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Chapter 84
Since Karte became a Sword Master, many things had changed. Now, besides Taibern and the three Sword Masters of the Imperial Capital, there was another one.
And not just any Sword Master—the youngest ever!
His fame shook the entire Berbeze Empire. Kiera basked in everything that followed that fame.
After her divorce from Herden, her vanity and arrogance, which had faltered for a while, rose up again.
Of course, there were some problems with Karte.
“I can just hide it. And even if it’s exposed, so what? He’s a Sword Master. Who would dare touch him?”
Suppressing her unease, Kiera stepped into the Quartz atelier.
“Oh… Madam.”
The owner of Quartz atelier greeted her with a troubled look.
Kiera sat down arrogantly on the sofa.
She completely ignored the customers who had reserved appointments and were waiting.
No one dared to mutter a word. This was power, and power had always been unfair.
“I didn’t hear back, so I came myself, Madam. What about the request I made last time? You’re preparing it, aren’t you?”
“…It seems difficult to have it ready within the deadline, Lady Kiera. If you could pay a portion of the balance in advance, I might be able to manage somehow, but…”
“Why should I take responsibility if your guild doesn’t have enough money? I’m the customer! Besides, didn’t Her Highness the Princess say she wanted to wear an Illanger dress at her wedding?”
Kiera’s sharp voice rang out. Her eyes bore into the Madam like blades.
“…This is beyond what I can resolve on my own, Lady Kiera. I think it would be faster if you met the guild master directly.”
The Madam retreated.
Kiera’s eyes glimmered. What problem was there in meeting the guild master directly? If anything, it was they who should be nervous.
They had failed to meet her demands for far too long. She shot up from her seat.
“You’ll regret saying that!”
If the eastern region were still intact, she could have just acquired Illanger Trading Guild outright. But ever since the contamination source appeared there and monsters broke loose, funding had become a serious problem.
On top of that, debt collectors were circling around Aites, waiting for any chance to seize money.
The only reason they hadn’t attacked yet was because Karte had awakened at just the right time, and because of the imperial family.
“Tsk.”
Kiera clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Still, she thought there’d be no problem obtaining the dress, and so she stepped into Quartz Trading Guild.
“I must see the guild master.”
“Lady Kiera. The guild master is not here.”
“What? Then when will he return?”
“You can find him at Del Trading Guild.”
“Del Trading Guild?”
Kiera frowned. She hadn’t forgotten the humiliation she’d once suffered because of Del Trading Guild, though she had no choice but to trade with them now.
She didn’t know who their current master was, but she knew they still maintained close ties with Katieron.
And now they were telling her to go there directly?
No—perhaps this was a good opportunity to talk face to face with the master of Del Trading Guild.
After all, Aites had the imperial family at its back. Kiera strode into Del Trading Guild, brimming with confidence.
Count Aros greeted her with a bright smile.
“Lady Kiera! It’s been a long time.”
“…I heard you acquired Quartz Trading Guild.”
“Yes, that’s right. It was a decision made for the sake of the guild’s growth.”
“Then, there is one more thing you can do for that growth.”
Kiera spoke as if granting him a favor.
“You may not have heard, but Her Highness the Princess wishes to wear an Illanger dress at her wedding. I want you to see to it.”
“I’ll need to check the current reservation status…”
“Reservations don’t matter!”
Kiera slammed her palm on the table.
“Did you not hear me say that Her Highness the Princess wishes to wear it at her wedding?”
“Yes. Which is why I intend to proceed in the proper order. Surely Her Highness wouldn’t want to be seen disrupting market order.”
Count Aros replied with brazen calm. He had expected this encounter from the start. Today, he had received only one directive:
“Squeeze as much money out of her as possible, my lord! Remember, we didn’t get a single coin back last time? Rumor has it the Princess said she won’t marry unless she wears an Illanger dress. Which means the one in a rush isn’t us—it’s them. You understand, right?”
The memory of Lani’s cute face twisted into an ill-fitting, sly smile flashed across his mind.
Unknowingly, Count Aros wore a smile strikingly similar to hers.
Karte stood before Katieron’s townhouse, gazing at it in silence. There was no threshold in this world he could not cross.
And this mansion was no exception.
“Open the gates.”
His cold voice issued a command. The steward, who had rushed out upon hearing of his arrival, looked up at the mounted figure.
“Young Master Karte…!”
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
Karte’s voice grew sharper.
The steward hesitated, then ordered the gates opened. Divorce or not, he still bore the Katieron bloodline, even if he now used the name Aites. The steward had no authority to bar him.
The gates swung open, and Karte strode inside Katieron’s estate without hesitation.
He dismounted before the front entrance.
“Y-young master!”
The steward hurried over and bowed deeply.
“I shall inform His Grace the Duke at once. You’ll be able to meet him shortly.”
“No. I didn’t come here to see my father.”
Such a man, who couldn’t even wield a sword properly, was no longer of any interest to Karte.
He curled his lips into a smile.
“Lani. She’s still here, isn’t she?”
He knew she wouldn’t have been dragged to the battlefield, nor would Hider have sent away someone he was obsessed with. Karte’s gaze bored into the steward.
“I came to see that maid.”
The steward swallowed hard. A terrible premonition weighed on him.
Dania insisted I should learn the virtues of a lady, and even recommended etiquette lessons. But honestly? That sounded boring.
Besides, I was planning to leave this place anyway. As soon as I became an adult…!
I was bickering with Dania while checking the fields when I was told I had a visitor. I headed to the drawing room, puzzled. Who would come looking for me?
Tilting my head, I set down the garden shears and walked to the mansion.
The one waiting for me was none other than Karte.
“Lani.”
He smiled at me.
That smile, and the look in his eyes, sent a chill crawling down my spine.
A reddish glint shimmered around his eyes. I swallowed nervously. He had become a Sword Master recently—defying fate itself.
What choice had he made to turn against destiny?
A status window popped up:
[Name: Karte Aites
Role: Heir of Aites, Corrupted Soul, Sword Master Who Defied Fate]
Just from the status window, it was terrifying. Being a Sword Master meant some of my abilities might no longer work on him. My mouth went dry with tension.
I hadn’t expected him to seek me out.
Could it be… he realized I was the one who had pretended to be a ghost before?
“It’s been a while,” Karte said smoothly.
There was a composure about him now that hadn’t been there before—
the composure of someone who knew he could never lose.
“I came to make you an offer.”
His lips curled again, coldly this time.
My whole body trembled. I remembered Dania’s kidnapping not long ago, and the way Karte used to steal glances at me.
“Come with me to Aites, Lani.”
It wasn’t an invitation—it was a threat.
I clenched my fists tightly.
“I’ll treat you well.”
Somehow, those words made me feel sick.
“Far better than someone like Hider ever could.”
I instinctively took a step back. I knew that the hand he extended toward me was dangerous.
“Hurry and take my hand, Lani.”
He sounded almost inconvenienced.
“Before I lose my temper.”
Three years as an all-purpose maid—
and now I faced my greatest crisis yet.
