Chapter 105

“Y-You mean Sir Hemnan Modrich came as the escort knight for Lady Flora?”

“Yes.”

At the unexpected response, Pitea Geltgett blinked her eyes repeatedly, looking rather troubled.

“What is this?”

He was a disaster-prone troublemaker.

A liar who was at the center of controversy.

The only black sheep and the sole adoptee of the Bargrand family.

These were the titles that defined Carsein Bargrand and could not be removed from him.

Thus, he had never given up on his status in the past.

Carsein was not a noble.

He was a commoner picked up by Isabella Bargrand from outside.

Even if it meant holding onto his only weapon, he had never wanted to give up his place.

However, now Carsein had thrown away his weapon with his own hands.

Noble status. Membership in the Duke’s House.

Seeing him take on the role of a mere escort knight, it was impossible not to tilt one’s head in confusion.

In the silence that filled the place, a young lady suddenly seemed to realize something and quickly signaled to Pitea.

Next to Pitea, she leaned in close and whispered.

“Should we seat Carsein… as a guest?”

Nodding.

She couldn’t understand it.

Why?

While she hadn’t fallen into the trap prepared for him because he took on the role of an escort knight, there was no need to seat him as a guest.

But then Pitea sealed her lips shut.

“Oh my God. How could I not have realized this…! If this continues, we’ll be insulting Lady Flora and the Bargrand Duke’s House!”

Since Carsein was a commoner and not a noble, they had planned to secretly torment him using the ways of the nobles, but not the Bargrand Duke’s House.

However, there was one condition for this plan to work.

They needed to treat him on the surface as a noble and as the son of the Bargrand Duke.

Although none of them would admit it inwardly, outwardly he was the adopted son of the Bargrand family. How could he dare to enter the Bargrand Duke’s House?

To openly express their true feelings would be akin to declaring war on the Bargrand Duke’s House, which even the empire’s royal family dared not touch lightly.

However, the current situation completely shattered this premise.

By taking on the role of an escort knight, it seemed he wasn’t being recognized as a noble or as the son of the Bargrand Duke within this tea party hall.

If they were to acknowledge him as an escort knight, it would mean that bringing Carsein along as a companion for Lady Flora would be insulting both her and the Bargrand Duke’s House.

Pitea hurried to try and fix the situation.

“Please stop these jokes, Sir Carsein. An escort, you say?”

“Joke? I am indeed Lady Flora’s escort.”

As Carsein calmly rebutted, Pitea felt a burning sensation inside.

There was no other choice.

Though she didn’t want to say it, now was the time to defuse the crisis.

“Your Excellency, the son of the Bargrand Duke, the peak of the noble hierarchy, is here. How can you place a guest on par with escort knights? Please don’t do so.”

Even if he were merely a commoner, they had to recognize him as a noble.

Accept him as part of the Bargrand Duke’s House and acknowledge him as the highest-ranking person in this place.

Only then could they avoid treating him as an escort knight.

But Carsein didn’t give her any room to maneuver.

He was willing to lose face several times over to stay in his position.

This was, in reverse, like stepping into a trap.

Just then,

“Stop talking nonsense!!”

Someone stood up abruptly and shouted.

The voice was undoubtedly Flora Bargrand’s.

Her voice, sharp with anger, made the atmosphere in the tea party hall turn cold.

Given her status, she was the last person who should be ignored in this situation.

Pitea Geltgett swallowed hard, trying to explain away the misunderstanding.

But then,

“My seat next to me is for Carsein. Don’t stand with the escort knights; come here quickly!”

Flora was referring to Carsein, not Pitea.

In that moment, Pitea realized she still had a chance.

“There it is! There’s still a chance!”

Flora hadn’t realized the situation, and she was urging Carsein to take a seat.

Then,

“That’s right! That seat is for Sir Carsein, invited as Lady Flora’s companion!”

From here, she had to align with Flora.

“That’s correct. An escort knight? Such words should be retracted…”

Amidst the murmurs of the nobles wondering why Pitea was acting this way, they began to catch on. One by one, they started chiming in.

“As Lady Pitea said just now. Who would dare to—right?”

“Yes, yes! Exactly!”

“Though we’re saying it now, all of us feel the same way.”

“How could Lady Flora’s companion be merely an escort knight? It’s clear that Sir Carsein was brought here!”

“No need to guess who the 30th guest is. Right?”

“Yes!”

“That seat is for Sir Carsein alone!”

Despite the hasty response, they agreed to Pitea’s suggestion to prevent Carsein from being treated as an escort knight.

Thanks to her, all the nobles gathered here could avoid standing against the Bargrand family.

“Everyone agrees. Sit down quickly. Quickly!!”

As Flora urged him to sit beside her, the uneasy expressions among the nobles gradually faded away. The awkward laughter in the room turned into sighs of relief as he finally sat down.

Carsein sneered and glanced around.

“They’re stepping back, huh?”

Those who seemed ready to pounce on any mistake now appeared unwilling to cross swords with Flora or the Bargrand Duke’s House, making it hard not to chuckle.

His psychology was clearly conveyed, and a smile naturally formed.

“Well, I didn’t expect it to be resolved in one go.”

Still, the fact that the nobles reacted this strongly indicated a fairly good outcome.

Watching them fall into their own traps was quite amusing. They seemed to have scratched their pride deeply.

Of course, those nobles might become even more ferocious due to their wounded pride.

But a decisive move at the right moment would be enough. When they lose their minds and act like wild beasts, dealing with them becomes easier.

“Why did you make such a strange move? Why didn’t you just sit down earlier?”

“Weren’t you here to escort me?”

“You didn’t bring me here to be your escort! If you keep this up, I’ll tell your big sister!”

She needed to inform Flora Bargrand clearly about this.

This was the result of Flora Bargrand’s malicious intent.

***

“Grrr…”

Claire groaned in pain.

Frustrated, she had been pacing back and forth near this spot several times.

“…It really wasn’t necessary to yell like that.”

It kept coming back to her mind, how she had shouted at Carsein from the courtyard.

She was truly frustrated and angry.

If only she had spoken to her mother honestly, she wouldn’t have been scolded unnecessarily.

And despite having no backing from any family, she had helped the Rusmaier territory without uttering a word.

She got angry at the suggestion that she shouldn’t care about it, and even though she was doing the right thing, she felt that it was wrong.

-Ah, this idiot. Fine! Keep pushing your stubbornness! You damn idiot!

Upon reflection, she realized she shouldn’t have lashed out with such harsh words.

-She could have just asked for help. That’s why she ends up getting beaten up everywhere. Her pride is too high for nothing!

The grumblings she muttered as she left the courtyard also reflected this sentiment.

Even if Carsein heard it, it wouldn’t be unreasonable.

“Ugh, really!”

Claire ruffled her hair again.

They could have talked things over nicely.

Even though Carsein pushed her away, she could have persuaded her mother with more considerate words, resolving the misunderstanding.

Or rather, she wouldn’t have needed to use such harsh language at all.

It was all her fault.

Due to her impulsive nature, her actions often spoke louder than her words, leading to problems before she knew it.

Especially with Carsein.

Ruffling her hair repeatedly, the pin holding her hair in place started to loosen. As the pin fell, Claire quickly reached out to catch it.

“Phew. Almost dropped.”

Fortunately, she caught it in her palm.

Holding the pink hairpin, Claire felt relieved, knowing there was no problem with it.

“It mustn’t drop. This was a gift.”

Getting a valuable hair decoration from a noble was harder than getting 100 of them. Even compared to the one used by Princess Arshien, this hairpin felt more precious to Claire.

After all, it was given by Carsein himself.

Inspecting the hairpin carefully, she fixed it back in its original place on her head.

Putting the hairpin back in place, she felt a bit clearer in her mind.

A sigh escaped her lips, fluttering her pink bangs.

“Right. What did I do wrong? I should have been praised instead. It’s my fault for getting annoyed.”

She needed to meet Carsein somehow.

Assuming he was in his room, she decided to go and talk to him directly.

As she headed towards Carsein’s room, Ariana approached from the opposite direction.

“Claire? What brings you here?”

“Oh. I thought I’d go talk to Carsein for a bit.”

Unable to be honest, she scratched her cheek and replied awkwardly.

Ariana tilted her head.

“Carsein is at the tea party with Flora, isn’t he?”

“When? How long ago?”

“He left some time ago. Flora insisted on taking Carsein, and they went to a tea party at the Geltgett Viscount’s estate. Each guest brought one companion.”

“…Geltgett Viscount’s estate?”

Hearing that, Claire suddenly remembered something from the past.

‘The Geltgett Viscount’s estate…’

A particular day flashed through her mind.

Every time she visited, she always found him sick and weak, so she had urged him to take care of his health and go.

But after returning from there, Carsein had loudly declared that he would never go out with Flora again.

Not only that, but that day, Carsein had scolded not only herself but also her sister Ariana and their mother Isabella.

‘I remember he was bedridden for a whole day after that, and I had to call Sheiden…’

Although she wasn’t sure it was because of the Geltgett Viscount’s estate, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that this might be related.

“Sister, where is the tea party being held?”

“Huh? Are you going there too? You won’t be able to since you weren’t invited, right?”

“I’m not going for fun. I’m just worried about the message sent by my younger sister.”

“Since it’s a gathering of nobles, there shouldn’t be much to worry about unless Carsein causes trouble. But okay, go ahead. I’ll feel better knowing you’re there.”

“Okay. I’ll go, Sister.”

Though it was just a hunch, she couldn’t shake off a bad feeling.

***

“The atmosphere feels too gloomy. Shall we change the topic?”

“That’s a good idea!”

With Carsein seated, the nobles who had been worrying now tried to shift the conversation to lighten the mood.

“Would Sir Carsein be fine with that?”

Pitea asked, as if suggesting the idea.

“Sure.”

Immediately agreeing, Pitea’s mouth curled slightly.

She knew he would retaliate viciously. It was obvious.

But that’s why I won’t back down.

There’s a way to break through this situation head-on.

“Then, since everyone agrees, we need to propose a new topic. What should it be?”

As Pitea pretended to ponder and signaled, another person stepped forward to lead the discussion.

“The hottest topic is right here, Lady Pitea.”

“The hottest topic?”

“Yes. The Eastern Nobles’ Meeting is coming up soon. How could we leave that out?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

*Bing*

**Emergency Mission Activated!**

**Questions regarding the management of the Eastern Nobles’ Meeting and territories will appear.**

**Choose the right option to evade the nobles’ schemes!**

[The achievement level changes based on the success rate of evasion.]

The two young ladies played their cards back and forth, and the expected scenario unfolded.

Though this episode was considered the main plot, the choices presented weren’t particularly crucial.

She expected a major decision to arise, but it turned out to be this.

‘It’s clear they’ll talk about interfering with the Rusmaier territory under the guise of qualifications.’

Having already obtained information from Memorial, she wasn’t afraid.

Moreover, she had already exposed contradictions in the past, so if this continued, she would expose them and strike back.

Regardless of how they approached, she crossed her arms confidently.

Suddenly, the door to the waiting room opened.

“Cough, cough. Sorry. My carriage had issues. Cough, cough.”

A man entered, drenched in sweat. He seemed to know he was late, as he coughed awkwardly.

Come to think of it, one seat was empty.

Although her number was 30, someone hadn’t shown up when called earlier. In fact, there was an extra seat available.

‘Could that be Hemnan Modrich, that guy?’

*Bing*

Just then, the status window popped up.

She smiled at seeing it.

‘Aha. So that’s what it was.’

**Additional Reward for Choosing Beyond the Expected Options!**

**The reason for Hemnan Modrich’s tardiness is revealed.**

[Details: Hemnan, unwilling to pay the toll, was detained by the Rusmaier territory’s residents, causing him to arrive late at the tea party.]

What a perfect outcome.

The Rusmaier territory’s residents would surely find this satisfying.

Of course, she didn’t mind it either.

“Such a noble who can’t even respect the appointed time. Looks like they lack proper etiquette training.”