Now then, how should he go about seducing Angela Faber?The success condition of the bet was to entice her and bring her as his partner to the New Year’s gala. If he could prove that she became completely taken with him at that party, it would be his victory.Of course, he still had plenty of time, but if she was this wary, even if he tried to grow closer starting now, it might not be as easy as he imagined.“I suppose I should try visiting her again…?”Angela already liked Edgar, so there was no longer any need to seduce her. Yet that didn’t mean the problem had disappeared.To begin with, there was a high chance Angela would never want to attend the party because of what she had gone through before.Hadn’t the outcome of her first attempt at courage been utterly devastating? Considering what Mark had said about her being timid by nature, it was only natural.Therefore, to pull someone like her into such a crowded place, he would have to approach far more delicately and cautiously. He would have to make it so that even if she had to face fear and pressure, she would have no choice but to appear.Which meant he must not approach her relying on his face and reputation the way he usually did. If he did, she might run even farther than she had before. Angela Faber was that different from ordinary people.Just look at this time. Even though Edgar had used multiple methods to request a meeting, she had flatly refused every attempt.To harbor such strong affection that she’d conceive the idea of making a doll identical to him—yet throw away the chance to meet him in person.That proved that Angela preferred a safe, certain daily life—however small—over a sudden stroke of luck that might come with great danger.“The craftsmanship on that doll was far beyond what I’d expected.”Edgar rubbed his chin as he recalled the doll of himself he’d seen at her house. Surprisingly, he wasn’t displeased by finding a doll that resembled him as if he had been miniaturized.Perhaps because he had endured far worse stalking and trouble over the years. It felt almost cute that Angela wanted to keep him by her side, even in that form.“I need to understand her better.”He had met many kinds of people through business, but Angela was truly the first of her type.A woman who lived like a monster exiled to a lonely island while enduring everyone’s scorn. For such a woman to harbor feelings for him was somehow strange and intriguing.Surely it must have begun with the time he’d saved her years ago. He was quite satisfied that a gesture so trivial had come back to him in such a useful way.“Director, we have a problem.”Lost in thought, he looked up to see Timothy entering the office with a troubled expression.“What is it?”“It seems the Infamer newspaper has caught the scent that we’re trying to make contact with Baronet Faber.”“Infamer? °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Here we go again….”Infamer was infamous among Portigios’s newspapers for printing nothing but gossip pieces full of exaggerations and fabrications. They had already been sued by Edgar more times than he could count on one hand.Yet they still hadn’t learned their lesson and continued sniffing around him. No doubt they couldn’t give up someone who had such an effect on their circulation.“Did those bastards follow her all the way to her house?”“It’s not impossible. They’ve been quiet recently, and our surveillance grew lax. I apologize.”“…Ha.”He had warned Timothy to be careful not to alert the reporters before approaching Angela, so the situation was extremely irritating.But he couldn’t entirely blame Timothy. Infamer really had been silent lately. After Edgar’s seventh lawsuit, their owner had been arrested and imprisoned, and the paper nearly shut down completely. They had no choice but to lie low.And yet only a few months later, they were at it again. Persistent didn’t even begin to describe them—they were more disgusting than parasites.“Prepare the carriage. I’ll handle this myself.”“Yourself? At the Baronet’s house?”“Yes. I have a bad feeling.”“I can send someone instead.”“My gemstone mine and investment funds could go down the drain. I can’t sit still. Move.”Timothy briefly wondered if his employer had developed some special feeling for Angela, given how unusually proactive he was.But then Edgar said something that erased that thought instantly, and Timothy found himself pitying Angela, who surely remained unaware of everything. He could already see her quiet life—spent making dolls in peace—becoming noisy because of Edgar.***This was already his second visit.For Edgar de Grace, visiting an old, isolated house like this more than once was extremely rare.“That person… he looks like Delgado from Infamer.”“Good thing we came. Judging by his behavior, he’s definitely not alone.”A man pressed flat against the window on the first floor of the wood-brick house was peering inside while glancing around nervously.Because they’d approached slowly to avoid carriage noise and observed from afar with a spyglass, Delgado had no idea Edgar was watching him.“What shall we do?”A house where a woman lived alone, intruded upon by one or more outsiders.He could call the constables and have them hauled away immediately—but if this incident heightened Angela’s wariness, that would be a problem.And besides, Edgar had once entered that house without permission himself, so a faint pang of conscience pricked him.“We’ll handle it quietly on our side.”“Pardon? Why… ah, well, I’m sure you have your reasons….”Timothy, clearly puzzled, sagged in resignation when Edgar flashed a small, knowing smile that meant “just do it.”“What about the one who went inside?”“I’ll handle him.”Unlike last time, Edgar had come in comfortable clothes. As he stepped out behind Timothy, he flexed the wrist of the hand inside his black glove.“D-Duke Grace…!”Since he didn’t have to worry about his clothes and shoes getting dirty today, Edgar strode confidently along the dirt path to Angela’s house, then lunged straight for Delgado.“Agh—my arm! My arm’s coming off!”“Do keep your voice down. The homeowner should be sleeping soundly at this hour.”He already knew Angela’s daily schedule from Timothy’s report.Angela usually began her day well past noon. Many artists worked best at dawn, and she seemed to be one of them.“Mr. Delgado, is there a colleague inside?”His tone was polite, yet somehow chilling. Delgado stammered in fear.“I—I don’t know what you mean… I was just looking for a quiet house to buy…”A lie so obvious it was insulting. Edgar’s expression hardened instantly. Leaning close to Delgado’s ear, he whispered in a low voice.“It seems I was far too lenient with Infamer. I’ll ask again—how many went inside?”“O-One…”“Timothy, hold this bastard.”A single reporter would be easy enough to subdue and drag out without making a fuss.Edgar shoved Delgado toward Timothy, drew a breath, and tested the window he’d been guarding.clatterJust like last time, it opened easily with no resistance at all. Edgar clicked his tongue in displeasure.A woman living alone—yet her home security was this lax.It wasn’t his place to criticize, considering he was using that very flaw to enter her house for the second time—but he truly worried about how unaware she was, and made a mental note to address it with her.“Wh-who’s there!”Hearing the noise, the reporter inside hurriedly hid his camera behind his body, shouting in a wary voice.“I had a feeling it would be you. Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Thomas.”Thomas Rekena—the very reporter who wrote most of the gossip and fabricated articles about Edgar for Infamer.Their wretched connection was one he could never quite sever.

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