The Villainess Just Wants to Study

Chapter 39 ~ Sabotage

That night, the Duke sat hunched over his desk and stared blankly at the documents he had to review. He stared at the reports, feeling completely defeated, wondering how this could have happened. 

He tried to find something to prove his son's innocence, but the stress brought on by the extra load of work only made him sick. Most of his son's whereabouts and decisions for the past four years were completely unknown. 

The Duke angrily slammed his right fist onto the desk. The Beaumon name was gradually becoming the focus of attention in a major scandal. It was very upsetting. 

A few minutes later, someone knocked on his office door. 

"Yes?" he called. His annoyed tone displayed a hint of anger. 

There was a slight pause before the voice on the other side of the door said, "It's Dylan."

He sighed heavily and said, "I'm sorry, Dylan. Come in."

The door opened and Dylan stepped into the room. Carrying a tray of snacks and tea, she made her way to his desk. 

"Let me bring you refreshments," she said.

"No, thank you. Refreshments aren't necessary at this time." 

She mooned at him with her large brown eyes, fluttering her eyelashes, and she sighed heavily. Seeing this, the Duke immediately felt bad for rejecting her offer. 

"Don't pout," he reprimanded her lightly. "I changed my mind—tea sounds perfect."

Her glum expression brightened. "Really? Father has been working so hard for brother, so I thought I'd bring something to cheer you up."

She poured him a cup and handed it to him. The Duke reached out for the tea and took several swallows before putting it down on the desk. He was frustrated, tired and thirsty.

"How's it going?" she asked, glancing at the documents on his desk.

Things weren't looking good at all for the Duke. He hung his head down and was overwhelmed by shame. There weren't enough hours in a day for the amount of work he had to do.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She frowned sympathetically. "I didn't know father was struggling this much."

She looked concerned, but he shook his head and reassured her that he was okay. "I'm just trying to clean up the mess your brother made," he explained.

Dylan noticed he had finished his cup of tea. She smiled over at him as she poured him another cup. It wasn't regular tea—Dylan had crushed up sleeping pills and mixed them into the drink. He slowly reached out and picked up the cup, finishing it in a few swallows. 

"Father, the Emperor requested to meet with me."

He stiffened, hearing her words. The Duke gritted his teeth and huffed out a panicked laugh that had nothing to do with seeing the humour in the situation. He had lost his heir apparent because of the Crown Prince and now the Emperor was going after his daughter. 

'I knew he would be upset, but seeing his reaction up close is quite entertaining.'

"Don't you worry, father," she comforted him. Although they were secretly empty words, the Duke's shoulders relaxed a little after hearing them.

He massaged his forehead and said, "You're a smart girl, Dylan. I trust you know why the Emperor is calling for you."

"You don't need to explain it to me," she said, pouring him another cup of tea. "His Majesty wants to know if I'll support the Crown Prince should I become the heiress presumptive."