“Hmph.”
The Viscountess’s aura, who was quietly smiling with her two fists tightly clenched on the table, changed moment by moment. Unable to bear that ferocity any longer, Count Oberdeen, as the eldest son-in-law, shouldered the heavy burden. Though he didn’t want to, to help his mother-in-law reclaim this estate, he had no choice but to point out the realities.
“Mother. Soon, a protest will come from the Atlas Ducal House. There are already rumors that a family meeting has been held.”
“……”
“The Queen Consort won’t stay silent either. For now, due to His Highness the Crown Prince, she won’t step forward directly, but soon she’ll summon Mother to the imperial palace. And with the trading company’s affairs, and the banks as well, I can’t guarantee what they’ll do.”
“The Queen Consort has always been one who can’t stay still, and Duke Atlas isn’t in a position to dare say such things to me. If the trading company can’t handle even this much, I’ll just uproot them all, and as for the banks, the moment they spout nonsense again, I’ll withdraw all my money.”
“……”
“Well. What’s the next problem?”
As Viscountess Cartien sorted through the piled-up issues in one breath without changing her expression, the fourth son-in-law, Count Levoni, suddenly started hiccuping. This wasn’t something they needed to worry about. Whether to call it fortunate or not, even in moments like this, their mother-in-law never let go of her tenacity when it came to money and power.
“…M-, Mother.”
“Yes. We have to unravel them one by one.”
Her gaze changed as she raised her head with a sinister smile. Each one handling what they could within their own scope, every time an order came from the Viscountess’s mouth, the sons-in-law nodded.
“Call the lawyers right away and prepare for going out. You all come with me too.”
“Mother. Where are you going?”
Annesia hurriedly tried to follow her mother, but it was futile. When her mother wore that expression, it meant she saw nothing in her path. Only after Viscountess Cartien led the sons-in-law away did the twins let out continuous sighs of relief.
“Whew. I thought I was going to suffocate to death.”
“At this rate, something really bad is going to happen, big sister.”
“…Kitty. Vivi.”
Annesia looked at the twins who had scampered over to her with complicated eyes. Seeing her sisters on the verge of bursting into tears made her chest feel tight as well. At times like this, the twins seemed even younger than Tatiana.
“I never thought Tiara would act like this. Choosing the Red-Eyed Wolf of all people.”
“…She must have seen his face. Definitely.”
“Foolishly. She’s still young and doesn’t know anything. In the end, once the lights are off, it’s all the same.”
Katarina and Viviana vented in frustrated voices, full of nothing but sincere feelings. What could she discuss with these kids? Annesia’s worries deepened as she clutched her head alone.
‘What should I do?’
Her mother was firmly blinded by rage, and Tatiana’s whereabouts were unknown. The twins were in a panic, so she couldn’t lose her mind too. She didn’t agree with everything her mother was doing, but at the very least, she didn’t want to see the Cartien family, which her mother had built, crumble.
‘This marriage can’t happen.’
Annesia shook her head slightly. For whatever reason, this marriage had to be stopped. But she was quite objective about herself.
“…I can’t do it alone.”
“Huh? What do you mean can’t do it?”
“Let go.”
Annesia pulled away Katarina’s arm that was grabbing her and headed to the study. Just thinking about the repercussions of what she was about to summon made her chest tighten already, but no matter how much she thought, this was the only way. She opened the desk drawer and pulled out a bundle of letters. The pen transcribing the addresses onto the paper moved urgently.
△▲△▲△
If the Viscountess’s family was swept into chaos, the training ground, the base of the Black Wolves, couldn’t escape that turmoil either. Rather than saying a war had broken out, the idea that ‘that Tatiana’ lady was marrying their Commander. Things they couldn’t believe even after seeing with their own eyes were decorating the newspapers daily.
At least the knights, being of noble origin, knew how to control their emotions, but the mercenaries didn’t. And among those mercenaries who weren’t like mercenaries, the most un-mercenary-like was undoubtedly Owen.
“What is this! What the hell is all this!”
Extremely agitated, Owen flung open the office door without permission. Major Gerald angrily scolded him at length, but couldn’t stop Owen.
“Not anyone else, but that Cartien fox! No, the Commander!”
“Breathe first and then talk.”
Kainel, who was sitting around the large table in a meeting with his aides, was nonchalant as if it were someone else’s affair. Seeing such a Commander only made it harder to believe, so Owen pounded his chest wildly.
“Wah, I’m really grateful that you saved a guy like me who was rolling in the streets! Why didn’t you just let me die rolling back then? Huh? Then I wouldn’t have to witness this gut-wrenching spectacle!”
“Owen! Really, the more I see you…”
“Forget it! What I’m saying is, why does our Commander have to marry a woman like that! Did you rack up some debt we don’t know about!”
“……”
Everyone’s curious, right? It’s not just me!
As Owen pushed aside Major Gerald and looked around, the aides present averted their eyes in embarrassment. They just hadn’t voiced it, but their curiosity was no less than Owen’s.
Isn’t it natural?
The queen of the social world, who had been making a racket in the center of society, marrying their Commander who had been wandering the harsh borderlands—even they, who had seen all sorts of worldly sights, were hearing such an absurd tale for the first time.
They wouldn’t even pretend to believe unless it reached a certain level, but according to the newspaper articles, it was nothing short of a century’s romance. Is it real? It’s so ridiculous to even put into words that they could scarcely open their mouths. If the Commander declared it false, there were plenty who would rush out and split the journalists in two on the spot.
“…Why are you curious about that?”
“C, Commander.”
However, just looking at the quietly impassive Commander left them no choice but to believe. Kainel’s utterly indifferent demeanor even in such a moment was tantamount to an answer regarding this situation.
“Do I have to answer?”
“……”
It’s real.
There’s really something to this.
“Or, is there a reason I can’t marry that woman?”
“That’s… you’re not asking because you don’t know, are you!”
Nevertheless, Owen absolutely couldn’t accept it. Desperate to hear that it wasn’t true by any means, he stomped his feet as if throwing a tantrum.
“That woman is a witch! The daughter of a witch is a witch, so what, an angel?”
“Owen.”
“Clearly, that demon mother-daughter duo has ulterior motives! Ah, yes! His Highness the Crown Prince was going to bestow a Ducal title on the Commander, so they’re scheming to prevent that!”
Owen bellowed with a flushed face, as if he finally understood. Among the reasons for his outburst, there was the fact that Kainel was entangled with a woman like Tatiana, but also that his Commander, whom he had expected to return adorned with a grand title, had come back empty-handed. A commoner like him couldn’t even dream of such things, but how fervently had he hoped the Commander would become a symbol of triumph for the common man before those arrogant nobles.
“He couldn’t secure the title, the banquet fell apart, and he just came back like that. That’s all because of that Viscountess witch. She couldn’t stand to see the Commander receive a title.”
“The title was something the Commander had declined multiple times…”
“Is it the same as before? It’s not about His Highness the Crown Prince’s life, he’s a hero who doubled the territory of Freya! If they have any conscience, they should grant him whatever it takes!”
When one knight cautiously interjected, Owen growled like a young beast. As if saying what was the point of keeping his mouth shut, tell him directly, Owen approached Kainel, but Major Gerald blocked him.
“That’s for the Commander to handle himself. And as you said, Lady Tatiana is nobility among nobles, so she might prove useful to the Commander in the future.”
“Hmph. Help from a witch like that!”
“No, she could be helpful!”
Another knight quickly chimed in. He too, like most of the knights present, was the third son of an obscure noble family from the borders, but being of noble birth, he was well acquainted with the renown of the Cartien family.
“Think about it. For starters, it could thoroughly put down the noses of the nobles who dismissed the Commander until now, and also, ah! This is an opportunity to build proper connections,”
“There’s no such thing.”
“…Commander.”
“I’ve never expected anything like that from that woman.”
At Kainel’s cold voice, the overheated atmosphere cooled down in an instant. It was as if he were a statue sculpted from ice itself. Even Owen, who had been huffing and puffing as if fire were burning in his chest, had no choice but to gulp down his remaining words.
“Ah, no, I…”
“What are you doing? Drag him out.”
In the end, Major Gerald pushed the back of Owen, who was just flapping his mouth open and shut. When several knights seized the moment and dragged him out by both arms as if taking him into custody, Owen snapped to his senses and made one final desperate outburst.
“Ah… Commander. No, Kainel!”
Desperate, his old nature from rolling in the back alleys erupted loudly.
“A woman’s not just about her face! You idiot! You got fooled that much and still don’t know!”
“Th, That crazy bastard!”
“Is it about her face? Is that what it is? No, even if that woman is pretty, how pretty can she be…”
…She’s pretty as hell, but why is she here?”
At the door that had burst open, Owen, facing Tatiana directly, plunged into deep panic.
What the hell is this sugar doll doing here?
Major Gerald, who had stood up to escort him out, and the other knights present all froze in an instant. Worried if she had overheard the conversation up to now, everyone fidgeted and hesitated awkwardly, and inevitably, Major Gerald stepped forward.
“L, Lady, how…”
“I apologize for coming without notice and being rude to the busy knights.”
“……”
I don’t know. No matter how I look.
Tatiana, as inscrutable as their Commander, smiled elegantly, and the men, overwhelmed by it, retreated as if in defeat. Even as Owen shook his head tremblingly and glared with bulging eyes, she merely lowered her gaze like a doll. In that way, after the surroundings quieted down as if the dust had settled, finally, Tatiana and Kainel could face each other.
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