IGSM 11

Chapter 11

“What a rather fitting picture this is. I think I can understand why Prince Kairan personally stepped forward to ask for mediation. Have the two of you had a connection before?”

“Your Majesty, that is a misunderstanding. His Highness the Prince and I are not in the kind of relationship you seem to think we are.”

“What misunderstanding? Surely you aren’t unaware that the prince came to see me yesterday. Fortunately, it was late in the evening. What would have happened if I had already retired for the night?”

Isabella merely answered the emperor’s lecherous smile as he looked back and forth between Leonard and her by straightening her lips into a polite smile and lowering her head.

There was no point in saying anything more. Nothing would change.

After Isabella’s gaze slipped away from his, Emperor Verius looked at Isabella and Leonard sitting side by side and took a sip of the wine in his glass.

Viscount Tyron’s proposal had certainly been tempting, but it was nothing compared to the heart of a fairy. Besides, since the heir of Bruin seemed to have become entangled with Prince Kairan, it might be best to step back for the time being.

The two of them might be on friendly terms now, but eventually, they would…

For a fleeting moment, Emperor Verius’s gaze fell upon Leonard, whose appearance was almost an exact copy of Emperor Kairan.

Then Leonard’s eyes met his. Verius cleared his throat and picked up his napkin.

“Ahem. I think we should get up now. I have quite a lot of state affairs to attend to.”

State affairs, my foot.

He had probably summoned women to one of the imperial chambers according to his tastes again.

Remembering a scene from the original novel that had made her uncomfortable, Isabella lowered her head. She wasn’t confident she could keep her expression from twisting into a deep frown again.

That was when Emperor Verius, who had been walking toward the wide-open door, suddenly turned around.

“Ah…! Lady Bruin. The imperial decree I promised to send to the ducal household will be delivered this afternoon.”

The promised imperial decree.

It was the decree revoking the marriage arrangement he had previously issued through Viscount Tyron. In addition, it stated that the authority to make decisions regarding her marriage would be transferred to Isabella herself.

“I am deeply honored, Your Majesty.”

Only after the emperor had completely disappeared from sight did Isabella’s rigid back finally relax.

She had blown through nearly all her money to obtain what she wanted, and the ceremony for her succession as head of the family had also been postponed by six months, but at least she had put out the immediate fire.

As a deep sigh escaped her scarlet lips, a low voice came from beside her.

“That was quite an impressive scene.”

Unlike Isabella, who had been watching the emperor’s mood and carefully gauging what might come out of his mouth, Leonard had spent the entire time leisurely drinking his tea.

Phew. Calm down. Just calm down…

After staring at his flawlessly handsome face for a moment, Isabella turned her head toward the front and slowly steadied her breathing.

In any case, there was no denying that he had saved her from Marquis Fitzroy last night.

Thanks to him appearing at just the right moment in the banquet hall and cutting off Marquis Fitzroy’s words, she had avoided the worst possible situation.

That was why, even when she had left the entrance hall of the ducal residence after receiving the emperor’s summons that morning, Isabella had been immensely grateful to Leonard.

Even when he had appeared at the ducal residence, saying that the emperor had invited them both, and asked to escort her by traveling with her in the same carriage, Isabella hadn’t even considered that Leonard might have been the very person who had deliberately ruined her plans the previous night.

Suppressing her emotions as much as possible and maintaining proper courtesy, Isabella spoke.

“…I have some matters to take care of at the ducal residence, so I will excuse myself first. As for our business arrangement… I will send you a letter soon.”

Among the lessons Isabella had learned through countless reincarnations, adapting to each new life, and the passage of many years was the fact that this world was a thoroughly hierarchical society.

She belonged to the upper ranks herself, but Leonard occupied an even higher position.

“The more time passes, the more impressive you become. Surely you’re not avoiding me right now?”

“Avoiding you? As I said just now, I have matters to attend to at the ducal—”

“Matters to attend to?”

“…Yes.”

Isabella’s answer came a beat late.

Even though she tried not to read too much into his words, every time Leonard said something, she couldn’t help but wonder what his intentions were.

Leonard wiped his mouth with his napkin and rose from his seat.

As a result, Isabella had no choice but to look up at him.

A moment later, a large hand appeared before her.

Seeing their eyes meet directly, Leonard added,

“Since we came together, we should return together as well. Of course, only as far as your destination, for the safety of my business partner.”

Business partner.

Ultimately, that was what they had become, so he wasn’t wrong.

Although Leonard had clearly intended to ensnare her while eliminating Marquis Fitzroy and persuading the emperor, Isabella was nevertheless the greatest beneficiary of what had happened.

Leonard’s sharp chin tilted toward his outstretched hand.

It was hardly a gesture befitting royalty, yet when Leonard did it with his handsome appearance, even that seemed elegant.

He turned his body halfway, moving out of the way in front of her.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t forget our rules this time.”

Seeing the relaxed blue eyes grow stern, Isabella had to calm the uneasy feeling in her chest.

The rules he had asked her to follow when they first met and discussed their deal.

She had broken them.

Whether she accepted or rejected his proposal, he had asked her to meet him and tell him directly. Instead, she had blocked his visit with a letter and indirectly rejected his business proposal as well.

Isabella’s gaze lowered.

She stared intently at his sun-kissed hand before slowly blinking.

A gentlemanly, cultured, and courteous man.

Considering Leonard’s reputation, all of his actions could simply be an effort to maintain proper manners.

But Isabella knew his true nature—and knew exactly what his future held.

That was why she knew she had to be careful with the hand he was offering so innocently. She mustn’t mistake his gesture for nothing more than an attempt to be courteous.

A white ruffle fluttered around his slender wrist.

She disliked him enough to refuse.

And yet, in the end, Isabella’s hand settled into Leonard’s sun-kissed palm.

Flutter.

A grayish bird flew through the window and, as though familiar with the place, entered the room and landed on the table in the center.

A wrinkled hand soon seized the bird by the back of its neck. The man pulled a small note from a tube strapped to his thigh and unfolded it.

[More than twice as much as last year. —B—]

The middle-aged man read the neatly written black letters and suddenly burst into laughter.

Whenever he leaned back or lowered his head as he laughed, the bird dangling from his grip swayed helplessly.

Soon, the long bout of laughter came to an end.

“Twice as much…”

The man rose from his seat and walked to the window. He shook his hand, then took a handkerchief from inside his clothes and slowly wiped the hand that had been holding the bird.

“…That piglet obsessed with alcohol and women is becoming endlessly greedy.”

That was when—

Knock, knock.

A short knocking sound echoed through the room wrapped in silence.

“My lord. Marquis Fitzroy has requested an audience and is waiting in the reception room.”

The man wiping his hand with a white handkerchief—Viscount Tyron—turned his gaze toward the door.

If it was Fitzroy, then he was currently the person at the very top of Tyron’s list of people he needed to meet.

Originally, he had intended to take more time, keep several candidates in consideration, and move carefully.

But now that things had turned out this way, he needed to act quickly.

“…Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

Inside the carriage, Isabella had resolved that once she left the imperial palace and arrived at the ducal residence, she would go straight to her bedroom and spend the next few days without giving Leonard even a speck of her thoughts.

However, as they entered the ducal residence and passed through the main gate, approaching the annex before reaching the main building, she had an ominous feeling that she might need to revise that plan.

“Hmm. As far as I know, Lady Bruin is the sole legitimate heir of the Bruin family.”

“As you know, Your Highness.”

“Well. From where I’m sitting, it looks very much as though your family is about to grow.”

At the word family, Isabella’s watery eyes, which had been fixed on the commotion outside the window, turned toward Leonard.

“Family? That is going too far, Your Highness.”

When she snapped back at him, he let out a quiet laugh.

It was painfully obvious that he had deliberately chosen a word that would provoke a reaction, but Isabella didn’t have the leisure to care.

She opened the carriage door, which had already stopped, and stepped outside.

Leonard followed behind her at an unhurried pace.

The servants of the ducal household had gathered around the annex after hearing the news.

Among them was her nanny.

“My goodness. Why is there so much luggage…!”

Her nanny’s eyes widened.

She belatedly noticed Isabella’s presence, but rather than having time to greet her, she seemed more concerned with voicing her astonishment. She looked extremely flustered.

“My lady. That’s enough luggage to live here for six months? No, this looks like enough to live here for six years!”

“……”

She had forgotten.

Before Leonard intervened, Viscount Tyron had used his authority as Isabella’s guardian to arrange a place for her in the annex of the ducal residence.

She already had a grudge against him, but seeing the absurd amount of luggage and the commotion surrounding it made it impossible not to dislike him even more.

And, of all things, Leonard had to witness this ridiculous spectacle with her.

A sigh escaped her.

At that moment, Jeanne, who had been standing off to one side, hesitated before speaking.

“Um, my lady. I don’t know if it’s true, but… I heard that the young master, you, and the viscountess would all be coming together…”

“What?!”

The nanny, who normally moved slowly and deliberately, turned toward Jeanne so quickly that it was almost startling.

Isabella’s sharp gaze followed.

That had never been discussed.

The nanny didn’t even bother hiding her look of horror.

For a moment, she caught Isabella’s eyes and awkwardly shifted her gaze.

“It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with your decision, my lady…”

“I know. I understand what you mean.”

Among the nobility, there were those whose sense of privilege was ingrained down to their very bones.

When that sense of privilege manifested positively, they were praised for taking the initiative with a strong sense of morality.

When it manifested negatively, they were scorned and condemned.

Viscount Tyron’s wife and Tisha were prime examples of the latter.

Having learned this fact through her many experiences, Isabella understood her nanny’s feelings perfectly.

And Jeanne’s worries and concerns as well.