Chapter 125: Let Me Take a Shot at It.
The guard spoke with a nonchalant face following the work instructions.
“Marquis, currently at the royal castle…”
“I’ve already found out he’s at home. Hurry up and deliver the message.”
“Um, well, that’s…”
The guard was flustered.
Marquis Branford was not someone you could just meet on a whim. You had to send someone in advance to schedule an appointment and wait for months to finally meet him.
Even now, dozens of nobles were waiting to meet the Marquis.
“First, please leave your name and business in the guest book, and someone will come to inform you of the subsequent schedule…”
“I’m here for something really important, so at least let them know I’m here. If they still say to go back, I’ll go back then.”
“No, um… sigh.”
The guard sighed, suppressing his anger, and asked for the reason for the visit.
“I’m here regarding Miss Rosalyn. A few days ago, she bought my cosmetics here, and I thought I could check on the progress and offer any assistance needed.”
Upon hearing the name Rosalyn, the guard’s expression hardened instantly.
At one time, the Marquis’s house would spare no effort seeking out beauty products and medicines to improve Rosalyn’s skin condition.
Greedy individuals, hoping for a lucky break, would come offering unverified remedies and even sell downright fake medicines.
Rosalyn, every time, apprehensively accepted all of them, but there were no results.
Her condition often worsened, and there were times she barely survived due to poisons.
Marquis Branford did not forgive the pests that surrounded his daughter.
Knowing this, the guard saw Ghislaine as someone willingly crawling into a death trap.
He cautiously said, “I understand your intent… but just give up. If you’re not careful, you might lose your head over this.”
“I’m fine, so just pass the message along.”
“I’m not fine! If I let a random person in, I’m dead too. Just passing the word may get me killed.”
The guard pleaded with a desperate expression as if begging for mercy.
Eventually, seeing the guard squeeze his eyes shut and endure it, Ghislaine scratched his head in frustration.
“Then at least call the butler. The person who sold cosmetics visited a few days ago. The Marquis might not see me, but the butler should be able to meet me, right?”
“Well…”
“C’mon, hurry up!”
Ghislaine pressed insistently.
He pushed forward recklessly.
Marquis Branford would be hard to see for days once he stepped away. If not now, when would the opportunity arise?
In the end, the guard was pushed to call the butler by Ghislaine’s insistence.
The butler asked Ghislaine with a neutral expression, just as they had when they first met.
“What can I do for you?”
“Have you tried the cosmetics? What did you think?”
“It was useless.”
Ghislaine nodded without a hint of surprise.
“Right? I’ve done a bit of research, and to treat the Marquis’s daughter, we need to use something other than cosmetics.”
“What do you mean by ‘other methods’?”
“Well… it’s not something to discuss here. I need to inform the Marquis.”
Ghislaine crossed his arms and leaned slightly to the side with a smirk.
“Tell the Marquis right now. I’ll be seeing him, and it’s the last chance to solve his daughter’s problem. If he still rejects it, there’s nothing more to be done. I wonder who will end up worse off.”
The butler hesitated for a moment before warning him.
“If you’re lying, it could be dangerous. The Marquis is not someone who would overlook such matters.”
Ghislaine frowned in exasperation.
“There’s really nothing to lose for them, right? Just hurry up and tell him. Don’t regret it later.”
Though he seemed unrefined for a noble, Ghislaine oozed confidence in a strange way. This made the butler’s resolve waver.
Even though the cosmetics had little effect on Rosalyn, the person behind them was the one praised by nobles for creating them.
If someone so confident claimed to solve the issue, it seemed worth a final shot.
“While there’s nothing to lose for us, it might not be the same for the Baron. Still, if you truly wish, I can relay your message to the Marquis.”
“Yeah, yeah. Finally, we’re on the same page.”
The butler turned to find Marquis Branford.
Sifting through a mountain of paperwork in his office, Marquis Branford tilted his head at the butler’s report.
“Baron Penris? Who’s that?”
“The one who created the cosmetics we brought a few days ago. He’s a young noble supported by Count Ailzbur’s wife.”
“Oh, right. It just came back to me. But he came to demand to meet me out of the blue?”
“Yes. He claims he can cure the young lady’s illness.”
Marquis Branford narrowed his eyes.
“How presumptuous. Who does he think he is, barging in unannounced to ask for a meeting?”
The Marquis expressed more irritation over the unannounced visit than the idea of helping his daughter.
Did he think this place was a walk in the park that someone could just waltz in without an appointment?
It was like a challenge to his authority.
“Send him away. Make it clear he shouldn’t come back.”
Despite the Marquis’s firm attitude, the butler persistently tried to persuade him gently.
“It seems he’s a noble just risen from the countryside and doesn’t know much about the Marquis. But he’s so confident; wouldn’t it be worth letting him try?”
The Marquis furrowed his brow for a moment but didn’t get angry.
There must be a reason his long-serving butler spoke so firmly.
Noticing the Marquis’s resolve wavering, the butler urged him a bit more earnestly.
“Miss Rosalyn’s condition has been worsening, hasn’t it? There’s widespread talk that Baron Penris’s cosmetics are quite effective. As a noble who created those products, he might just have a different approach.”
“There are rumors spreading around that it’s quite good. As someone from the noble class who made such a product, there might be some unique methods involved.”
Marquis Branford asked with an expressionless face, “Well, does that even mean anything?”
The marquis hadn’t completely given up from the beginning.
However, even with the power of the Branford House, there was no improvement in Rosalyn’s condition.
As a father, he felt regretful, but the marquis didn’t worry too much.
After all, his daughter would end up living as the mistress of a noble family.
It would be inconvenient, but he thought that if it was just not able to see the sunlight, it wouldn’t significantly affect her life.
“The household must be comfortable; otherwise, wouldn’t it be hard for you to focus on your outside affairs, my lord? If it’s just nonsense, you can punish me later.”
When the butler spoke again, the marquis let out a small laugh.
“If I cut off your head, Meriel would be saddened.”
“Lady would understand as well. If it fails, it would mean that you deceived the marquis.”
The marquis had never forgiven anyone who told a lie or challenged his authority, not even someone like Meriel who had his back.
Though her influence was significant, it didn’t reach that of Marquis Branford.
“Bring him in. I’ll meet him and decide whether to send him back. And bring information about Baron Penris as well.”
“Yes, understood.”
A moment later, the door of the Branford mansion swung open wide.
The guard watching Ghislaine showed a look of surprise.
It was rare for the marquis to receive someone who just barged in like this.
Ghislaine nodded, as if it was the most natural outcome, and confidently stepped inside.
*
Marquis Branford sat in the high seat, looking at Ghislaine with a dry expression.
He asked with a mocking tone, “I didn’t expect the center of attention to come directly. So, you want to help my daughter?”
Ghislaine had no intention of beating around the bush and answered straightforwardly.
“That’s correct. I can help the young lady.”
“Great confidence you’ve got, but how can I trust you to take care of my daughter?”
“Didn’t you hear from the butler? I have even cured the ‘Eternal Punishment.’ I’m not someone like the amateurs you’ve seen so far.”
Marquis Branford slowly picked up a document beside him and read it.
“Well, there are rumors that a priest in Raybold has been babbling about such matters. But there’s no proof that it was indeed you.”
‘As expected of the Branford House. They’re monitoring even the territories of the outskirts.’
The marquis’s words didn’t end there.
“The northern scoundrel, the corner dwelling swordmaster, a chronic liar, a fool’s friend, a bundle of insecurities, a madman… Do you think anyone would trust a person with such titles?”
Ghislaine lowered his head to conceal his expression and clicked his tongue.
‘They’ve meticulously documented everything.’
No matter what titles he had, Ghislaine was a direct descendant of a lord. Naturally, there would be collected information about him. Even the fact that he didn’t have a good reputation was, in its way, a form of intelligence.
Hastily adjusting his expression without appearing to reveal flaws, he raised his head to meet the marquis’s gaze again.
“I’ve heard that even priests couldn’t cure the young lady’s illness. Well, divine power isn’t omnipotent.”
“You say that so casually; priests would be horrified to hear it.”
Marquis Branford leaned back in his chair with a look of intrigue.
“You don’t even know my daughter. How do you expect to understand her condition and offer help?”
“Rumors have spread, whether you like it or not. I’ll give it a try. It won’t take long,” Ghislaine replied confidently.
Marquis Branford let out a scoff and rested his chin on one hand, inquiring, “Are you fearless, or just too clueless having just arrived in the capital? Well, if you’re saying that, you must be prepared to risk your life, right?”
“Do you need to risk your life to help someone?”
“What, are you unsure of yourself?”
With a cold smile on his lips, Marquis Branford said, “I know Count Perdium is struggling in the borderlands. Out of respect for your father, I’ll forgive you this once. But don’t overstep again; this isn’t your territory.”
Though Count Perdium was extremely poor, he was a noble who valued loyalty to the royal family and honor. Among the Crown Prince Faction nobles, there had been talks of increasing support for Perdium, but those fell through due to their power struggle with Duke Delphine.
‘It should be fine just this once,’ thought Branford, deciding to forgive Ghislaine this time, seeing the face of Count Perdium. He had spared the son’s life beyond his rudeness, and one extra support surely wouldn’t be too much.
But Ghislaine disregarded his consideration and countered, “Aren’t you going to treat your daughter?”
Marquis Branford replied indifferently, “It would be nice to treat her, but it’s no big deal if we can’t. It’s not like her life is in danger.”
“The person concerned won’t think that way. I will ensure her treatment,” Ghislaine asserted stubbornly.
Beside the obstinate Ghislaine, Belinda and Claude looked pale. Noticing the anxious followers of Ghislaine, Marquis Branford chuckled quietly.
Even with his followers in distress, Ghislaine showed no sign of retracting her statement. If she was insisting on this despite warnings, at least her courage was commendable.
“Alright, if you want it that much, give it a try. If successful, I’ll suitably reward you. Butler.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Don’t hold back in supporting Baron Penris’s treatment. Once it’s done, I’ll personally decide on how the Baron will be treated.”
“Understood.”
“Now, you may leave.”
With a wave of his hand, Marquis Branford dismissed them, annoyance evident on his face. Thoughts of his daughter and Ghislaine were already being pushed to one side of his mind.
Just as he stood up, pondering how to deal with Duke Delphine, Ghislaine boldly spoke up.
“I don’t need a suitable reward.”
“What?”
Marquis Branford, who was about to leave, turned back to look at Ghislaine.
“You mean you don’t need a reward? That’s not your call to make. I decide based on the success of the task.”
Branford clicked his tongue inwardly and waved his hand at the butler, signaling to call forth the soldiers to chase her away. Just then, an astonishing remark echoed in the room.
“Not just any reward, but please grant me something that I desire.”
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