USML 16

Chapter 16

So Evan—he must surely be the same sort of man. No different from the foolish men who only admire Vanessa for her looks.

“A proposal, though?”

But a proposal crossed the line. Even as Sherry tried to reassure herself, she couldn’t shake the unease that Evan might suddenly appear and take Vanessa away. That sudden proposal letter that had turned her insides upside down was the reason why.

“Sherry.”

At that moment, a hollow, empty voice rang out. Sherry shot Dave an irritated glare at his call.

“What.”

Dave was slumped in his chair, utterly dazed, his body sagging lifelessly. His glasses slid down his nose as if they might fall off at any moment.

“Sherry, how about swapping names with Vanessa?”

“……”

As Sherry’s expression twisted, the Count patted her shoulder, trying to calm her.

“Sherry, that won’t do. You shouldn’t curse someone with your eyes.”

Despite the Count’s attempt to stop her, Sherry, clearly out of her mind, didn’t spare Dave—her own brother—any verbal abuse.

“Will changing names solve anything? Say something that actually makes sense. With a brain like that, how are you even running the trading company?”

When Sherry narrowed her eyes and glared at Dave, the Count let out a sigh and stepped in between them.

“That’s enough. Enough.”

“Father, are you really sure it’s okay to leave the trading company to Dave?”

The trading company…

Thanks to Sherry’s tirade, Dave was reminded of a troublesome matter. Just hearing the name made his teeth grind and his fists clench on their own.

Viscount Jagard.

The Feard Trading Company primarily dealt in distributing foreign crafts and works of art. Among their partners, the most important was Viscount Jagard—a nouveau riche, plain and simple.

A piece of land that had been passed down through his family had become part of a trade route with the Kingdom of Haigan, approved by the imperial court for commercial use. Including the Feard Trading Company, many merchants renewed their contracts with him annually, maintaining cordial relations.

Viscount Jagard was the worst kind of business partner, changing his tune whenever it suited his own interests. Still, shortening distribution time left them little choice.

Up to that point, there hadn’t been a problem. What troubled Dave was something else entirely.

“I would like to have a meal with Lady Vanessa Feard.”

As a condition for renewing the contract, Viscount Jagard had proposed meeting Vanessa—wearing a shy smile, no less.

What, with whom, doing what? The moment Dave heard it, he wanted to grab Jagard by the collar and beat him senseless, business be damned.

The incident began when Viscount Jagard happened to see Vanessa during a visit to the trading company and fell for her at first sight.

Jagard, in his early forties, divorced, arrogant, and abusive toward his subordinates, was also lazy and extravagantly indulgent. No wonder he had remained single all this time.

There’s a limit to being shameless. How dare he, not knowing his place.

Whenever Dave saw hearts practically popping out of Jagard’s eyes, he felt an overwhelming urge to punch that nauseating face. At least Sherry didn’t know about this yet—that was the one saving grace.

If Sherry ever found out…

Dave glanced at Sherry, lost in her thoughts. Knowing how drastically she changed whenever it involved Vanessa made the idea genuinely terrifying.

Dave had tried offering Jagard something tempting, but it hadn’t worked at all. The man was usually obsessively calculating, yet for some reason he refused to back down this time.

Dave found himself questioning his life—he, who had been called a prodigy of schemes, a born merchant since childhood.

Lowering his voice, Dave cautiously spoke to the Count.

“What should we do about renewing the trade route contract with Viscount Jagard? Demand for Haigan crafts is increasing, but we don’t have a suitable route to import them.”

“What are his demands?”

Dave glanced sideways at Sherry, then lowered his voice further and whispered.

“He still wants to meet Vanessa. He clearly has ulterior motives.”

The Count’s face crumpled as his eyes sharpened dangerously. As if daring to die. He muttered under his breath, his face growing redder the more he suppressed his anger. Reading his father’s mood, Dave whispered again.

“Don’t worry, Father. Vanessa will never meet that man.”

The Count took a deep breath, as if holding back his rage, and nodded slowly.

“For now, we’ll observe the situation.”

“Our goal will be to prevent any meeting between him and Vanessa.”

The Count and Dave locked eyes and nodded firmly. To hell with that contract—Vanessa was something they would never hand over. Without saying a word, they understood each other perfectly.

Knock, knock, knock—

At that moment, an employee of the trading company knocked on the tightly closed paulownia-wood door. Soon after, Dave glared at the entering employee with dull eyes.

“What is it? I told you not to interrupt—we’re discussing something critical.”

The employee rolled his eyes in the air and fidgeted with his hands.

“I—I’m sorry. I received word that His Grace, Duke Dustin, has arrived at the estate, and—aaah!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sherry, Dave, and the Count all leapt to their feet at once, knocking over their chairs.

The employee standing by the door twisted his waist and threw his arms up, barely dodging the three charging toward the exit. They collided with him one after another as they rushed past.

“Ack! Ow! Ugh!”

After they disappeared, the employee remained frozen in a ridiculous pose, staring blankly.

“That’s just cruel…”

After finally understanding what had happened, he thought tearfully that tomorrow, he would definitely submit the resignation letter he carried close to his heart.

Not long after the sobbing employee left the meeting room, a glittering form that had been watching the scene slipped out through the window.

It was none other than Perry, now gradually coming into clear view. He perched on a branch close to the window.

“Should I tell her… or not?”

Perry tapped his cheek with his index finger, deep in thought.

“I did get chased out by humans and came back, but still…”

Feels like I heard something I shouldn’t have. What a hassle. Rolling his eyes, Perry stared at the leaves before him. When he tapped one with his hand, it instantly split into several, multiplying into more than a dozen leaves.

Watching them fall one by one, Perry muttered,

“Tell her, don’t tell her, tell her, don’t tell her, tell her…”

When only one leaf remained and finally fell, Perry stared blankly at the bare branch.

The last leaf meant “don’t tell her.”

In the human books Perry had read, the group called “family” appeared often—people who loved one another and valued harmony. But the Vanessa Perry observed was always alone.

He didn’t know the exact reason, but perhaps misunderstandings had piled up between her and her family.

“Hm. She looks pitiful, always playing alone. Should I clear up the misunderstanding?”

After some thought, Perry nodded vigorously.

“Yeah. That human—who else does she have to rely on but me? I’m kind, so I’ll go back.”

When Perry brushed the branch with his hand, shimmering mana wrapped around it. Soon, fresh buds sprouted and leaves bloomed anew.

Choosing the largest leaf, Perry placed it on his palm and blew gently.

“Hoo—tell her!”

With a bright expression, Perry soared into the air. The mana lingering where he had been scattered like dust and vanished.

This was the first-floor reception room, designed by the empire’s finest architect. Through the transparent windows, one could admire the beauty of the garden, and the room was bathed in excellent natural light.

A masterpiece depicting fairies in splendid detail adorned the wall—one of the estate’s prides, drawing admiration from every visitor to the Feard household.

Yet there was someone whose dark presence clashed entirely with this beauty.

Evan Dustin. He had finally set foot in Feard.

Evan arrived alone on horseback. Even standing still, he drew attention, and seeing him ride through the city would have felt like spotting a unicorn wandering through town.

Still, that was better. If a carriage bearing the Dustin family crest had remained at the Feard estate, no amount of instructing the servants to keep quiet would have prevented rumors.

Let’s hope no one recognized him.

Just as I was relieved by that thought, his languid voice reached my ears.

“I was ignorant of imperial law and made a mistake.”

Each syllable sounded awkward, as if rehearsed in advance. Sensing his intent, I asked back,

“So you’re saying you thought my letter meant I wanted you to visit immediately?”

Evan nodded. Was this a joke or what? It was such a flimsy excuse that a sigh escaped me.

I lifted my gaze wearily as I sighed deeply. Earlier I’d been too flustered to notice, but now that I looked closely, I wasn’t the only one who had changed.

Luxurious attire, hair neatly swept back like flowing waves—he was no longer the man I had known in Cent.

Tilting his head, Evan stared at me intently.

“You look quite startled.”

“No, Your Grace.”

The moment the words Your Grace left my mouth, his eyebrows shot up in clear displeasure.

The silence was so complete that even the sound of swallowing echoed. No—icy would be the better word. Cold enough to freeze the tea.

Maybe I shouldn’t have chased Perry away. I should’ve kept him around, at least to hear his chatter. In this state, I couldn’t even swallow properly. Just then, a familiar name was spoken.

“Basil.”

“Yes?”

“So you haven’t forgotten that name.”

Damn it. At my unconscious reply, Evan twisted his face with a self-mocking smile. He must have expected me to pretend I didn’t recognize it.

Ah—did this man come all this way to confirm the rumor that I was a flirt?

With a weary sigh, Evan finally spoke.

“I came to hear the answer you postponed.”

When I kept my lips tightly shut, he urged me on by calling my name again.

“Basil.”

“Well… I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

I deliberately pretended not to understand. Evan’s expression hardened instantly.

“What?”

He let out a hollow laugh, staring at me as if he couldn’t believe it, before releasing a deep sigh. It carried a sense of grief, as though the words How could you were about to follow.

Judging by his silence, it seemed he really had come to confirm the rumors.

As if about to collapse, he covered his eyes with his hand and bowed his head. He looked dangerously unsteady—something I’d never seen before.

Learning that the person you loved had deceived and toyed with you must have been a tremendous shock. And in the capital, they even called one’s lover a philanderer—how must that have felt?

But still…

“I don’t understand why Your Grace proposed to me in the first place.”

Since he had come this far, I had no choice but to become completely cruel.

“Ha.”

Evan let out another hollow laugh and raised his head. As if he could see right through my act, he twisted his jaw, forcing his anger down.

When our eyes met again, they were entirely different from before.

His blue eyes wavered, filled with turbulent emotion. Only then did he seem to realize what kind of person his former lover truly was.