That said, Gloria still needed to become the crown prince's fiancée.
She had thrown a few barbed remarks in retaliation after having a wad of documents flung at her face, but as her father had pointed out, she couldn't afford to devote all her attention to wine and Cedric at the upcoming tea party.
It would be simpler to make her uncle's second son an adopted heir to the duke's family, but such a decision required her father's approval.
Her father, who despised her mother, loathed the idea of Gloria inheriting the Caldwell name. Yet, he hated her uncle even more, ensuring he wouldn't easily agree to such a plan.
Her father's obsession with marrying Gloria to the crown prince was unwavering. If she pushed this topic further, he might even declare his intent to remarry and sire another child to make them the heir instead.
Her father seemed to think his failure stemmed from choosing a commoner mistress. This time, he might buy some impoverished baron's daughter for her title and make her his second wife.
If that happened, any child born would, at least in name, be of noble blood and satisfy the minimum requirement for succession.
Continuing this discussion with her father, who was now pounding his desk with a clenched fist, was fruitless and would only further aggravate him.
Should I return to my room? That thought crossed her mind just as a commotion erupted outside the door.
Kate, who was standing behind her, tensed, while the knight guarding the door furrowed his brow and reached for his sword. In that instant, the door was thrown open with great force, and a shrill child's voice pierced Gloria's ears.
"Father!"
"Wait, young master! The duke is in the middle of an important conversation with the young lady—!"
A boy with blonde hair and violet eyes burst into the room, his face a picture of urgency. He shoved past the butler who tried to stop him and stormed in.
Gloria recognized that face.
In her previous life, by this time, he had already been living in this mansion as her half-brother—Alan.
Inside her mind, A-ko exclaimed in a dazed voice, *"Wow! Little Alan! He's so cute! But… wasn't there some event around this time?"*