IDHGA 12

Chapter 12

It was a long time after Asierd had left that my father finally showed his face.

As if it wasn’t difficult enough going back and forth between the palace and the Marquis’s residence, Father had been appearing at the Marquis’s residence quite frequently lately.

Father, whose face looked somewhat haggard, came looking for me as soon as he arrived.

“I heard the Duke of Fontaine came by today.”

And the words that came out of his mouth were, unsurprisingly, so very much like my father that they didn’t disappoint.

Without a single word about where he’d been today, what he’d done, or even a simple greeting that anyone might offer, he just threw that question at me.

I let out a hollow laugh and looked at my father.

“So what?”

Surely he knew since I’d told him this morning, so why go to the trouble of coming all the way here to confirm?

I remained seated on the sofa and stared up at my father.

“What did the Duke of Fontaine say when he came?”

“What is there to say? We had a meal together, and afterward, he enjoyed playing Othello with Uncle. Then he left.”

“A man of ducal rank came all this way just to play children’s games with a child and leave? And you expect me to believe that?”

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you, Father.”

“Can’t you speak properly? This is important!”

“That’s your opinion too. Just because it’s important to you doesn’t mean it has to be important to me, does it?”

Asierd truly had just had a meal and played Othello with my uncle before leaving.

It was exactly as it was, with nothing more to add and nothing to take away.

He had wanted to talk with me more, but mindful of my refusal, he didn’t ask me twice.

He simply, just as it was, played a game with my uncle and left.

My uncle saw him off with a very satisfied expression, and my aunt was grateful to him as well.

Throughout the time we spent together, all four of us laughed and enjoyed ourselves.

That was all.

Asierd hadn’t said anything particularly special during that time.

“I’m sorry, but please don’t force your standards on me. Don’t concern yourself with who I meet, either. You’ve never shown any interest in me before, have you?”

“Do you think your marriage concerns only you? You foolish girl… This is an important matter for the Mason family as well. Don’t you understand that this is an opportunity to show our loyalty to the imperial family!”

“Then you should have shown me some interest all along and made me listen to you. Why are you trying to act like a father now, after all these years of not doing so?”

“Eloise!”

Father’s voice grew louder again.

It wasn’t as if I was saying anything wrong.

“Don’t yell at me! I’m not someone you can treat carelessly, Father!”

“You, you… what are you…!”

“From what I hear, it seems you want to sell me off to the Crown Prince to get ahead. Don’t you have anything else to sell? Or rather, if you were going to sell me, why did you even have me in the first place?”

“Look at you! There’s no end to your insolence!”

“Exactly. The more I hear, the more I realize you’ve never done a single decent thing for me. Why are you so selfish?”

From beginning to end, the person before me wanted only one thing.

To have his daughter marry the Crown Prince and somehow prove his loyalty to the imperial family.

It was so plainly obvious, so why hadn’t I seen it in my past life?

“Don’t come here anymore. I don’t even want to see your face. Since you’re going to stay by the Crown Prince’s side anyway, just stay there.”

“Eloise!”

“And just in case, let me make this clear: if you’re thinking of forcing me to marry His Highness the Crown Prince, give it up. The moment that happens, I will die.”

“You, you…!”

As I spoke in a resolute tone, Father’s face grew increasingly red and flushed as he glared at me.

Though his behavior was disgraceful, he was still a warrior, so his murderous glare was somewhat intimidating.

But still. I’ve died once already; I’m not afraid to die twice.

If he absolutely refuses to give up, there’s no other way but for me to disappear.

Without wavering, I met my father’s gaze and clearly conveyed my resolve, word by word.

“Once the social season ends, I’m returning to the North. And I won’t leave the North until either you die or the Crown Prince dies. I have no intention of marrying, nor of handing over family affairs to anyone else, so give up your delusions.”

I decide my own life.

My father could only glare at me as if he wanted to kill me as I spoke without flinching.

A silent standoff continued for a while.

Father, glaring at me coldly, and me, calmly meeting his gaze.

This stalemate that seemed to have no end was broken by a sudden knock on the door.

“You two, do you think this is your own home?”

My aunt, her voice quite displeased, was leaning against the doorway, looking back and forth between me and my father.

“Jena was pacing so much I came to check, and this is what I find… Take your family squabbles back to your own house.”

“This is none of your business.”

“Ha! Look here, brother. This is my house. If you didn’t want me interfering, you shouldn’t have raised your voice, or better yet, you shouldn’t have come here at all.”

At my aunt’s sharp rebuke, Father frowned as if he didn’t want to hear it, then turned and left the room.

There was no one more arrogant than him.

I was watching his retreating back with a displeased expression when my aunt spoke.

“Still, you should try to control showing your dislike so openly.”

My aunt, whom I thought had been watching my father quickly leave the room, quietly closed the door.

“You heard all of that, didn’t you? How can I hold back after hearing those words?”

I exhaled sharply and frowned, and my aunt let out a short, hollow laugh.

“I think I misjudged you. I thought you were a calm and cautious child.”

“People can’t always be the same. I don’t act that way with just anyone.”

Perhaps in the past I might have, but not anymore.

Now I know. That there are precious people worth being cautious with, and there are people who don’t even deserve that consideration.

As I waved my hand, my aunt let out a laugh of disbelief.

Then, with a smile on her lips, she gave me a somewhat meaningful look.

No, rather, she stared at me with that kind of expression.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hmm, I was just thinking about what I wanted to ask you and how to ask it.”

“You can just ask comfortably.”

As I blinked and replied, my aunt grinned as if she’d been waiting.

“Then I’ll ask you point-blank. What do you think of the Duke of Fontaine?”

“…Pardon?”

Suddenly?

As I made a visibly flustered face, my aunt shrugged.

“You told me to ask comfortably, so I did.”

Is there a problem? she added, smiling innocently.

So this is how it all came about.

My uncle had enjoyed his conversation with Asierd during their Othello game so much that he wanted to see him again, and if their schedules aligned, he wanted to invite Asierd over within the week.

Asierd had left word to call him anytime as he returned to his estate, but since I was staying at this house, my aunt and uncle must have been concerned about people’s eyes if they invited him without a proper reason.

My uncle had been pacing back and forth, unable to do anything, and my aunt, unable to watch any longer, came to ask me directly.

“If you think he’s an acceptable match, I was thinking we might as well spread some rumors deliberately.”

“Spread rumors deliberately? About me and the Duke of Fontaine?”

“Yes. From what I saw earlier, your father doesn’t seem like he’s going to give up on his dream of becoming the Crown Prince’s father-in-law.”

“Even so, you want me to use the Duke of Fontaine? What crime did he commit?”

I was trying so hard to keep him out of this!

My aunt’s words made me choke, utterly negating my purpose of intentionally pushing him away.

Of course, by all appearances, he did seem like a fitting counter to the Crown Prince.

But that was when I didn’t know that Asierd had been hurt by the Crown Prince and me! Even if that’s in the past now, I couldn’t bring myself to deliberately use him.

“Why not? From what I saw, it seemed the Duke had feelings for you too.”

“If he has feelings for me, that’s even more reason not to! The opponent is the Crown Prince, after all. And as you said, my father is someone whose true intentions are unknown. Wouldn’t it be disrespectful to use someone who cares for me in that way?”

“You need to be more shrewd, Eloise. You have to use what you can use.”

“Aunt. People aren’t cards.”

At my words, my aunt’s face showed a hint of regret.

Then, as I let out a low sigh, she clicked her tongue.

“People aren’t cards, that’s true. But Eloise, you do need to sharpen your instincts.”

“Instincts?”

“Yes. People can help you or harm you depending on the situation. If you truly intend to defy your father going forward, you need to think of a way to win.”

Surely you don’t think that single boastful declaration will make your father back down?

My aunt laughed mockingly.

A way to somehow defeat my father…

“Considering the groundwork your father has laid to receive a title, there’s no telling what petty tricks he might resort to in order to marry you off to the Crown Prince. You can expect that he won’t hesitate to do anything despicable, and it will be that much more devastating for you.”

“But Aunt, you knew what kind of person Father was. How could you have been so helpless…?”

“Didn’t I say that despicable and petty things are all the more devastating? My brother accused me of being a woman desperate to get married. Even though he knew full well that I was devoting myself day and night to swordsmanship and study in order to surpass him.”

A bitter laugh escaped my aunt’s lips.

And I, inwardly, let out a hollow laugh at my father’s tactics, which hadn’t changed much from back then.

It was no different from his tactic of accusing me of being a woman having an affair with the Crown Prince, even though he knew I was madly in love with Asierd.

“The rumors spread like wildfire. I found out too late, and at the time, I was just angry that my efforts were being dismissed. I tried not to be swayed by such absurd rumors.”

But the rumors grew louder and louder, and in the end, they brought a devastating outcome for me.

As she said this, an unusually deep bitterness tinged my aunt’s face.

The father my aunt described was, truly, a false scriptwriter who, for the sake of his own victory, would fabricate and embellish fatal weaknesses his opponent didn’t even know about, and never hesitated to sling mud.

“So you must prepare yourself for just how low your father can stoop. At the time, I thought to myself that if I wasn’t the one, then so be it…”

In my aunt’s gaze, there was a fleeting moment tinged with regret.

“People even told me to prove that to them.”

The resolute words, carrying as much weight as the deep emotions they held, pierced my ears.