SOWD Chapter 87

Chapter 87

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it before. He had thought about it many times, but the conclusion was always the same, so he deliberately tried to avoid dwelling on it.

“I will accept whatever decision is made. I’ve already received such immense kindness from you, Count. Hoping for anything more would be shameless.”

Laszlo didn’t like the look on Idel’s face as she said that.

She seemed to be trying hard to smile, but couldn’t completely conceal the sorrow lingering in her expression.

“Every time this happens, I remember the moment you tried to open the carriage door while it was moving. It makes me think you’d end your life the moment things got unbearable.”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant…”

“Those who want to live desire life. So, have that desire. Understand?”

Laszlo stared at Idel, who lowered her head, apologizing, with a disapproving gaze before standing up.

Strangely, anger and bitterness churned inside him.

---

“Marquis Winblair!”

The door to Isaac’s office burst open, and a visibly angry Leandro stormed in.

Isaac felt a flash of irritation at his rude entrance but kept his expression composed, asking with a concerned face.

“What brings you here, Your Highness? You don’t look well.”

“Do I look fine? I hear Count Bliss is trying to sell Angela off to that filthy mercenary!”

“Angela? You mean the second son of Count Bliss’s daughter…?”

“Yes! I’ve told you multiple times that I must make her my wife!”

“Ah…”

Leandro, who had fallen for Angela at first sight at a party, had since been incessantly whining about making her his empress.

‘What? Marrying the daughter of a second son, not even the heir, into the imperial family? Idiot.’

Isaac swallowed his rising anger. Leandro was someone who needed to become emperor. Scolding him wouldn’t do any good—not yet.

‘He’s a useful tool. I just need to endure until then.’

Suppressing his frustration, Isaac gave a faint, accommodating smile.

“Where did you hear that, Your Highness?”

“Does the source matter? The woman who should be my empress is being humiliated!”

“Of course, it matters. If someone gave you false information, they must be punished.”

“What? False information?”

Isaac roughly guessed the information sources Leandro might have access to and nodded.

“Count Bliss has no intention of pairing Angela with Count Chrysus. The one pushing for it is Angela herself.”

“What? Are you saying Angela has fallen for that man?”

“We can’t know her true feelings, but Angela is certainly the one actively pursuing the proposal. Count Chrysus, on the other hand, rejected the idea.”

“What? Is that lunatic insane? How could he reject Angela? He must be a sodomite! Investigate him!”

Isaac barely managed to suppress a sigh.

“From Count Chrysus’s perspective, there’s nothing to gain from marrying the daughter of Count Bliss’s second son. Even if it were the daughter of the head of a powerful family, the conditions would still be scrutinized. But a second son’s daughter?”

“But she’s so beautiful!”

“Remember this: physical beauty is utterly useless.”

But such advice didn’t penetrate the ears of a man blinded by love. It only aroused defiance.

“Laszlo might need to evaluate the conditions of a potential wife, but I don’t. As the future emperor, I already wield the strongest power.”

“That may be true, but…”

“I will make Angela my empress. Just arrange a meeting with her. I can’t wait any longer.”

Isaac almost clicked his tongue at Leandro’s obstinate insistence but suddenly paused, struck by a thought.

 

‘No, wait. Having the emperor’s in-laws be too powerful wouldn’t benefit me.’

Bringing a daughter from a powerful noble family into the imperial household would only mean having to share the profits.

If that was the case, there was no reason not to follow Leandro’s wishes and make Angela his empress. After all, Count Bliss’s family was a house that could easily be crushed like an ant.

“Well, Your Highness, you are of marriageable age, and I admit that I’ve delayed addressing your marital prospects while dealing with more pressing matters.”

“Delayed? I’m already twenty-eight! Any more delay, and I’ll be treated as an old man!”

“My apologies. In any case, I’ll arrange for my wife to host a tea party and invite Lady Angela.”

“Really? When?”

“I’ll prepare it soon.”

Leandro clenched his fists in determination.

“This time, I’ll win Angela’s heart for sure. Don’t try to stop me.”

“Your Highness, you still cannot reveal your true identity. There’s still the risk of assassination…”

“Then give me a more convincing status! Something that would make Angela lean on me!”

So far, Leandro had been using the guise of being a distant relative of the Marquis of Winblair, studying abroad. However, that identity, with no clear inheritance and being a foreigner, wasn’t appealing as a marriage prospect.

Although Isaac found Leandro’s sudden obsession with Angela—after years of toying with numerous women—irritating, he had to admit that Leandro was of age for marriage. He nodded.

“Very well. Then let’s say you’re the heir to Til Armand in Fes.”

Fes, a small kingdom near the empire, was home to a region called Til Armand, secretly owned by the Marquis of Winblair. Though not part of the empire, it was large and boasted a massive silver mine, generating immense wealth.

“With that, Lady Angela should be more than satisfied.”

“You should’ve done this earlier. Fine, prepare the tea party quickly, and summon a jeweler—I need to pick out a gift for Angela!”

“Understood. Perhaps you might also consider bringing in a skincare expert for some grooming?”

“Oh, great idea! I should get my hair styled, too.”

Leandro left in high spirits, his mood completely reversed, thanks to Isaac accommodating his demands.

On the surface, their conversation had ended amicably. However, Leandro didn’t notice the cold glint in Isaac’s eyes as he watched him leave, and Isaac didn’t catch the sly smile playing on Leandro’s lips.

---

Since Angela’s visit, Laszlo had been troubled by the rumors she mentioned.

“Your household’s ‘butler’ is quite the talk of the town. A former laundry maid promoted to butler in just a year, who then immediately reshuffled the staff to suit her preferences… Quite the talent, isn’t she?”

Though the claims were baseless, they were detailed enough to suggest insider knowledge.

He immediately summoned Nathan.

“Find out where these rumors about our family are coming from. It feels like someone with inside information is maliciously spreading them.”

“Hmm. It’s unlikely to be our current staff. They were thoroughly briefed on confidentiality when hired.”

“…Are you saying our staff were threatened into silence?”

“The request came from the butler. Surprisingly, she has a very strict side to her.”

Laszlo was taken aback to hear that Idel had made such a request. Known for her personable relationships with the staff and earning their respect, it was surprising to learn she didn’t hesitate to use intimidation when necessary.

‘When I suggested using Calliope to conduct background checks on hires, I didn’t expect this level of thoroughness…’

As Laszlo processed this, Nathan, ever the professional, began outlining their next steps.

“First, we’ll investigate recently dismissed staff. If that doesn’t yield results, we’ll expand to current employees and individuals hostile to the family.”

“Focus on those Angela Bliss has interacted with.”

“She’s met quite a few people, but we’ll dig through the list. It’ll take some time, so don’t rush me.”

Nathan left with exaggerated complaints, but just two days later, he returned with a report in hand.

“I didn’t expect to find something so quickly in our first suspect. This woman—bold or foolish, I can’t decide—was careless.”

He handed over the file on Marcia Boehn to Laszlo, who skimmed it and chuckled incredulously.

“A woman dismissed without even a recommendation now working as a maid in a respectable noble house?”

“Yes. The Owen Barony, which is distantly related to the Tollaine Marquessate, also has ties to the Winblair Marquisate through the Liville Barony. On a broader scale, the Milton and Tession Counties have invested in the Owen family’s business ventures.”

In other words, the Owen family belonged to the old noble faction.

“Too many suspicious connections.”

“To the schemers, the Owens are the perfect pawn. They’re trying to raise their social standing, so they’d have no reason to reject an offer to hire Marcia and spread rumors about the Chrysus family.”

The Owens, looking to expand their wealth and influence, would gladly employ Marcia and use her to gather and spread stories under the guise of knowing the Chrysus family’s inner workings.

In the social circles, where gossip ruled, they would pretend to casually have tea while prying Marcia for every detail about the Chrysus household.