Perhaps, if he failed to gain anything from her, the man might lower his suspicions a little.
The Ingrave family’s ability had been listed among the families whose abilities had gone dormant for more than three hundred years. Surely even this man would not easily think that she had regressed.
She needed to find a suitable husband as soon as possible and become independent from Ingrave.
As long as she remained beside her parents, who were constantly looking for ways to obtain something from Valencia, escaping his line of sight would be nearly impossible.
“……I wonder how long that confidence of yours will last. I’ll be watching.”
The man gave her a cold look, released her hand, and stepped back. Instead of sitting on the sofa, he opened the carriage door.
“……!”
At some point, the carriage had arrived at the execution grounds without her noticing.
Without even looking back, he walked straight toward the execution site.
Rachel stared at his back for a while.
As expected, they were ill-fated.
Even if he didn’t intend to be, he was always the one who appeared at the most critical moments and took away even the last breath of air from her after she had already been thrown into the mud.
“Lady.”
Rachel shifted her gaze.
Becky, her personal maid whom she hadn’t even realized had already arrived, was approaching after getting down from the servant’s carriage.
“Becky.”
“Did something happen? I really should have gone with you……”
“No. Nothing happened.”
With Becky’s support, Rachel stepped down from the carriage.
Outside stood her escort knights, along with a few remaining knights from Valencia.
After glancing at the carriages belonging to the other noble families gathered around them, Rachel looked at Sir Hoffman, the captain of her escort.
“Shall we go back?”
“……Are you sure you don’t wish to attend the execution?”
“I’m fine. I never intended to attend in the first place, and—”
Judging by the fact that he had simply left her there, it was clear that he truly had not intended to forcibly drag her all the way to the execution grounds.
‘Did he really come only to warn me?’
Rachel lowered her gaze before continuing.
“Besides, coming here today wasn’t exactly part of any scheduled plans.”
“……I’ll bring a carriage.”
Sir Hoffman gestured to two of the knights.
Soon, a hired carriage arrived.
The knights of the Valencia family did not particularly try to stop her from leaving.
“We’re departing.”
Rachel nodded at the knight’s report and gazed out the window, which was completely uncovered except for the curtain swaying gently in the breeze.
“…….”
It was something she had already expected.
She had learned everything she could about and 「Records」.
And her parents’ suspicious attempts to subtly connect her with him were becoming increasingly concerning.
She had made up her mind.
“Becky, once we arrive at the mansion, find me a list of young noblemen who are of marriageable age.”
“……Understood, My lady.”
The hired carriage quickly arrived at the Ingrave mansion.
If there was one consolation, it was that the mansion was empty because her parents and younger brother had also gone to the execution.
While Rachel washed up and waited for the list to be prepared—
In the capital’s Grand Square, preparations for the execution were well underway.
Nathan was walking across the carpet toward the platform where the nobles had gathered when he sensed a peculiar gaze amid the attention pouring toward him.
He raised his head.
The Emperor was sitting on the imperial throne, smiling and waving at him.
“Hey, Mercenary King. No, I suppose I should call you Lord Nathan Valencia now?”
“…….”
After letting out a sigh, Nathan changed direction and walked toward him.
The Emperor continued waving until Nathan finally reached the throne.
“What is it?”
“Haha, you really haven’t changed at all. I’m calling a noble belonging to my empire. Is there some problem with that?”
The Emperor rested his chin on his hand and smiled brightly.
Nathan barely managed to swallow another sigh.
The Emperor was obviously excited right now.
Well, there was no reason not to be.
Everything had been resolved—
“……You must be pleased. Things turned out just as you wanted.”
Even the recruitment of Nathan, which the Emperor had wanted so badly, had happened in an unexpected way.
The Emperor was genuinely delighted.
“Of course! Oh, right. Once you become Duke, I’m thinking of holding a special imperial ball. I’ll hold a ball to commemorate the real Valencia heir becoming Duke. What do you think?”
“…….”
Nathan pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead as he recalled a fact he had barely managed to forget.
After he entered the family, his biological father—that is, the Duke of Valencia—
—I think I’ll retire.
—……
Had recently blindsided him once again.
A sealing ceremony for the great demon beast, which he would personally oversee, was scheduled to take place soon.
Afterward, the Duke, deeply remorseful over everything that had happened, was supposed to step down, and Nathan Valencia would officially become the new Duke of Valencia.
‘……I definitely thought I was only going to be registered as a member of the family.’
The only condition from the beginning had been that he enter the Valencia family.
Yet somehow, he had become the next Duke, with less than a month remaining until his succession.
In a way, perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing.
If he wanted to investigate ‘her’ suspicious behavior, being in the same world as her would certainly make things easier.
“……Haa.”
“…….”
The Emperor, who had been staring at him, muttered with a slightly more serious expression.
“What? Don’t tell me you dislike the ball? Or do you dislike becoming Duke?”
“……Both. Can’t I just not become Duke?”
“You have to.”
The Emperor answered with a firm expression.
“The Duke of Valencia is almost forty. Of course, that’s not exactly an age at which he needs to retire, but considering what happened, it might be good to transfer the title quickly and refresh the line of succession. Besides, wouldn’t it be faster for you to get married and have children than for a Duke who’s nearly forty to keep trying?”
“…….”
“……Of course, I’m not saying that in a bad way, so don’t misunderstand.”
For the first time, Nathan was at a loss for words.
He suddenly understood his biological father a little better.
Even as someone who had come from a mercenary background, Nathan found being treated like a stud unfamiliar.
For a nobleman like his biological father, it must have been even worse.
He shifted his gaze toward the Duke of Valencia standing on the nobles’ platform.
By now, Nathan knew quite well about his biological father’s promiscuous past.
‘Apparently, his nights of revelry never stopped until he had a child and got married.’
……That was why Nathan had felt betrayed when he first entered the Valencia family.
Just then, his eyes met those of his biological father.
Nathan did not look away.
“…….”
“…….”
“Hey, Young Lord?”
The Emperor waved his hand back and forth in front of Nathan’s face.
Nathan swallowed another sigh and looked down.
The Emperor looked slightly troubled.
“I-I know you don’t like it, but it can’t be helped. If we were to capture the great demon beast right now, the damage would be too great. It’s right outside the capital, after all.”
“……I know. Don’t worry. I have no intention of running away.”
“Really? Haha, what a relief. I was quite worried about what I’d do if a swordsman of your caliber genuinely decided to run away!”
“…….”
Ignoring the joke that sounded far too sincere, Nathan was about to turn his gaze back toward where his biological father stood when—
“Your Majesty.”
A noblewoman approached the imperial throne.
The Emperor visibly welcomed her.
“Oh, Lady Aisha. Come over here. Oh, right. You haven’t met him before, have you?”
“…….”
Now that he was a nobleman, Nathan could not simply skip the formalities.
Reluctantly, he stepped forward.
“I’m Nathan Valencia.”
“I’m Aisha Labelin.”
The Emperor added a precise explanation.
“She’s the daughter of Duke Labelin. She manifested an ability and went to the Magic Tower, but she successfully mastered her mana control and returned a few days ago. She’ll soon become a Great Mage.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
“…….”
The young lady’s gaze remained fixed on the Emperor.
Nathan had no particular interest in romance.
But he was not so oblivious that he couldn’t recognize the emotions engraved in her eyes.
He did not bother to continue the conversation and simply stepped back.
Lady Aisha’s complexion immediately brightened.
A little while later, after finishing his conversation and sending Aisha away, the Emperor clicked his tongue as he looked at Nathan.
“You should study etiquette a little more. How can you step away without saying a word when a young lady comes over?”
“I said one thing.”
“You only blurted out your name! Forget the greeting for a moment—she’s that beautiful. Don’t you have even the slightest human interest? She’s practically the Flower of Olsher, you know.”
“…….”
Nathan recalled the woman he had just seen.
Hair that seemed to have been shaped directly from flower petals.
Lady Aisha Labelin, with her fresh orange-colored eyes, was undoubtedly a beauty of the century.
But Nathan knew someone who was even more beautiful than her.
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