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Chapter 7
Cesar Lesion assaulted Isel.
Within the count’s family, only Isel’s older brother, Leo, and Count Blisha knew the truth.
The other knights and servants only knew that something terrible had happened to the young lady eight years ago. They didn’t know the exact situation or who the culprit was.
Count Blisha and Leo wanted to kill him immediately.
But they couldn’t.
They couldn’t even bring him to court.
“Do you have any proof that I assaulted the young lady?”
With an arrogant smile, Cesar said that.
Isel, the only witness and victim, had been very young at the time. After the incident, she fell into shock and could do nothing.
She couldn’t even make eye contact with others. Even hearing a man’s voice from afar made her tremble in fear.
There was no way such a child could testify in court.
The Ekar Empire was a place where women had very low status. In a male-centered noble society, even if there was evidence, victims of such crimes were often ruined socially.
It was ridiculously easy for the offender to become the victim, and the victim to become the offender.
Even the emperor, who usually cared for Isel, couldn’t help much.
No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t bring the duke’s eldest son to trial without enough evidence or witnesses.
“I am truly… sorry, Count.”
The emperor said with a pained expression, placing a hand on Count Blisha’s shoulder.
The count could not push that hand away. He simply stood there silently.
In the end, there was no trial.
The incident was buried quietly.
Count Blisha had never once regretted his loyalty to the imperial family.
But standing in front of Isel’s tightly closed door, he felt despair at his own helplessness.
Behind the door, his precious young daughter was crying quietly.
It took more than three years for Isel to recover and live normally again.
With the care of the count, Leo, and the knights, she slowly stabilized.
Meanwhile, the young master of the Lesion family continued his reckless life without change.
Every time they saw him laughing and surrounded by women at banquets, Count Blisha and Leo clenched their fists, barely holding back their murderous intent.
But his actions didn’t stop there.
The year Isel came of age, a letter arrived.
It was a marriage proposal.
“As you know, Count, the young lady and I share a deep connection.
I have no doubt that she also wishes to marry me.”
Enraged, Count Blisha and Leo tore the letter apart and burned it immediately.
But letters with the same content kept arriving.
The count ordered Leo and the butler to make sure Isel would never know.
Every letter with Cesar Lesion’s name was thrown away.
But this time was different.
Count Blisha pushed a letter across the desk toward Leo.
“It’s not from the young master this time,” he said.
“It’s directly from the Duke of Lesion.”
Leo picked it up in shock.
The Lesion family’s seal was clearly stamped on it.
As he read, his green eyes widened.
“Father… what… what does this mean?”
Even though he understood the situation, he couldn’t accept it.
The letter was simple:
The duke demanded repayment of an enormous debt from Count Blisha.
It was an amount impossible to pay with his salary from serving the imperial palace.
“Don’t tell me… that debt certificate?”
“…Yes.”
Five years ago, a severe drought hit the southern territory of the empire where the count’s land was.
To save his people, he had no choice but to take on debt.
He knew the Lesion family had bought that debt.
He tried to repay it as quickly as possible.
But each time, the Lesion family interfered, preventing repayment, and the interest kept growing.
Now, the duke demanded full repayment by the end of summer.
But that wasn’t all.
“You are aware that my son, Cesar, is interested in your daughter.
If a marriage between our families is arranged, we can consider the debt as a wedding gift…”
Leo slammed his fist onto the desk.
“Those insane beasts! Isn’t this basically saying to sell Isel to them if we don’t want to go bankrupt?!”
“…Of course, I have no intention of agreeing to that.”
“Father, I’m okay.”
The count remembered Isel’s gentle smile.
Since that incident, she never acted childish again.
Instead, she comforted her overly worried father and brother.
“I’m okay. Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Those were the words she always said.
The little girl who used to laugh brightly had learned how to wear a calm, adult expression.
“Never again…”
The count’s voice trembled.
“I will protect Isel… even if it costs my life… even if it means betraying the emperor.”
It was a promise he couldn’t make eight years ago.
But neither the count nor Leo noticed—
Someone was standing outside the study door, frozen like a statue.
It was Isel.
***
“Isel?”
At her father’s voice, Isel raised her head.
Her face was unusually pale. She hadn’t slept all night.
At breakfast, her father and Leo were worried about her condition.
Even though it was time to leave, they couldn’t bring themselves to go.
Seeing her father’s troubled face, Isel forced a smile.
“I’m okay, Father.”
The count’s blue eyes trembled.
“…I’ll be back.”
Leo, already on horseback, asked again,
“Isel, are you really okay alone?”
“Sir Harris is here. Don’t worry and go, brother.”
Reluctantly, Leo turned his horse.
Even though it was the weekend, all the knights were gathered.
An urgent order had come from the capital:
All knights must assemble at the imperial palace.
The one who gave the order—
The Grand Duke Kanox.
The knights were shocked.
“Only that madman would summon everyone like this,” some muttered.
Alec looked especially pale, almost blue.
He had begged Harris to switch duties with him but was refused.
“Miss! I’ll be back!”
He shouted loudly from his horse, like he was going to war.
His horse startled, and he struggled to control it.
Isel laughed softly and waved.
As the sound of hooves faded, her smile disappeared.
She turned to Harris.
“Sir Harris.”
“Yes, Miss.”
She looked straight into his eyes.
“…I have a favor to ask.”
***
Isel walked through the crowd, holding a heavy basket.
She was heading to Seres’s workshop.
Last time, she couldn’t properly talk due to trouble.
Today, she had something important to say.
Inside the basket were carefully wrapped sculptures.
Her request to Harris was simple:
She asked him to keep her outing a secret.
Surprisingly, he agreed easily.
If he hadn’t, she was ready to climb over the wall and escape anyway.
Still, something felt strange.
Isel stopped and looked back.
“…No way, right?”
She had felt someone watching her.
But no one seemed to be looking at her hooded figure.
She turned forward again.
From a distance—
Someone was watching her closely.
It was Harris Hamel.
