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Chapter : 17
After Risis returned, the Count of Rock’s residence was in constant turmoil.
“Risis, where are you going again?”
“Mother.”
Countess Rock grabbed Risis. Her face, which had grown markedly sharp over the past few days, showed her irritation clearly.
“You said you weren’t feeling well. Why did you come out?”
“We still have things to talk about. Are you really planning to ignore everything your mother says?”
Even after witnessing the countess collapse with her own eyes, Risis had not sought her out.
In the end, the one who was thirsty had to dig the well. She had no choice but to come to Risis herself.
“Risis, what on earth are you thinking?”
“Young master!”
At that moment, a butler came running from afar, flustered.
“Madam Jane Kal, the Marchioness of Kal, has arrived from Her Highness Diel Ekaterina’s palace. She insists on meeting the young master first, no matter what…”
“It has been a while, Viscount Rock. May the blessing of the One God be with you.”
As the butler said, Marchioness Jane Kal was standing in the middle of the corridor.
She had eyes that looked… somewhat unhinged.
“Regrettably, we shall postpone our greetings for another time.”
As the Emperor’s chief chamberlain, Marquis Kal was a high-ranking noble.
Accordingly, his wife was famous for her elegance and refinement.
For her to storm in so suddenly was completely unlike her usual conduct—so why now…?
“I am here to deliver the words of our great princess.”
The moment Jane uttered the words “our princess”—
“She says she received the letter you sent, but instructs you not to come to the princess’s palace.”
Something flashed briefly across her face.
“She has no intention of meeting separately, so please do not offend Her Highness’s sensibilities.”
It was nothing short of fanatic devotion.
“…What?”
Risis, who usually wore the same expression no matter the situation, grew slightly cold.
Who?
Diel Ekaterina?
“When you return to the capital, please be sure to find me, Viscount Rock. I will be waiting earnestly.”
Wasn’t this different from what she had promised?
Back when she had sent letters, begging to meet him…
“Perhaps because I traveled such a long distance without rest… it seems something is wrong with my hearing.”
He forced a smile.
“Wait—what is this? Are you saying our Risis was rejected?”
But that denial of reality didn’t last long.
“You’re saying that insignificant princess really rejected Risis?”
His mother’s voice dragged him back to reality.
The countess’s complexion, which had turned pale enough for her to nearly faint when she insisted Diel Ekaterina must never happen, now changed entirely.
“Are you telling me that my son, Viscount Risis Rock, was—bam!—dumped just like that?”
“Mother, th-that voice is a bit too loud…”
“Hah! So our Risis couldn’t even properly see the princess’s face and got rejected, is that it?”
The countess was unusually agitated.
Which was understandable.
This was the House of Rock.
One of the four great noble families of the Elvenard Empire, descendants of Sylphid, the Spirit King who governed wind and warmth!
If anyone was to confess, it should be them.
If anyone was to reject, it should be them!
How dare she—who does she think she is!
“Still, there’s no need to be too disappointed or regretful. Her Highness has said she will attend the upcoming banquet at the Count of Rock’s estate.”
“…What did you say?”
“Please give me the invitation.”
The countess was just about to raise her voice sharply when—
“What is all this commotion?”
“Husband!”
“Father.”
Count Rock approached them with a stern expression.
“Have you forgotten that we are in the middle of a council of heads? And today, of all days…”
He glanced toward the central reception room and lowered his voice.
“Grand Duke Ferzen himself is present.”
At that name, everyone’s faces turned deathly pale.
“What? What do you mean all of a sudden—husband!”
The most shocked of all was the countess.
“Why are you only telling me this now? When did he arrive?!”
She looked ready to grab her husband by the collar at any moment.
“Is there anything he finds uncomfortable? What if the new carpet we laid in the reception room doesn’t suit His Grace’s taste? He’s known for his exceptional eye—it could happen!”
The countess, uncharacteristically frantic, flailed about.
“Oh! And the refreshments? If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve summoned the head chef from Eaton Hotel!”
Though he didn’t show it, Risis was just as startled by the name.
Who was Kaize Knox Ferzen, after all?
In the Elvenard Empire—no, across the entire continent—he was among the most expensive men alive.
There was even a whispered joke that even the Emperor had to plead for days just to catch a glimpse of his handsome face.
“I’ll explain later.”
Count Rock himself was just as bewildered.
Still, it was undeniably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I could hear unpleasant arguing all the way into the central reception room. Do you not know where you are?”
“That’s not it, dear—someone came from Princess Diel Ekaterina’s palace…”
Deciding this was no time for hesitation, the countess turned to the butler.
“Butler, there’s still an invitation wrapped with a yellow ribbon, right? Quickly give that to the marchioness and see her out!”
“What are you saying, Madam? Of course, you should give her the invitation decorated with a blue ribbon.”
“Madam, why are you acting so unlike yourself? Didn’t you hear that Grand Duke Ferzen is in the reception room?”
But Jane, as if controlled by some mysterious force, was different.
She flinched at the name Ferzen as well, yet she had no intention of retreating or backing down.
“The blue-ribbon invitation is the symbol of our house. We haven’t even given it to the princes and princesses who remain in the imperial palace. And you want us to give it to whom? Diel Ekaterina?”
Just as Count Rock was about to step in himself—
“Count.”
A voice came from beyond the corridor.
“Why are you arguing?”
It was a gentle voice, warm enough to instantly melt the frozen atmosphere.
“Wouldn’t this be resolved simply by giving the princess the blue-ribbon invitation?”
Not long after—
“My goodness. Greetings to His Grace, Grand Duke Ferzen. May the blessing of the One God always be with you.”
Between the glittering light of the chandeliers, the figure of a young man emerged.
“No, no need for greetings.”
Jet-black hair and blue eyes.
Black gloves he did not remove even indoors, embroidered with gold thread bearing the crest of House Ferzen.
A coat that fell along his tall, well-built frame, and a ruby brooch that was clearly of the highest quality.
Everything about him proclaimed:
Come within five meters, and I’ll strip you of your entire fortune—down to your children.
‘So the rumors are true.’
Indeed.
He was Kaize Knox Ferzen, Grand Duke Ferzen.
Everyone present bowed, sharing the same thought.
That he was like a god of the underground world.
That he wielded some bewitching charm spell.
Those childish praises—who would have thought they were true?
“Didn’t I say to give the princess the blue invitation?”
“Your Grace, what do you mean—”
“Count Rock, I dislike repeating myself. My throat is rather delicate.”
Ferzen stepped closer and spoke to the count.
His eyes curved into a smile, gentle in appearance, yet all the more oppressive for it.
“Your Grace, that is… but as you’ve heard, that princess was released at a young age, so—”
The flustered count trailed off.
Even if she had recuperated at the Duchy of Rekaten, she had never been formally adopted.
As was the case with most released princesses, once she married, even what little imperial status remained would be completely erased.
To invite such a princess as an honored guest to the largest banquet the House of Rock would host this year—
It could only be seen as lowering the family’s standing.
“His Majesty trained his dog quite well.”
The grand duke smiled and extended his hand.
“So loyal, even over guarding a mere invitation.”
“……”
“Ah, of course—that was praise.”
The man who followed him like a shadow handed something over.
“The count need not worry.”
It was the invitation Count Rock had personally presented to Grand Duke Ferzen earlier.
The blue ribbon wrapped around it was the pride of the House of Rock.
“This one, I shall deliver to the princess myself.”
But in an instant, the blue ribbon was undone.
There was not the slightest hint of reverence in Ferzen’s long fingers as he handled it.
“Here.”
“…!”
The corridor fell silent, as if cold water had been poured over everyone.
“Deliver this to the princess. And keep the fact that it came from me a secret.”
The grand duke handed the fluttering blue ribbon to Jane.
“Y-Yes? Ah—yes, Your Grace!”
Jane stared blankly at Ferzen’s face, then at the blue ribbon, before hurriedly bowing her head.
No matter how rattled she was, there was no way she didn’t know that rumor.
His extreme obsession with cleanliness.
“She must attend.”
Amid the sharp, cutting air, only Kaize Ferzen smiled beautifully.
“I am very much looking forward to that day.”
It was a gentle smile—like a mask.
