A flicker passed through Kaidrich’s brow as he faced the baffling situation.
Marquis Clarington spoke in a composed tone,
“After all, this is a matter that unfolded within the Valentine Marquisate. Let the capable marquis handle it.”
Beside him, Liliana sensed the tense atmosphere and coquettishly called out to the Marquis,
“Grandfather, please don’t be like that…”
“Don’t address me that way.”
Clarington fixed Liliana with a sharp, icy gaze as cold as if she were a complete stranger.
“I have never acknowledged Lady Liliana as kin.”
“T-then still I…”
Kaidrich, angered by the Marquis’s attitude, gripped Liliana’s shoulder firmly and said,
“Liliana is the daughter Setina protected with her life.”
“That does not change my mind.”
The Marquis responded coldly,
“The only kin I recognize is Iris.”
“Iris?” The name twisted Kaidrich’s face into a scowl.
“Why bring up Iris here?”
“The reason is simple.”
A spark of intrigue flashed in the Marquis’s eyes.
“Because Iris alone has been the constant Valentine who, despite no reply from me, persistently inquired after my well-being.”
It was news to Kaidrich, and he blinked, momentarily stunned.
“Perhaps the Marquis was unaware. But it cannot be helped.”
Clarington shook his head regretfully.
“The opportunity already granted to the Marquis has vanished.”
The opportunity the Marquis referred to was clear: Iris.
Kaidrich ground his teeth in frustration.
“Do you think you have no one else to ask but me?”
His polite tone was laced with mockery toward the powerless Marquis.
“As expected.”
With a cold expression, Clarington replied,
“Think whatever you wish.”
Since their first meeting, the Marquis had loathed Kaidrich,
his attitude sharply contrasting between the strong and the weak.
It is natural for mortals to treat the strong and weak differently,
but Kaidrich’s disdain for those beneath him, his servants, bordered on cruelty and scapegoating.
“Setina, what will you do if the Marquis ceases to love you?”
The Marquis had worried over this even on the day his beloved daughter Setina married Kaidrich.
“At that time, you will also be but a weakling in the eyes of the Marquis. Be cautious.”
Setina had angrily cut off contact, shouting,
“Father, you always say negative things! Do you hate that I marry the one I love?”
Still, Kaidrich loved Setina, and so the Marquis decided to trust her choice.
“No matter how wild he is, he should be different with family.”
Though his brow furrowed, the Marquis wished for Setina’s happiness.
Sadly, Kaidrich was abusing not his own daughter, but the weaker granddaughter.
For the first time, the Marquis was resolutely furious.
“Divorce him. No matter how poor or powerless the Marquisate is, that would be better than such a man.”
“He is merely mistaken for now. Everyone faces misunderstandings or difficult times.”
Sensing the escalating tension, Setina cut off contact altogether.
“He loves Iris. And just as much as he loves her, he suffers.”
Afterward, the Marquis tried to bring at least Iris under his own house, but there was no way.
The true family was the Valentine, and the Marquisate held no power.
The sporadic letters from Iris only deepened the old Marquis’s sorrow.
Knowing that the Clarington house replied would mean more abuse for her, so he dared not respond.
Those moments still left bruises on the old Marquis’s heart.
Clenching his fist, he spoke firmly,
“There is nothing Clarington can do for the Marquis.”
“Good. I only stopped by first for Setina, who left.”
Kaidrich sprang up abruptly.
There was no way the Marquis had any intention of helping him anyway.
“A waste of time.”
Kaidrich guessed that mentioning Iris was just the stubbornness typical of old age.
“We were never close to begin with, so let it be as you wish.”
“The guest is leaving. See them out.”
As if waiting for the cue, the Marquis tried to usher them out.
“F-Father, but…”
Liliana hesitated, clutching Kaidrich’s hand.
“He is Liliana’s grandfather… What exactly do you intend to do?”
But Kaidrich ignored her and led her out.
“I have ways other than relying on that old man. If only I can find Butler Brown…”
Just as he stepped out of the reception room, a familiar figure caught his eye.
“Butler Brown?”
There stood Butler Brown, healthier than when last seen at the Valentine estate.
Without acknowledging him, Brown ordered the other servants,
“See the guests out properly.”
“Yes!”
Kaidrich was dumbfounded by Brown’s presence.
“So that’s where you’ve been hiding, making us waste time looking for you in all the wrong places.”
Kaidrich crossed his arms with a condescending nod.
“You must miss working in Valentine, huh? If you perform well, I might let you return there.”
Scorn flashed in Brown’s eyes.
“I have no intention of serving in a filthy noble house led by a wretch like you, Count.”
“You’ve gotten cocky since being kicked out of Valentine!”
Kaidrich grabbed Brown by the collar with his large hand.
“I will file a formal complaint.”
Kaidrich shook Brown threateningly at the absurd threat.
“Do you think a mere servant’s complaint will cause trouble? I could kill you without a second thought.”
“And what about Master Liliana? Would you do the same to her?”
Brown’s gaze shifted to Liliana.
“If you file a complaint, today’s visit will be reported to the Imperial Court. And since the young lady is under house arrest…”
Getting caught outside the Count’s mansion during house arrest would only escalate the problem.
‘Damn it!’
Kaidrich gritted his teeth stubbornly, refusing to let go of Brown’s collar.
“You can try to threaten me all you want…!”
“Brown! Are you causing a scene with the guest?”
The voice of the Marquis of Clerington pierced Kaidrich’s ears.
“It seems I must write an official letter to His Majesty to see the guest off.”
The Marquis walked slowly toward Kaidrich and said,
“The Emperor should also know of the Count’s conduct.”
“Marquis, involving His Majesty over personal matters…”
Though reluctant, Kaidrich had no choice but to release Brown.
“…I wouldn’t want to trouble His Majesty.”
“Master, the guest appears to need no escort.”
“Truly pathetic people.”
“As expected, these noble houses are always plagued by such reckless intruders.”
Brown smugly tidied Kaidrich’s disheveled collar right before his eyes as he spoke with the Marquis.
Kaidrich glared alternately at Brown and the Marquis.
“I will remember this!”
“Did the Count lack sufficient warning?”
“This will not always be resolved so easily.”
Still resentful, the Count stormed off with Liliana.
But without the help of the Marquis and Steward Brown, there was no solution for him.
The Marquis watched the two depart through the window.
“Setina, I am deeply sorry to you in heaven, but I cannot forgive them.”
For the sake of the young Iris, who suffered abuse at their hands.
The elderly Marquis instructed Brown,
“Prepare the official documents to petition the Imperial Court.”
“Do you intend to submit testimony about her unauthorized movements during house arrest?”
The Marquis nodded.
“This worthless old man must show that he can still do something.”
The next day, testimony arrived confirming Liliana Valentine had moved without permission during her house arrest.
[Showing no sign of repentance…]
Thus, Liliana was sent back to prison, barely released before.
There would be no changes until the next Sacred Festival when sentence reductions might apply.
Meanwhile, whispers circulated again in the social circles about Liliana’s renewed imprisonment.
The Sacred Festival day approached. It was time to leave for the capital.
“Ugh, is this the last of the luggage?”
Vincent, happier than ever, loaded the final bags into the carriage.
Always preparing in case the Mistress changed her mind again, his foresight proved excellent.
“Vincent, we leave for the Sacred Festival.”
“Ah, yes, Mistress—wait, what?!”
Cedric announced abruptly and left without further explanation.
Later, Vincent heard that Mistress had quietly expressed a desire to attend the Sacred Festival banquet.
“Thank you, Vincent.”
“Heh, it’s my duty.”
How much she must have wanted to go to smile so brightly.
Vincent smiled warmly and bowed politely to Iris with Hanna.
They would guard the house while the master and mistress were away.
“You two take care.”
“Oh, we’re just going to the capital to visit—ah!”
“Quiet. No, it is we who must be entrusted.”
The knights escorting them were Greg and Liu.
Greg rolled his eyes at Liu, who seemed more interested in other things than duty, and stepped back.
“Shall we go, Mistress?”
“Yes.”
Taking Cedric’s offered hand, Iris boarded the carriage.
With the coachman’s call to depart, the carriage finally moved.
Iris let the wind play with her hair as she chatted and dozed off beside Cedric.
The carriage traveled on for quite some time.
Outside the window, colorful ribbons celebrating the Sacred Rite Day were tied to the passing trees.
Among them, Iris’s gaze was caught by a particularly vivid crimson ribbon.
The red hue symbolized the Valentine clan.
Their founder, the first to serve the Emperor, was known for his striking red hair.
Because of this, tales of the red-haired holy knights occasionally circulated throughout the Empire.
One woman Iris knew held those stories dear.
“Mother loved the Valentines so much. Such a magnificent lineage.”
She had cherished Valentine above all and found her greatest joy in the Sacred Rite Day.
And on that very day, she passed away.
Protecting her beloved youngest daughter to the very end on the most cherished day.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Cedric’s question drew Iris’s attention away.
“Ah…”
Taking a moment to steady her breath, Iris smiled gently.
“My mother.”
She did not speak of the emotions behind her longing.
Truthfully, even she couldn’t fully understand what those feelings were now.
“I think I used to miss her more before.”
As a child, she vaguely believed that if she yearned hard enough, one day she might return.
Might say to her,
“I am not an illegitimate daughter.”
That she was just like Liliana—both the fruits of love.
Secretly, Iris had observed her mother’s death anniversary.
On a day when a sudden rainstorm broke.
The day Liliana’s party fell into ruin.
Iris went to her mother’s grave, umbrella in hand.
But the umbrella was fiercely torn apart beneath her father’s step.
Chapter 53