce the magic potions Laura made…?

It was when the butler reached out to open the door,

Kwak.

The door opened with a bang, and someone rushed out from inside. The person ran straight towards Laura.

“Oops!”

Laura tried to grab the person who jumped towards her but ended up falling backward.

Thud.

“Ouch…”

Laura frowned in pain from her sore back.

“Who on earth are you?”

As Laura sat up, she looked at the person lying on her body and her eyes widened.

It was a girl.

She looked like she was seventeen or eighteen at most.

That aside…

Every time the girl wriggled, her elbow kept pressing into Laura’s stomach.

“Ugh, stop now…ugh, can you move aside?”

As Laura grimaced in pain and curled up, the girl looked flustered and didn’t know what to do.

“Oops, I’m sorry! I’ll get off soon!”

“Laila, I told you not to run.”

Just then, a clicking sound was heard, and the weight that had been pressing down on Laura disappeared.

The person who moved the girl away was Warren, who came out after hearing the commotion at the entrance.

Warren was shaking his head while holding Laila, scolding her for being naughty.

“Warren, I’m sorry.”

Laila, who was called by name, stuck out her tongue. There was no sign of regret on her face as she smiled brightly.

“Your Grace, let me help you.”