Chapter : 05
There had been something.
Something extraordinary.
“Let’s stop now. I won’t hide it anymore. I… I have to marry Duke Eduart. That’s what Father wants.”
“But I can’t let you go! Laila Olivier, I want you like I’ve lost my mind!”
“Don’t do this! This is so hard for me too… sob!”
Strictly speaking, rather than something “extraordinary,” it would be more accurate to say there was a love of the century.
Alfonso leaned against the corner of a building, hidden from sight, and slowly closed his eyes.
‘This is a disaster.’
He normally didn’t use such expressions, but right now there seemed to be no better way to describe the situation.
It had truly been a coincidence that Alfonso had stumbled upon this love of the century.
Just a little while earlier, Alfonso and Sophia had arrived at the Olivier Count’s residence.
“Looks like the banquet has already ripened nicely. As expected.”
“The Count requested that we arrive late.”
“His intentions are obvious. How badly did he want to show off that he even made a separate request to you, Brother? How shameless.”
Making an entrance when the banquet was already in full swing was practically the same as declaring that you intended to attract attention.
Count Olivier wanted to display Duke Eduart before everyone gathered and flaunt their connection.
Of course, Alfonso was fully aware of the Count’s intentions.
“I’m the one seeking marriage, after all. I suppose I should endure it. It’s not a difficult request.”
Being the center of attention was hardly a new experience for him, so there was no reason to refuse.
‘But the atmosphere is a bit strange.’
The mood inside the banquet hall was oddly unsettled.
Most of all, people did not seem particularly surprised to see Alfonso.
It was as if another famous figure had already swept through earlier.
‘Rather than surprise… they look more embarrassed.’
Sophia seemed to sense it as well. Her expression had already turned noticeably displeased.
“What’s with this atmosphere? Everyone keeps glancing over… like I’ve come somewhere I’m not welcome.”
“They’re just surprised. Don’t frown. It would be rude to the Count.”
“It’s ruder to invite a guest to arrive late and then treat them like this. I’ll go get a drink or something. If I stay here any longer, I really will start making faces.”
Sophia deliberately put on a bright smile and left.
Not long after, the host of the banquet, Count Olivier, appeared.
For some reason, the old knight looked rather flustered.
“My apologies, Your Grace! Something urgent suddenly came up that needed handling…”
“It’s fine, Count. Judging by your expression, it must have been quite urgent. Was it truly that pressing?”
Though Alfonso’s tone was gentle, the words carried an edge.
After all, the Count had gone so far as to arrange for him to make a late entrance to flaunt his connection with Duke Eduart. Had something truly urgent enough to abandon that plan occurred?
“I am deeply ashamed. A rat got into the kitchen and nearly started a fire. The banquet might have been ruined before Your Grace even arrived. But it has been taken care of now, so please don’t worry.”
“I’m glad to hear it was handled. It would have been quite unfortunate if we hadn’t met today.”
Whether the Count’s explanation was true or not did not interest Alfonso.
From the start, he had only one objective.
To proceed with the marriage arrangement.
There was no need to circle around the matter.
“By the way, I don’t see your daughter. I was hoping to be introduced during this opportunity.”
“Ah, of course. Laila said she wanted to see the flowers, so she stepped out to the garden. If it isn’t too much trouble, would Your Grace mind bringing her back?”
The suggestion was obvious: the Count wanted Alfonso and Laila to have some private time before formal marriage discussions began.
There was no reason to refuse such a straightforward offer.
So Alfonso agreed and went out to the garden.
‘And this is the scene I encountered.’
Laila and Ethan had begun to tear up, and soon they were embracing each other tightly.
“Miss Laila!”
“Ethan! After all, you’re the only one for me!”
And Alfonso found himself in a difficult situation.
He had promised the Count he would bring Laila back. Returning alone wasn’t exactly an option.
‘I thought I could wait until things calmed down and then appear as if I’d just arrived.’
But the love of the century showed no signs of cooling.
In fact, Alfonso’s very existence as an obstacle had probably thrown another log onto the already blazing fire of their love.
Alfonso suddenly remembered one of his knights, Ludvik.
Whenever Ludvik was saddled with troublesome work, he would collapse like a weed under the scorching sun and mutter pessimistic complaints.
“Forget it… just forget it… you damned idiots…”
Alfonso had always wondered what could possibly frustrate him that much.
Now he felt he understood Ludvik’s feelings a little.
‘It would have been better if I hadn’t learned the truth behind this.’
No.
Would that really have been better?
Marrying someone who already had a lover?
‘That was a foolish thought.’
Even if his marriage was urgent.
If Alfonso had married Laila like this, she would certainly have had to lose the person she loved.
Or their love would forever remain something shameful.
Was it truly right to satisfy his own desires by making someone else miserable?
Just thinking about it was shameful.
Alfonso closed his eyes tightly, then opened them.
‘This marriage cannot happen.’
He would speak to the Count and call off the arrangement.
Just as he made up his mind and turned to leave—
Count Olivier suddenly appeared behind him, wearing a friendly smile.
“Your Grace, you were here. When you didn’t return, I wondered what had happened and came to check. Why are you standing here… wait, Laila? Ethan?”
“F-Father?!”
“Count!”
The moment Count Olivier saw the lovebirds, his face flushed red with anger.
“W-What is the meaning of this! Why are you two here together—”
“I-I’ll explain, Father! This is… well—”
“Count! Miss Laila and I deeply love each other! Please allow us to be together!”
“W-What?! I took in a street orphan and raised him, and this is how he repays me—ugh!”
“F-Father!!!”
The old knight, famous for never losing his composure even on the harshest battlefields, apparently could not maintain it when witnessing his daughter’s secret meeting.
Unable to withstand the spike in his blood pressure, he clutched the back of his neck and collapsed.
Unfortunately, the sudden commotion had already drawn people nearby, and before anyone could hide the situation, the banquet descended into chaos.
Alfonso asked about the Count’s condition and was preparing to leave when Sophia came running, having heard the commotion.
She grabbed a handful of her skirt and hurried over in a fluster.
“What in the world happened? Is the Count alright?”
“He merely fainted from shock. The doctor says it’s nothing serious.”
“Oh my… Is today some kind of cursed day? Brother, you haven’t heard the story yet, have you?”
“What story?”
“You noticed the strange atmosphere earlier, right? While I was walking around, I heard why.”
Sophia put on an exaggeratedly serious face and continued in a sharp voice.
“Right before we arrived, a truly unwelcome guest showed up!”
“…What? Who?”
“The villainess of Noha! Charlotte Noha—that shameless woman came here!”
* * *
“So Count Olivier collapsed? I didn’t expect that.”
Charlotte, the true culprit behind all the chaos, lightly sprayed perfume into the air as she muttered.
Her languid hand waved through the floating scent with an elegance that seemed almost aristocratic.
“So? Is the Count alive?”
“There appear to be no health issues. It seems he simply lost consciousness from the shock.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
If anything had happened to the Count, Alfonso would have been unable to escape the guilt.
That would have been unfortunate.
Though Charlotte didn’t particularly like Count Olivier.
She recalled her visit to the Olivier residence.
“Leave at once! You cannot simply enter my estate without an invitation!”
“What a cold reception. Even an uninvited rat can freely wander into Olivier’s kitchen, yet a person is turned away at the gate for lacking a mere invitation.”
“W-What? Such ridiculous slander—!”
“Slander? Is that what you think? On my way here, I happened to glance through the kitchen window and saw quite a commotion catching rats. It looked like a fire might start soon. If you don’t go check, you may regret it.”
Count Olivier had looked confused.
If the words had come from anyone else, he would have scoffed and ignored them.
But the speaker was none other than Charlotte.
The villainess of Noha—who wouldn’t bat an eye even if she released rats herself, set a perfectly fine kitchen on fire, and calmly watched it burn.
