She couldn't tolerate anyone insulting her cure, even if it was his father. Her words flowed out coldly, filled with emotion.
"No matter who treats him as worthless."
The Duke's expressionless face twisted at her roundabout way of saying "I regret your poor judgment."
Felice fidgeted anxiously a few steps away as the tense atmosphere built between the two.
He debated whether he should call for his brother now. But it was obvious that if Rodrick joined in this situation, everything would fall apart.
'Ugh, what should I do? If she provokes Father any further, he won't give permission for the marriage or anything else. Should I step in?'
Contrary to Felice's thoughts, the Duke found Diana intriguing.
He had been sitting up straight, attending to his work, but now he leaned back leisurely in his chair.
His children, and even his aides, couldn't withstand his gaze. Rodrick was the only exception.
She didn't avoid the Duke's gaze that made everyone else tremble in fear, but met it head-on.
Her bright eyes calmly clashed with his, to the point of seeming brazen. He couldn't help but laugh mirthlessly.
"Ha, if you want to become a widow, I won't stop you."
"Oh my, Father. A widow? If you just give permission for the proposal, I'm confident we'll grow old together."
"What impressive confidence."
This sounds familiar. Her manner of speaking was just like Rodrick's, chasing away any fear.
"Do you think he could properly close his eyes with a wife as beautiful as me by his side?"
"..."
"It seems your son is more jealous than I expected."
Wow, Felice was genuinely impressed. It's amazing how she doesn't back down at all to Father.
The Schwartz Duke was someone even the strongest-willed people found difficult to face.
Watching Diana fearlessly confront the father he had never dared to challenge in his life, Felice's heart pounded.
Clenching his fist, Felice cheered her on silently. Go, sister-in-law!
"The regrets will be yours alone."
"Of course. The responsibility for my choices rests entirely with me."
Even when he asserted that Rodrick would die, Diana responded without so much as blinking.
After a moment of tense back-and-forth, the Duke conceded a step.
"Very well. I'll send a proposal to the Beatus family."
"No, could you hold off on that proposal for now?"
Why? The Duke's eyebrow twitched. Hadn't she been chattering all this time to get permission?
"For now, I just came to get your permission, Father. That way, I'll have grounds to stay in this castle with my brother."
"And?"
"For now, please accept me as your prospective daughter-in-law. Father, I think my status in this castle should be something like 'the Knight Commander's prospective fiancée'."
The influence of the Beatus ducal family was formidable, but the status of the youngest Beatus princess was comparatively low.
This was because little was known about her compared to her three brothers. It would be even more so in families with animosity towards the Beatus.
So to have a voice here, she needed to establish her status before making moves. Skinship with her handsome cure was just a bonus.
"Then I'll take that as your permission and withdraw now. Thank you for your precious time, Your Grace."
As if she had never confronted him, Diana retreated behind the desk, bowed gracefully, and left the office.
Oh right, as if she had forgotten something to say, Diana turned back just before leaving and added:
"By the way, I'm angry that my gem is being treated like trash, Father."
Click. The door closed, and the office was once again enveloped in a chilly silence.
In the end, Diana didn't explain why she wanted to postpone the proposal. That was something for the Duke to find out on his own.
It was just that her parting words before leaving the room had disturbed the Duke's composure.
The Duke's face hardened at her cunning words, telling him to be careful with his speech in front of her from now on.
[This is the timeline separator]
Hoo, as she left the office, Diana let out a big sigh. I wonder if it's okay that I acted so rudely.
A feeling of belated regret washed over her, but what could she do?
She had to say what needed to be said.
"Did the conversation go well?"
A low voice tingled in her ears.
Rodrick was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, dressed casually. It was unclear when he had arrived.
Diana's face brightened with joy.
"When did you get here?"
"Since you started talking about jewels."
"Oh, the first jewel? Or the second jewel?"
If he meant the jewel talk at the end, he likely hadn't heard the conversation.
"The first one."
Diana frowned slightly.
"Then you heard everything, didn't you?"
He said while stroking the corners of his mouth that were curling up involuntarily:
"Yes."
"If you heard, you should have come in and backed me up!"
"Kuk. Haha."
He could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
At first, when he heard she had gone to meet the Duke while looking for her, his mood instantly soured.
Why on earth was she meeting with the Duke? Unable to understand the reason, he was about to enter the office and drag Diana out.
That was until he heard those words from outside the door.
'That's too much, Father. To me, he is an extremely precious and valuable gem. No matter who treats him as worthless.'
With his keen senses, Rodrick could clearly hear Diana's voice through the well-soundproofed door.
Who else would dare to speak so boldly to the Duke? He should have seen the Duke's twisted expression firsthand.
"You're right. I should have seen that sight myself."
His soft laughter pleasantly echoed through the corridor.
Search "seduce" at redcatty [.] com to read ahead up to chap 70.