episode_0007

The Duke remained silent for a while and then answered me with a rotten expression.

“… … Judgment is free.”

Judgment is free.

In other words, it means that you don’t care, so you can choose whatever suits you.

It was unexpected.

If it were the usual Belzer Winfred I knew, he would have inevitably placed a knight from the duchy next to Kyle as a guard.

‘It must have been quite good to receive the Precious Blood.’

I didn’t bother to reply to his words.

In the breathtaking silence, I pushed food into my mouth without stopping to finish my meal as quickly as possible.

The same goes for the duke.

Perhaps because the argument with me had upset him, he didn’t say a single word the whole time.

After a while, the Duke, who had finished eating, stood up first.

Since it was breakfast, there weren’t that many dishes, so the meal didn’t take long.

I also left the food I had left behind and got up to follow the duke.

“… ”

The duke looked at me, who had just stood up, with a dark look on his face.

As I looked at the duke with a puzzled expression, he continued speaking in a tired tone.

“Yesterday evening, an official letter arrived from Count Justia. He sent an official reply to your request to break up the marriage talks he had been waiting for.”

As I was about to go up to the room, I stopped and turned my head.

“Reply?”

“Yes. It had the family head’s seal.”

“What was it about?”

“He said his daughter was greatly hurt. There was also an additional statement that they did not want to break off the engagement.”

I opened my eyes wide at the shocking news.

When I say daughter, I naturally refer to Isabel, which means that Isabel is still refusing to break off the engagement with me.

‘What the fuck.’

The back of my neck was itching from the rising frustration.

Soon the Duke’s calm voice rang in my ears.

“At the same time, compensation was requested.”

This was as expected up to this point.

Since the marriage between families is unilaterally broken, it is natural to demand a large amount of compensation in the name of damage to the family’s reputation.

However, the following words were truly a joke.

“They mentioned the Precious Blood as consolation money.”

He had no power to hide his emotions, so his embarrassment was clearly visible on his face.

Precious blood. In fact, the words are consolation prizes, and in the end, they are no different from stubbornly rejecting a request to break off an engagement.

“Kyle, you probably know. If the Countess sticks to its position until the end… ”

“… Imperial trial. I know.”

“Yes, of course there is no need to worry. Even so, it would just be a waste of time.”

The results do not change.

The duke spoke to me in a firm voice.

Yeah, the results won’t change.

It is absurd to demand Precious Blood as consolation money.

Naturally, the outcome of the trial will be one in which an appropriate amount of consolation is given to the count family and the break-off of the engagement is recognized.

However, there is a different problem.

‘Is it ruined?’

The imperial trial is a trial for nobles, that is, it requires all kinds of ostentation, useless rituals, and procedures.

What this means is that the time it takes to hold a trial is also incredibly long.

For me, who has to leave the mansion as soon as possible, this news is like a bolt from the blue.

“… ”

Are they just going to ask me to offer up the Precious Blood as a consolation prize?

However, unless the duke is crazy, there is no way he would accept such absurd conditions over the easy route of an imperial trial.

How dare you make such an over-the-top provocation against the Duke of Winfred, one of the Empire’s three major guardian families.

The entire Count Justia family, including Isabel, must have gone crazy.

As I was silently swallowing my anger, the Duke continued speaking in a soft tone.

“Other conditions were also written down.”

“What is it?”

“Lady Isabel. He says that if he succeeds in persuading her, he will agree to break off the engagement with just a small amount of compensation.”

The Duke’s eyes flashed with interest.

As if he was expecting what I would do next.

There is no choice.

I answered without hesitation.

“I will try to persuade you.”

“Do whatever you want.”

After finishing what he had to say, the duke turned his back without hesitation.

After a while, two employees walked out and carefully opened the closed door of the dinner room.

.

The duke went to his office with the old butler waiting outside, and I went up to the room and sat down crookedly on the couch.

“It’s still okay. Because there is enough time.”

All you have to do is convince Isabel.

It’s not that difficult.

All you have to do is create a situation where you can’t do anything without breaking off the engagement.

“Let’s think about it separately later… ”

What is important right now is the knight investiture ceremony that will be held soon.

The goal is to recruit Diana as Kyle’s personal knight.

As the duke’s permission was received, virtually all necessary preparations were completed.

I lightly gathered my thoughts and then turned my head.

Through my swiveling vision, I caught something disturbing.

A tan case with an old-fashioned design.

A silver ring kept inside.

It was another pair of the engagement ring that Kyle Winfred gave Isabelle.

I narrowed my brows and let out a short sigh.

Then, he muttered in a stern voice.

“… That’s good.”

I need to go out at some point.

I need to sell that damn annoying ring right now.

****

smart-

A maid cautiously knocked on the door a couple of times.

Her name is Erica, and she is Isabelle’s personal maid.

“Miss, it’s me.”

Erica was Isabelle’s maid who had been working at the mansion since she was born.

Erica’s mother also worked here, Erica is also working here, and Erica’s children will also work here in the distant future.

Erica loves Isabel.

The only daughter of a count family, one of the most prominent in the empire, she has an outstanding figure and appearance, and a disposition that is like a noble example.

As Erica, who had been a member of the Justia family for generations, she could not hate Isabelle.

The girl started acting strangely one sunny day after going out to Duke Winfred’s residence for an engagement ceremony.

I don’t know why, but the young lady’s face when she returned was filled with indescribable sadness.

That wasn’t the only girl’s strange behavior.

Winfred’s illegitimate son, Kyle Winfred.

At some point, the young lady began to treasure the engagement ring she received from the man she hated so much.

He never took the ring off his finger for even a moment, and some days he made a wistful expression while looking at the ring, and other days he smiled brightly.

How could she care so much about a ring given to her by a man she hated so much?

Erica couldn’t understand it.

And a few days ago.

The young lady, who had gone out early in the evening, returned to the mansion looking miserable and cried in her room all morning.

It was from then on.

A deep darkness fell on the face of the young lady who always had a smile on her face.

At that time, the girl couldn’t sleep all night, and spent the day in a state of nervousness to the point where even the smallest things startled her, and she would constantly stare into empty space and mutter like a person who had lost her mind.

And now.

“Miss, are you in the room?”

Erica knocked on the door in vain.

This is to personally deliver the news about Kyle Winfred that the young lady had emphasized so much.

“… Come in.”

When I opened the door, I saw a young lady sitting at a table by the window.

Erica glanced at the table out of the corner of her eye.

The table was full of gorgeously prepared food.

It was exactly as Erica had set it up for the young lady’s meal a few hours ago.

‘It’s the same again…’ ‘

A few days ago, she started skipping meals whenever she got the chance.

It was the day Winfred officially requested a breakup of the engagement.

“Lady, I’m talking about the knight investiture ceremony that will be held soon.”

The young lady was still looking out the window, lost in thought.

With a somewhat lonely look on his face, he carefully adjusted the ring on his ring finger.

Erica continued speaking.

“That… It is said that Kyle Winfred will also attend this investiture ceremony.”

Rattling—!

The young lady who had been listening and not paying any attention the whole time got up from her seat.

“Kyle… what? Who?!”

“Kyle Winfred. I’m talking about your fiancé.”

“Kyle is coming to the investiture ceremony?!”

Isabelle’s eyes widened.

It was the most lively appearance of Isabel that Erica had seen in the past few days.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! Is this what I heard directly from the head maid? You know that the head maid’s son is in charge of this investiture ceremony.”

Numerous emotions rose and fell on the young lady’s face.

To put it bluntly, it was like looking at someone with a screw missing somewhere.

Erica watched the young lady, not knowing what to do.

“Kyle… Investiture ceremony… ”

The young lady got up from her seat and started spinning in place, biting her thumb.

As Erica, embarrassed, took a step back, Isabelle stood tall and spoke in a solemn voice.

“I have to go meet the head maid.”

“Yes? What happened to the head maid?”

Isabel stopped in her tracks at Erica’s question.

After a while.

Isabelle, who had been silent, opened her mouth.

“The investiture ceremony, I also want to go see it.”

As she spoke calmly, the corners of her mouth were slightly but clearly curved.