LFLH 11

Chapter 11

“Yes, Your Highness. We’ve already taken measures, and the conditions themselves were difficult from the start. But… are you sure about this?”

“Sure about what?”

“You deliberately leaked the classified information about the second son of Marquis Brington having an illegitimate child to Archibald Verdi, didn’t you? If you get caught…”

“There’s no chance of that. And even if he finds out, it doesn’t matter. Besides, if it’s Archibald Verdi, he’s probably already guessed it.”

A prince in name only was still royalty.

The only reason he could uncover the disgrace that the marquisate had hidden was thanks to that flimsy title.

There was no way someone like Archibald Verdi, who ran an elite intelligence network within his family, wouldn’t have noticed already.

“Thanks to that, we’ve successfully tied Lucius’s hands for the time being. So we’ve hit two birds with one stone.”

The Marquis of Brington had long served on Crown Prince Lucius’s side and had been doing his job well.

But a recent scandal involving his second son had ignited a fire under his feet.

Naturally, it was the work of none other than Archibald Verdi, who had narrowly avoided a marriage scam.

When even the twelfth candidate fell through, the opportunity finally presented itself to Leraije.

And he seized it without hesitation. There was no reason to delay.

The Verdi family would serve as a strong foundation of support for someone like him with no political backing.

“But… are you really going to marry her?”

“Of course.”

Leraije answered as he playfully waved the letter in his hand like a fox’s tail.

Still, Aegis looked worried.

“But Lady Calliope and Your Highness… don’t exactly get along…”

The tension between them is awful.

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, but Leraije understood without needing to hear it.

“The one and only thing Calliope Verdi and I have in common is…”

“…?”

“That we’re both willing to do anything to achieve our goals.”

Instead of saying it out loud, Leraije flashed a charming smile and stood up.

“There’s not much time left.”

“Your Highness! What are you doing?!”

Aegis shouted, covering his eyes. Leraije had suddenly stripped off his top.

His muscular upper body, previously hidden beneath his shirt, was now fully exposed—so perfectly sculpted that it would put any statue to shame.

Leraije strode confidently toward the bathroom but paused just before entering.

Turning his head slightly, he answered.

“Getting ready for the play.”

The next day.

“Wait—turn this way.”

Calliope stopped Leraije in front of the parlor doors.

Unlike usual, he wore a cravat today. But perhaps out of habit, it was slightly askew.

“I told you to tidy up properly before we came.”

Leraije looked down at her as she fixed his outfit.

Her small head hadn’t lifted for a while.

“What? Are you nervous?”

“Of course…”

“Because you’re afraid we won’t be able to get married?”

This jerk. Calliope glared at him with wide eyes.

‘He looks just like a hissing cat.’

Amused by the thought, Leraije let out a chuckle. Calliope’s expression turned sharper.

“Who’s worried about marrying someone like you? That’s not it—”

“Oh, I get it, I get it. You’re nervous someone else might snatch the prize after you’ve set the table so nicely.”

“You just have to run your mouth, don’t you?!”

Just as she was about to snap at him, the parlor door opened and Sir Walter stepped out.

“Ah, both of you are here. The Count is waiting inside.”

He nodded slightly, then stepped aside and held the door open wide for them.

Just before entering the office, Calliope shot Leraije a warning glare, but he merely shrugged.

That insufferable bastard.

If he said something weird in front of her grandfather, she was going to burn off all his hair.

But Calliope soon realized her worries were unfounded.

“Lady Calliope, shall we go in?”

Leraije offered her his arm—for an escort. With absolutely flawless etiquette, not even the smallest flaw could be found.

Calliope was stunned by his smooth performance.

Thankfully, thanks to her years of training and practice, she managed to keep her expression neutral.

“Very well, Your Highness.”

She naturally placed her hand over his. He gently clasped hers in return. His hand was warm, much like hers.

This feels… strange.

It wasn’t her first time holding a man’s hand, yet it felt unfamiliar.

Thinking how odd it was, Calliope looked up—only to find Leraije frozen, staring intently at something.

She followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at their joined hands.

“…Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Leraije quickly shook his head and straightened his posture.

Calliope found it a little odd but didn’t dwell on it.

When the two entered the drawing room side by side, Archibald, who had been gazing out the window, turned around.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

“It’s been a while, Duke Verdi. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Please, have a seat.”

Following Archibald’s gesture, Calliope and Leraije sat down across from him.

Hubert personally poured the tea and placed teacups in front of them. The three sat in silence, sipping their tea.

Calliope sipped hers, eyes darting.

Archibald maintained a gentle expression throughout, like someone engaging in ordinary small talk.

But there’s no way that’s the case.

She would bet the sapphire necklace around her neck that her grandfather was scrutinizing Leraije from head to toe right now.

“To be honest, I was surprised when I heard from Calliope.”

At last, Archibald broke the silence.

“I had assumed that Your Highness and my granddaughter did not share a particularly positive relationship.”

He looked directly at Leraije as he spoke.

Going straight for the jugular, huh? Calliope swallowed hard.

She was on edge, waiting to see how Leraije would respond.

“It’s true there were misunderstandings between us. But as with most rumors, they tend to be exaggerated.”

“So you’re saying the rumors aren’t true?”

“Exceptional people are often the targets of envy and slander, wouldn’t you agree?”

Not bad. Calliope was slightly impressed.

If he had flatly denied everything, her grandfather wouldn’t have believed him.

Instead, he acknowledged that things had happened, but cleverly reframed the rumors as exaggerated, thereby softening the seriousness.

He even snuck in some flattery for both of them.

“Calliope, what do you think of the prince’s explanation?”

“Just as he said. There’s been some exaggeration in the gossip.”

Archibald gave them a subtle look, shifting his gaze between the two.

“I see. Even so, I remain suspicious of this relationship.”

“May I ask why?”

“Because Your Highness did not seem like someone who wanted to get married.”

Archibald didn’t beat around the bush. His speech was the blunt and direct style of a warrior.

“If I recall, you’ve done plenty of things that show you have no regard for your public reputation.”

As Calliope expected, Archibald was well aware of Leraije’s bad reputation—painfully so.

“In the marriage market, reputation is everything. That’s why even the worst of people try to maintain their image before marriage.”

A man who couldn’t even manage his own reputation dares to go after my granddaughter?

Hearing her grandfather’s inner voice loud and clear, Calliope had to lower her head to hide her laughter.

A marriage contract is a contract… but I can’t help feeling just a little smug.

She had been through too much with Leraije to feel any sympathy for him.

“Some even say Your Highness is so promiscuous you don’t discriminate between men and women. Were you aware of that?”

He’s coming in hard.

Calliope found herself increasingly intrigued. She was curious to see how Leraije would respond next.

She took another sip of tea and waited for his answer.