Chapter 7
At the same time that Idel fell into a deep sleep, an oil lamp was still burning in Laszlo’s bedroom.
‘This is troublesome.’
Even though his chest was exposed through the loosely tied robe, he didn’t feel the chill as he was lost in thoughts about the burdensome captive he had suddenly been saddled with.
“Idel Lancaster…”
The first time he saw her, the daughter of the infamous Count Canyon and soon-to-be second wife of the Duke of Lancaster, was two years ago.
Laszlo still vividly remembered that day.
—
“How is it, Count Chrysus? Isn’t the imperial banquet quite a sight?”
A victory banquet celebrating the end of the last conquest war and the establishment of the empire’s borders.
The grand banquet hall of the imperial palace was dazzling to the point of being painful to the eyes, and so crowded that it was hard to think straight.
Emperor Dimarcus, who had whimsically decided to make him the center of attention, called him ‘Count Chrysus’ with a mocking tone, almost as if to tease him.
“Well.”
Laszlo suppressed yet another sigh and answered indifferently.
To him, the bright and noisy imperial palace was far less beautiful than the sight of a field under a carpet of stars.
Moreover, the people here were not friendly toward him either.
“Is that the mercenary who was made a count this time?”
“Yes, I heard. Just thinking about him trying to match us makes me feel sick.”
“What on earth is His Majesty thinking? Really.”
People scorned him without much effort to hide it. But Laszlo scorned them just as much.
‘These people are as vulgar as ever.’
He couldn’t tell if the nausea he felt was due to the mixed smells of various perfumes or the malice of the nobles.
And Dimarcus, having anticipated this situation precisely, remained shameless.
“Is it difficult to endure? These people aren’t of much importance to you, are they?”
“Nothing here holds any importance to me.”
“Hmm. That’s something we’ll have to see about in the future.”
He had no desire to become a noble, not even a bit, but the cunning and shrewd Emperor Dimarcus had persuaded him in a way that made it impossible to refuse.
He shouldn’t have made a deal with such a scheming man in the first place.
‘I should have curbed my greed for money.’
Of course, even that greed for money wasn’t for Laszlo himself.
It was simply to ensure his younger sister, Linia, could marry into a better family and to be a strong support for her. People envied Laszlo, who had suddenly become a great noble and wealthy, but he didn’t welcome it. It was obvious how a commoner and former mercenary turned noble would be treated.
And it was equally obvious how his sister would be treated in the noble marriage market.
“Damn…”
Thinking about it only made him more irritated.
Laszlo deliberately clicked his tongue loudly for Dimarcus to hear, but still fulfilled his role as the Emperor’s guard by sharply surveying his surroundings.
What kind of conversations were happening behind the fluttering fans? The guards are all in their positions. Those people have a very bad look in their eyes…
While such thoughts rapidly crossed his mind, his gaze stopped abruptly on one particular corner of the banquet hall.
‘What was that woman’s name again?’
Although she wasn’t as much of a sensation as him, she had been quite the topic of discussion recently.
‘They said she’s the new wife of Duke Lancaster. She’s much younger than I thought. I know the marriage business in these circles, but…’
The Count Canyon’s daughter, who was to become the wife of the over-sixty-year-old Duke of Lancaster, looked to be in her early twenties at most.
It was understandable that the opportunistic Count Canyon would be desperate to form connections with one of the four great families. But it was despicable that the Duke of Lancaster, who had grown children, long-time mistresses, and represented the old noble faction, accepted this marriage.
‘No matter how much he prefers young and pretty women, marrying someone young enough to be his daughter is just senile.’
On the other hand, it seemed like they were a perfect match. If she truly hated marrying an old man, she could have run away. The fact that she was standing there smiling meant that, like her father, she traded her beauty and youth for power.
It was somewhat surprising to hear that she was praised for being a ‘perfect noblewoman’ in appearance, personality, and manners, but on reflection, that was likely a rumor spread by her father.
‘That docile and refined face must also be the result of meticulous calculation. With a father like Dustin Canyon, it’s hard to imagine the daughter being any different.’
But it was hard to deny that she was beautiful.
Her pure blonde hair, smooth white skin, and deep green eyes reminiscent of a dense forest were captivating.
Although she was a typical socialite beauty, there was something about her that subtly drew the eye, making it difficult to label her as merely ‘typical.’
Despite knowing the whispers about her being sold off as an old duke’s young wife, she maintained a composed smile, a straight posture, and an elegance that seemed almost natural and experienced.
‘She’s the complete opposite of me.’
It was difficult to immediately pinpoint what exactly was opposite, but at that moment, it just seemed that way.
‘Well, it’s not like we’ll ever exchange words.’
So, he should have turned his gaze away. Yet, strangely, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Maybe it was because of the Canyon Count and the Lancaster Duke standing by her side, or perhaps it was the faint sadness that seemed to emanate from her.
“…Laszlo.”
“…”
“Hmm. Unexpected.”
Dimarcus’ voice calling him snapped Laszlo out of his thoughts, realizing belatedly that the emperor had been speaking to him.
“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”
“Idel Canyon. Soon to be Idel Lancaster, I hear?”
Laszlo felt a shiver down his spine as Dimarcus accurately identified where he had been looking.
“I was surveying Lancaster Duke’s household as you instructed, Your Majesty.”
“Tut-tut. Another fine young lady sacrificed to her father’s greed.”
Dimarcus clicked his tongue, seemingly not interested in Laszlo’s excuse.
Laszlo half-expected him to continue with some more meaningless chatter, but unexpectedly, he stopped and switched to another topic.
—
Why was something he had barely given a second thought to two years ago resurfacing now?
‘Right, there’s no way the Emperor would have saved and brought her here just for me. The Emperor’s gift of Lancaster’s women as spoils of war had another purpose.’
It was certainly a warning to their enemies.
However, Laslo was still feeling uneasy, vividly remembering Dimarcus’ gaze as he looked back at him.
“Laslo. Don’t you need a woman?”
Laslo didn’t miss the playful tone in those words.
‘Damn it, that sly bastard! What exactly is he after?’
In that situation, he couldn’t say he didn’t need her. It was uncomfortable to hand over the survivor of the Lancaster Duchy to just anyone, and if he didn’t take her, the future she would face would be unimaginably disgusting.
No, considering the way she was in the carriage coming to the mansion, it was more likely that she would have taken her own life before ending up in such a situation.
‘With the pride of having lived as a duchess, she’d rather die than become a slave.’
Laslo despised such pride in the nobility.
Having grown up witnessing all sorts of death and survival and constantly surviving the fields of death, the notion of ‘I’d rather die than live in disgrace’ held by nobles seemed weak and cowardly to him.
However, there was room for some sympathy for Idel.
‘It’s clear she wasn’t accepted by the ducal family despite her ambitions. If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t have been left alone in the ducal castle where everyone else had fled.’
Especially considering the place she fled to was merely the top floor storage room.
Perhaps she was entirely unaware of the duke family’s rebellion plans. Even if she knew, there might have been no place for her to intervene.
On the other hand, Count Canyon knew about the rebellion plans. He pleaded pitifully, claiming he was merely used, but neither the emperor nor Laslo believed him.
Nevertheless, to obtain crucial information to strike the ducal family, they had no choice but to make a deal with him, and Idel was not part of that deal. Count Canyon didn’t beg to save his child, Idel, but rather cut off his relationship with her completely.
‘The truly filthy ones are people like him. That woman must have foolishly believed only in her father.’
Laslo had that in mind when he brought Idel in, knowing it would be troublesome.
It was also true that the maids kept quitting because of the prickly Rinia.
‘A woman who was once a duchess will have quite a hard time living as a maid. There might even be conflicts with the other maids.’
He knew that. But there was no other position he could offer her. He had no obligation to treat her specially.
If Idel couldn’t break free from her past as a duchess, she would undoubtedly face worse. If she accepted reality, she could live a life that wasn’t the worst.
