Chapter 83
Gilard stood up and approached me, offering me a seat.
I calmly settled into my chair, gazing at Gilard, who sat opposite me. With his legs crossed comfortably, he opened his mouth to speak.
“It’s good to see you again after a while, but since we’re short on time, I’ll get straight to the point.”
Straight to the main topic, huh? Not bad.
I wasn’t really looking forward to this awkward conversation anyway.
“Go back.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve already spoken with your father, Count Brilloxen. I told him not to send you because of certain circumstances. He must have relayed that to you, so I won’t bother repeating myself. Just go back.”
A clear and straightforward request.
It could come off as unpleasant, but he didn’t stop insisting on it.
Gilard lifted a glass of water as he continued.
“I don’t want to force you out. I have no desire to anger my daughter by bothering her friend. So, please, go back.”
That meant this wasn’t something he discussed with Bellieta. It was Gilard acting on his own, independent of her.
Thinking back to the days I spent wondering what he was plotting made me want to laugh.
Could it be that he was genuinely worried that my father would ruin his daughter’s engagement?
How impressive.
How deep must his love for his daughter be for him to go to such lengths, the Duke of Bozbourne?
I suppressed the exasperated smile that almost slipped out.
Watching Gilard’s expression, I slowly spoke up.
“I was on my way to see Bellieta. She asked me to recite a blessing poem for her.”
“Forget about that. I’ll talk to Bellieta, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I promised Bellieta I would, and I have no reason to go back.”
“What are you trying to say?”
I pulled a ring out of my pocket, showing it to Gilard, who frowned deeply, revealing a deep crease on his forehead.
His expression hardened as he immediately recognized the seal representing the Brilloxen family head.
“I came to the engagement as a representative of Brilloxen, a longtime friend of Bozbourne. I’m not just any former lady of Brilloxen; I’m someone with the qualifications of the family head. So, I have no intention of going back.”
“That’s absurd. Do you think childish antics like that will work on me?”
Gilard remained unfazed by my words, even leaning in closer as if to prove that he hadn’t gotten his position easily.
“I don’t have time for games. The banquet is about to start soon. That means I won’t have much longer to speak kindly to you.”
“If I refuse to leave and insist on staying, will you forcibly throw me out?”
“I certainly will.”
“Well then, go ahead.”
I looked at Gilard’s grimace as I carefully tucked the ring away.
“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? This mansion belongs to you, so no one would complain if you threw me out. Well, except for…”
Bellieta, of course.
As I faced the Duke of Bozbourne, whose face was twisted in displeasure, I stood up.
“I understand your concern, but I made a promise. I believe my promise to Bellieta is more important than risking your anger. She would think the same.”
“So you want to say that I should prepare for the possibility of angering Bellieta and kick you out?”
“Isn’t that why you called me here?”
Is that the truth?
I quietly watched Gilard’s expression as he said nothing further.
I was being incredibly disrespectful to the Duke of Bozbourne, who could send a bird plummeting from the sky with a mere glance.
No matter how close I was to his daughter, there were still manners to uphold.
But it was Gilard who had disregarded manners first, and given that today could mark a falling out with Bozbourne, I didn’t feel the need to act overly polite.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
I bowed slightly and turned away.
I could feel his sharp gaze on my back as I quietly opened the door.
***
The banquet hall was crowded with people.
The engagement of Bozbourne, known as one of the most powerful figures of the time, was the biggest topic of interest among the empire’s nobles.
The royal family even sent a member to congratulate them, showing how highly regarded Bozbourne was.
Everyone who knew this envied Rippleton, who was about to become family with Bozbourne.
Even though it was only an engagement, throwing such a grand event meant it was practically a wedding in all but name.
It was just a matter of when they would actually marry; the union of the two families was already a foregone conclusion.
That’s why I could understand the sinister looks directed at me from those around me.
Looks that viewed me as an annoyance or obstacle.
The gaze of those who had invested in business is now eyeing me as a potential hindrance.
For them, the engagement between Rippleton and Bozbourne was irrelevant, yet it represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“What are you thinking about?”
While I was sipping from a tea cup instead of alcohol, I heard a voice next to me.
I glanced sideways and confirmed that it was Kestian.
“I’m not thinking about anything.”
“You look too tense for that.”
I turned away from Kestian, who was quietly smiling.
I watched the chatter around me and took a sip from my cup.
“I’m not too thrilled about the way people are glancing at me like I’m a monkey in a zoo.”
“Aren’t you used to those kinds of looks?”
“No, not really. I need to know if someone feels negatively toward me.”
Kestian let out a short, impressed sound.
I placed my empty cup on the long table and turned to Kestian.
“What about you, Kestian?”
Kestian squinted at my blunt question.
After casually glancing around, he tilted his head slightly.
“Honestly, I’d say I’m similar to you, Sierra.”
“Similar to me?”
“Everyone’s curious about how Palieva will react. What will happen to Palieva’s future?”
Kestian calmly recited the situation of his family.
Palieva and Bozbourne had a relationship that was like two sides of the same coin.
If one grew stronger, the other would weaken.
For Palieva, Bozbourne’s engagement was not a welcome development.
Given that they had relinquished control of central politics over the past 100 years, Palieva could not guarantee a bright future.
“My father has been drinking himself silly every day. Just the other day, he finished off a bottle of that precious 60-year-old Grand Blue that my grandfather couldn’t bear to touch.”
Despite the heavy topic, Kestian spoke lightly, not losing his smile.
“I realized it’s certainly not a good situation.”
“Given that, your face looks surprisingly bright.”
“I know that sulking won’t change anything. Isn’t that the same for you, Sierra? Getting angry will only result in losses for you.”
I nodded unconsciously to Kestian’s voice, which was clear above the surrounding noise.
Kestian smiled quietly as if to say he felt the same and turned his head.
As the banquet had yet to begin and the noise still buzzed throughout the hall, Kestian slowly opened his mouth.
“The Duke of Bozbourne is an old-fashioned man. Who holds engagement ceremonies these days?”
“He probably wants to make a statement. Telling everyone not to touch Rippleton.”
“Rippleton, huh…”
Kestian slowly murmured, then narrowed his eyes.
“Who would have thought that the monster family everyone was wary of, the ghost duke, would suddenly grab all the attention?”
“Well, that just shows everyone can’t predict the future.”
The surrounding noise grew louder. Amid the chaos of people talking, the doorkeeper’s shout announced the entrance of Duke Bozbourne and Gilard.
“The heavenly figure supported by the royal family, Duke Bozbourne, is no different.”
“I doubt Duke Bozbourne thinks that way. A man who has held the highest power since birth, who has never been denied what he wants—does he really lack confidence in his future?”
“Sometimes it’s the ones with certainty that are the scariest.”
I smiled quietly at the gaze looking down on me as I walked forward.
“He probably doesn’t even realize he’s standing on the edge of a cliff.”
***
“What are you so deep in thought about?”
A familiar voice rang out in Aden’s ears as he looked out at the tranquil garden.
Aden let out a small sigh as he surveyed the green garden, which was different from Rippleton’s.
Lowering his arms from the windowsill, he turned to see Bellieta, dressed in an extravagant gown, smiling at him.
“You don’t look like someone who’s about to get engaged.”
Bellieta approached Aden, whose face was stiff as if he had a hole in his stomach.
Aden’s eyes followed Belieta’s feet, struggling to walk in the cumbersome dress, but she managed gracefully.
She held up a fan and slid it under Aden’s chin.
As his eyebrows furrowed slightly, Bellieta playfully lifted his head with the fan.
Their gazes met at an angle; Aden remained still, even as Bellieta leaned toward him.
The Duke, known for his ferocity and roughness, the monster, the phantom—The fact that the most dangerous man in the empire was at his fingertips filled Belieta with a sense of thrill.
“You seem happy.”
Aden’s voice fell slowly.
As Bellieta grinned, Aden exhaled softly.
“I wonder if you’re really the same princess who used to call me a monster and insisted that engagements are just family arrangements.”
“Those were just fleeting thoughts; thoughts change quickly. I can’t break a promise between families at my own whim.”
“Yet you ran away from me as if I were a disgusting bug, unable to even look down on me.”
“Did I really do that? If so, I apologize. I must not have appreciated the value of His Grace the Duke back then.”
“Value…”
Aden murmured slowly, then smiled.
“So, the value you speak of is determined not by yourself but by others?”
“Isn’t it my freedom to assign value to things or people however I want?”
“You’re right about that. It is your freedom. But…”
The slight upward curve of Aden’s lips seemed to twist into a deeper sneer as the black pupils in his golden eyes constricted like a beast.
“That’s just childish.”
“Childish, you say?”
