109. House of Aeperos (2)
Nobility.
Commoners look up to those who belong to that class and envy them like crazy. They go beyond that to even admire them.
They say that they are all noble from birth and that even their bloodline is blessed.
It’s not wrong to say that.
If you are born as the child of a famous general who led a war to victory, a hero who eradicated monsters, or a wizard who discovered the truth of the world, then that would indeed be a blessing.
However, not all nobles receive such blessings.
At least Harni would say so.
“You have no way of doing anything perfectly!”
It was what Harni always heard from the Marquis in the Marquis’s family.
Everything was lacking.
He said that he was of no help.
He asked if he was going to tarnish the honor of the family.
Since childhood, he had heard the Marquis’s harsh words until they stuck in his ears.
“Keep this in mind, Harni. Even if you are not the legitimate heir of this family, I took you in so that you could prove your worth. Shouldn’t you at least not hold Velian back?”
Every time he said that, Harni had no choice but to bow his head and apologize.
When he was young, he really thought that it was his fault.
Having heard that he was inferior to other young nobles all the time, he had come to believe that he was truly lacking.
Just as he said, he was an illegitimate child and not the legitimate daughter.
He thought that he had to make up for his shortcomings all the more.
He didn’t care if he was treated differently in the Marquis’s family.
He just thought that it was his fault for being lacking.
So, he studied harder.
He studied harder because he wanted to be recognized.
He worked even harder because he wanted to be praised like Velian.
Like that, several years passed, and when he finally did something that was truly helpful to the family and raised the family’s status from a Baron to a Marquis.
Harni thought that this time, he would finally be recognized by his father.
No. He was sure of it.
Because he had done something worthy of praise.
He had no doubt that he would say something like “well done” to his daughter.
However.
“Don’t be so proud of yourself for just that much, Harni. You were just lucky, weren’t you? If it were Velian, he would have done it half a year earlier!”
What came back was a single, indifferent sentence.
And an incomprehensible scolding.
Could it be that despite all my hard work, it wasn’t enough?
Is this the extent of my abilities?
No. That wasn’t it at all.
An examination paper that she had suddenly discovered inside the Marquis’s trash can.
Harni had recognized it at a glance.
It belonged to her eldest brother, Verian Teresia.
“Ha, hahahahaha…”
Realizing two things at once, she couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
First, the exam paper was riddled with mistakes, so much so that it was a far cry from her own, incomparable abilities.
Second, despite this, Verian had received praise from the Marquis, who had told him he had done well.
How could she not laugh in the face of such absurdity?
This stark contrast ultimately boiled down to one reason.
Legitimate versus illegitimate child.
Despite both being nobles, there was a clear divide between those who had everything and those who did not.
Harni accepted this cruel reality, albeit with a heavy heart.
She had no place in this family.
She was not the daughter of the Marquis, but merely an illegitimate child who would be used and then discarded.
From the very beginning, she had not been treated as a member of the family.
From that day forward, she no longer had any intention of helping the Marquis’s family.
As a result, Harni’s performance had declined compared to before.
The tasks she had been entrusted with also began to suffer.
The Marquis then bluntly ordered Harni, who was preparing for the Eastern Nobles’ Conference, to attend a meeting.
“Didn’t I tell you? Your achievements are nothing more than a stroke of luck. So, this time, you must learn properly so as not to tarnish the Marquis’s reputation at the Eastern Nobles’ Conference!”
That was why Harni was attending this meeting.
Do not tarnish the reputation of my family.
I will provide you with some support, so show off your abilities like before and do something that will benefit the Marquis’s family.
That was how she interpreted it.
“Now that Lady Harni has arrived, shall we begin our discussion right away?”
─Yes!
As soon as the brief greetings were over, the conversation began.
“What do you all think of this conference? It’s a bit unusual compared to last year, isn’t it?”
Naturally, the topic was the Eastern Nobles’ Conference.
For all the nobles who would be taking the Imperial examination under the guise of a conference, it was an easy subject to bring up.
However, despite the major test they were about to face, those gathered here did not seem particularly nervous.
“Ah. You mean the fact that we can’t rely on the power of our family heads?”
“I don’t think there’s any need to worry about that.”
“Me neither. I think it’s all just a big fuss. We’ve all been studying hard up until now.”
“I think we’ll all be fine since we’ve all received an education befitting our status as nobles.”
The young ladies all agreed, laughing and chattering among themselves, dismissing it as nothing to worry about.
This topic quickly sank back into the depths of their minds.
Another topic quickly took center stage.
“By the way, isn’t it easier for lovers who are engaged to help each other at times like this?”
“Yes. It’s a huge advantage.”
“It’ll be especially helpful this time.”
The advantage of having a fiancé, being lovers.
It would certainly be more advantageous than taking the exam alone.
However, there was another reason why they brought up this topic now.
“What about Harni Young-ae? I heard that for this Eastern Nobles’ Conference, since you can’t rely on your family’s power, it would be quite helpful to have your lover take care of you. Young-ae, your fiancé can’t take care of you, can he?”
Yes. That must have been why they brought it up.
The flatterer chimed in.
“Oh my. Why can’t your fiancé take care of you? Was he that heartless? I thought you were quite close at the party.”
“I’d like to correct any misunderstandings. The two of you are very close.”
“Then why?”
Tsk.
“He’s none other than Prince Karsein, who has failed miserably in managing his territory.”
A barbed response.
As if she had been waiting for it, Heli Young-ae answered the question.
“Indeed. There are others who can help. Even if the ducal family has two daughters, they wouldn’t ask Prince Karsein, who has brought shame upon the name of Shatran, for help.”
“Rather, he might ruin things if he gets involved. Is that what we want?”
“I was worried, so I asked the ducal family if Prince Karsein could come. But they said no.”
“He can’t get involved. That’s the right way to look at it, isn’t it?”
Led by Heli Young-ae, they began to list Karsein’s problems without mercy.
“At this point, I wonder if he’s not holding onto the wrong end of the rope.”
“Even this time, it won’t be easy for him to solve it on his own, will it? I heard that the work he’s currently in charge of isn’t producing results.”
“Harni Young-ae. Just say the word. I’ll introduce you to someone good. Are there only one or two men in the world?”
“Incidentally, I heard a rumor that the Marquis also dislikes Prince Karsein. I think it would be a good excuse to find a new fiancé.”
At those words, Harni bit her lip.
‘So that’s what they’re after.’
She had thought that the Marquis was just wasting her time here, but he had devised this scheme to induce her to break up with Karsein.
She couldn’t just sit back and take it.
‘Simply refuting them probably won’t be enough. If I do, Prince Karsein will be the one who suffers… I have to end this myself, so that the worst rumors don’t spread.’
Just as Harni was about to retort.
“Is it certain that the Marquis dislikes him?”
“Huh. Who’s butting in here… Oh!”
“I haven’t received an official notice of annulment. My fiancée and I are still together. But why haven’t I heard anything about it?”
Karsein appeared, creating the most ideal situation.
***
-Creak.
A chair was added to the round table.
A person joined them.
And it was the subject they had just been gossiping about.
“Do you mind if I join you? I didn’t receive an invitation, but I would have been invited anyway, so I don’t think it should be a problem.”
“No…Well…”
“Is there a problem?”
What more could they say?
They had said they would send an invitation, so it was only right that he came. They couldn’t tell him to leave, saying that he wasn’t an invited guest.
Young-ae and the others had no choice but to let Karsein join them.
He sat down and crossed his legs.
“So, should we finish the conversation we were having earlier? What was it? That I would ruin Harni rather than help her, so I should just leave her alone?”
“…!”
From Noble mtl dot com
Young-ae and the others held their breath.
He had heard everything.
“That wasn’t all, was it? You said I was pulling the wrong rope, and that this time, Harni wouldn’t be able to handle it by herself, so she should meet other men, and that there were plenty of men in the world, so you would introduce her to a good one. You used that as an excuse. It was so amusing to hear.”
Karsein crossed his legs the other way.
And then he looked at Harni and smirked.
“Harni, what do you think? Was I really such an undesirable man?”
Even a fool could tell that he was asking her to join in.
With the right response and the right to speak, Harni was able to answer easily.
“No.”
“Then do you think I will be a hindrance to you in this meeting?”
“I don’t think so at all. I know that you are a man who keeps his promises.”
“Do you think I’m pulling the wrong rope?”
“Even if you are not the Duke of Bagran, I don’t regret meeting you. And in the first place, I never intended to solve this with someone else’s help.”
“What do you think of my lack of ability? It could easily turn into a bad story.”
“Even if my fiancé lacks ability, there is no reason for it to become a bad story. All nobles are fairly tested by the Imperial Family. And I think that you can only know the length of a journey by walking it.”
No matter what question came their way, the two of them continued to agree with each other.
To their advantage.
To cover up their flaws and weaknesses.
They answered each other’s questions so that no negativity or distortion could spread.
As the number of questions increased, the expressions on the nobles’ faces hardened.
“So you’re saying that all of this talk is false and just exaggerated rumors?”
“Yes, I think so.”
Harni answered with a smile.
-Thud!
The table shook with a loud crash.
“To summarize, Harni Young-ae doesn’t seem to have any intention of breaking off her engagement to me. In fact, there has never been an engagement letter from the Marquisate. But strangely, there seems to be a force spreading exaggerated rumors to slander me. For example, the people right before my eyes.”
“W-What do you mean, slander!”
“I don’t have a single thought like that!”
“Then it’s not slander? What right do you have to interfere in the relationship between the Duke of Bagran and another family?”
“We are just worried about Harni Young-ae…”
Harnier promptly jumped to her feet.
“Why are you worried about me? You were the one who was put to the test, and who was it that brought up their new fiancé before the results were even out?”
“This is hardly sabotage against Bagran, but almost like ignoring them completely.”
At those words, Young-ae became flustered and started to mumble.
It was the moment when the conversation was no longer about Harnier, but about the marriage talks with Carson and the story of the Duke of Bagran’s family.
“If I hear such talk again, I’ll have no choice but to suspect the person who called this meeting. Isn’t that right, Heli Young-ae?”
“…!”
Carson approached Harnier and took her hand, trying to create an atmosphere of affectionate lovers.
“Let’s go. To think that I would be subjected to such suspicion. I’m sorry I couldn’t take better care of you.”
In that instant, Harnier’s body flinched and trembled.
‘Why are you doing this?’
‘Shhh, be quiet.’
How could anyone say such things? Even she had no tolerance for such cheesy lines.
Still, for Harnier, this was the perfect excuse to leave this place right now.
“I’ll be going now. It seems I should spend some time with the fiancé you’re so suspicious of.”
The two of them held hands affectionately and left the café.
To anyone watching, they looked like a young couple in love.
-Click.
A woman’s teeth gritted.
***
-Ding!
▶Rumors that were secretly circulating have been quelled.◀
▶Favorability has increased.◀
[Favorability from ???: +30]
‘…I just went there to vent my anger.’
Whatever it was, it seemed like it wasn’t a bad thing.
More importantly, it was time to say something. We were quite a distance away from the café now.
“It seems like things were resolved somehow?”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
“I think I need a bit of an explanation.”
Harnier sighed deeply.
“It seems that the Marquis forced you to break off your engagement with me and did all this. Since the other party is the Duke of Bagran, he can’t just break off the marriage, but if he finds a weakness of yours, he thinks he can find an excuse to break off the engagement.”
“Hmm. I wondered why there was talk of engagements with other men. So that was the intention.”
“More importantly, are you okay? If the Duke’s family hears this…”
“No problem. I won’t be going there for the time being anyway.”
“What?!”
Harnier’s eyes widened in surprise.
“C-can you do that? No matter what, it’s your family…”
“It’s obvious that they’ll go crazy when they hear the news, so why should I go there and face their anger head-on?”
It’s not a question of whether I can or not.
In times like these, it was best to avoid being home.
“… Indeed. It’s not like I’d be hearing anything good anyway.”
That was right. It was much better to not do something as foolish as to visit my family and listen to their complaints.
“Carsein, then where will you be staying tonight?”
“Excuse me?”
“You said you wouldn’t be returning to the ducal palace. So, there must be a place where you’ll be staying. Or am I wrong?”
Well, that was true.
“… Why are you asking me that?”
Harnié smiled brightly and replied.
“I plan to follow you.”