Chapter 115. Childhood Friend – Condition
Somehow, it looks familiar.
‘Where have I seen that before? No, more than that…’
Lev felt a strong desire for the gem nestled in Harriet’s cleavage. He didn’t know why, but he wanted it. This sudden urge left him flustered.
“Forgive me for asking on our first meeting, but I have a request.”
Harriet’s calm voice brought him back to reality. Still, Lev’s eyes couldn’t stray from the gem in her cleavage, causing Harriet Gaiden’s brow to furrow slightly.
‘Why did Father tell me to seek his permission?’
In the trade city of Bospo in the Orun Kingdom, she had met her destined partner. ‘Pallas Tertan’ was undoubtedly the one chosen for her by the gods.
Initially, he was merely an escape route from marrying the despicable princes, but the more she talked with him, the more she fell for his gentle and beautiful nature.
Fortunately, Pallas Tertan felt the same way about her, and they shared a kiss on a sunset terrace.
It was then he revealed that his grandfather, Duke Rupert Tertan, did not approve of their marriage and asked for her help.
He pleaded with her to accompany him to the duke’s house, and she readily agreed.
She wouldn’t have hesitated even if he had asked her to enter hell.
But then her father contacted her.
A few days ago, he had given his permission for her to visit, but suddenly he commanded her to return to the capital.
She felt deeply sorry but didn’t want to leave.
How could she leave this man behind?
She defied her father’s orders and prepared to leave. But the head steward and knights strongly opposed her, preventing her from departing. Even Pallas, informed by the steward, calmed her down.
In the end, the two lovers promised to meet again.
Pallas vowed to persuade his grandfather somehow, while Harriet promised to beg her father to let her visit the duke’s house.
Leaving her maids on the verge of collapse in Bospo, Harriet hurried back to Nevis.
Without even time to freshen up, she rushed to her father and pleaded that she loved the man and wished to go to the duke’s house.
But her father’s response was strange.
He hesitated, unable to grant her wish easily. It seemed he had something to say but was reluctant to speak.
In fact, Pallas Tertan was already dead. He had been attacked by assailants while crossing the Irotasi River, and Marquis Harvey Gaiden had known for some time.
He was glad he had summoned his daughter back. She might have been swept up and killed as well.
The marquis marveled at his ‘lord’s’ foresight, but there was a sad truth. His daughter had fallen in love with the young man, Pallas Tertan.
She spoke endlessly of his virtues, forgetting her noble decorum.
She begged to marry him, claiming he was a perfect suitor her father would approve of.
It pained him.
He knew he had to tell her of Pallas’s death eventually, but the marquis decided to wait for his lord to return.
He needed to decide her fate. Although unfortunate for her, her future remained undetermined.
If she didn’t marry, she’d become the subject of gossip and grow old as a spinster. Harriet would have to bury Pallas in her heart and find another suitor.
That would be best for her.
Her suitor had already been chosen. Pallas Tertan was just an alternative.
Now that the engagement with the Tertan duchy was null, Marquis Harvey Gaiden had to decide whether to marry his daughter to the princes or face the isolation of his family.
At that moment, items sent by his lord arrived.
Thirty large wagons filled with weapons.
The marquis understood his lord’s intent. He was preparing for a rebellion.
He hid the weapons.
It was inconvenient that the wagons were sent to the estate, but he secretly transported them to the Gaiden family territory in the northeast.
He then visited Marquis Ebeny Drageen. Though he had claimed to his lord he had done nothing, he was preparing for the rebellion.
He didn’t want to marry his daughter to the princes.
Following his lord’s plan would prevent their family from being isolated.
His lord assured him that he need not worry, as he had a clever plan…
“That’s absurd!”
Marquis Drageen cut him off.
“Rebelling without a cause? I sympathize with your daughter’s plight, but this is preposterous!”
“……”
“If you’re worried about your daughter, find another suitor and marry her off. Join us. Baron Guanin has agreed with me. If you join, we will have two border marquises. If we can persuade Count Ogerton, the royal family won’t dare touch us.”
Count Ogerton’s family was headed by the wizard Soarel Demetri Ogerton.
Though not a family of wizards, Count Ogerton’s family had been fortunate to produce a wizard.
The name ‘Demetri’ indicated he was a graduate of the Bolyn Magus Tower, located in the western part of the Right Kingdom. It was one of the five towers on the continent, most advanced in the ‘Mana Accumulation Theory.’ The middle name ‘Demetri’ symbolized affiliation with the Bolyn Magus Tower.
Thus, Count Ogerton’s power was comparable to that of the Gaiden and Drageen marquises.
Most wizards dispatched throughout the Orun Kingdom were from the Bolyn Magus Tower. Though they worked as mercenaries, wizards had a strong bond due to their intellectual resonance.
Marquis Drageen was firm in his decision.
“Why you suddenly plan a rebellion, I don’t know, friend. Let go of the thought. The time isn’t right yet. Instead, would you join us? Together, we can overcome this adversity.”
However, Marquis Gaiden left without giving a clear answer, still unsure. His friend’s words were right, and his allure was slightly weakened, causing his resolve to waver. If it weren’t for the master-servant relationship, his allure would have likely broken on the spot.
So, Marquis Harvey told his daughter to wait. He found it odd how indecisive he was, waiting for his lord’s return.
Harriet also found her father’s behavior strange but did not defy him.
She couldn’t imagine that Pallas was dead and was filled with hope that she could visit him once she got permission from the guest her father mentioned.
‘But why did Father say I need this person’s permission?’
Harriet Gaiden felt uneasy about the guest her father repeatedly emphasized as important, who was staring at her cleavage, but she didn’t mention it.
She cautiously pleaded, wondering about the relationship between this cold-looking young man and her father.
The steward had mentioned that he seemed connected to Chief Walter…
“I wish to go to the Tertan duchy. I don’t know if you’re aware, but I met Pallas Tertan. He is…”
“I know.”
The young man rudely interrupted Harriet.
“I know you met the heir of the Tertan duchy in Bospo and why you want to go there, so there’s no need for further explanation.”
Harriet Gaiden was taken aback and glanced at her father.
Who is this man to know our family’s affairs and to speak down to me in my father’s presence?
And how should I respond to this?
But her father remained calm and unfazed.
This is strange.
Harriet found her father’s silent agreement disturbingly odd.
Even if this man were the king of the Orun Kingdom, if he spoke to her in such a manner, her father would have shown displeasure.
At the very least, he would have raised an eyebrow to signal her to endure it or responded in some way…
Having grown up as the daughter of a great noble, she took this suspicion seriously.
Something is wrong.
Perhaps there’s something wrong with Father…
“What is that necklace? Where did you get it?”
Harriet faced the young man’s burning crimson gaze.
Suddenly, his intense stare at her cleavage didn’t feel so unpleasant.
Even his condescending tone didn’t seem much of an issue, and she chose her words carefully to respond.
“This is a gift from Pallas, the man I promised to love.”
“…I see.”
Lev hesitated. He didn’t know why the gem seemed familiar or why he desired it, thinking, “Why am I like this?” as he tried to gather his thoughts. Harriet then asked.
“Then… may I go to the duchy? My father asked me to get your permission.”
She anxiously awaited his response.
She still didn’t understand why her father asked her to get this man’s permission, but she somehow accepted it.
Lev glanced at Marquis Harvey.
Pallas Tertan must already be dead… Judging by his expression, he seemed to know but hadn’t told her.
“Fine. You may go.”
Harriet’s face brightened, and as doubt crossed Marquis Harvey’s eyes, Lev added.
“But not immediately. It would be best to leave after this winter. Traveling in the cold is not ideal, and Pallas Tertan might get the duke’s approval by then. Preparing for the wedding and meeting him then would be more efficient.”
“Really? Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“But there is a condition.”
“What is it?”
Overjoyed, Harriet eagerly clasped her hands together, ready to accept any condition. She didn’t notice the desire burning in Lev’s eyes.
“That is…”
– Bang!
At that moment, a crashing sound came from outside.
The marquis was startled and jumped up, calling for the steward.
“What’s going on?”
“I apologize. I’ll go check immediately.”
“Alright… No, I’ll go check myself. Sorry to interrupt, but please excuse me for a moment.”
Marquis Gaiden noticed Lev subtly gesturing for him to leave and changed his words. He decided to let his daughter and the lord continue their conversation and hurried to the source of the commotion.
– Neighing wildly!!
The disturbance was in the mansion’s stables, where the servants had already gathered. Upon approaching, he found that the loud noise had been caused by Lev’s horse kicking down the stable’s partition wall.
The jet-black horse, now an immensely powerful ‘Bante,’ was whinnying fiercely.
It had broken through the partition and was attempting to mate with the mare in the next stall.
Despite efforts to separate them, the horse violently shook its head and bared its teeth, causing Marquis Harvey to order the servants to leave the frenzied horse alone.
As someone well-versed in equine behavior, the marquis knew that such forced mating wasn’t good for the mare, but since his son’s death, he had lost interest in the horses.
Marquis Gaiden returned to the drawing room where his daughter and the lord had been conversing.
“Sorry for the delay. Lev’s horse caused a commotion, but it was nothing serious.”
As he explained what had happened outside, he noticed Harriet’s flushed face and Lev’s satisfied smile.
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