# 49
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Evelin lowered her eyes, feeling sad.
“So this is what happened...”
Dunswell, who is depicted as deeply in love with his first wife in the original work, must have found it difficult to shake the guilt of this choice.
However, Evelyn understood Dunswell's decision. Who dares to touch the sacred fruit, knowing that he might go mad? The cure for the disease was just a myth. No one would risk their life for a legend.
"It's getting heavy. That wasn't my intention."
said Earl Aldris, forcing a smile.
“What I wanted to say is that the Duke has shined greatly thanks to Lady Evelyn.”
“If so, I'm glad to hear it,”
Evelyn replied, her expression relaxing.
“Oh, by the way, I almost forgot about that.”
Earl Aldris said with a smile, pointing to one of the attendants who was standing nearby
“Bring the box.”
The attendant left for a short while and returned after a while with a large velvet box. The box covered with shiny velvet looked absolutely unusual.
“When I mentioned that I would visit the capital, the Duke specially asked me to deliver it to Lady Evelyn.”
Earl Aldris handed the box to Evelin.
While Evelyn hesitated to open it, the earl smiled and encouraged her to do so.
When she finally opened the box, inside was a diamond necklace emitting a mysterious light.
“This is…”
“This is the Heart of the Sacred Mountain, a family heirloom of the Leonok family. It has been passed down to the daughters-in-law of the family for generations.”
“Is it really okay for me to actually receive this…?”
“Of course. The Duke specifically asked me to give it to you.”
Evelyn felt a little excited.
It wasn't just about receiving an expensive gift. Rather, she felt as if she was being recognized as a member of the family, and this filled her heart with joy.
However, there was one thing that bothered her.
“If this is traditionally passed down to the daughters-in-law of the family, shouldn’t the Duchess be the one to get it…?”
“The Duke did not offer this necklace to the Duchess. Given the late Lady Chloe, this was something he could not bring himf to do.”
Evelin almost understood what he meant. Dunswell felt that giving this necklace to a new wife would be disrespectful to his deceased wife.
Since she was in the position of the duke's wife, it didn't matter.
“And frankly, the current Duchess is not someone worthy of this contract.”
Earl Aldris did not hide his dismissive tone.
“Earl.”
Dyffryn wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and called to Earl Aldris in a low voice. However, the earl did not heed the warning.
“I understand that the Duchess has greatly helped the Duke’s family. She managed a disorganized household and brought the Duke back to his senses. But frankly, I don’t quite understand.”
“She replaced all the staff at the Duke’s headquarters with people from her family, and was talking about extracting diamonds from the Holy Mountain.”
“That's something for my father to judge.”
Devrin sighed, looking just tired. Apparently this isn't the first time Earl Alders has spoken ill of Amelia.
"Both the Duke and you, Dyffryn, are indifferent to these matters. In a few years, Isaac will come of age. Doesn't that matter to you?"
Evelyn responded to the name “Isaac.”
Isaac was Devrin's half-brother, and it was time for him to show up.
“Who knows? Maybe the Duchess is planning to fire you Dyffryn, and put Isaac in the position of Duke. Blood is thicker than water, after all.”
“Earl Aldris.”
Dyffryn's warning was more severe this time, but the excited Earl Aldris did not stop talking.
"That is why you must secure your position by obtaining an heir as soon as possible. There is no safer way."
As the conversation turned to the subject of the heir, Dyffryn's deadpan expression softened.
“…It is too early to talk about an heir.”
“What do you mean, too early? Not early at all. If you keep delaying, you might end up being called the ‘Old Duke’ like me.”
Evelin felt embarrassed by the inheritance discussion that happened right in front of her and pretended to focus on her food.
Defrin looked equally confused. After clearing his throat several times, he finally spoke in his usual tone.
“This is something we both must decide… While I understand your concerns, Earl, please be mindful of your impertinence.”
Earl Aldris finally noticed Evelin's embarrassment and felt embarrassed.
“…This old man got too excited and was rude. I apologize.”
“It's okay. Please continue with your meal.”
The conversation continued normally after that. Earl Alders had two glasses of whisky, but fortunately, he did not appear to be drunk.
However, when another sensitive topic came up, his expression turned a little fierce.
“By the way, I heard that Isaac will be coming home soon. It's the academy's vacation season.”
"Time flies. How is Isaac doing at the academy?"
“Well, it seems he maintains first place, thanks to his similarity to the Duke in intelligence, but there are still other issues.”
Dyffryn gently shook the whiskey glass, the liquid swirling gracefully.
“Is he still causing trouble?”
“From what I heard, yes. As you know, Devrin, he has a hot temper. Instead of focusing on his studies, he should be taught character and morals first.”
Tsk tsk.
Earl Aldris clicked his tongue.
"He'll get better as he matures. He's only twelve, after all."
“At that age, Dyffryn, you seemed more mature. The Duchess was quite strict with you. That's why I can't help but feel worried. The Duchess treats you and Isaac very differently.”
Earl Aldris furrowed his brows in exasperation.
Listening from the side, Evelin also felt that it was unfair, but since Dyfrin himf seemed indifferent, she did not express her approval.
"Isaac is not being trained as an heir. Let's stop discussing this now."
This time, Earl Aldris nodded, taking Dyffryn's hint. He was beginning to feel the effects of alcohol.
The conversation didn't last much longer.
“This old man will rest for the night.”
However, Earl Aldris disappeared into the guest room.
Evelyn ordered Merlin and the maids to clear the table and looked at Dyffryn as she prepared to go upstairs.
Defrin had just gotten up from his chair. She watched his movements cloy to see if he was drunk, but his actions were calm as usual.
However, since he was moving so gracefully even when he was drunk before, she couldn't be sure.
Evelin was examining him cloy because of a previous incident.
When Devrin was drunk, he was completely different from his usual f, and for some reason, he kissed her. Just thinking about that moment still made her blush.
So, making sure he was drunk was very important.
At that moment, their eyes met. Perhaps sensing her doubt, Devrin spoke first.
“I'm not drunk.”
“…Who said you were drunk?”
Evelin felt embarrassed, turned around and headed upstairs. She heard Devrin's steps follow her.
"Good night."
As she was about to enter her bedroom and close the door, Defrin stopped her.
“Wait.”
Evelyn was upset but tried to remain calm as she responded.
“…What’s wrong?”
“I want to talk about the heir issue.”
At that moment, she couldn't maintain her composure. Evelin hesitated before finally speaking.
“No... now...?”
“I think we should discuss it because it was brought up.”
Well… it was a conversation they should finally have as a couple, but it seemed awkward because they didn't really live like a normal couple.
“...Come in.”
Evelyn opened the door. When Defrin entered, the room seemed to begin to heat up, perhaps due to his body heat.
He sat heavily on a chair next to the round table. Evelyn sat across from him.
Defrin, looking uncomfortable, opened the top button of his shirt.
“What do you think about the heir issue?”
Evelyn never seriously considered giving birth to an heir. She decided to divorce as soon as she got married.
Although she was currently postponing her decision to divorce, her thoughts on the heir issue had not changed.
Having a child would make it difficult to divorce Defrin later, and above all, she was worried about her illness.
She didn't even know the name of her illness yet, so having a child was out of the question. That wouldn't be good for the baby or her.
“Honestly... I don't want to have a baby right now.”
Devrin looked at Evelin before slowly lowering his gaze.
"…Show."