Chapter 86
Golden eyes met the gaze of everyone in the room.
Slowly, as those eyes scanned the people, they landed on Sierra, standing among them.
‘It’s Aden’s choice. I have no regrets.’
Aden recalled Sierra’s voice echoing in his mind, along with the determined expression she had when she said it.
She was not only a great partner and advisor but also his savior. To Aden, Sierra was almost like the living embodiment of Hermonia, the goddess who protected Rippleton.
“Duke Rippleton?”
Lydia’s voice called to Aden once more, and the arm that had been frozen finally moved.
At the same moment, Sierra’s eyes wavered.
Aden knew full well that what he was about to do was a betrayal.
Sierra had saved and helped Rippleton countless times. Without her intervention, the engagement between Bozebourne and Rippleton would never have happened.
Everything here was possible because of Sierra.
Yet even so, it was hard for Aden to think about betraying Bozbourne.
To protect Rippleton, which wasn’t just about money, he needed the support of the council.
“The blessings of the Black Hawk and the Red Birch, Duke Rippleton. May they be with you.”
Aden had only one choice he could make.
“I congratulate you both once again on your engagement, Lady Bozbourne and…”
Sierra’s gaze, now trembling, drifted further away.
“…Duke Rippleton.”
* * *
“As expected, I can’t do this.”
As soon as Sierra turned her head, a voice broke the silence.
It was followed by a gasp and murmurs from the crowd.
Sierra turned back to look ahead.
Aden took off the ring he had on his hand and was holding it in his hand.
Belietta stared at him, frozen, her face stiff.
Aden gave Belietta a slow smile.
The two of them stood in silence, staring at each other.
Belietta shook her head as if to say he couldn’t do this, but Aden didn’t stop.
When he opened his palm, the ring dropped from his hand.
The crisp sound of it hitting the floor rang out.
“W-What…?”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I can keep doing something this disgusting.”
With a flick of Aden’s finger, Baran stepped forward, picked up the ring, and handed it back to the maid behind Lydia.
Aden casually wiped the finger where the ring had been, then looked at Bellieta, who was still staring at him in disbelief.
“There’s no such thing as ‘absolute’ in this world, and nothing is perfect, my lady. Even what you thought was impossible came from your own head in the end, didn’t it?”
“…Do you even know what you’ve just done?”
“Of course.”
As Aden’s lips curled into a smile, Bellieta clenched her fists and took a step forward.
“Do you think…?”
“What is the meaning of this, Duke Rippleton?!”
Before Bellieta could finish, Gillard’s thunderous voice cut in.
His face was red with fury, and he threw all formality aside in front of everyone, addressing Aden disrespectfully.
Bellieta’s words were cut off as she bit her lip and turned her head.
Aden shifted his gaze from Bellieta to look at Gillard.
“What, is it rude?”
“You call that a question? Do you even realize what…!”
“Mind your manners, Duke Bozbourne.”
The calm voice that interrupted Gillard’s angry rant drew everyone’s attention.
Lydia pointed a slender finger at Aden.
“You must not forget that the person you are yelling at is the empire’s only duke.”
Lydia’s voice, cutting off Gillad’s anger, like a bottleneck blocking the flow.
Aden glanced at Lydia, who nodded slightly, signaling that she had said her piece. He then turned his back to her.
Gillard felt his insides twist as he looked at Velieta, her head hung low in shame. His precious daughter, whom he had cherished, had been abandoned and put on display in front of everyone.
His anger surged.
“You’ve committed a truly… disgraceful act, Grand Duke Rippleton.”
“I never thought I’d hear that from you, Duke. Disgraceful, you say…?”
Aden pulled a letter from his coat pocket and tossed it forward.
The letter fluttered through the air before landing right in front of Gillard’s shoes.
“Do you really think you’re in any position to call me disrespectful when you tried to break a decades-long engagement with nothing more than a piece of paper?”
“That piece of paper doesn’t matter! It’s a letter with no legal standing or importance anymore.”
Gillard ground the letter beneath his boot.
“Do you not realize how much worse what you’re doing right now is than that letter?”
Gillard’s eyes narrowed as he glanced around at the crowd.
Taking a deep, thin breath, as if trying to steady himself, he looked to a man who appeared to be his aide.
“…I’ll start clearing the guests out.”
Gillard raised a hand to stop the aide and loosened his tie.
The aide stepped back, casting a worried glance between Bellieta and Gillard.
“Because of your rash actions, Duke Rippleton, Rippleton could lose something very valuable. I believe you understand that. So, I’ll give you one last chance.”
Gillard snatched the ring from the maid and held it out to Aden.
“Apologize and undo what you’ve done, and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
“Is that the part where you repeat your threat if I refuse?”
The word “threat” made the crowd murmur in surprise.
Even amidst the growing tension, Gillard remained calm.
After all, Bozbourne had never been known for fairness or righteousness. They’d ousted Pallieva with the emperor’s help and then turned their back on the royal family as soon as it suited them.
The only reason so many flocked to Bozbourne was their overwhelming power, not any sense of justice.
“Absolutely.”
“Your love for your daughter is touching.”
Aden smirked, his lips curling into a mocking grin as Gillard shook the ring at him.
Aden took the ring and then dropped it back onto the floor.
Like Gilad, Aden crushed the ring beneath his boot and twisted his lips.
“Go ahead, Duke. If you can.”
The moment those words left Aden’s mouth, Gillard drew a sword from a nearby knight and threw it at Aden’s feet.
The heavy thud was unmistakable, and the nobles in the room gasped, understanding its meaning.
“Bozbourne officially declares a territorial war against Rippleton. This is the result of Duke Rippleton’s disrespect toward my daughter and my house. From now on, Rippleton’s fate is in Bozbourne’s hands.”
Gillard nodded to his knights, ordering them to detain Aden.
Dozens of knights sprang into action at his command.
“Don’t blame me, Duke Rippleton,” Gillard said in a cold voice as the knights surrounded Aden.
While the knights positioned themselves as if they would attack at any moment, Aden remained calm.
The truth was, he knew they couldn’t suppress him with this many knights, but that wasn’t the reason for his composure.
“Enough, Duke Bozbourne.”
Lydia’s voice sliced through the tense atmosphere.
Gillard was about to mention that the royal family couldn’t interfere in matters of territorial war, but he held his tongue at the sight of the document in Lydia’s hand.
“Before any proper territorial war, I believe you should explain this document, Duke.”
Lydia passed the document to Sierra, who was standing beside her with a smile on her face.
* * *
On my way back to my room after stopping by the library, I spotted a maid looking for me.
As soon as she saw me, she rushed over and handed me something tightly gripped in her hands.
“What’s this?”
I tilted my head, wondering about the sudden delivery, and the maid wore an extremely cautious expression.
“It’s a letter from the housekeeper. He said it was urgent and needed to be delivered to you before the banquet started.”
Daytum? The mention of his name made me hastily unfold the letter.
Inside, there was nothing but the information I had been looking for.
I tried to calm my excitement as I examined the contents, but unfortunately, it wasn’t strong enough evidence on its own.
It was indeed the initial funding documents from the Magic Association, but the amount wasn’t as large as I had hoped.
“This won’t do.”
As I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, the maid tilted her head in confusion.
She was looking somewhere else, so I turned to see a man I didn’t recognize rushing toward me.
Who is that?
“Excuse me, Lady. I’m Wilkins Berget.”
“Oh, the magical advisor from Bozbourne…?”
I had never seen him in person, but I’d heard plenty about him.
They said he was one of the best talents in the association, someone even the royal family had their eye on.
I lowered the letter and leaned in curiously.
“Um, what brings you to me?”
“It’s nothing specific, but I was wondering if you might have this book…”
“That one!”
Just as Wilkins was pulling out a book to explain, a voice rang out, and a young girl suddenly appeared, dropping onto Wilkins’ back.
“Oof!”
Wilkins let out a stifled cry as he bent over, catching the girl who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
“There you are!”
This girl was the same one I had seen earlier in the library…
“They say even a dog’s poop can be useful, so it seems you’re not completely worthless after all.”
“…Can’t you just give me a compliment, Master?”
Wilkins groaned while rubbing his sore back.
Wait, “Master?” I tilted my head, and Wilkins cleared his throat and straightened up.
“I apologize for the shock. This is quite sudden, but the person next to me is my master and the very living history of the Magic Association, Lady Medea Rodis.”
