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Chapter: 30
I was doomed.
As I stood there, completely at a loss for how to deal with the situation, the duke spoke again in a gentle voice.
“If there is no reward you desire at the moment, I will respect that as well.”
“Th-thank you.”
“But remember this well, Miss Utel.”
The expression on Duke Bellas’s face grew far more serious.
“When time itself betrays you, and not a single person remains by your side.”
“……”
“At that moment, the House of Bellas will show you that it has not forgotten the debt it owes you.”
Everyone goes through hard times at some point.
Even now, I felt like I was struggling enough just because of the quests—but it was possible that an even harsher period might await me in the future.
The duke was saying that even when all light had vanished, he would remain by my side as a guiding lamp.
And at those words, I felt a sense of reassurance I had never imagined before.
Seeing that I remained silent, seemingly convinced, the duke smiled softly and spoke toward the door.
“Adrian, bring it in.”
The doors to the audience chamber opened, and Adrian entered carrying a wooden box.
He placed it on the desk and lifted the lid. Inside lay a dark, blackened chunk of metal.
“This is…?”
“Bellanian.”
“……!”
I had suspected it, but seeing the real thing made my heart tremble.
Bellanian.
It was an extremely special metal.
For generations, the swords of the Bellas dukes had been forged from Bellanian.
Bellanian was found only in the northern mountain range of the Bellas territory.
Lightweight yet incredibly durable, when mixed with iron it became a material unrivaled in the world for forging swords.
When refined at extremely high temperatures, Bellanian emitted a clear, ice-like sheen, and possessed the strength to slice through even the thick hide of monsters as if cutting radishes.
The problem was that it was as rare as it was exceptional.
Because of that, Bellanian was valued at the same price as gold weighing ten times as much.
Even then, since only the Bellas family knew the refining method, it was useless to anyone else even if they managed to obtain it.
In short, this lump of metal was one of the treasures symbolizing the authority of the Bellas family head.
“Uh… why are you giving this to me?”
“Miss Utel, this is a token guaranteeing the promise I made to you.”
Duke Bellas explained.
“With Utel’s furnace, you may be able to refine Bellanian. As the benefactor of House Bellas, I hope you will put it to good use.”
The reason Bellanian was so difficult to refine was that it required a fire of extraordinarily high temperature—one that was nearly impossible to produce.
On the other hand, Utel’s furnace flame was a special fire used in alchemy, capable of drastically reducing the time needed for physical and chemical reactions.
“Thank you.”
I wasn’t even certain I could refine it, and I didn’t know swordsmanship either, so I wasn’t sure how useful Bellanian would be to me—but I accepted it without refusing.
The reason was the system window that appeared before my eyes.
[SPECIAL ITEM: Bellanian Ore]
There wasn’t much of an explanation attached, but still—Special Item.
It would surely come in handy someday.
After the audience ended, I had dinner with Adrian and Duke Bellas.
“Th-this… is delicious.”
The table was filled with delicacies from land and sea—fare that even nobles couldn’t enjoy on a daily basis.
“We prepared only the finest dishes in anticipation of our benefactor’s visit. Does it suit your taste?”
“Yes!”
“Hehe, please try this steamed lobster as well.”
The butler skillfully peeled the shell of the beautifully cooked lobster.
I busily accepted the tender meat piling up on my plate like a baby bird being fed.
“For dessert, we have a special selection prepared. It will surely suit Lady Rose’s palate.”
I replied as if I were on the verge of tears.
“I’d love that!”
Perhaps the replacement of staff hadn’t been in vain—the quality of the Bellas dining table had improved beyond comparison with the past.
For just a moment, I even felt like I wanted to live here instead of going home.
“Lady Rose? Why does he call you by such a weird name?”
Adrian, who had been quietly eating across from me, muttered suddenly.
“Umm…”
Honestly, I kind of agreed.
Lady Rose.
There were probably two meanings behind the butler calling me that.
First, the symbol of the Utel family was a rose.
The mansion garden was planted with roses, and the family crest was also a rose.
Second, my name—Rohesia—meant “rose.”
It was my favorite flower too, so I didn’t mind the name, but from Adrian’s perspective, it probably sounded annoying.
“Ugh—!”
Suddenly, a pained groan escaped Adrian.
Startled, I looked over to see him clutching his side, his face twisted in agony.
What? Did a ninja suddenly appear and try to assassinate him or something?
“Wh-what’s wrong, Adrian? Are you okay?”
“It’s n-nothing.”
His pronunciation sounded a little slurred.
Given their positions, the only person who could have attacked Adrian’s side was Duke Bellas.
When I stared with wide eyes, I saw the duke pinch Adrian’s side at lightning speed.
“!”
“Ugh!”
It was just a pinch—but coming from Duke Bellas, whose physical abilities surpassed those of ordinary humans, it must have hurt like hell.
Then the duke’s chilling voice followed.
“You worthless brat. I wonder who you take after…”
“……”
“What exactly do you gain by saying Lady Utel’s nickname is strange?”
His deadly gaze was fixed on Adrian.
“You kick away good fortune that rolls right up to your feet.”
I stared blankly at the scene, a piece of lobster meat skewered on my fork.
It seemed Duke Bellas was scolding Adrian for calling “Lady Rose” a strange nickname.
Since I was an important figure to the family, he probably wanted Adrian to treat me more warmly.
‘But that guy… is Adrian Bellas?’
The Empire’s sword, infamous for his cold brutality—the bleak male lead of The Sacrifice of the Thorned Golden Flower.
And now that Adrian was making a very boyish remark and getting utterly destroyed by his father.
The novel had never described Adrian’s relationship with his father, so I hadn’t imagined it would be like this.
I still didn’t know how Adrian felt about his father—or vice versa.
But one thing was certain.
“Pfft.”
A smile bloomed across my face as I watched them.
When they heard my laughter, the father and son—who had been glaring daggers at each other—both turned to stare at me blankly.
Their expressions and features were so alike, like fish-shaped pastries made from the same mold, that my laughter only grew.
“Ahahaha!”
—Ding!
[SYSTEM: Adrian’s favorability has increased by 2.]
Time passed quickly, and soon it was time to return home.
Just like when I arrived, the household staff gathered at the mansion entrance to enthusiastically see me off.
The warmth in my chest from receiving such hospitality for the first time didn’t last long.
The closer the carriage got to the Utel estate, the heavier my heart became.
‘Come to my laboratory when you return home today, Rosha.’
Those were my father’s words from that morning.
I had assumed I’d get an earful immediately after returning from the Bellas banquet, but surprisingly, a few days had passed quietly.
According to Erden, Father had been extremely busy handling work assigned by the imperial palace.
‘Maybe working so hard lowered his anger gauge, and I won’t get scolded as badly…!’
Burning that hopeful fantasy, I arrived home—only for the first person I met to be Erden.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
“…?”
Erden pointed his thumb toward Father’s laboratory.
“Just assume you’re dead.”
Damn it.
If I survive this, please let me unleash the mother of all nagging sessions on that guy.
After offering a brief prayer in my heart, I opened the laboratory door.
“Welcome back, Rosha.”
The atmosphere inside was lighter than I expected.
It seemed Father had been deeply immersed in research until just moments ago; he removed his goggles and gloves, brushing back his red bangs.
‘Wow…’
I was reminded once again—the Utel family truly lacked nothing in the looks department.
Even the dark circles beneath his tired eyes only added a mature, decadent charm to his handsome face.
Women who liked refined middle-aged men would probably scream at the sight.
“Now tell me. What happened?”
“…!”
But since I saw his face every day, it didn’t faze me much, and I immediately shrank under his questioning.
“Well…”
This is a world from a novel, and I can see a system window that others can’t.
To clear the quests that system gives me, I have to do all kinds of dangerous things—and if I don’t, I die.
—Obviously, I couldn’t say any of that.
“I became friends with Adrian, and I learned that the duchess was planning to do something truly terrible to him.”
“You should have told me.”
I shook my head.
“I didn’t want to turn it into a conflict between families.”
“Rohesia…”
Father sighed, his thoughts clearly tangled.
“I am Utel, after all. I can resolve things without escalating them into inter-family disputes.”
Father, that sounded suspiciously like you were planning something illegal.
“And you could have been put in danger.”
Father’s green eyes sank deeply.
“You are indispensable to me and to House Utel, Rosha.”
“Y-yes…”
“If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn’t be able to face your mother.”
Again—Mother.
I don’t really know her, since we parted before I could even remember her, but Father must have cared deeply for her.
I couldn’t interrupt the solemn atmosphere and just stood there, when his voice, now calmer, reached me again.
“I also know that you stole an item from the family.”
“……”
Of course. He had already found out about the hypnosis orb.
“As you said, you’re Utel too, so I thought you’d find some use for it and left it alone.”
“……”
“But if you continue to get involved in dangerous matters like this, I can’t simply stand by—as both the family head and your father.”
“……”
“Rosha, will you promise me that you won’t do anything dangerous anymore?”
