“Understood. I will contact you as soon as I find it.”
“It’s about time. If you’re gone for too long, you’ll arouse suspicion, so go back first.”
“Yes.”
Roland left first.
Agnes leisurely went around the area and returned to where she had parted ways with Matron.
“Madam!”
Matron, who belatedly discovered Agnes, hurriedly ran towards her.
“Where did you go?”
“Where did I go? Where can I go in this small garden? Where is the water? Why are you empty-handed?”
Instead, Agnes raised her voice. Matron was flustered and sweating profusely.
“Let’s go back.”
“Yes, Madam.”
As they entered the banquet hall, Laslo was the first to approach.
“Where did you go? I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
“Hmm. Sir Sandor said he had something to show me, so we went out to the garden together, but it was nothing special.”
“What did he…….?”
Laslo’s words were cut short.
The Marquis had stepped onto the podium and tapped his glass to draw everyone’s attention.
“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who are here to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Kiske family.”
The Marquis raised his glass high.
The servants hurried through the crowd, distributing wine glasses.
“To the prosperous and shining Kiske!”
The Marquis shouted vigorously and emptied the glass.
Agnes and Laslo also drank with others.
“I have several children, but the one you are most familiar with is probably my eldest son.”
The Marquis, his face flushed from the wine, shouted.
“Milan! Come up here.”
He gestured towards his eldest son. At his father’s call, Milan stepped onto the podium.
“My son.”
Marquis Kiske firmly gripped Milan’s shoulder as he spoke.
“You’ve grown so much already.”
“It’s all thanks to Father and Mother.”
“Hahaha.”
The father and son exchanged words of praise, and the atmosphere grew warm.
“Are you enjoying the banquet?”
Erica suddenly appeared, holding a glass of wine.
“I’m enjoying it enough.”
Laslo replied bluntly. Agnes clinked glasses with Erica.
“Shouldn’t you be on that stage too?”
“No. I can see it the best here.”
“What?”
Erica smiled beautifully instead of answering. The meaning of that smile became clear soon after.
“Sir Milan”
“How can you do this? How are we supposed to live like this?”
Nearly a dozen men from the merchant class, who had not been invited, came flooding into the banquet hall
They shouted at the podium with distorted faces.
“My daughter is burning with fever, but I can’t even call a doctor!”
“Please, help us.”
“How dare you! Guards! Get them out right now.”
Marquis Kiske jumped on the spot. The nobles were utterly bewildered and murmured among themselves.
“We trusted Sir Milan and lent money to him, but now he has betrayed us like this?”
“Didn’t we even forgive all your gambling debts? Yet how can you burden us with debts?”
They cried out with anguish, and their voices were so heartbreaking that even the listeners felt sympathy.
The merchants’ words spread like wildfire.
“Gambling debts?”
“Sir Milan?”
Marquis Kiske glared menacingly at his son.
“What are they talking about? Wasn’t that resolved a few days ago?
“Ah, well, that is…”
Milan’s face turned deathly pale. He stuttered in embarrassment and soon pointed his fingers at the merchants.
“T, they’re making up a lie to slander me!”
He hastily made excuses. Sadly, his words were met with backlash.
“Slander? Sir Milan? How can I slander you Sir? The amount of money I’ve lent you is enormous!”
“That’s right! You called us to do business together but now you’re leaving all the responsibility to us.”
They all cried out in unison with the same voice.
“What are you doing?”
Marquis Kiske’s face was completely distorted. It seemed he had finally grasped the whole situation.
“It seems that Sir Milan has quite a lot of debt.”
Laslo, who had been observing everything, added a word.
“Seems that way.”
Agnes just sipped her wine, watching the situation unfold.
The guards that the Marquis had summoned arrived very late to the scene.
“Let go of me! I can’t leave like this!”
“My daughter has been sick for days, please help me!”
With the growing number of people, the commotion only increased, not diminished.
In the end, it took the mobilization of not only the soldiers, but also the family’s knights and servants, to resolve the situation.
Even after the merchants were escorted out and the doors were closed, the nobles’ murmuring did not subside.
Rather, it grew louder.
“I’m so sorry for making you see something unpleasant. Now, forget about what just happened and enjoy the banquet again.”
Marquis Kiske said, trying hard to smile.
“I think I should go to my father.”
Erica politely bowed to the duchess and disappeared.
Milan hurried down from the podium, almost fleeing.
The Marquis tried his best to liven up the atmosphere, but the banquet was essentially over.
The Marchioness collapsed on a chair after seeing what happened.
“Hmm. Shall we go now?”
“Let’s do that.”
The nobles gathered at the banquet hall crept away.
Agnes, who was seated properly, took Laslo’s hand and left the banquet hall.
“Are you okay?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
He said as he helped Agnes into the carriage.
“This banquet you were looking forward to didn’t end well.”
“I actually quite enjoyed it!”
“Hmm?”
The servant closed the carriage door. Laslo sat across from her.
“It was very exciting and fun.”
“Was it fun?”
Laslo had a puzzled expression.
“Yes. I’m really glad I came.”
Agnes smiled satisfactorily.
‘It’s a good thing I came.’
She muttered the words to herself once again.
She wasn’t expecting anything when she handed Erica the information about Sir Milan.
She never imagined Erika would expose things in this way.
Now it was obvious what reputation Milan Kiske would have among the nobles.
The Marquis of Kiske would likely reconsider making him the successor.
‘That’s what Erica wants.’
She might even become the youngest marquis.
Although she had helped Erika with some uncertainty, she now realized it was the right decision to choose her.
“You must have really liked it.”
Laslo remarked, seeing the wide smile on Agnes’ face.
“I did,”
Agnes grinned.
“By the way, Duke. You’re not going to tell me what you talked about with the king when you went to the palace?”
“I’ve already said that. It was just useless chatter.”
“The Duke went to the palace instead of me, but Sebastian just chatted uselessly?”
He’s not like that at all. Agnes looked at him with suspicious eyes.
“There’s nothing I can do if you don’t believe me.”
On the other hand, Laslo acted as if nothing happened.
No matter how much Agnes pressed him, he remained silent.
Ever since Laslo had returned from the palace, the King had been unusually quiet.
They sent medicinal herbs because of her excuse that she was sick, and said that they would see each other when she’s recovered.
‘Suspicious.’
Obviously, he made a deal with Sebastian, but his mouth was shut.
“Should I instruct the butler to prepare for our departure to the estate?”
“Of course. Oh, by the way, we have a guest arriving tomorrow.”
“A guest?”
Laslo asked, blinking his eyes. Agnes responded with a smile instead of an answer.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“My princess. How have you been?”
The elderly man with graying hair looked at Agnes with a benevolent smile.
“I’ve been well as always.”
“Being away from the palace, your complexion seems much brighter than before.”
“It’s all thanks to the Duke.”
Agnes smiled sweetly as she glanced at Laslo sitting beside her.
Instantly, the expression on the elderly man’s face across from them hardened.
“Hmm…”
“I’m still lacking, but Agnes……….”
“I’m glad you’re aware of her shortcomings, Duke Arpad.”
He replied coldly.
Laslo opened his mouth to say something but he closed it silently.
“…I am trying to make her stay comfortable. Marquis Songrad.”
“Of course, that’s only natural! Our Princess is such an exceptional person!”
Marquis Songrad opened his eyes wide and shouted.
“She was raised with the finest and most precious things in the palace. Do you have any idea how I raised our Princess?”
“Ah, of course, I’m well aware of your arduous efforts.”
“You know that? But how can you neglect our princess like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“This dress the Princess is wearing is the one I had tailored for her birthday two years ago. So why is she still wearing this?”
“Grandfather.”
Agnes gently took the wrinkled hands of the Marquis.
