The Male Lead’s Father Refuses to Break Off Our Engagement

Chapter 58 

 

7. Wedding

Deep in the night, when everyone is asleep. A carriage without any emblems arrived at Count Venion’s residence.

The person who got out was a young woman with red hair and green eyes, bordering on girlhood and womanhood.

Her name is Catherine Eaters. She was the daughter of Baron Eaters and the 5th cousin of Count Venion.

“Welcome, Lady Catherine. Thank you for your hard work for coming this far.”

Count Venion’s butler greeted her politely. Catherine smiled.

“A long way? The Count personally invited me, so of course I should come.”

Far from being difficult, Catherine was currently very excited.

‘I can finally step into the capital’s social circle.’

Unlike the Countess Venion, who settled in the capital, she belonged to the Baron of Eaters.

She didn’t have a townhouse in the capital, and she couldn’t afford to stay at an inn for long, so she couldn’t even dream of entering the social capital.

Her father, Baron Eaters, implicitly asked his cousin, Count Venion, to support Catherine, but he refused.

Catherine, who was full of dreams at the time, was very disappointed.

‘I’m not the kind of person who will just rot away in the countryside.’

Although I may say this myself, Catherine Eaters was very beautiful.

As soon as she became an adult, she dominated Southern social circles and received countless marriage proposals.

But she had a bigger dream.

She wanted to go to the capital and become at least a Marquises. Naturally, the wife of a country nobleman was not pleased.

The nobles who traveled to the capital proved that her dream was not an empty dream. Even the most beautiful women in the capital are no match to Catherine.

But since Count Venion refused, all dreams were in vain.

The night she heard the news, Catherine made a fuss, throwing things in her room.

However, a few days ago, Count Venion contacted them to send Catherine to the capital as quickly as possible.

So, Catherine had even used the expensive Mana Portal to come to the capital as soon as possible.

She suppressed her excited voice as much as she could.

“What about the Count? Can I see him tomorrow?”

“He is in the office. If you don’t mind, I will guide you right away.”

Catherine nodded, trying not to smile too brightly.

My father, Baron Eaters, had told me several times that I shouldn’t show that I like things too much.

Act appropriately and tease Count Venion or something.

I didn’t think it was necessary, but I certainly didn’t want to make me look too easy.

The butler personally guided her to the office.

When she entered the Count’s office, she greeted him with what she considered to be perfect manners.

“It’s been a while, Count.”

“Yes, Catherine. Five years, perhaps.”

“Yes, I think it’s been about that long.”

The Count looked Catherine up and down and smiled with satisfaction.

“You grew up well. It’s really good.”

“You’re being flattering.”

“Didn’t you have a hard time getting here?”

“Fortunately, I used a mana portal, so it wasn’t too hard.”

“You said you didn’t have the funds to reach the capital, but you had the money to use the mana portal.”

It was sarcastic. Catherine responded while managing her expression.

“The Count is calling me urgently, so I have to come quickly, even if it means scraping up all the money we don’t have.”

Catherine’s gaze was focused on the Count throughout her answer. His chin was slightly raised arrogantly.

The count studied her for a moment and laughed.

“I see.”

He got straight to the point without even inviting me to sit down.

“Do you remember Evelia?”

“Ah….”

Catherine frowned slightly, forgetting to control her expression.

‘Why is he mentioned that illegitimate b*tch?’

Even nobles have their own rank. No matter how humble Baron Eaters was, she was no match compared to the Count’s illegitimate daughter.

Besides, Evelia had nothing to look at but her pretty face. She was always shy and never spoke properly.

Her greeting manners were so poor it was shameful that they shared the same blood.

However, there was another reason why Catherine hated Evelia. In fact, she had feelings of entitlement towards Evelia.

‘After all, she was born as an illegitimate child of a Count’s family…’

In any case, Evelia was the only daughter of Count Venion. I hate to admit it, but her face was prettier than Catherine.

It seems that Count Venion has plans to use Evelia for marriage, so she will be married into a better family than Catherine.

To my chagrin.

Catherine felt a sudden surge of anger at the memory of the lifeless Ivelia, but she forced a smile and asked back.

“Of course I remember her. The one with pink hair and blue eyes, right? But why that child?”

“This time she’s engaged to Duke Adelhard. They’re getting married in a month and a half.”

I see. That child…

Catherine’s hand holding the dress was full of strength. The answering voice naturally became sharp.

“So, did you invite me to be a bridesmaid at that child’s wedding?”

“A bridesmaid?”

The Count snorted, “Ha.”

“Are you satisfied with being a bridesmaid?”

Catherine remained silent.

‘What is your purpose in asking?’

I had a gut feeling that I had to give a good answer here. Then Catherine read the ambition on the Count’s face.

Maybe he…

Catherine finally came to a conclusion and set her chin more arrogantly than before.

“No. Do you think I came all the way here using the Mana Portal just to be a bridesmaid?”

The Count laughed loudly.

“Yeah, I like that about you. Ask directly. Catherine, do you have any intention of becoming Duchess of Adelhard?”

“Duchess Adelhard?”

“Yes.”

I don’t know why the Count would say this, but Catherine imagined herself as a Duchess.

‘It’s perfect.’

The Duke of Adelhard was the most powerful of the few Dukes in the empire.

It was a flaw that the current Duke Adelhard had an illegitimate child, but it was enough to just put the illegitimate child out of sight.

If she gives birth to an heir, that child will become the next Duke.

A life that everyone looks up to. That’s exactly what Catherine wanted.

Catherine, who had been happily imagining things, suddenly returned to reality.

“But you said Evelia was engaged to Duke Adelhard.”

The Count responded as if it was no big deal.

“It’s okay to break that engagement.”

“That means…”

“I plan to make you Duchess Adelhard.”

Count Venion gritted his teeth as he remembered Cassis’ face. He declared that he would maintain his engagement to Evelia and completely cut off ties with Venion.

‘How dare you abandon me?’

It was clearly Count Venion who had the information Cassis wanted. But why did he act like that?

After Evelia left, Count Venion agonized over and over again. As a result, a conclusion was reached.

‘He’s a man, too, and he seems to have fallen in love with Evelia.’

It seems that Cassis Adelhard has Evelia in mind.

So it seems like he is acting according to her wishes.

Evelia was so beautiful that even her father was amazed when he saw her. So much so that she was compared to the Marchioness Evans, who was praised as a perfect beauty in the capital.

It was no wonder that the stone-like Cassis was attracted to Evelia.

However, Evelia can’t give Cassis the information he wants. Cassis had no choice but to contact him in some way.

Besides, love changes quickly. If Cassis no longer loved Evelia, they could trade again.

But how? How do you change Cassis’ mind?

Catherine, who understood Count Venion’s intention, laughed bitterly.

“I have a method for everything.”

“Like what?”

“It is said that men like Duke Adelhard are more sensitive to issues of the opposite sex.”

Her laughter became more intense.

“Let’s make a blemish on Evelia.”

 

*****

 

Wherever there was light, there was darkness. The capital’s aristocracy wished to express their instincts unabashedly, while remaining cultured and modest.

So recently, masquerade balls have been popular among young nobles in the capital. At this masquerade ball, both names and identities were kept secret.

Even if you happen to know who the other person is, it was polite to pretend not to know.

It was also a rule that whatever happened at a masquerade ball was not to be taken home.

The masquerade ball, hosted by an unnamed nobleman, was in full swing. A woman in a purple mask stepped into the hall.

Rare pink hair. All people’s eyes turned to the woman.