Chapter 62
“There are ranks and statuses, but in death, everyone meets the same end. When I realized that, I was filled with exhilaration.”
Ober lifted one of his legs high—
It was the leg he usually limped on.
His shoe pressed heavily against the Duke’s thigh.
The iron rod sank down as if it could crush the Duke’s thigh bone at any moment.
The Duke twisted in pain, screaming.
“Ahhhhh!”
“So, before me, don’t rely on your title. Doing your utmost to survive is probably the surest way to stay alive.”
Ober tilted his body forward, bringing his face close to the Duke’s.
“Give me a reason not to take your life.”
Under Ober’s coercion, the Duke opened his mouth, moving his lips repeatedly.
“Central…”
He started speaking in a cracked voice, as if resolute.
“Central?”
“Lord Laurent’s mercenaries are already inside.”
Ober slowly inhaled.
Yes, he had thought that the Duke of Solsiang would know something important.
This opportunist couldn’t sleep properly if he didn’t hold some information that could serve as leverage over others.
“Well done.”
Ober lightly tapped the Duke’s cheek, as if approving.
“Now…”
Although it was humiliating, the Duke of Solsiang felt relieved at the thought of finally being freed from pain.
However, Ober drew the dagger strapped at his waist and stabbed the Duke in the neck.
With a strangled groan, the Duke’s head bent forward.
“I shall deliver your soul to the God of Sucaro.”
“W-wait…! Ugh…”
After a long spasm, the Duke of Solsiang’s body stopped moving.
Ober straightened the grotesquely twisted neck of the Duke.
The God of Sucaro was a strict entity.
Even the Duke’s opportunistic nature would be corrected in front of this god.
Ober recited a prayer, sending the Duke’s soul to the God of Sucaro, wishing that he might be reborn as an honest man.
When his brief prayer ended, Ober stepped away from the Duke’s body.
“Julian.”
Ober called his son’s name.
Julian had been standing against the rear wall the entire time Ober had been torturing the Duke.
“Yes, Father.”
“Investigate Merriot Laurent’s mercenaries.”
“Understood.”
They had obtained more information than expected from the Duke of Solsiang.
Ober wiped the blood from his cheek with a cloth.
“Apparently Duke Antony isn’t behaving like a proper adult, is he?”
Ober seemed fully aware of the trouble Antony had been causing Julian lately.
“A week ago, I searched the Chelsning estate with Duke Antony. The obsidian that had been stolen was indeed in Lord Paul Chelsning’s bedroom.”
“The senile old man is slowly losing his mind.”
Now that Merriot had returned to Central, nobles would be ready to switch allegiances at any time, just like they had during the wolf hunt.
Opportunists like the Duke of Solsiang were everywhere.
In contrast, houses like the Count Chelsning, who declared neutrality, determined the balance of power.
Once they sided with someone, the ripple effect would far outweigh the influence of opportunistic noble houses that switched sides like bats.
Thus, if Duke Antony were intelligent, he should never have interfered with the Chelsning household.
It mustn’t appear that the pro-Crown Prince Antony was harassing the neutral Chelsning house.
Ober frowned, clearly annoyed, just thinking of Duke Antony.
“Side with Chelsning. Now is the time to bring even one neutral house over.”
He firmly took the staff from Julian’s hand as he spoke.
“Duke Antony is an old man whose usefulness is done. Do not let him drag you around by his whims.”
“Yes.”
“And Emilia? What about her?”
Julian hesitated at Ober’s question.
Not long ago, Merriot had officially asked her younger sister to be his partner for the royal ball.
“Merriot Laurent formally requested to partner with Emilia. Emilia accepted as well.”
“She wouldn’t just go along obediently. Did she come up with some trick?”
Ober twisted his stiff neck from side to side.
It was Ober who had spread the engagement scandal, but he had not wanted Merriot to meekly fall into his trap.
He wanted Emilia to be cruelly rejected, so that the formerly strong-willed Emilia would feel genuine shame.
He wanted her to harm Merriot without a trace of guilt.
Unexpectedly, Merriot seemed serious about the engagement, which unsettled Ober.
“Do you have any guesses?”
Julian couldn’t answer easily.
After Merriot’s visit to Tolinga, he had tried to find clues about his intentions but found none.
Merriot Laurent remained calm, leisurely waiting for the royal ball as always.
Thus, Julian could draw only one conclusion:
“I think Duke Laurent genuinely likes Emilia.”
Ober glanced at Julian, giving him a reproachful look as if to say, What nonsense are you talking about?
But Julian was certain.
The words Merriot had spoken when he barged into the office with the pamphlet kept floating in his mind.
He liked Emilia.
And he was confident that he could fully win her heart.
Whether this confidence was baseless or partially reciprocated was unclear.
If Merriot thought it acceptable to have Emilia by his side, he was ready to use her as a tool.
Pure love was hardly expected among the Arista bloodline, and Merriot was no exception.
“If you wish to remove the Duke, I think you won’t need to labor for long.”
Now would be the best opportunity to exploit any gaps Emilia could create.
No need for a cumbersome engagement or marriage procedure.
“If we use Emilia now, we can create as many gaps in Duke Laurent as we want.”
“Then let’s hope for the best.”
Ober patted Julian’s shoulder, reviewing past mistakes.
“This time, you’ll come up with a better plan than overturning a carriage.”
Julian bowed his head.
“Of course, Father.”
The news that Merriot had officially requested Hera as his partner spread through Central society faster than a tidal wave.
Everyone talked only about that, so Hera was asked to host a tea party through multiple channels.
Not a small gathering, but one comparable to a banquet.
She had to move all the furniture outside the salon and bring in large tables for the tea party.
The elaborate decorations and desserts filled the room.
It was the first tea party Hera had hosted since becoming Emilia Tolin.
Excited, she prepared for her first time as the host.
“So it was true? You really received a partner request from His Excellency Laurent.”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such a smooth couple, hasn’t it?”
“I can’t wait to see the two of them together at the ball.”
One overlooked detail: the more people there are, the more conversations occur.
Hera had grown tired of young ladies repeatedly chatting for hours about Merriot and the royal ball.
“By the way, has His Highness the Crown Prince chosen a partner yet? There’s been no word about it. Maybe everyone’s focused on Duke Laurent and Miss Emilia.”
“Probably attending with Lady Archer, as always?”
They had guessed that the Crown Prince’s partner would be Viscountess Gertrude Archer.
She was the sister of the deceased Empress, and thus an aunt to Ron.
After her husband passed, she had attended the royal ball with Ron every year.
Hera thought of Veronica Azel.
She had never attended the ball with her lover, the Crown Prince.
Hera felt frustration on her behalf.
“Or perhaps this time, he actually found a proper partner.”
“Like Olivia?”
The young ladies’ conversation turned to Olivia Orientia, quietly sipping her tea.
Olivia flinched and shook her head in surprise.
