CH 19

Count Gray kept repeating to himself that it couldn’t be possible, but eventually he asked the question out loud.

“Have you ever been to a party, Lady Isabelle?”

The old gentleman’s demeanor was so polite that he didn’t sound sarcastic. Isabelle shook her head slightly.

“I’ve only heard rumors a few times.” 

In fact, she hadn’t even heard rumors. It was something she read in a book. However, she said that because she was concerned he might look down on her if she was too inexperienced.

“Hmm, is that so? I guess it was just an illusion.”

“If you say it’s an illusion, what…”

“Don’t mind it. I think I’ve seen someone who looks like you at a party.”

Count Gray’s words managed to catch Isabelle’s attention. Isabelle knew that her soft silver hair and sky-blue eyes are uncommon in the Cardiago Duchy.

“Can I hear more if you don’t mind?”

“Heh heh. It’s the old man’s senility. I’m sorry for making you upset.”

“A little bit is fine. Which party was it at?”

Count Gray brushed his beard and smiled kindly. Looking at her motivated face, she looked even more like the woman in his memory, but he was careful when opening his mouth.

“It was a ball at the Imperial Conference a long time ago. Well, you’d better start studying now. There’s a lot to learn.”

Thud.

Count Gray decided to get rid of his random thoughts and laid out the profile cards on the major nobles on the table. The massive amount made Isabelle speechless.

“As you may know, the Duke of Cardiago has never had a mistress or a lover. He is a man who rejects all marriage offers that come in. So people will be curious about you.”

“……I will study hard.”

“All right. Let’s take a look at Count Louise first. The head of the family, Lord Louise, has not made any significant achievements, but he has a generous personality and a lot of people follow him.”

Count Gray drew on paper a diagram of the Count Louise family relations. The aristocrats in the same province often led to close blood relations or mixed blood, so most of them could be mentioned, starting with Lord Louise Beck.

“At this point, I think I have told you everything about most of the aristocrats in the majority. It’s not a small number of people, but I’m sure you’ll learn enough.”

“Lord Gray. I think you have a profile card that you haven’t pulled out yet.”

“Oh, these… are the people who won’t attend the engagement ceremony. Are you curious?”

Isabelle wanted to know as much information as possible about the people around Riggs. As she nodded her head, Count Gray pulled out the remaining profile cards.

Among them, Isabelle’s gaze was fixed on a specific face.

“This person is ·····.”

The face that Riggs saw when he stormed with his black power. Baron Iron who tried to buy her by using the Duke of Cardiago’s name. Isabelle still remembered the moment he grabbed her hair.

“Baron Iron. He was the head of Baron Iron, who was in charge of the Duke’s accounting, but not long ago, the Duke took his title and his life.”

“…Is that so?”

She wanted to add that he was punished for doing such a thing, but easily showing her emotions is a fatal drawback in society.

Isabelle picked up another profile card.

“And who is this person?”

“He is Bouise Cardiago. He is the uncle of His Highness the Duke, but he is now dead.”

“……I’m sorry. I didn’t think he was that old. Was it an accident?”

“It wasn’t an accident.”

It was more of a disaster than an accident. Count Gray, who swallowed the backbites, arranged his profile card. It was too county to tell her the story of Bouise Cardiago right now. It’s not as if after the ceremony it would be too late.

“You’ll have a chance to hear about this person later. Thank you for your hard work today.”

Far from being pleased that the class was over, Isabelle blinked as if she was surprised.

Count Gray smiled with delight at the unexpected response. He brought the amount to study today according to the physical strength and concentration of people in general, but he thought he could increase the amount of work next time.

‘For Kiel to make a fuss because she was the three-letter girl… I thought that she would be different so I had to make alterations, but…’

In the young lady in front of him, it was difficult to find anything like the impudence or arrogance often seen by the opposing parties of the nobility, the sense of authority to carry the power on her back.

Otherwise, if a young lady who had nothing else decided to become a duchess by trusting only her lover, she would be intimidated, but there is no sign of that at all.

On the contrary, he enjoyed teaching when he saw the way she was not satisfied with her current situation and was shining her eyes in an attempt to step forward.

“I’m looking forward to the next class.”

Count Gray had no choice but to admit that the preconceived notions he unconsciously had were wrong.

***

Sitting snugly against an office chair, Riggs grinned as he recalled the conversation he just had with Count Gray, whom he had just met in the hallway.

He thought Isabelle would get sick of studying because she always left him her homework that St. Maria gave her. In fact, it was surprising to say that she would take classes this smoothly.

‘How well did you do in class to make Count Grey, who is famous for being a strict teacher, compliment you?’

Count Gray was so stable internally and tenacious that he did not have to rub his palms together to please him. The Count himself is not like that. 

Although he is well behaved, he lashes out at wrongdoings without mercy. He praised Isabelle for a long time while wearing a happy expression on his face like he was talking about his own granddaughter. 

In fact, one of the reasons for not bringing Isabelle back earlier was social activity. The leisurely aristocrats often evaluate people’s character through social activities.

‘But from what happened today, I don’t think I need to worry too much about the social world after the ceremony.’

Isabelle always surprised him in unexpected ways. The use of magic in an unusual way when they first met, and the proper behavior displayed today.

He thought at this point, it would be better to put aside his worries that she might not be able to adapt to the future. Isabelle will play the role of Duchess and Empress well.

Riggs leaned deeply against the chair and closed his eyes. His hands naturally clasped the long necklace around his neck. He remembered what Isabelle had said when she hung her necklace around his neck as a dowry for marriage.

“For this girl to live, she has to be married by the day after tomorrow, Lord Husband.”

“······.”

Riggs bit his lips, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from rising. Lord Husband. Where did you pick up such words?

Isabelle was desperate. Therefore, Riggs thought over and over again that he was the only one responsible for Isabelle. When his cheeks were burning with heat, he laid his head on the desk.

“Hyung. You look like a real pervert because you’re blushing while laughing alone.”

“…Since when have you been here?”

It was Kiel who was sitting on the window sill, playing with Riggs’ sentiment. Kiel, who had his red eyes wide open and his short legs wobbling, hurriedly climbed up to Riggs’ desk.

“I prepared the soul of Baron Iron. I think we can interrogate him now.”

“What did you find out?”

“I think Baron Iron has something to do with Bouise Cardiago. I’ll have to dig into more details to find out.”

Bouise Cardiago. Riggs frowned at the familiar and prickly name. Who would be happy to hear the name of the uncle who he killed with his own hands?

“Bring Baron Iron in now.”

He didn’t like how he touched Isabelle, but he even had contact with his uncle. Riggs had no intention of sending Iron off nicely.

As Kiel drew the magic circle, a few Reapers brought out Baron Iron, who was already super dead. He looked like a rag, and only the breath that stretched out continued.

“The Duke, Your Highness. Please ······.”

“You’d better not attach unnecessary titles, Baron Iron. Who ordered the attack on the temple?”

“……this is what Lord Bouise Cardiago ordered.”

“I want you to know that I’m not in the mood for jokes. I killed my uncle with my own hands during the last solar eclipse.”

“But his soul is alive somewhere. I had no choice but to follow his commands in my dreams because of the contracts we had in my lifetime.”

“…does that mean that my uncle’s soul has not perished?”

Riggs crumpled his brow. It wasn’t a big deal in and of itself that his uncle’s soul hadn’t disappeared. He also used the underworld forces as a Cardiago, albeit a small one.

The problem was that he, who must have had vengeance on me, was targeting Isabelle.

“What exactly was my uncle’s order?”

“God, it was to kidnap the girl from the temple and bring her to the Imperial Palace in Pilsburg.”

“To the Imperial Palace?”

The more they talked, the more he felt like he was in a labyrinth. Although it was not common, children raised in temples were secretly traded as aristocrats’ concubines because their purity was guaranteed.

However, the royal family of Pilsburg maintained its lineage through incestuous marriage so as not to spread the blessing of the Goddess Isis.

Very few members of the imperial family made children among themselves and monopolized the goddess’s blessing.

He can’t believe they’d take in a woman from outside the family to pass on the succession like that.

‘There are rumors that Pilsburg was abandoned by the goddess, but they must have some pride… Wait a minute.’

Riggs hardened his expression as he thought of something. …If Isabelle is of Pilsburg descent.

‘There are very few direct descendants, but that does not mean that there is no possibility that she is of that lineage. Isabelle uses magic in a unique way, so…’

Kiel, who watched Riggs’ hardened face, considered the circumstances, became a little bored and spewed out.

“By the way, Hyung. Did you hear what the reapers say these days? It’s not even spring, but there are blue butterflies all over the castle of Cardiago. I think everyone seems to be eating delicious snacks.”

“…Blue butterflies?”

It was not known whether it was a coincidence or not that blue butterflies, the symbol of Goddess Isis, appeared in the Duke’s castle.

Baron Iron, who saw Riggs’ expression slightly loosened, clenched his hand again as if he had seized the opportunity.

“Your Highness, I, please forgive me, I will tell everything I know… Please…”

His hands move quickly like a fly rubbing his front legs. It didn’t feel so good to think that a hand like that touched Isabelle.

Riggs looked down at him silently and asked in a low, subdued voice. 

“Baron Iron. You were right-handed, weren’t you?”

“Yes······?”

Rustle.

In an instant. 

Baron Iron twitched with his mouth open, noticing that it was his wrist that was cut neatly by sharp force and that it was his hand that was thumping in the distance. 

No screams were heard.

Riggs walked up to him and spit out.

“Baron Iron. It’s better not to touch what you shouldn’t.”

“I, my, please….”

“And now that I think about it, I think you were left-handed.”

It’s enough for a confession. Riggs laughed his head off. Another sharp sound cut through the space.