episode_0060

The moment when Lahilt and Serin were dancing.

Far away, Loderick was sipping wine in a suitable corner.

“It’s quite awkward.”

Tsk.

He clicked his tongue quietly enough not to be heard by others. It wasn’t easy to quickly accept the sudden change in the situation.

“What on earth happened to make it like this?”

Lahilt seemed different from the Lahilt I knew.

After experiencing the turmoil in the Karnan Kingdom, he suddenly started calling me father. But his strange words seemed so pitiful that it was difficult to push him away. Moreover, he had cast off his mask and his emotional expressions were much richer than when he was in the empire.

The speed at which children grow is difficult to gauge, but that’s just how it is. The change Lahilt was showing now only confused him.

“If it’s positive, then it’s positive, but…”

The problem was the awkwardness of the drastically changed Lahilt. So lately, it had been rare for him to speak first.

And the worries were not limited to just the wish.

Currently, Loderick felt like he was about to be crushed by an overwhelming sense of responsibility.

“Father… calling me father. I don’t know if he’s joking or being serious… but if it’s the latter, then I’m becoming a parent of the duke from today.”

Since Lahilt saw Esutiel as his younger sister, if we were to make a family tree, Loderick would be the father of the duke and marquis.

And he was a commoner of criminal origin without a single title.

“I was trying to live as the guardian of the Elanotte marquisate with a modest status, but my rise to power seems to be too much.”

At this point, guilt started to creep in.

Especially these days, Lahilt’s extreme reliance on him was becoming more burdensome.

“Ah, damn. To waste my energy on worries like this at this age.”

“Worries overflowing?”

“Yes.”

As Loderick scratched his head in distress, a woman approached him and asked gently.

He didn’t notice the approach of someone who delved deeply into thoughts.

It seemed like he was really getting far away from his active days.

“I can’t even handle someone who approaches me even if I die soon.”

Loderick sighed inwardly and responded as gracefully as possible.

“It’s been a while. Viscount Raden.”

“I’m glad to see you, Mr. Loderick.”

Viscount Raden.

She was one of the few women in the empire with a prominent status and title. Currently, she maintained a friendly partnership by sending her knights at a low price at Lahilt’s request.

“Do you have something to discuss with me?”

“Discuss? All of a sudden?”

“Is there something strange? The purpose of the banquet is originally to enjoy socializing.”

“That… is not wrong.”

Why are you talking to me? We haven’t even talked about business yet.

Come to think of it, he had been talking to the viscount frequently lately.

Although all the conversations were business-related, it felt unsatisfactory and uncomfortable.

Could she be trying to have a personal conversation?

With a commoner like me, who only has a friendly relationship with the duke and marquis? With one of the most famous women in the empire?

Something was off.

“I need to get my act together.”

Loderick raised his guard and smiled warmly at the viscount.

“I’ll listen to what you have to say, Viscount.”

“Thank you. Well, I have a question I’d like to ask with your permission…”

“What is it?”

In Loderick’s mind, dozens of questions and appropriate answers were mechanically calculated.

But to his surprise, the viscount’s question hit him hard.

“How old are you, Mr. Loderick?”

“… Excuse me?”

“I’m asking how old you are.”

“Age… How old are you?”

Confusion.

Lordrick couldn’t find a reason why the marquis would be curious about that, making it difficult to control the vibration of his pupils.

Unable to guess the ulterior motive, Lordrick answered honestly. In fact, he couldn’t think of any other reason.

“I’ll be thirty-six in the new year.”

“I see. I’ll be thirty-six in the new year as well.”

“Haha, you didn’t mistakenly say twenty-six, did you?”

“Oh my.”

Marquis Ladin chuckled at Lordrick’s flustered response. She hid her embarrassment behind a fan, avoiding eye contact.

“You speak well.”

Hoho.

She let out a sigh.

At this point.

The inside of Marquis Ladin’s head was anything but simple. If someone were to peek into her thoughts, they would find a chaotic mess that could make them foam at the mouth and collapse.

‘Twenty-six, twenty-six, twenty-six, twenty-six, twenty-six. See? I’m still desirable. I’ve been spending a fortune on skincare lately. Yes, I must still be a desirable woman in many ways. Age is just a number, right?’

The spinning thoughts didn’t stop there.

‘Oh, age is truly age. I’m thirty-six and Lordrick is thirty-six. A ten-year age gap is just perfect, isn’t it? Still a young age. Yes, he works diligently and has a strong physique. He’s definitely young. A ten-year age gap… A ten-year age gap that doesn’t matter!’

Marquis Ladin rationalized the age gap between a man and a woman who consider compatibility based on age with an illogical reasoning.

‘Maybe it’s okay to get closer?’

A hidden desire stirred inside Marquis Ladin.

Anyone would find it strange. The fact that Marquis Ladin harbored such affection for Lordrick was burdensome enough.

This monstrous mindset was created by two elements.

The first was the story Rahilt had told the marquis, and the second was the spinster complex that had emerged from the gossip that had spread through society like wildfire.

“Even if a gem has a flaw, it’s still a gem. So, a small flaw in a good woman shouldn’t be a problem.”

This was the story Rahilt had told the marquis in response to the women who openly insulted her as a spinster.

“… Lordrick. I mean, this is what our chief of staff mentioned in passing.”

He then revealed that all of this was a teaching Lordrick had imparted.

It was from that moment that Marquis Ladin began to imagine herself in a wedding dress.

Even if there’s a flaw, a gem is still a gem. So, even if a thirty-six-year-old spinster has a flaw, wouldn’t she be accepted?

He’s handsome. Incomparable to that damn mercenary Lud who deceived me. And the traces of self-care visible on his clothes are truly satisfying.

I’ve seen him before, but I didn’t pay much attention back then.

At least until I became interested.

“He’s the one!”

Status doesn’t diminish a person. If status had been a consideration, I wouldn’t have even glanced at someone like Lud.

Rather, as Rahilt who saved me became the Grand Duke, Lordrick’s status can only rise. In that sense, status becomes even more meaningless.

“Wouldn’t you prefer it more when you become a prince and gain noble status?”

Marquis Ladin approached Lordrick, making various excuses.

She had been confused for a long time. As a spinster who couldn’t bear the countless insults, and as someone whose desire for marriage had only grown stronger as time passed, she had long since transformed into a formidable monster maiden.

Therefore, the dazed Lord Raden extended his hand, desperately hiding his true feelings.

“Shall we continue our conversation while dancing to a song?”

“Yes, sure…”

Rodrick, in a moment of surprise, took the Lord’s hand.

Yet, deep down, he couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable feeling of walking into an ant hell.

Facing Lord Raden, who could easily turn the tables with his power, Rodrick pondered what emotions this sophisticated lady might harbor towards a mere ordinary man like himself…

Rodrick couldn’t even dare to guess the truth behind her intentions.

◇

It was when Serine and I finished our dance.

I let out a soft sigh as I witnessed Rodrick, who had come out to the ballroom holding Lord Raden’s hand to the beat of the next song. I never imagined Rodrick would dance in a place like this.

I wanted to watch Rodrick and Lord Raden dance a little longer, but it wasn’t easy to resist Serine’s guiding hand pulling me along.

Moreover, with the weight of the royal emblem on her hand, it was even harder to shake off.

“Rian? Why are you like this?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see the rare sight.”

“Would you like to keep watching?”

“No, let’s go.”

I followed Serine up the stairs, soon reaching the seat where the Emperor and Empress were located.

There, Eshtiel was already waiting, escorted by Serine’s younger brother, Teser.

This sight was also so unfamiliar that I couldn’t help but be filled with questions.

“We meet again. I had to send you down first to start the banquet, but it must have been inconvenient.”

“Not at all. I enjoyed it thanks to your consideration.”

“Thanks to your manners. Please, take a seat there.”

Following the Emperor’s instructions, we took our seats. Eshtiel sat to my left, gazing at the Emperor with sparkling eyes.

“Come to think of it, Eshtiel admired the Duke of the North.”

Seeing her in person was truly fascinating.

Eshtiel maintained a dignified posture in front of her idol.

As we prepared to listen to the conversation, the Emperor cleared his throat and began.

“The story I am about to tell is a kind of proposal…”

He then softened his gaze.

“I hope to grasp the spring you have lost.”