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Chapter 37
The Pitiful(?) Berenice (5)
In the drawing room of the Marquisate of Wiltierra.
Still dressed in his worn traveler’s clothes, Kaiden sat at the head seat, savoring the aroma of tea that had cooled to just the right temperature for drinking.
Behind him stood As and Ben, while on either side of him sat the Wiltierra family and the people of the Blaze County—facing each other across the table, exchanging sharp, hostile gazes.
It was a peculiar standoff, one arranged under Kaiden’s instruction that there should be no further commotion.
Though the commotion has already gone quite far, Berenice thought dryly.
Beside Lowell, who sat trembling with clenched fists as he barely contained his anger, Berenice sat calmly, her gaze indifferent as she observed Nion, who was nervously glancing at the Count for cues.
The news that the young Count of Blaze had been unfaithful had already spread far and wide, especially around the central square.
Whatever decision was made here, the House of Blaze would be the talk of the Empire for quite some time.
Of course, Berenice herself would also become a topic of gossip—though only as a pitiable victim. But that was part of the plan. After all, the entire operation was codenamed “The Pitiful Berenice.”
Still, Father looks angrier than I thought.
Unlike Lowell, who was too young to hide his emotions, the Marquis managed to keep a composed exterior—but Berenice could easily see that he was restraining his fury with great effort.
Lowell too was holding himself back precisely because he could see the same barely-contained rage in his father.
I feel a little bad about it… but in the long run, it’s better to end things this way.
In her previous life, after the Marquis had been “driven to suicide,” the Count of Blaze had used his position as Berenice’s fiancé to slowly devour the Wiltierra territory like a parasitic worm.
Her mother, bedridden with grief over her husband’s death, and her brother, too young and helpless to resist, were easy prey for manipulation.
When the Wiltierra estate eventually collapsed and their manor burned to ashes, the Count of Blaze was the first to cheer and the loudest to condemn their name.
And until the very end, he hunted Berenice down.
By that time, he had replaced the Wiltierra name and taken the Marquisate for himself.
When Berenice heard that a new Marquisate had been established under the name Blaze, she had wept tears of blood in helpless fury.
Not this time. Never again.
Before the ties between their families could deepen further, she needed to cut them out completely.
And if that required her to become the pitiful one—so be it.
People might call her a fool who didn’t even notice her fiancé’s affair, but no one would dare say it to her face, so there was no need to care.
“Is the Marchioness not joining us?” Kaiden asked.
“I advised her not to,” replied the Marquis.
“I’ve heard you care deeply for your wife. Did you wish to spare her the shock?”
“No. I wished to prevent her from becoming a murderer.”
“…Ah.”
Kaiden nodded. He had heard of the Marchioness’s younger days—her skill with the sword was legendary, and it was common knowledge that Bledin’s swordsmanship came from her.
At their exchange, the Count of Blaze frowned uneasily, and Nion flinched in his seat.
Neither dared to interrupt the conversation.
After all, Nion’s crime was undeniable—and Kaiden himself had been a witness.
The Count wanted nothing more than to end this mess with as little damage to himself as possible. Raising his voice here would only make things worse.
After a few meaningless pleasantries, an oppressive silence fell.
The only person who appeared at ease was Kaiden.
Then, a quiet knock knock broke the tension.
The door opened after a short pause, revealing a stiff-faced Louis.
“It’s done,” he said.
He approached the Marquis and respectfully placed a written statement before him—testimony taken directly from the actress involved.
Though Kaiden sat at the head, this was the Marquis’s house, and he was the rightful host. Kaiden naturally waited in silence while the Marquis read through the statement.
“Three years,” the Marquis said finally.
“Father?” Lowell asked.
“It says here he has been involved with the leading actress of the Black Rose Troupe for three years.”
The actress—whose real name, Mary, was surprisingly plain—had confessed everything under Louis’s intimidating glare and the glint of the knights’ drawn swords.
The Marquis handed the testimony to Lowell, then turned his furious violet gaze toward the Count of Blaze.
“Count, I think this calls for an explanation.”
“Marquis, my son merely offered… sponsorship,” the Count stammered.
“Sponsorship that involves sharing a bed?”
“…”
The Count bit his lip and shot a glare at his foolish son.
He had told the boy countless times to play around discreetly before marriage, and yet he had dragged some vulgar actress into his bed.
Still, considering his son’s temperament, the Count supposed it was a miracle he had restrained himself this long.
Ever since his coming-of-age ceremony, Nion had behaved like a wild, unbroken colt.
He might have tried to hide it from others, but not even his own father could be fooled.
I warned him so many times…
The engagement with Wiltierra had been a crucial step in the Blaze family’s plan to seize control of the Empire’s top merchant guild.
We were supposed to slowly worm our way in and take everything. Now this idiot has ruined it all.
The Count clicked his tongue inwardly.
When he had first heard the rumor, he’d hoped it could be contained—that the engagement might somehow survive.
But one look at Lowell’s expression as he read the testimony told him that he should be grateful if his son walked out of here alive.
“Father. We can’t let this go,” Lowell said coldly after finishing the document, his face calm but his eyes blazing with fury.
Seeing his twin brother’s controlled rage, Berenice couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of reassurance. Then she looked to Kaiden—time for him to step in.
Kaiden met her gaze and spoke smoothly.
“If you wish to annul the engagement, I’ll serve as your witness.”
“Your Highness Kaiden, there’s no need for a prince to involve himself in a mere noble family’s affair,” the Count protested.
“Your son said something similar, didn’t he? ‘From here on, this is a matter between Wiltierra and Blaze,’ wasn’t it?”
Though Kaiden smiled, the faces of As and Ben darkened instantly behind him.
For the son of a mere Count to speak so brazenly to a prince—it was beyond arrogant.
Of course, Nion hadn’t meant it that way at all. He had been desperate, pleading for Kaiden to leave the matter alone. But neither Berenice nor Kaiden felt the need to clarify that.
“Even if it’s just a noble affair,” Kaiden continued, “the Empire has only one Marquisate. How could a member of the royal family ignore such a matter?”
“Y-Your Highness…”
Kaiden ignored the Count’s pitiful glance and turned to the Marquis.
“What do you intend to do, Marquis?”
“I will annul the engagement,” the Marquis said firmly.
“And then?”
“I will demand compensation for the annulment.”
“That’s all?”
“I also expect Nion Blaze to apologize properly to my daughter.”
“And for the injury to your daughter’s wrist?”
“I never—!” Nion shouted, outraged.
But the authority in the room had already shifted completely to Kaiden and the Marquis.
“The mark on her wrist tells another story,” Kaiden said coolly.
Berenice lifted her teacup, deliberately exposing her wrist, still red with a clear handprint.
“I’ll have to settle that matter separately,” the Marquis said.
“M-Marquis…”
“Yes,” Kaiden interjected, “that’s when you use the word ‘how dare you.’”
At his words, Nion’s face went pale. He suddenly remembered what he had said earlier—without realizing who Kaiden truly was.
“Count, do you have anything more to say?” Kaiden asked.
The Count bowed his head.
His face, twisted like that of a demon, was hidden from view; beneath the table, his hand was clenched tightly into a fist. But when he spoke, his voice was weary and subdued—like a broken father’s.
“This happened because I failed to raise my son properly.”
“Father!”
“Nion.”
At that single word, Nion’s shoulders slumped, and he lowered his head.
And in that moment, one more regret from Berenice’s previous life was wiped away.
