episode_0016

As soon as I arrived at the mansion, the employees welcomed me with mechanical movements.

I felt reassured by his businesslike demeanor as usual, without any emotions mixed in.

What I encountered as soon as I entered was a man who was climbing the stairs.

Ian Winfred.

Winfred’s minor duke and a strong candidate for head of the family.

He looked down at me and Diana from the top of the stairs with an extremely cold face.

It’s the same unlucky wait at the top that we’ve seen countless times in previous episodes.

“Father is looking for you.”

After saying those words, the guy clicked his tongue and turned his back without hesitation.

After giving Diana the small items I had brought from the auction house, I went straight to the duke’s office.

From Isabelle’s ignorant loan to Luna’s unexpected behavior.

The rising stress gave me strength in my steps.

Rattling—

When I opened the door and entered, there was a duke sitting at a desk wearing glasses and working.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard you went to the auction house.”

“The news is so quick.”

At the light sarcasm, the duke let out a short sigh.

“I heard that Luna also went there.”

“Well, I guess it was like that.”

“… Where is Luna now? Didn’t you come back together?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Why do you ask? Isn’t she your sister?”

“… under. What else can I say?”

Ah, here we go again.

I couldn’t even bother to answer anymore, so I sighed inwardly.

Anyway, I had to answer, so I gave a story that was roughly unrelated to the question.

“ That’s it, please prepare the documents for breaking off the engagement.”

“What?”

“I plan to visit the count’s residence as soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning, so I asked you to prepare the documents. I would like to ask for the seal of the head of the family.”

“… What are you going to do?”

The condition for breaking off the engagement was Isabelle’s persuasion.

The duke, seeing my attitude that was close to confidence, was asking me how I could persuade Isabelle.

I plan to request a break-up of the engagement using Isabel’s unexpected behavior as she has gone crazy for some reason… Even if I say this, the duke won’t help me.

In fact, they might be concerned about my plan.

For the sake of Winfred and Justia’s relationship, along with nonsense about resolving the issue in a more peaceful way.

Since Geass has already been mobilized, the duke will not be able to bend my opinion.

I don’t plan on telling him my plans in advance.

Just talking to the duke is hard work for me.

“Do I really have to tell you?”

“It sounds as if I am not trustworthy.”

“You are sharp. You saw it correctly.”

“… … Are you really asking for my cooperation in that kind of attitude?”

“It’s not cooperation, it’s transaction. Don’t you like it? Well, I don’t think it’s bad for you to break Geass and pay the price for your violation.”

Wow—

The quill in the Duke’s hand broke sharply.

“… We’ll see when Geass is over.”

The duke suppressed his anger and muttered a grim warning.

Sorry, but that won’t happen.

By the time all transactions are completed, I will have already left this mansion.

“I’ll just go.”

“Turn off.”

I skipped the formal greeting and left the office.

I felt the duke’s stinging gaze, but I didn’t pay any attention to it.

‘Yes, it’s enough if you become a monk.’

If you break off the engagement, you won’t have to run into the Duke anymore.

****

Early morning the next day.

The old butler I met in the hallway handed me a handful of documents.

These were the documents needed to break off the engagement that I had requested from the Duke the previous evening.

I skipped dressing up and just left the mansion.

After arriving at the count’s residence, I went straight to the office under the guidance of the servant.

As I opened the door and entered the office, a man with snow-white hair stared at me.

The head of the Justia family.

The owner of this mansion where I was standing looked at my face and was silent for a long time.

“I have business.”

The count’s face, as he was asking for information, was unusually dark.

Why is his countenance so dark, even though he lacks nothing?

It’s probably because of Isabel.

The only daughter who shelled out 300,000 looprans just to buy a ring.

As if that wasn’t enough, he was a childish man who even sold his family name to get a loan.

By now, you are probably feeling quite depressed at the thought of having failed in farming for your children.

But it’s not something I care about.

I took out the documents I had hidden in my arms and presented them to the Count.

“I request to break off the engagement.”

A copy of the loan agreement written in Isabel’s handwriting.

And all the documents needed to break off the engagement and Winfred’s seal were prepared in advance.

After checking the documents, the count’s mouth closed as if he was lying.

He pursed his lips several times, perhaps holding back his anger or having something to say.

Soon, a deeply muffled voice leaked out of my barely opened mouth.

“Can I ask the reason?”

“What do you mean?”

“You acted like you couldn’t live without your daughter, and now you’re asking me why I’m belatedly asking you to break off the engagement.”

“Because I don’t love Isabel anymore.”

The count’s eyes twinkled for a moment.

“Is that really all it is?”

“Well. You know better than anyone else how variable love is.”

A deep furrow was carved between the Count’s eyebrows.

He seemed speechless at my immediate, sharp answer.

I didn’t come here to have this trivial conversation.

I addressed the matter in a calm tone.

“When we first exchanged marriage talks, there was a pledge exchanged between both families.”

“… ”

“If one party’s reputation is tarnished by gossip, the other party can unilaterally terminate the marriage at any time.”

“It’s just a formality… ”

“It was a condition you proposed yourself because you were concerned about the behavior of the bastard Kyle Winfred.”

I dismissed his excuse briefly.

The Count was speechless and looked at me blankly.

The Count’s eyes were filled with deep embarrassment as he looked at me.

“Would you like to sign? Or should I step forward myself?”

I want to quietly break off the engagement now.

Or, do you want to break off the engagement in tears after Isabel’s reputation is shattered?

The Count gritted his teeth as he faced the choice of hell before his eyes.

After a while.

A quiet voice leaked out between clenched teeth.

“… Don’t sign.”

Crumbling—

He took out a quill and signed the document.

After a while, the Count let out a deep sigh and gently pushed the signed document towards me.

“Here it is.”

finished.

As a result, Isabelle and I became complete strangers.

‘at las… ‘

I felt relieved.

At that time, the count asked me one thing with a grim expression on his face.

“I heard that the ring my daughter bought with a loan is yours.”

“That’s right.”

“Could you give me a little discount? Instead, let’s pretend the consolation money never happened.”

Please receive less sales money and make the loan itself a non-existent event.

The Count’s request from me was simple.

‘A debt collector is a bit like that.’

Isabel Justia.

The main heroine of the main scenario and the only woman who can purify the black fog that is consuming the continent.

There is no need to overly destroy Isabelle’s reputation from the beginning.

Especially when I am not sure when I will find the relic.

However, I have no intention of just giving it a discount.

“I don’t like it.”

The count was dumbfounded.

His reaction was as if he didn’t expect me to reject his offer.

“Why should I do that? I have never asked for or forced a loan.”

“What is that… ”

“Of course, it doesn’t mean that I have no intention of reducing the amount.”

That is, if the conditions are right.

The Count, who sensed my intention, let out a short sigh.

“What do you want?”

The scales of trading must be balanced.

With a smile on my face, I recited the conditions I had thought of in advance.

“I heard there are so many ores in the count’s mansion?”

Ore stone.

A mineral that can contain divine power.

“I will accept ore stones as payment.”

Investments should be made in advance.

Cancer, whatever.

****

The Count readily accepted my offer.

From the Count’s point of view, lowering the price of the ring in return for giving away the useless ore stone must have been a huge benefit.

However, it was I, not the Count, who benefited from the transaction.

In the distant future, when the true value of Gwangryuseok will be revealed to the public, the count’s angry roar will resound throughout the count’s residence.

I finished my business and left the Count’s office.

I broke off my engagement, found an escort, and made a lot of money.

Now there is only one thing left.

‘I can leave tomorrow.’

I can finally leave this damn duchy.

A faint smile appeared on my lips.

“This way.”

As I opened the door handle and came out, the waiting attendant directly guided me.

I was about to leave the Count’s residence with such a relaxed mind.

“Lady! The Count clearly warned me last night that he would be on probation for the time being… !!”

“Get out of the way!”

“Aaagh!”

A somewhat familiar voice rang in my ears.

I slowly turned my head in the direction the voice came from.

After a while.

“Kyle—!!”

I made eye contact with Isabel, who was chasing the maid.