The Right Place

Aurora's startled reaction was understandable, after all, Grand Duke Damien Dio had a rather bad reputation following him wherever he went. And the reason, of course, was the Acme Fever.

Since Damien was the male lead of the R-rated novel, the author had to make his curse somewhat "special", turning it into something that would justify their choice of the genre, thus, the demonic pagan cult that kidnapped him when he was a child, was supposed to sacrifice him to Apollyon, the Demon of Destruction, in order to acquire his help in destroying the Holy Temple.

However, the kidnappers failed twice: first, when instead of Apollyon, they summoned Asmodeus, who disguised himself as Apollyon in order to trick the pagans to sell him Damien's soul; and the second time, when the soul exchange ritual was interrupted by the Holy Knights, and Asmodeus had to return Damien's soul back to his body.

But since the child's soul was already in the hands of the Demon Prince, it was tainted with his Acme, which resulted in Damien's body constantly trying to reject the Demonic power, emptying its Acme. Acme, however, was now part of his soul, therefore, every time his body would reach dangerously low levels of Acme, the Duke would start losing his mind, turning into a mad beast, overpowered with inhuman strength, seeking terror and destructing in an attempt to relieve his suffering.

And the only way to refill his Acme was to have a sexual relationship with a woman who either possessed the Acme Flow or the Flow of Nadir.

'But that fact, of course, was kept secret. It would have been a disgrace if the whole Rische Empire were to find out that the Grand Duke Damien Dio was nothing but a horny beast, so the Temple thought it would be better to make him "just a beast" instead.'

Rosalie looked into Aurora's big, round eyes, and let out a subtle scoff which her maid did not appreciate in the slightest. Instead, she clasped her hands in front of her chest and nearly shouted, her voice filled with fright,

"Lady Rosalie, what an outrageous idea! Have you forgotten what kind of a man the Duke is rumored to be?! They say he hates women and never receives them in his mansion! They even say he almost killed one of the noble ladies once! That vile curse of his... He surely is a monster!"

Aurora was not wrong. In the novel, Damien was always cold toward women, but he had his reasons for acting like so, which stemmed from his early adolescence trauma. Rosalie, however, did not expect to be accepted by Damien in the first place; her objective was to safely deliver her letter and hope that the Duke would be interested in her offer.

"Do not fret, Aurora, I will be satisfied by just giving him my letter through his aide. And you know... You should not believe all the nasty rumors and badmouth him like this. After all, His Grace is a war hero and the Chief Imperial Prosecutor, the whole Empire owes him their peace and freedom."

The maid instantly covered her chatty mouth with both palms and nodded her head vigorously, agreeing with her lady's wise statement.

"Lady Rosalie, despite everything... Your heart remains as pure as ever!"

The woman embraced Rosalie in a warm hug and placed her smiling face onto her shoulder. The girl was already used to Aurora's kind and affectionate nature, and yet, perhaps already broken by her own family's negligence, every time her maid would show her any kind of unconditional love, she could not help but feel like she did not deserve it. Like it was not meant for her.

'And perhaps I really do not deserve it... She loves the original Rosalie, and I am not her. Can she really not see it?'

***

The Dio Duchy was located right on the outskirts of the Capital, across the forest from the Ashter estate, and was surrounded by nothing but forests and gardens, creating a rather lonely and desolate atmosphere around it.

In the novel, his mansion was described as neglected and gloomy; Damien took absolutely no interest in taking care of it as he was always away from it anyway, either fighting his enemies on the battlefield or working together with the Elite Division of the Imperial Knights, tackling the high-level criminal cases and taking care of their consequences.

What both the girl and her maid saw when their carriage had finally pulled up to the mansion's tall white metal gate, was the opposite of what Rosalie had anticipated. The whole area was surrounded by a well-managed and lively garden, beaming with a myriad of colors and scents, emanating from the blooming flowers and flower bushes.

The path to the mansion itself was old but clean and carefully mended, it was obvious that a lot of time and effort had been invested in taking care of the entire area on a daily basis. But what made both Rosalie and Aurora gasp in awe, was the astonishingly splendid state of the Duke's mansion itself.

The building stood proudly in the midst of the blooming greenery, exuding an air of grandeur and opulence. Its exterior was a magnificent display of architectural splendor, showcasing intricate stonework and elaborate carvings that spoke of status and wealth. The mansion's facade, meticulously maintained, boasted a pristine coat of cream-colored paint that shimmered in the sunlight, accentuating the regal aura it emanated.

As the ladies approached the Duke's mansion, a sense of awe and reverence took hold. It was a place where luxury and refinement merged seamlessly, a testament to the wealth and prestige of its occupants. The warm and inviting aura emanating from within hinted at a life of grandeur and sophistication, beckoning all who beheld it to step into a world of privilege and beauty.

"Wow..."

Rosalie was speechless. The Ashter residence, which was now slowly degrading into a half-ruined state, could never compete with such opulence.

'But why does it look so different from its description in the novel? Is it even the right place?'

She took another look around while waiting for someone to greet them at the entrance when she noticed a tall, young-looking man with long silver hair and a pair of golden-framed glasses jumping on his blushing face while he was rushing toward the unexpected visitors.

The man halted as he finally reached the carriage and fixed his appearance, trying to catch his irregular breath at the same time, and when he finally felt like he was ready to talk, the tall man cleared his throat, and said in a rather strict and cold tone,

"My name is Felix Howyer, I am the aide to His Grace, Grand Duke Damien Dio. How can I help you, My Lady?"

'Oh... There is no mistake. This is the right place..'