HPCM 05

Chapter 05 …

There was something. A big incident.

“I’ll stop hiding it now. I won’t conceal it anymore. I… must marry Duke Eduard. That is what my father wants.”
“But I can’t let you go! Laila Olivier, I want you like I’ve gone mad!”
“Don’t do this! I’m really struggling too… sob!”

Strictly speaking, it might not have been just a “big incident”—one could say it was a love story of the century.

Alfonso, hiding himself around the corner of the building, slowly closed his eyes.

‘This is bad.’

He didn’t usually use such expressions, but right now there seemed to be no other way to describe it.

Alfonso had encountered this “love of the century” completely by coincidence.

A little earlier, Alfonso and Sophia had arrived at the Olivier Count’s estate.

“It looks like the banquet is already in full swing. I expected as much.”
“The Count requested that you arrive late.”
“His intentions are obvious. How much does he want to show off that he even requested the Duke separately? He has no sense of dignity.”

Appearing when a banquet was already in full swing was essentially the same as announcing that one wanted all attention.

Count Olivier intended to display his connection with Duke Eduard in front of everyone.

Of course, Alfonso also understood Count Olivier’s intentions.

“I suppose it’s a request I should endure since I came to propose marriage. It’s not a difficult one.”

Being the center of attention was nothing new, so there was no reason to refuse.

‘But something feels off.’

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was strangely unsettled.

More importantly, people were not even particularly surprised upon seeing Alfonso.

It was as if someone else equally famous had already stirred things up here.

‘Rather than surprised… they seem confused.’

Sophia seemed to feel the same atmosphere, and she looked quite displeased.

“Why is the atmosphere like this? Everyone keeps glancing around… It’s like I’m not supposed to be here.”

“They’re just surprised. Don’t frown. It’s rude to the Count.”

“It’s more rude to treat guests like this after deliberately making them arrive late. I’ll go get a drink. At this rate, I’ll really end up frowning.”

Sophia flashed a deliberately bright smile and left after saying that.

A little later, Count Olivier, the host of the banquet, appeared.

Whatever had happened, the old knight looked quite flustered.

“I-I’m terribly sorry, Your Grace! Something urgent came up suddenly…”

“It’s fine, Count. Judging by your expression, it must have been quite urgent. Was it that serious?”

Alfonso’s tone was gentle, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.

He was essentially asking whether there had really been something so urgent that it justified delaying Duke Eduard’s appearance after deliberately scheduling it to display their connection.

“I am ashamed. There was a rat in the kitchen—it nearly caused a fire. The banquet almost collapsed before Your Grace even arrived. It has been handled now, so please do not worry.”

“I’m glad to hear it was handled well. It would have been quite unfortunate if I had not been able to meet you today.”

Whether Count Olivier’s explanation was true or not, Alfonso had no interest in it anyway.

His purpose from the beginning had been only one thing: proceed with the marriage arrangement.

There was no need to beat around the bush.

“By the way, I do not see your daughter present. I was hoping to be introduced this time.”

“Ah, of course. Laila said she wanted to see the flowers, so I sent her to the garden. If it is not too much trouble, could Your Grace bring her back?”

It was an obvious attempt to give Laila and Alfonso time alone before the formal engagement talks began.

There was no reason to refuse such a direct request.

So Alfonso agreed and headed toward the garden.

‘And what I found was this.’

Laila and Ethan were on the verge of tears, and before long, they were even clinging to each other.

“Lady Laila!”
“Ethan! You’re the only one for me after all!”

And Alfonso was troubled.

He had promised to bring Laila back to the Count, so he could not return alone.

‘I thought I’d just wait until things calmed down and pretend I didn’t see anything.’

But that “love of the century” showed no sign of cooling down.

It was highly likely that Alfonso’s presence—ironically—had thrown fuel onto their already burning love.

Alfonso suddenly recalled how one of his knights, Ludwig, would slump under the blazing sun like weeds on a dry field whenever he was forced into difficult situations, muttering pessimistic things:

—“Screw this… just screw it… you damn bastards…”

He had never understood why he was so frustrated.

Now, Alfonso felt like he could understand Ludwig a little.

‘It might have been better not to know the details.’

But was that really a good thing?

To marry someone who already had a lover?

‘Wait. That’s a ridiculous thought. No matter how urgent the marriage is.’

If Alfonso were to marry Laila like this, she would surely have to lose the person she loved.

Or be forced into a situation where loving someone else would become shameful.

Was it truly right to satisfy one’s own selfishness by making someone else unhappy?

Even the thought made him feel ashamed.

Alfonso closed his eyes tightly and opened them again.

‘This marriage won’t work.’

He would speak to the Count and cancel the engagement.

Just as he turned to leave—

Count Olivier, wearing a kind smile, suddenly appeared behind him.

“Your Grace, you are here. I came out because you hadn’t arrived for so long. Why are you standing here… no, Laila? Ethan?”

“Ah, Father?!”

“Count!”

Upon discovering the “century couple,” Count Olivier’s face instantly flushed with rage.

“W-what is going on here?! Why are the two of you together here—”

“I-I’ll explain, Father. This is—”

“Count! I love the young lady deeply! Please allow us to continue our relationship!”

“What?! I took in a street orphan and raised him, and this is how he repays me—ugh!”

“F-Father!!!”

The old knight, famous for maintaining composure even on the harshest battlefields, was apparently unable to remain calm when faced with his daughter’s secret meeting.

In the end, he could not withstand the surge of blood pressure, clutched the back of his neck, and collapsed.

Because the commotion quickly drew a crowd, there was no time to hide it, and the banquet descended into chaos.

Alfonso, after checking on Count Olivier’s condition, was about to leave when Sophia rushed over, grabbing her dress tightly and making a fuss.

“What on earth happened? Is the Count alright?”

“He just fainted from shock. The doctor says there’s nothing serious.”

“Oh my… Is today some kind of cursed day? Brother, you haven’t heard yet, have you?”

“What happened?”

“Earlier, the atmosphere in the banquet hall was strange, right? I asked around, and I heard why.”

Sophia adopted a serious expression and continued in a sharp voice.

“Right before we arrived… an uninvited guest came!”

“…What? Who?”

“The villainess of Noha! That shameless woman, Charlotte Noha, was here!”

“Count Olivier collapsed? I didn’t expect that much.”

The source of all events, Charlotte, lightly sprayed perfume into the air as she murmured.

The drifting scent dispersed as her lazy hand waved through it with graceful elegance.

“So? Is the Count alive?”

“He is in good health. He merely lost consciousness from shock.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

If the Count had died, Alfonso would have been burdened with guilt, so it was fortunate.

Although Charlotte did not particularly like Count Olivier.

She recalled her visit to the Olivier estate.

—“Get out immediately! You cannot come into my estate without an invitation!”
—“That’s rather harsh treatment. A rat that wasn’t invited can easily enter your kitchen, yet a human is turned away just for lacking an invitation?”
—“W-what nonsense are you spouting…!”
—“Do you think it’s slander? I merely happened to see a commotion through the kitchen window while passing by. It looked like a fire was about to break out. You will regret it if you don’t go check.”

Count Olivier had looked quite shaken.

If it had been anyone else, he would have dismissed it with a scoff.

But the opponent was Charlotte.

The infamous villainess of Noha who could release nonexistent rats, set perfectly fine kitchens on fire, and not even blink an eye while doing so.