Chapter 126: Let Me Give It a Try. (2)
“What?”
Marquis Branford squinted, thinking he must have misheard, and looked around.
The people nearby were frozen like statues, only their mouths moving.
Even the usually composed butler of the House of Marquis showed a clear sign of confusion on his face.
How dare someone ask anything of the Marquis!
Even the Prime Minister, the second-in-command of the kingdom, wouldn’t say something so openly. Other powerful individuals in similar positions would only hint at their intentions.
It was undoubtedly the first time a madman was so blatant in making demands of the Marquis.
Marquis Branford turned fully to face Ghislaine directly.
“Say that again.”
Ghislaine boldly met his gaze and spoke.
“I know that your authority in the kingdom is high, Marquis. If I succeed, isn’t it reasonable to ask for a favor?”
“How dare you, you little brat, think you can make a deal using my daughter’s weakness as leverage?”
“Yes, it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to grant me one simple request, Marquis.”
True, it shouldn’t be hard. He could probably grant most requests.
But he couldn’t tolerate using his daughter as leverage for a deal.
A chilling glimmer ignited in Marquis Branford’s eyes.
“It’s a merchant-like proposal, yet it seems you can’t do the math. To ask for compensation just for treating my daughter? Do you really think it holds that much value?”
Despite the icy tone, Ghislaine was unfazed.
“Yes, I believe it is worth it. If you can’t protect your family, what use is power?”
“You brat!”
The provocative words left everyone stunned, unable to breathe properly.
Only the formidable voice of Marquis Branford filled the room.
Belinda, pale-faced, grabbed Ghislaine’s sleeve.
‘You know this man is famously scary! Why do you keep provoking him?’
Claude tugged at the other sleeve.
‘Please stop, you lunatic…’
Cold sweat streamed down like tears from their eyes.
But Ghislaine, ignoring their concerns, yanked her sleeves away and said,
“Oh, let go. So, Marquis, what will you do? Are you really going to give up on the treatment?”
Ghislaine stood tall, leaving the choice in the hands of Marquis Branford.
‘Good grief… is this guy really insane?’
“Good grief… is he really insane?”
Marquis Branford scoffed. Facing such an absurd situation made his anger dissipate instantly.
There was no provocation like this.
It was the first time since he seized power that he found himself in such a bewildering situation.
“Hehe.”
Marquis Branford twisted his lips into a peculiar smile.
“Alright. Go ahead and try. If you succeed, I will grant you anything you desire. But…”
He glared at Ghislaine with cold eyes.
“The price for demanding something from me isn’t cheap. Your life alone won’t suffice. We’ll need to raise the stakes.”
“Whatever you say.”
Marquis Branford spat out as if he were chewing.
“If you fail, wager your family.”
The faces of those who followed Ghislaine turned pale.
The marquis’s words felt as if they were pressing down on the room.
To ask for a family meant that if Ghislaine failed, the entire Perdium would be wrecked.
It was not a situation Ghislaine could take responsibility for alone.
Yet Ghislaine calmly spoke as if there was no issue.
“That should balance things out with you, Marquis. Let’s proceed with that.”
Marquis Branford wore a cruel smile.
“How much time do you need?”
“Fifteen days should be sufficient.”
Things were only getting more absurd.
Were they really going to resolve an issue that hadn’t been fixed for over a year in fifteen days?
Marquis Branford stifled a laugh and turned to his butler.
“Butler.”
“Yes.”
“Tell the royal treasurer to prepare to cut off support for Perdium in fifteen days.”
Although he wasn’t a king, the marquis spoke as if he was one.
He possessed the power to back it up.
No one could stop him unless they were a mighty noble with substantial influence.
“Understood.”
The butler nodded as if it were a matter of course. They were accustomed to such affairs.
The murderous orders did not end there.
“Captain of the Guards.”
This time a sturdy armored man bowed his head.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Surround Baron Penris’s mansion in the capital. From this moment on, prohibit the entrance and exit of anyone.”
“Understood.”
“Baron Penris and his followers present here are also banned from going out for fifteen days. We will decide their execution based on the results in fifteen days.”
Belinda and Claude’s faces drained of color in an instant.
They had come over without a second thought, and now this was like a bolt from the blue.
If the royal family took action, the remote lord Penris and Perdium would be obliterated in no time.
And the key figures would soon be dragged away for execution one after another.
“What the hell is happening because of that crazy man? What did I do wrong?!”
Claude nearly broke into tears but dared not speak up.
This was no joke. This was not something they could brush off like usual.
Gillian, who had been quietly standing behind Ghislaine, also lowered his eyes and let out a long sigh.
“I need to find a way to escape the capital just in case this all goes south.”
Ghislaine appeared oblivious to the turmoil among his followers and simply stared blankly at Marquis Branford.
The marquis, observing him unfazed by fear, spoke dryly.
I dryly retorted while looking at him.
“Do whatever you want, Ghislaine Perdium.”
*
As Ghislaine’s mansion became surrounded by the House of Marquis Branford’s troops, the sale of cosmetics also came to a halt.
The frightened servants of the aristocrats left without even protesting.
The news caused quite a stir among the nobles.
Rumors were already spreading that the supplies for the fortress were running short, and who dared to interfere with the nobles’ affairs?
Nobles supposedly powerful in the capital went directly to the mansion.
“What are you guys doing? Who sent you? Open the door immediately! Do you punks even know where this place is?”
One noble shouted, pointing at the soldiers surrounding the mansion.
However, the knight besieging the mansion didn’t flinch even when the nobles got angry.
He simply raised the flag of the House of Marquis Branford, adorned with a roaring lion.
“……”
Only then did the nobles, realizing the emblem sewn onto the flag, close their mouths in shock.
If they had known it was the House of Marquis Branford blocking the mansion, they wouldn’t have started shouting as soon as they arrived.
No, they probably wouldn’t have come at all.
Clearing their throats a few times, the nobles spoke with graceful smiles.
“It seems the Marquis has matters to discuss with the Baron. Thank you for your hard work.”
And with that, they beat a hasty retreat.
Once the nobles had left, not a single ant dared to scurry around the mansion.
Word of the bet between Ghislaine and Marquis Branford spread like wildfire.
Upon hearing the tale, all the nobles clicked their tongues.
A country bumpkin from the provinces had the audacity to provoke a Marquis.
With the Marquis’s temperament, if Ghislaine failed, his head would be on the chopping block right away.
The nobles secretly wished for Ghislaine’s success in gambling, not out of concern for him, but because they didn’t want to give up on his effective cosmetics.
Meriel, being connected to Ghislaine through business, was particularly worried.
“Why on earth did he do that? If he had just sent word through me, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Ghislaine had built up some connections as Meriel introduced him to various nobles.
She acted like a guardian, watching over Ghislaine.
However, no matter how high her status in the capital, she couldn’t compare to Marquis Branford.
“Ugh, that guy is someone who wouldn’t let a needle slip through. What a reckless move!”
If all the noblewomen in the capital rallied together, they might be able to save Ghislaine.
But that would mean Meriel would owe a political debt to Marquis Branford.
That’s just how transactions among nobles work.
In frustration, she bit at her nails when suddenly realized the problem and checked her remaining cosmetics.
“There’s only five left?”
The cosmetics Ghislaine had gifted her were all used up during promotions. There wasn’t much left now.
She made a sad face, gave her maids extra coin, and bought up all the remaining cosmetics.
Such occurrences were happening all over the capital.
With sales completely cut off, other nobles were busy trying to get the leftover cosmetics that their maids had abandoned.
While the capital was buzzing with Ghislaine and cosmetics, Kaor was inexplicably stuck inside the mansion, grinding away at his thoughts.
While Ghislaine and the cosmetics were causing quite a stir, Kaor was stuck inside the mansion, grinding his teeth.
“Damn, I’m going crazy from this frustration.”
If it were his usual temperament, he would have charged through the besieging troops and escaped by now, but he couldn’t do that this time.
The reason was painfully obvious.
“That idiot lord must have gotten himself into trouble again.”
He was in charge of managing the mercenaries and the mansion’s guards, so he wasn’t moving alongside Ghislaine this time.
But from what he had observed for a while, whenever something outrageous happened, it was usually the lord’s fault.
“This time, it seems particularly serious.”
Kaor frowned.
The troops blocking the mansion were far from ordinary.
Seeing that capable bunch surrounding the mansion, the lord was likely in a very dangerous situation.
The mercenaries approached him with worried expressions and asked.
“Since they’ve come this far, it seems the boss is in some trouble. Should we go save him?”
“Pfft, save what? Do you think you can get past those guys?”
“Well, not really…”
“It’s probably fine for now. They’re not attacking right away; they’re just standing there watching. And… that human wouldn’t just roll over like this.”
“…Isn’t he already rolling over?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. In this case, it boils down to two possibilities. One is that the enemy is strong enough to take him down…”
“And the other one?”
“The idiot lord is purposely letting himself get battered to mess with the enemy.”
“Aha.”
Having spent considerable time alongside Ghislaine, Kaor had come to a rather astute conclusion.
But a conclusion is just that—a conclusion. Given the situation, they had to prepare.
“So what do we do?”
“Hmm….”
Crossing his arms and contemplating for a while, Kaor finally spoke with a serious expression.
“Let’s just drink.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said let’s just drink. Ugh, I don’t know. Overthinking gives me a headache. The lord can handle himself. If something happens, we’ll think about it then.”
The mercenaries nodded in agreement, their faces lighting up with excitement.
“Let’s do it! For now, let’s drink and come up with our next plan!”
“I agree! There’s no need for us to stress out right now!”
“Well, if things go south, we can just take down the guys outside and escape! Hahaha!”
The mercenaries decided to enjoy their day.
Before long, merchants entered the mansion with a wagon full of barrels of alcohol.
The knights sent by the House of Marquis looked on in disbelief.
‘……Are they really just going to drink and party, not knowing when they’ll be attacked? Are they out of their minds?’
Regardless of what the people from the House of Marquis thought, a grand drinking festival was underway in the mansion.
Kaor raised his wine glass and shouted.
“Who will solve today’s worries?”
“Tomorrow’s me!”
“Who will solve tomorrow’s worries?”
“The day after tomorrow’s me!”
“Well then, let’s postpone our worries until tomorrow… To the lord’s safe return!”
“To the lord’s safe return!”
The carefree men clinked their glasses and laughed heartily.
