I just looked at the duke with a look that was trying to judge if he was being serious or not.
But the look on the duke's face made it clear that he was serious about this.
It seemed that as long as I took care of this matter for him, he would take care of the matter that I presented to him.
But that matter was a cover in the first place.
Even if it was true, with the power of the Shadow Garden that I now possessed, it was easy for me to take care of those nobles if they wanted to do anything.
So I didn't really need the duke's help for this.
However, there was something that had caught my attention about this report that the duke had presented to me.
There was something about it that seemed suspicious…almost as if there was some kind of other force that was interfering in this matter.
In short, it seemed like this could be a clue as to the demon presence in this city.
But why would the duke give me this?
Unless he already knew that I was a part of Shadow Garden and had an idea of why I was here?
I looked at Shaka too, but he shook his head to show that he didn't know anything again.
After thinking about it, I said, "I will do what I can about this matter. I hope that your grace will not mind if I am unable to satisfy your expectations."
The duke just waved his hand and said, "It's just a small matter, so it doesn't really matter. I just hope that this will allow you to see my sincerity."
I slightly knitted my brows again, but I quickly relaxed my expression and said, "Thank you."
It was a perfunctory response, but it still had to be said.
Dessert was just as delicious as the meal itself, but I really wasn't in a mood to eat after everything that had happened. Right now, I just wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible so I could gather all the information that I had.
But it wasn't that simple.
Veronica, who had remained silent during the entire meal, suddenly said, "Baron Zwein, may I ask if you have any hobbies?"
I turned to look at her with a confused look before saying, "I don't have that many hobbies since I find myself too busy with my work."
Veronica raised a brow before saying, "Is that so? Well, you seem like someone that would enjoy their coffee, so I was going to ask if you've been to any good cafes lately."
This time, it was my turn to raise a brow.
I had thought that she had looked familiar, but now that I had taken some time to look at her carefully, I could see why I thought she looked familiar.
She looked very much like that Ronnie girl that I had met yesterday afternoon.
Ronnie and Veronica…it was similar.
After looking at her like this for a bit, I suddenly asked, "Your ladyship, this might be rude, but…have we met before?"
Veronica didn't seem to react at all when I asked this as she calmly shook her head before saying, "I don't think that I've had the honour of meeting your lordship before. Is this a new way of picking up girls?"
When I heard this, I couldn't help revealing an awkward smile since it did seem like I was hitting on her with the way that I had asked this…
But before I could apologize, the duke suddenly said, "Baron Zwein, are you interested in my daughter?"
I couldn't help revealing a look of shock that also had a bit of terror in it.
That was because I could tell from the duke's voice that he wasn't angry, but rather he was interested in this matter.
I quickly turned and bowed my head before saying, "Your grace, that was not my intention at all. I just felt that your daughter looked a bit familiar, which was why I asked that question." Then after a pause, I quickly added, "You should know that I am already married to my lovely wife, so I wouldn't dare do anything like this. Not to mention, rumours like this would surely hurt her ladyship's reputation, so please don't joke like this."
I added all of this in a panic because I could see the look in the duke's eyes…
But the duke didn't give up as he said, "You don't have to worry about all of that. With our power as dukes, would anyone say anything about us if we didn't want them to? Not to mention, our family has always followed the tradition of free love, which is why my precious daughter isn't engaged yet even though I would love to see her find a man that she loves. I would so very much like to hold my grandchildren in my hand, isn't that right, honey?"
The duchess leaned in close to the duke and agreed with him on this.
Based on the way that they acted, it was clear that they were a close couple, not a couple that had been forced together because of an arranged marriage. It seemed like what the duke had said about free love seemed to be true…
But that terrified me even more!
I clearly wouldn't be able to handle this, let alone how I would be able to explain this to Rose and the others.
So I quickly said, "Your grace, it is getting late. I think it is best if we leave now."
The duke was about to say something, but then he saw the glare that was coming from his daughter.
So in the end, he had no choice but to suck up his words and say, "Alright, let's end things here." Then he revealed a serious look as he said, "Baron Zwein, I look forward to hearing your good news."
I bowed my head and said, "I'll do my best to not disappoint."
The duke gave a nod before suddenly revealing a smile and saying, "Even if you aren't here to report, feel free to come and visit us. I've always wanted to find our precious daughter someone of the same age to talk to and you seem to fit the require…"
Before he could finish, he closed his mouth once again because there was someone glaring at him once more.
I just let out a bitter sigh before revealing a smile that had a hint of bitterness in it.