The nobles’ attitudes were surprisingly submissive. Many nobles were debating whether to align themselves with Yuria, which played a significant role in this situation.
At this point, there were already some who had contacted me. Those who couldn’t grasp the trend were probably filled with doubts.
“I wish for Lord Robert to become the head of the family.”
“Few people speak such words.”
The noble who approached me whispered quietly, as if sharing a secret.
“In fact, many nobles think similarly. If Lady Yuria becomes the head of the family, the outcome will be obvious.”
“In what way do you mean?”
“We love peace. The main reason we opposed the southern campaign is that many wars lead to bloodshed. I hope this contest for the head of the family ends as peacefully as possible, but… it seems unlikely, right?”
“That’s uncertain. It might actually end quite easily.”
Loving peace was nonsense. They just didn’t want to send their private soldiers to war.
Since it was already widely known that I had ties to the imperial family, they likely wanted to delay the southern campaign as much as possible.
Well, I didn’t need to respond that I wouldn’t do it. Grabbing the noble’s hand, I shook it firmly.
“I will move in the desired direction. Of course, if I become the head of the family.”
“I will help as much as I can. For Taylor’s prosperity.”
Whether this was truly for prosperity or not, such words certainly gave me strength. Not everyone approached me so obediently. There were those who opposed working with me until the very end. There were even times I had to draw the sword at my waist.
“Are you threatening me with a sword?”
“No, I dislike threats. The Grand Duke is well aware of that.”
“Then why do you have your sword drawn? The lady of the house wouldn’t go so far!”
“Yuria? Don’t make me laugh.”
Yuria was no one to be underestimated; she was more formidable than I was. As the sword swung back and forth, the noble’s face turned pale. As the distance between us closed, seeing his complexion turn white made me chuckle, and in the end, the noble surrendered with a shout.
“Fine! Cooperation is the way to go then!”
“It would have been nice if you said that earlier. There was no need to hassle about like this.”
After ripping apart the contract I had with Yuria right in front of me, the noble only managed to catch his breath once the sword disappeared.
There was no need to approach everyone gently. Among the nobles, some were malicious, and most of those didn’t obey submissively.
Eventually, they would be dealt with anyway.
They’re just people who need a little “hand” of persuasion anyway.
If you were kind to those like them, there are definitely some who’d look at you unfavorably.
“Didn’t you say you dislike threats?”
When Arwen, gazing at me blankly, asked that, I chuckled and shook my head.
Dislike threats, huh? Well, I think it’s better to use them if necessary.
I only said that to scare them a little; there wasn’t much weight to it.
“I actually like them.”
“Well, you were similar when we first met.”
“I don’t think I really threatened you back then.”
“I wish you would consider the emotions I felt at that moment. Do you know how surprised I was?”
I remember when I first met Arwen, probably when I had just killed some assassins and was covered in blood.
Adele was below, so I hadn’t thought about it, but if I had been in Arwen’s shoes… I would’ve probably been quite shocked.
Come to think of it, I think I even fainted once. If you think about it, it was quite a similar situation to a threat.
Suddenly declaring you’d kill the Crown Prince, wouldn’t anyone assume you’d do it if they refused?
As I awkwardly smiled, Arwen sighed heavily and turned her head. Now, we were headed towards the last noble.
If we could wrap this one up, many things would be resolved, but it felt like a place I’d rather avoid.
Looking at the paper with the name Yugress written on it, I quietly sighed again.
“Are you alright?”
I heard Renold’s voice. If it was Renold, he probably knew why I was acting this way.
He had been the butler since I was young, so he well understood my reaction to this name.
Arwen looked puzzled, but she wasn’t completely clueless; she seemed to sense something was up.
“After all, this place is the most important. I have to accept it.”
At my words, Arwen’s expression wavered slightly.
She looked uncertain about the name Yugress, but it seemed like she recalled its significance.
Isn’t it the family where my mother was born?
Perhaps it was a family we absolutely had to involve, and at the same time, it was the most crucial place.
Yugress isn’t a particularly powerful family.
From the center’s perspective, it’s quite distant, and their political influence isn’t strong either.
But that’s just the current state of affairs; during the time my father was the head of the family, it was quite prosperous.
In the end, the family’s decline happened after my mother’s death.
“Here we are. Count Yugress’ residence.”
When I lifted my head at Renold’s words, a rather shabby building compared to the Ducal Residence caught my eye.
Once prosperous and splendid, now it had a somewhat dull luster.
As I stepped inside the entrance, a sigh escaped me for no reason. It was a place I had deliberately avoided despite my repeated reincarnations.
Coming here makes me think of my mother, which weakens my heart.
Because I came here, I became weak-hearted thinking of my mother.
Now, I had to overcome it.
With that thought, as I walked forward, a more seasoned figure than Renold approached and bowed his head.
“Though this is our first meeting, may I ask what brings you here?”
“This person is—”
“No, it’s fine.”
I pushed Renold back, wanting to enter alone at least from here.
Though I didn’t want to give it significance, if it was politeness, then so be it.
The butler, who was staring at me, seemed to have already recognized my identity to some extent, but he smiled quietly and moved his lips.
“Please convey this to the Count.”
With a bit of a fluttering heart, I wondered how my grandfather would perceive me.
Suddenly, that curiosity bubbled up.
“Your grandson has come.”
#
It was my first time facing my grandfather since my birth.
In the first place, that was the meaning of a political marriage.
Being married meant there wasn’t much connection to the family.
However, I felt a small sense of regret about only coming now.
What if I had come sooner?
As I furrowed my brow at the thread of guilt in my heart, a faint presence was felt nearby.
“…So you’ve come this far.”
“Are you disappointed that it’s not a granddaughter?”
“Not exactly, but I preferred not to see you if possible. You didn’t come here today just to discuss Serena, did you?”
The old man expressed distaste rather bluntly before slowly sitting down.
He was dressed neatly, but it was clear he wanted to leave the seat immediately.
After watching him for a moment, I cautiously opened my mouth.
“I have nothing to say, in many ways.”
“Then may I rise from my seat?”
“…Is it that unpleasant for you? If you avoid even a few words, it must be.”
“The problem is that you resemble her too much. It has been nearly 20 years since I last saw my daughter. If a grandson suddenly visits, do you really think that’s considered considerate?”
I shook my head with a bitter smile at the implication that I was hasty.
Hearing that I resembled her didn’t sound bad to me. In fact, I wanted to resemble her.
Despite not knowing what image he reflected of me, the feelings from his previous words did improve.
“I came today to ask about the doctor. I heard you are cooperating with Yuria, but you don’t seem like the one to do so.”
“That’s just what the Lady of the House thought on her own. I have no interest in participating in that head of family fight, so if you expect to gain something from me, you will only waste your time. Moreover—”
A strange light appeared in his green eyes.
Those seasoned eyes seemed to dig into my chest, as if trying to read the emotions I held for a moment.
The old man swallowed hard and opened his mouth. To be precise, Count Yugress moved his lips.
The old man who swallowed his silence opened his mouth. To be precise, Count Yugress’s lips fluttered.
“Are you certain that you are fully prepared to become the Head of the Family? Just a few months ago, you held no power whatsoever. Do you really think that you can challenge now?”
“I believe so.”
“On what grounds?”
“Because I didn’t spend those few months idly.”
The paper extending across the table bore the seal of the North. It was a personal letter received directly from Adele, and as I drew out my Magic Power, the Divine Power within it shone with a pure white light. Upon seeing the artifact engraved with Miragen’s seal, the Count let out a small gasp.
“…That is true. However, if these forces become involved, you must be considering the possibility that Taylor’s reputation could be damaged.”
“The reason for bringing these forces on board is to prepare for when I become the Head of the Family. So that Taylor won’t be shaken after I take up the position.”
“And what about now?”
Instead of answering, I presented the papers stamped with the nobles’ seals, and as the Count scrutinized them closely, he looked back at me again. His gaze, which had been vacantly staring into space, was a little more intense now. Seemingly intrigued, the Count’s lips parted to speak.
“You turned out to be better than I thought. Considering you learned from the Duke, that would be expected.”
“I didn’t learn from my father.”
If it were my father, he wouldn’t have considered such coercion. He would have opted for oppression instead, having reigned from above. Yuria had moved similarly, which is why I was deliberately acting in the opposite direction.
Occasionally mixing in threats, I still tried to use conversation as a means, moving towards inclusion instead of intimidation. If someone were to ask from whom I learned that, I could only think of one person.
“You learned from your mother, didn’t you?”
Believing in people to the point that others call me a fool was thanks to the teachings I received from you. Never giving up till the end, even while trying to change my thinking, hesitating about wrongdoing—everything was learned from my mother.
I don’t think everything is right, but because I know that the foundation is close to the truth, I could willingly choose to be the fool.
I moved to embrace rather than wield power, to encourage cooperation rather than promote division. Would the old man realize that I was walking a path completely opposite to the one Yuria walked?
As I looked at the briefly silent old man, he soon smiled quietly.
This time, it was a gentle smile. Like watching a child’s antics.
“I think it would be okay to listen a little more.”
“You’ll find it quite interesting.”
As I smiled, the Count smiled back too.
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