Chapter 95
“At the very least, I must ensure that Estelle doesn’t die because of me! Besides, it would be more comfortable for me if I became friends with the original female lead quickly. There are some matters bothering me related to the plot…”
Sophia clenched her fist, determined to protect Estelle. She knocked on the door of Niore’s villa with her small fist.
However, there was no response from inside.
Did she knock too timidly, and the sound didn’t reach inside?
Sophia, her fist pressed against the thick door, was about to knock again.
At that moment, the front door creaked open, revealing a middle-aged man with a prominent scar near his eye. He was so tall that his head almost touched the doorframe, and his shoulders, chest, and waist were broad and muscular.
Although he was of similar height and shoulder width to Killian, the difference in physique, muscles, and imposing atmosphere made him seem even bigger than Killian.
Because of his bulging muscles, his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a few undone buttons, and his hairy chest was clearly visible. His arms were covered in bulging veins.
His baggy brown leather pants were worn and torn in several places.
“Who are you?”
A gruff and hearty voice erupted from beneath his rugged, ash-gray beard. Sophia’s body shrank, like a withered twig, in response to his sharp questioning voice.
“I am… Sophia Fraus.”
Could it be that she had come to the wrong house? Sophia doubted herself and examined the doorplate once again. There was clearly the emblem of the Niore family on the doorplate.
“Fraus?”
“Yes…”
“The wealthy southern noble family?”
“Yes…”
Deep wrinkles creased the middle-aged man’s forehead. His rugged and rough face looked even more formidable due to these furrows.
“What is the daughter of that prominent family doing here?”
“I… came to meet Estelle Niore.”
Sophia forced out her trembling voice, constricted by the tension in her throat.
“To meet Estelle?”
“Yes, I’m a friend of Estelle’s.”
“Estelle’s friend?”
One of the man’s eyebrows shot up.
At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching from inside.
“Father!”
Father?
In response to Estelle’s sweet and melodious voice, the man turned around.
“Estelle, she’s your friend?”
“Yes, she’s my friend!”
Estelle, dressed in white pants, rushed down to greet Sophia.
“Sophia, you came to visit!”
She warmly welcomed Sophia with open arms.
“Sophia, this is my father!”
Then, the bearded man extended his massive arm and offered Sophia a hearty handshake.
“Since when did this commoner like Fraus become friends with my daughter, Estelle?”
“Father…!”
Startled by her father’s blunt words, Estelle cried out.
But Sophia just smiled.
‘Commoner,’ it seemed, Fraus, who made a fortune by selling goods to the northern hunters and indulged in luxury, did not sit well with this southern nobleman.
“Father! Sophia is the one who helped me at the last ball!”
“Is that so?”
The man’s brown eyes bore into Sophia.
Sophia, with her button nose and pronounced double eyelids, awkwardly averted her gaze.
‘Is this man Estelle’s father, Viscount Niore?’ she wondered.
She had never expected Viscount Niore himself to open the door without sending a butler or servant. Furthermore, he exuded a different atmosphere compared to the high-ranking nobles of the capital.
First of all, their attire was unusually casual. Even though it was a home, it was customary to at least put on a vest or a jacket when receiving guests.
‘Originally, Viscount Niore’s household was famous for its rugged atmosphere,’ Sophia thought, recalling the background of the female protagonist.
They were known for hunting in the vast domain where horses grazed.
“Sorry, Sophia. This is my father.”
“Hello, Viscount Niore.”
Sophia greeted him with proper courtesy, and Viscount Niore gave her a thorough look before nodding his head.
Then Estelle signaled to her father, “Father…! come on.”
Apologizing for her recent slip of the tongue, Estelle looked at her father, who chuckled and cleared his throat, “My noble manners are far from perfect, I apologize.”
“No, not at all. You’re quite delightful.”
“Is that so? Haha!”
Viscount Niore laughed heartily, then extended his large, callused hand towards Sophia.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Sophia.”
Sophia shook his hand with a polite handshake.
Sophia felt like her hand was being crushed by the heavy and thick hand of the viscount.
Is the phrase ‘hands like a pot lid’ really referring to hands like this?
With this palm, she felt like she could grab a horse or anything else with a single hand.
“You’re the smallest among Estelle’s friends, aren’t you?” Viscount Niore remarked as he looked at Sophia’s hand fitting into his large hand.
“But for a noble young lady, your hand is a bit rough, isn’t it? It doesn’t look like you wield a sword or anything. Have you been rolling in the snow somewhere barehanded…?” (T/L: Another crazy headed character unlocked 😂.)
“Father!”
Estelle hit the Viscount on the waist, causing him to stop speaking.
“Come on in, Sophia. Let’s go upstairs.”
Estelle apparently thought it wouldn’t be appropriate to leave Sophia alone with her father and quickly took Sophia’s hand, leading her upstairs.
“Nanny prepare some refreshments. A friend has come!”
“Yes, Miss!”
Estelle led Sophia through the corridor and asked her maid to prepare some refreshments. She then brought Sophia to her own room.
“I’m sorry, Sophia. Our father is not very tactful with his words,” Estelle apologized as she offered Sophia a seat.
Sophia smiled and replied, “It’s okay. I didn’t mind at all.”
She didn’t pay much attention to Viscount Niore’s comments. She thought that perhaps his straightforward and unfiltered manner of speaking was due to his personality. Sophia found it refreshing.
“By the way, Estelle, it looked like you and your father get along really well.”
“Really? We do have our occasional fights… Even before coming to the capital, we used to argue a lot.”
Estelle shook her head as if she were exasperated, waving her hand dismissively.
She mentioned that they had disagreements about attending social events and other matters, which had made her reluctant to come to the capital.
“Having disagreements is a sign that you’re close. Moreover, the Viscount did not seem authoritative. I think he treats you well.”
Having a noble father who doesn’t seem too authoritative and can even be teased is quite rare. Sophia believed that this fact reflected their emotional closeness.
Estelle took a moment to think and then added, “I don’t think our relationship is bad, though.”
“More importantly, I didn’t expect you to come so soon, Sophia.”
“I wanted to chat with you as soon as possible. Is that alright? I hope I’m not inconveniencing you.”
“No, not at all! Actually, I was quite pleased when the ball and parties were canceled. Spending time with you, someone I like, is much better than attending those events.”
As Estelle spoke with a smile, the maid brought in some refreshments. There were cups of tea, accompanied by cubes of sugar. Warm milk was also available for making milk tea. A plate with laurel leaf patterns depicted in blue held Queen Anne’s lace with buttercream and hazelnut cannoli.
“Estelle, do you have any plans to stay in the Imperial Palace for a while?”
As the maid poured tea into the cups, Sophia asked a question she already knew the answer to.
“Well, my plan was to stay in the Imperial Palace for some time, but my father is against it.”
Estelle began to sigh, as if there was much more to say.
She mentioned that her original plan was to come to the palace around the autumn season. “That’s when the Ruchtainer Knights will be recruiting new members.”
Estelle had long aspired to join the Ruchtainer Knights. She believed that living secluded on her father’s estate was too limiting, considering how vast the world was.
“Even on the family estate, I’ve always been with knights…”
Sophia nodded her head as she thought of Estelle from the original work.
“Originally, I planned to come to the capital in the autumn without attending the National Foundation Festival. But my father insisted that I attend the festival…”
“It seems like you really dislike the festival.”
“Well, the festival itself is boring, but what I hate even more is the preparation, and the work that comes afterward. It takes up too much time. Plus, if you’re even a little careless, rumors start to spread…”
Estelle let out a short sigh and took a sip of her tea.
“Anyway, I had no choice but to come down this time, but I’m thinking of staying here continuously instead of going back to the estate and coming back to the capital in the autumn.”
“That’s great, Estelle! I’ll get to see you more often!”
“My father hasn’t approved it yet, though.”
“Why is he against it?”
“Because the hunting season for monsters is approaching. But he’s furious, saying, ‘What are you going to do by staying here?’ I also have some concerns about that part, but…”
After the founding ceremony is over, the demonic beasts begin to move in earnest.
The Niore territory had a particularly large number of demonic beasts, so they prepared to hunt demonic beasts right after the
The founding festival ended.
Estelle went hunting with her father every year.
However, all those plans were disrupted when she came to the capital.
“Besides, he’s not very enthusiastic about me joining the Ruchtainer,” Estelle continued, choosing her words carefully to protect her father’s reputation.
But Viscount Niore, had said: “The Ruchtainer is full of pompous people with nothing but fancy appearances.”
He argued that they have no idea about the hard work of hunters in the north who are risking their lives to prevent the devil from going south.
Sometimes, when monsters went rampant in the north, Ruchtainer did provide support, but every time, they behaved arrogantly.
While the northern hunters knew more about monsters, it was frustrating to see ignorant knights pretending to know everything and talking nonsense.
The Viscount came to the capital with the intention of finding a husband for Estelle at the National Foundation Festival.
It seemed that his plan had been derailed due to the Black Moon Incident.
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TRANSLATOR:
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