Chapter 5

I Want to Make a Deal

A charity party hosted by the Imperial Family of the Billoa Empire was being held.

On the continent of Boslonia, where countless small and medium-sized kingdoms existed, only three countries held the title of Empire.

Billoa had once been the leading power among them.

At least, it had been while the previous Emperor and the former Duke of Brwin were still alive.

But now, thanks to an Emperor who held parties day after day, the dignity of the Empire continued to decline, the national treasury was being drained, and its military strength was weakening.

Yet no one dared speak the truth.

That was the reality of the Billoa Empire.

As a result, Billoa was now often mentioned behind Kairan and Atlan, countries that had once ranked below it.

Against the faint melody of a waltz, dark purple wine disappeared between perfectly shaped lips.

As the transparent glass was raised higher, his handsome, sharply defined features were illuminated by the moonlight.

Lost in thought, Leonard held the wine in his mouth for a moment, slowly rolling it across his tongue before swallowing when the flavor and aroma seemed to have reached their peak.

Once.

Twice.

By the time he had repeated the action enough times to empty half the bottle, Leonard, who had been leaning casually against the balcony railing, raised his head and looked toward the night sky.

Stars shone brilliantly against the deep blue-black sky, as though countless diamonds had been embedded into a dark piece of fabric.

They seemed to lure his gaze toward them.

But only for a moment.

Soon, his mind was once again filled with the contents of the letter he had received from his homeland that morning.

[Lenny. Father’s movements are troubling. It might be better if you proceed with a marriage from this side first.]

“Marriage…”

He had immediately rejected the Crown Prince’s suggestion when he received the letter.

But if he wanted to keep his father, the Emperor, in check, getting married as his brother had suggested wasn’t necessarily a bad idea.

Besides, it was also the time when Hailey needed a mother.

Twenty?

Yes. I narrowed the list down mainly to young ladies from prominent noble families who support His Highness the Crown Prince.

Apparently, Count Seymour had judged the situation to be serious.

The list he had presented contained far more names than Leonard had expected.

Perhaps he had carefully considered every candidate, because on the surface, they all seemed perfectly respectable and met the necessary criteria.

It was difficult to find any significant flaws among them.

Leonard had put the matter on hold, saying he would think about it.

But perhaps he would have to make a decision soon.

Once the diplomatic delegation’s schedule was over and he returned home, the Emperor would begin applying serious pressure regarding a marriage with the Gardner family.

Leonard was staring thoughtfully at the wine bottle, which looked even darker beneath the night sky, when—

Robert. Are you really going to marry the young Duchess of Brwin?

A man and a woman were having a secret meeting nearby, their voices blending with the faint melody of the waltz.

Leonard immediately focused on the sounds around him.

The wine in his mouth had already slipped down his throat.

This is the only path we have left. If I become a member of the Brwin family, our future will practically be guaranteed. It will shine brightly.

But what is so great about a ducal family that is already falling apart? What about our relationship?

Even if I marry her, I have no intention of abandoning you, Rinoa. We have Louis. What is there to worry about?

I trust you, Marquis. Even after you marry, you must never change how you feel about me. Do you understand?

Don’t worry. This is all so that I can enter the High Noble Council. And Viscount Tyrone has also promised me … So…

A little while later, the voices of the man and woman, who had been meeting in secret away from everyone’s eyes, grew quieter.

It seemed they were moving elsewhere.

Their footsteps faded, and soon the surroundings became silent once again.

“…Your Highness?”

Count Seymour spotted Leonard leaning against the red brick wall some distance away and approached him.

He had been searching for his master, who had disappeared from the charity party without saying a word.

“Seymour.”

Leonard had already noticed him approaching and raised a hand in greeting.

Only Count Seymour could feel his blood pressure rising at his master’s leisurely composure.

“How are the nobles?”

Leonard asked shamelessly, a smile on his face.

“Since Your Highness isn’t there, there was no reason for them to stay long.”

“Oh, how foolish of them. Surely they know that you’re my aide.”

“They don’t need to acknowledge it. It makes it easier for me to find Your Highness wherever you happen to be.”

There was a sharp edge hidden beneath Count Seymour’s words.

Leonard gave a quiet chuckle.

“I was just taking a break because things were suffocating.”

“You could have stayed in the lounge.”

“Of course. If I’d been there, you would have found me faster.”

Leonard paused.

“But my rest wouldn’t have lasted very long.”

Good grief. He certainly knows how to talk.

Count Seymour was momentarily rendered speechless, the corners of his eyes twitching upward in irritation.

Leonard’s lips stretched into a long smile.

A relaxed, languid smile bloomed across his handsome face, and an unhurried atmosphere seemed to settle around him.

“It seems something interesting happened.”

“Interesting?”

“Weren’t you smiling just now?”

“Ah. That.”

At Count Seymour’s words, Leonard remembered the adulterous couple from moments earlier.

And the person at the center of their conversation…

A strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Count Seymour’s eyes narrowed as he watched him.

“Your Highness. Please don’t do anything that could cause diplomatic trouble later.”

“What are you talking about?”

Ever since Leonard had arrived as part of the diplomatic delegation, there had been plenty of people openly trying to form a connection with him.

Leonard himself avoided alcohol and women.

But the Billoa Empire was relatively liberal when it came to romance, and it was tacitly accepted for nobles to take secondary wives or mistresses in addition to their official wives.

There was no harm in being cautious.

“I mean that you should be careful if someone approaches Your Highness. Of course, I’m sure you can handle yourself. But the Billoa Empire is somewhat more… liberal than Kairan in many respects, isn’t it?”

There was a great deal left unsaid in Count Seymour’s many respects.

Such as its relatively open attitude toward romance, or the acceptance of keeping mistresses.

After hearing the explanation, Leonard let out a small laugh.

“…Your Highness?”

Count Seymour had expected him to dismiss his words as nonsense.

Instead, Leonard seemed genuinely amused, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

“Ah. It’s nothing.”

Leonard smiled.

“Now that I hear you say it, it does make some sense. It is a rather free place in many respects.”

He paused.

“You’re not entirely wrong. Someone’s situation seems rather similar to mine.”

“What?”

What was that?

That was definitely a genuine laugh…

Leonard normally kept people at a distance unless they were among the few he considered truly close.

Seeing him show such an unusual expression, Count Seymour felt a growing sense of unease.

His lips parted hesitantly.

Leonard looked at him.

The gaze meeting his was filled with concern and worry for his master.

“Why?”

“You really didn’t have any sort of… incident, did you, Your Highness?”

The strange words and expression bothered him.

Count Seymour desperately wanted Leonard to give him a straightforward answer.

But the response he received was not what he had expected.

“My break was too short for anything to have happened.”

Leonard smiled.

“You appeared sooner than I expected.”

“My instincts tell me otherwise.”

Suspicion flashed in Count Seymour’s eyes.

“Judging by the fact that your instincts aren’t functioning properly, perhaps you need some rest as well.”

Leonard straightened from the wall and leisurely left the garden.

As he walked away, he gave an order.

“Find out everything you can about the young Duchess of Brwin, Viscount Tyrone, and Marquis Fitzroy. Right now.”

Count Seymour’s eyes widened.

He hurried after Leonard with quick little steps.

He wanted to ask more questions, but there was nothing else he could get out of Leonard.

“Bella! Bella!”

Shannon approached Isabella, who had spent several days racking her brain over how to escape her uncle’s trap.

Her eyes were sparkling like glass beads.

“Guess what kind of news I just received!”

“What kind of news?”

“You’ll faint when you hear it.”

Isabella stared at her flushed face.

The redness in Shannon’s cheeks was becoming increasingly intense, and it didn’t seem to be because she had just run all the way from the first floor of Fairy Garden to the fourth.

I’ve seen that expression before…

Oh.

Wasn’t the last time about six months ago?

Back then, Shannon had suddenly announced that she had fallen in love and immediately started pouring out information about some man while blushing furiously.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the man was already married, so the relationship had never had a chance.

“Tell me. I’ll decide whether to faint after I hear it.”

“Don’t be shocked! I told you I was going to warn you!”

“All right.”

“The Kairan Prince!”

The Kairan Prince?

Leonard van Gropeus Kairan?

That wealthy, ridiculously powerful, handsome supporting character?

Isabella was stunned when she heard that Shannon had received contact from him.

“Ah, why are you looking like that? You know the little black-haired girl you brought in here a while ago?”

Shannon’s next words left Isabella’s head spinning.

“Well, that child was the Kairan Prince’s daughter! And the prince contacted us and said he wanted to meet you to repay you!”

Isabella had, in fact, helped a small and adorable girl not long ago when she had been pressing her cheek against the shop window and nearly fallen.

But that child was the Kairan Prince’s daughter?

“Isn’t it amazing? I said I wanted to see him just once, and he actually contacted us! How can something like this happen? Huh?”

“Wait. Wait a moment.”

“Why?”

“That child. I mean… that little girl is the male lead’s—no, the Kairan Prince’s daughter?”

“I told you she is!”

The Kairan Prince’s child is a girl?

That’s not right…

I’m sure it was a boy.

And wasn’t it a child he took in and raised after the boy became an orphan at birth because his close friend disappeared?

“You’re going to meet him, right? Huh? I’m so curious about how handsome he is! So please say yes! Please!”

Isabella’s dazed gaze fell upon the fluttering letter in Shannon’s hand.

It was a letter supposedly sent by Leonard.

The original story had been distorted.

There was no other explanation.