Ch.55. Return Kindness Twofold, Grudges Tenfold.

“What, you’re saying she came without any notice?”

“We had already scheduled a visit this month…”

“That may be true, but shouldn’t she have notified us before departing?”

Padericks was covered in sweat, showing just how urgently he had rushed over.

See? Even he’s flustered.

“Young master, you’re not wrong, but… we can’t exactly send her away either, can we!?”

Meeting Elina was quite an adventure for me.

Since my possession, who had I actually met?

At most, Luna, Padericks, and Rio.

Their common trait? They were all characters from the novel.

However, Elina was a new character who never appeared in the original work.

Of course, I’d encountered other servants and extras like Jawill Wilson, but due to our clear hierarchical relationship, they couldn’t ask me any questions.

That’s why I could deal with them without hesitation.

But.

Unlike the others, I couldn’t grasp her appearance or personality, so it was natural to feel anxious about not knowing how she might react.

“Did you personally escort Elina to the reception room?”

“Yes, I received her with the utmost courtesy befitting a butler of House Alphonse.”

I do feel sorry for Elina, whom I’ve never even seen.

How desperate must her family’s financial situation be for her to come all the way to this place of exile to ask for the cancellation of our broken engagement—especially when Selden Alphonse, notorious as a scoundrel, had already expressed his intention to break it off?

“Is she pretty?”

“…Pardon?”

“‘Pardon?’ Ah, here we go again, pretending you didn’t hear.”

“Th-that’s not it! How could I dare judge Lady Elina’s appearance?”

“Come on, it’s just between us. Talk candidly, man to man.”

“Actually, she was wearing a veil over her face, so I couldn’t see properly.”

I don’t particularly have high expectations for her appearance.

Why?

While House Alphonse isn’t inferior to other noble houses, it’s not exceptionally prestigious either.

If Elina Parseche possessed extraordinary beauty, would she have come all this way to request the cancellation of our broken engagement?

She would have had men from better houses lining up for her.

That’s why she covered her face with a veil for our first meeting.

‘It means she’s not confident about her looks.’

No matter how pitiful her situation might be, I have not the slightest intention of withdrawing my decision to break the engagement.

Think about it—I was involuntarily possessed as ‘Selden Alphonse.’

On top of that, despite being a nobleman, I’ve been exiled and unable to properly enjoy life, and I never know when a knife might come for my neck.

It’s already unfair enough walking barefoot on this thin ice!

“Can’t I make my own damn decisions about marriage!?”

“…Pardon?”

“Don’t mind me, just accidentally spoke my thoughts aloud.”

Lamenting my unfortunate fate, I rose heavily.

Then I put on an expression that anyone would recognize as that of someone being led to slaughter.

“Let’s go to the reception room.”

*

“My lady, for Lord Roden’s sake, you must get him to withdraw the broken engagement.”

As Butler Rigard Piersten spoke, Elina Parseche lowered her head.

Her trembling fingers seemed to reflect her emotional state.

“I know that, of course. This was all part of my plan…”

Elina, known as the flower of House Parseche.

Her insistence on wearing a veil stemmed from a prophecy made by an old fortune teller when she was young.

-If anyone other than your future husband sees your face before your marriage, great calamity will befall your house.

Marquis Roden firmly believed the fortune teller’s words and ordered his daughter Elina to wear a veil.

It was difficult for her at an age when girls typically enjoy adorning themselves, but Elina followed her father’s orders without complaint for the sake of their house.

Then.

One year ago, disaster struck.

At a noble’s party, Tras, the eldest son of House Cardrian, accidentally saw Elina’s face when her veil slipped.

Why had the fortune teller made such a prophecy?

It was because of Elina’s radiant face.

Skin like white glass and large eyes that seemed about to scatter starlight.

Her appearance was so overwhelming that it could have sparked wars between continents to possess her.

“I am Tras Cardrian. I fell in love at first sight. After my coming-of-age ceremony, would you marry me?”

Anyone would think this was the first page of a beautiful romance story, but sadly, it was the beginning of a tragedy.

Who was Tras Cardrian?

The eldest son of a house rising like a divine entity in the Eastern Continent.

A guaranteed prosperous match.

Every woman’s dream man.

However, these were merely superficial accolades.

He was all shine and no substance.

Behind his glossy exterior, he was a man who couldn’t resist any woman.

And that wasn’t all.

The rumor that he would execute citizens on the spot for merely making eye contact with him while walking through his territory was well-known among nobles.

Marquis Roden, Elina’s father, couldn’t have been unaware of this.

If he accepted Tras as his son-in-law, House Parseche could experience a revival, but what father would want to send his daughter to marry Tras, considered the worst scoundrel in the Eastern Continent?

He already felt guilty for hiding her flower-like beauty behind a veil.

A polite refusal.

And from that moment, the fortune teller’s prophecy began to come true.

Tras used his family’s power to pressure House Parseche.

Other houses also turned their backs, watching the situation carefully, and soon the house was staggering under financial difficulties.

“How on earth are we supposed to resolve this situation!?”

In response to Marquis Roden’s agitation, Elina spoke in a calm tone.

“I have two solutions.”

Elina had always been an intelligent child, though her intellect was often overshadowed by her appearance.

Marquis Roden opened his eyes wide and asked.

“You have solutions!?”

“Yes. The first is for me to marry ‘Tras Cardrian.’ Since this all started because we refused his proposal, everything would return to normal.”

She had spoken aloud what everyone knew but should never have mentioned as a solution.

How must her father have felt hearing this?

It was a pain that felt like his heart was being torn apart.

Marquis Roden suppressed his emotions and gazed at Elina.

“I would rather go to war than send you to House Cardrian.”

Sensing her father’s feelings, Elina smiled faintly.

“There’s still one more option.”

“Yes, what’s the second?”

“In the far East, there’s a saying: ‘yi yi je yi’ [以夷制夷].”

“Yi yi je yi?”

“Simply put in our language, it means ‘control a scoundrel with another scoundrel.'”

“Control a scoundrel with another scoundrel…”

As Marquis Roden tilted his head in confusion, Elina straightened her posture.

“Have you heard of House Alphonse?”

“If you’re referring to the house at the edge of the Eastern Continent, yes, I know of it.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I saw them at the last imperial banquet. Alphonse Byron… he was a somewhat rough but very manly baron.”

“And among Baron Alphonse Byron’s children, rumors about his youngest being a scoundrel have reached even here.”

Marquis Roden, who had been stroking his chin, startled.

“Elina, surely you don’t mean…”

“Yes. Please arrange a marriage between me and ‘Selden Alphonse,’ the youngest of House Alphonse.”

“My only acquaintance with them is from seeing them at the imperial banquet. If I suddenly propose a marriage, Baron Byron would find it strange.”

“Baron Byron would be different about his youngest son’s marriage. According to rumors, despite having only two years until his coming-of-age ceremony, he hasn’t found a suitable bride.”

She had devised this plan because the edge of the Eastern Continent was beyond the reach of Tras’s family’s influence.

However, having to choose between sending his beloved daughter to either the worst scoundrel or the second-worst…

Marquis Roden shook his head.

“Elina, I understand your intentions. As you say, House Alphonse would likely accept the marriage, and they would stand with us against House Cardrian.”

“Exactly.”

“But as a father, I see no difference between the scoundrel of House Alphonse and the scoundrel of House Cardrian. So—”

“No, they are different. The scoundrel of House Alphonse hasn’t harmed our family yet.”

It was the creed of House Parseche.

Return kindness twofold.

Return grudges tenfold.

Seeing Elina’s cold and bitter determination, Marquis Roden lowered his head.

She had followed his order to wear a veil without complaint.

How could he, as an inadequate father, refuse her now?

“Very well. From now on, I will do my best to arrange a marriage with House Alphonse.”

However.

The marriage arrangements that had been proceeding smoothly according to Elina’s plan were now in jeopardy of being broken off by the scoundrel ‘Selden Alphonse.’

The reason was also absurd.

He claimed he couldn’t be tied down by marriage—an excuse never heard before.

That’s why she had come all the way to this distant place of exile.

Waiting for Selden Alphonse in the reception room, Elina carefully lifted a teacup to her lips.

‘Even if I have to remove my veil, I must make him withdraw his intention to break our engagement.’

As Elina was wearing a sharp expression…

Knock-knock!

“Young Master Selden Alphonse is now entering the reception room.”