“Good day, Your Grace.”
“Welcome to the Bluewell Mansion.”
The middle-aged man with striking blue hair personally welcomed Rupert in the reception room. He was Perionel Bluewell, the head of the Bluewell family, known for having the most powerful influence and authority among the nobles of the Empire.
They had met once at a past banquet, and with this meeting through the Agora, it was their third encounter. However, it was the first time they were alone together, creating a bit of awkwardness in the atmosphere.
“Thank you so much for your ruling at the last Agora.”
“While there was my daughter’s request, and I can’t deny that I participated because of the trouble caused to the Somerset family, objectively speaking, your victory was undeniable.”
The Duke shook his head in response to Rupert’s gratitude. If he had really taken sides for friendship’s sake, it would have been embarrassing, but he truly believed Rupert had won fairly.
“Still, it is true that I won because of Your Grace’s ruling.”
Yet, seeing Rupert humbly express his gratitude, the Duke recalled the impression he had of Rupert at the banquet. His impression of Rupert back then had not been favorable.
<>“So many fools rush in just because of the family name.”
Many people had tried to get close to his daughter Amelia, hoping to connect even a little with the greatest household in the Empire, the Bluewell Duchy. Although the Duke sounded like a fool for saying it himself, Amelia was a daughter with both beauty and refinement that stood out wherever she went.
Thus, it was hard for the Duke to see Rupert in a good light, given that he had charmed Amelia. He assumed Rupert was just another one hiding some malicious intent, like everyone else who had approached her.
However, after this personal meeting, that perception began to change. Rupert, leaving his father, Count Somerset, as but a puppet in the banquet hall, welcomed guests himself. It matched the rumors perfectly.
“Haha! Many misunderstand, Your Grace, but I have stepped back willingly.”
“What does that mean?”
“As a father, my foolish decision has put the family in crisis, and I wanted to pave a way for my son, who has single-handedly lifted us up.”
Although even the Duke felt that usurping a father’s position was disgraceful behavior, he found the Count’s statement fascinating. The Count looked at peace while claiming that his son Rupert had more talent for leading the family than he did.
“Is the position of family head so light?”
Initially, the Duke reproached the Count for his attitude, but the Count’s expression remained unchanged.
“It is not light. I must be responsible for those working for the family and the residents of the territory.”
– So it is even more fitting for a capable son to lead, isn’t it?
Since then, the Duke’s heart had changed a lot. He wondered if it was really what his daughter Amelia wanted to inherit the family, or if it was right.
Initially, he had aimed to protect and prosper the family for the safety and happiness of his daughters.
“First, you surprised me with your book, then you became a professor at the academy, and now you’ve won at the Agora. I must honestly say I’m impressed,” the Duke said, looking at Rupert sitting across from him.
“I was just lucky.”
Luck? The Duke didn’t believe in luck. No, to be precise, he believed that luck was part of one’s skill. Reviving a declining family was no easy task at all.
If the Duke had found himself in Rupert’s previous position, he might have despaired in gloom.
“Do you perhaps have a woman you are courting, or someone you have an eye on?”
“No, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to pay attention to that side of life.”
“Hmm… Aren’t you now the leader of the Somerset family? At your age, it’s about time to consider marriage.”
“Thank you for your advice. I will keep it in mind.”
Rupert didn’t realize it, but the Duke knew that Rupert’s romantic life was incredibly clean. It was just a casual inquiry from the Duke’s side.
“Right, it would be good for you. By the way, this old man mustn’t keep you for too long.”
“No, it was a delightful time to hear Your Grace’s thoughts.”
“Spare me your flattery. Since Amelia has a somewhat established connection with you, just chat a bit before you leave.”
Finishing his sentence, the Duke stood up and left the reception room before Rupert could say anything.
‘Daughter, this is as far as a father can go.’
Even 7-year-old Evelyn knew that Amelia had feelings for Rupert as more than just a friend. The table had been set; it was up to Amelia to dig in.
While the Duke was reluctant to send his precious daughter off to a dark man, what could he do if she liked him? And perhaps, if they married, he might avoid Amelia’s cooking, which wasn’t such a bad bargain after all, considering how his and Evelyn’s faces had been getting leaner lately.
*
The aftershock of the Agora was always considerable.
The victor had the right to demand anything of the defeated, except for their life, a super-legal authority that always brought terrible ruin to the losers.
“I hereby declare that Count Dele Macbeth is no longer an honorable noble as of today. Furthermore, the Macbeth family will be erased from the Empire’s noble registry. Should they use the name Macbeth in the future, it will be subject to Imperial law…”
An envoy sent by the Imperial Family was announcing the decree in front of the estate of Count Macbeth.
Of course, the party involved, Count Macbeth, as well as his vassals, could only listen in dazed silence to the envoy’s words.
“And by the sacred rights of the victor, Sir Rupert Somerset, all properties belonging to the loser Dele shall be confiscated immediately.”
As the envoy gestured, dozens of employees from the Yuren Merchant Association standing behind him began to systematically move in to carry things out of Dele’s mansion.
“No, you wicked fools! Don’t touch those precious items!”
The former Count Macbeth yelled as he watched the employees of the Yuren Merchant Association take all his cherished belongings and heirlooms displayed throughout the mansion.
Yet, when the employees continued to ignore him and proceeded, Dele stepped up to physically block their path.
“You can’t take that! It’s a family treasure!”
“You crazy fool! Get lost!”
“What?! Crazy fool! Do you want to die…?”
Thwack!
Dele couldn’t finish his sentence.
A staff member’s fist had come flying into his face as he tried to block their way. The well-trained punch of the employee, used to labor, struck the plump Dele, causing him to squeal like a pig and roll on the ground.
“You’re not a noble anymore. Better get your act together.”
As Dele lay sprawled on the ground, his servants rushed to his side, but the employee who had thrown the punch paid them no mind and continued carrying items away.
“What the… what the heck is going on?”
Touching his swollen cheek, Dele felt like he was losing his mind.
In the past, that lowly merchant’s worker would have been punished just for making eye contact with him, yet now he dared to throw a punch.
It was utterly incomprehensible and unacceptable.
But,
“Get out of my way?! You’re just an obstruction! Leave this mansion!”
“This is my house!”
“All your property includes this mansion. This now belongs to the Somerset family, so don’t even think about touching it.”
Kicked out of his own mansion, Dele finally grasped the reality of his situation.
He had nothing left—not a title nor any property.
All that remained were a wife who had spent her life in luxury and a son who only knew how to bully the residents of the territory without doing anything useful.
“Look! It’s Count Macbeth!!!”
“Don’t call him a count anymore; that guy has become a commoner!”
“I heard the envoy from the Imperial Family declare that clearly!”
Dumped out of the mansion that had previously protected him, Dele felt fear as he faced the commoners looking at him like a predator eyeing its prey.
‘How did… how did it end up like this?’
Dele recalled the final moments of the Agora.
– I request that you strip Count Macbeth of his title and confiscate his property in representation of the winner.
After the shocking defeat of 3:0, Macbeth stepped forward as the representative and received the harshest punishment.
The other members of the Imperial Parent Association who were not him did not face the same fate of title loss; instead, they ended the matter by paying a hefty compensation.
But the representative had to lose everything.
This was a warning message from Rupert to the other nobles.
– Don’t mess with me, or you’ll regret it.
If Rupert had truly put his mind to it, he might have pushed for the title removal of all members of the Imperial Parent Association.
However, if he did that, the nobles would undoubtedly retaliate fiercely.
It was not a matter of a simple association’s Agora; if he stripped everyone of their titles, it would inherently lower the noble’s authority, and even the dormant nobles would rise against it.
Thus, punishing only Count Macbeth and resolving the others with compensation was a warning to those planning to attack him.
A strong resolve that no matter who it was, the representative would face punishment.
Moreover, he had indeed shown mercy, so no one came forward to support or aid the Imperial Parent Association.
The nobles were the coldest towards those who had outlived their usefulness.
And,
“Why… why are you, Baron Muriel, here…”
“Is that how you tend to your own affairs, Dele?”
Approaching the fallen nobles were simply packs of wild dogs waiting for their prey to tire.
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