Chapter 20
Chasing Two Rabbits
“The family is facing a crisis.”
At the grave voice that suddenly rang out, Leonardo turned his head.
Isabella had just stepped into the garden and was now striding toward him with obvious displeasure written across her face.
So she’s seen today’s newspaper.
Basking in the morning sunlight while enjoying his coffee, Leonardo immediately grasped the reason for his mother’s visit and let out a faint laugh.
“Did you come to tend the garden?”
“Does it look that way?”
With a chilly reply, Isabella dropped into the seat across from him in an irritated motion.
What he had assumed was a newspaper turned out to be several rolled-up sheets of paper clenched tightly in her hand.
“I knew this would happen. I knew it the moment Count Rosenberg started making noise about filing an appeal.”
Today’s newspaper—whose front page prominently featured Leonardo’s official statement—made it abundantly clear that the upcoming trial would only grow more vicious.
During an interview crowded with reporters, Leonardo had openly declared war without the slightest restraint.
And he fully intended to honor every word he had spoken.
Even if crushing Rosenberg required Devonshire to suffer substantial losses as well, he was prepared to walk that path willingly.
“As expected of my mother. You know your son very well.”
“Leo!”
Isabella practically shouted in frustration.
Leonardo had escalated the conflict dramatically.
Not content with Heinz’s appeal alone, he had dragged additional issues into the matter and filed further lawsuits.
It was a declaration that he intended to see this through to the bitter end—no matter how many years it took.
At this rate, both families would be ruined.
Watching her son make such irrational decisions, Isabella let out a long, complicated sigh.
“Her Majesty is extremely displeased.”
That was another problem entirely.
Why were their personalities all so similar?
Everywhere she looked, stubborn people were determined to pursue things to complete destruction once they had made up their minds.
It meant policies targeting Devonshire would continue lashing down like a whip.
“You met with her?”
“In this situation, how could I not?”
“Still, sisters truly are sisters. She refused to see her nephew even after he visited ten times.”
“……”
Would you have met with yourself?
Suppressing the urge to snap those words aloud, Isabella pressed her fingers against her forehead.
It felt as though wrinkles were forming by the minute.
Then she abruptly slammed the rolled papers she had been clutching onto the table.
As they unfurled, a familiar collection of portraits appeared before him.
Leonardo’s brows narrowed.
“You searched my room?”
“They were abandoned in a forgotten corner.”
So she had discovered his insincere claim about “carefully considering” the matter.
Avoiding the troublesome situation, Leonardo pulled out his pocket watch.
A blatant attempt to pretend he was too busy and leave.
“Choose.”
Unfortunately for him, Isabella had no intention of letting the matter end there.
“As I said before, this requires careful consid—”
“No matter which young lady you choose, the resulting marriage alliance will offset at least some of the losses from this situation.”
One by one, she spread the portraits apart so he could see them clearly.
Only then did Leonardo realize just how thoroughly prepared his mother had come for battle.
A wave of exhaustion crashed over him.
I’ve really been cornered this time.
How irritating.
“Use a political marriage to elevate the Devonshire name to a position no one will ever be able to challenge.”
Truthfully, for the sake of Devonshire’s interests, it did not matter whom he married.
But at the very least, he did not want to decide now.
A suffocating sensation rose through his throat like smoke as Leonardo followed the movement of Isabella’s hands with detached eyes.
Then—
His blue eyes abruptly froze.
“Or perhaps reassure Her Majesty instead.”
It was a newly added portrait.
Soft brown hair.
Green eyes reminiscent of a summer garden.
The woman inside the painting smiled beautifully at him, though the portrait failed to fully capture her in reality.
Isabella’s voice rang in his ears as though from far away.
“If you can catch both rabbits at once… then catch them.”
The moon was unusually bright that night.
Without turning on a single lamp, Leonardo sat deeply reclined in a wingback chair.
His calm gaze remained fixed upon the portrait resting atop the table.
More specifically—
Upon Ariel’s portrait.
“To be honest, the families were never exactly close.”
His mother’s voice echoed through his ears like an afterimage.
“But if your father and Count Rosenberg hadn’t fought so violently ten years ago, the two families still interacted from time to time.”
In other words, she wanted him to pursue reconciliation now.
Through the absurd method known as political marriage.
It was not even worth seriously considering.
Leonardo reflected upon the long years spent battling Heinz.
After lengthy thought, he concluded it was an utterly impossible fantasy.
Pulling out a cigarette, he placed it between his lips—
Only for his hand to pause the instant his gaze landed upon Ariel’s painted eyes.
He remembered her standing beneath the eaves on a rainy day.
For some reason, she had been clutching a thick envelope tightly against her chest despite the terrible weather.
Again, wandering around without a maid.
Just like when she was ten.
Just like when he met her again ten years later in the library at Pretens University.
She had always wandered alone remarkably well.
Stopping the carriage had been impulsive.
The wise thing would have been to bury any pointless interest in a woman destined to become another man’s wife.
Clearly that should have been the right choice.
And yet before he realized it, he had already snatched an umbrella from Daniel’s hands and ordered the carriage toward the Rosenberg estate.
What exactly was he trying to do?
The memory of standing before Ariel without any answer replayed vividly before his eyes.
In the end, he had neither offered her the umbrella nor asked to escort her home.
Instead, he had stood there babbling nonsense.
Thinking back on it now felt absurd.
And even now—
A hollow laugh escaped Leonardo’s lips as he finally lit the cigarette.
His blue eyes never once left Ariel’s portrait.
Bitter smoke filled his lungs.
Yet it was nowhere near enough to erase the miserable feeling lingering inside him.
What exactly am I struggling over?
Documents related to the appeal were piled like mountains.
With his shirt loosened carelessly, Heinz picked up the cigar resting in the ashtray and inhaled deeply.
His eyes never once left the papers overflowing with dense legal terminology.
The conference room was thick with smoke.
His legal team sat alongside him.
And in one corner sat Valentin.
They’re unbelievably busy.
Lifting his head from the business reports assigned to him like homework, Valentin slowly surveyed the oppressive atmosphere filling the room.
Perhaps it was only because the current situation was so exceptional, but one thing had become abundantly clear:
The life of a businessman was far from easy.
It was then that his eyes met Heinz’s.
“Have you finished reading?”
“Yes.”
Valentin nodded with an awkward smile.
Heinz set down the documents he had been reviewing and walked over.
Exhaustion clung heavily to every step he took.
“Explain what you understood.”
The scene resembled private tutoring more than anything else.
The reason Heinz—already drowning beneath overwhelming workloads—was carving out precious time to personally educate his future son-in-law had everything to do with Leonardo.
Does that brat think being a duke makes him untouchable?
A toothless tiger.
He’s lost his edge.
The Rosenberg businesses will be ruined by that son-in-law of yours.
Recalling the insults hurled at him in court, Heinz ground his teeth together.
He would absolutely turn Valentin into a worthy successor.
Into a rival capable of opposing Devonshire itself.
There was still a long road ahead, but beginning was half the battle.
Fortunately, Valentin was intelligent.
His handsome appearance would also become a useful weapon in negotiations.
In many ways, he was an excellent young sapling.
“Good. We’ll stop here for today.”
After listening to Valentin summarize the business reports and exchanging several questions afterward, Heinz nodded in satisfaction.
Meeting such high expectations filled Valentin with quiet pride.
“Begin your military discharge procedures as quickly as possible.”
“I already informed my superior officer today.”
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
Preparations for his marriage to Ariel—which had briefly stalled—were now steadily moving forward once more.
Before summer ended, Ariel would become his wife.
That thought alone made Valentin feel capable of enduring anything.
Even if he became buried beneath workloads heavier than those crushing the legal team before him, he felt he could bear it gladly.
After arranging their next meeting, Valentin finally exited the conference room.
Then he stopped abruptly.
A deeply unwelcome figure had appeared at the far end of the hallway.
What is the Duke of Devonshire doing here?
Watching cautiously, Valentin saw Leonardo approach with smooth, unhurried strides before inclining his head slightly.
“So the rumors were true. You’re abandoning the military path, Lieutenant Cayenne.”
“What brings Your Grace here?”
“I have business with the Count.”
Leonardo answered lightly before sweeping his gaze over Valentin’s suit with an unreadable smile.
“A pity. The Imperial Guard uniform suited you well.”
“The suit will suit me even better.”
At the subtle provocation, Leonardo let out a faintly mocking laugh.
“I certainly hope so.”
Patting Valentin’s shoulder twice, Leonardo walked past him without another word.
Staring at the arrogant figure disappearing down the corridor, Valentin felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
For some reason, his encounter with the duke in the cigar room resurfaced vividly in his mind.
