Chapter 65
“Are you okay, my love?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
Hayden smiled, reassuring Klein. Seeing Klein’s face, the anger that had risen to his throat dissipated.
As expected, only Klein could calm his headache.
…Yes, for Klein’s sake, he would not allow any unpleasant events to happen inside the Lebur Marquis’ estate.
With all preparations complete, Hayden Lebur stepped forward with a cold expression.
“I should go with you…”
“Your health isn’t good. There’s no need to worsen your condition by seeing them. I’ll go alone.”
Hayden patted Klein’s hair and left the room.
The Grand Duchess Beyadon was already waiting for him.
“Good day.”
He didn’t add any apologies for making her wait.
It was a rude visit, after all.
The Lebur Marquis was a tall, slender middle-aged man.
He seemed much more comfortable with his mind than with physical tasks.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grand Duchess Beyadon. I am Hayden Lebur.”
He adjusted his glasses, which reminded one of a scholar.
“I heard you haven’t been in the capital for long, but I never expected to meet you like this.”
It was almost as if he was asking why someone with ties to the Riserfield family was here.
Tristan silently chuckled.
After all, Maya wouldn’t understand the true meaning behind those words.
Just as he expected.
“Indeed. I didn’t expect this either. It seems things don’t always go as planned.”
Maya answered seriously.
Thinking about their first meeting, Seren slightly trembled behind them, biting his lip.
Hayden, at a loss for words, gazed at the empty space before changing the topic.
“Well, your attendant is quite tall.”
He glanced at Tristan standing behind Maya, trying to change the subject.
Embarrassed, he diverted the topic, but it came across differently to Tristan.
‘As expected.’
Tristan bitterly accepted his position.
Although he stood proudly next to Maya, not hiding his presence, Hayden still could not have imagined Tristan to be a duke.
“…Yes.”
Maya examined Tristan’s face.
During the three-day camping trip, Tristan had long pondered whether to reveal his curse to the Marquis, or not.
Seren Baker had accepted his other side more easily than he expected, but he knew very well that not many nobles were like that.
And Seren realizing Tristan’s identity was likely due to Maya’s slip of the tongue.
Usually, people’s attitudes were determined by their outward appearance.
If he revealed the truth recklessly here, the Grand Duchess could connect ‘the curse’ with Beyadon and discredit them.
‘I still don’t know.’
Tristan seemed to be carefully watching Hayden’s attitude, deciding whether or not to reveal it.
‘…At this point, it seems he won’t reveal it.’
It felt like the first button had been sewn wrong.
Maya, too, couldn’t gauge how Hayden would react to hearing about the curse.
“And who is this next to you?”
Hayden’s gaze, which had been on Tristan, shifted as if it had never been there.
He then took his eyes off Seren, surprised.
“You must be Seren Baker.”
Under the persistent gaze, Seren swallowed hard.
“I am Seren Baker. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Perhaps because this was his first time meeting someone from his mother’s side, Seren was unusually nervous.
He bowed deeply.
Looking at him silently, Marquis Lebur muttered, “You resemble your mother.”
“I’ve heard that a lot when I was young.”
His eyes briefly became red, as if recalling something from long ago.
But the memory was brief. Returning to his composed noble self, Marquis Lebur asked calmly.
“Baker family has cut ties with the Lebur family a long time ago. What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to make a deal with the Marquis.”
Spending time with Maya, Seren began to resemble her in several ways.
One of them was directly voicing his opinions.
‘Beating around the bush is exhausting.’
It felt like it made people anxious and only wasted time.
He needed to show respect, but getting straight to the point didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Seren decided to follow Maya’s example.
“I want to make a deal with you, Marquis.”
Since the reason for coming here was already known to both Tristan and Maya, there was no need to move to another room.
“A deal?”
“I want you to help me oust my father and become a Count.”
Marquis Lebur suspected Seren’s true intentions as he spoke these words in front of everyone.
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
Not intending to move to another room, Hayden continued the conversation.
The fact that Seren had come here with others meant that he and Maya had already conspired.
“I understand that you want to inherit the title of Count, but coming to me means severing ties with your father.”
Hayden frowned and muttered with a sigh.
He had heard how much Seren Baker had been adored by the Baker family.
To Hayden, Seren still seemed like an inexperienced girl.
“I understand that unwanted love can sometimes be as painful as violence. I’m prepared.”
Seren did not waver.
“By the way, my father doesn’t even know that I’ve come here. I just left him a letter.”
“….”
“Please don’t judge everything by appearances.”
Her gaze was resolute but dark.
The injured girl was no longer the same one who had blindly pursued love.
“After living for a long time, you learn that outward appearances say a lot. But…”
Hayden Lebur acknowledged.
“You are different from your mother.”
Seren Baker standing before him was a completely different person.
“…I don’t think this is something we should discuss here.”
Hayden muttered as his face loosened without realizing it.
Listening quietly to their conversation from behind, Maya sensed a shift in the atmosphere.
Although they hadn’t fully let their guard down, this was a good enough start.
“It would be better to talk inside. I’ll take you inside.”
The door to the Lebur estate opened.
“I’ll guide you to the parlor. My wife is not feeling well and resting, so please understand.”
Now, they would finally hear rumors about the absent Marquis’ wife.
Maya glanced at the clock and followed the attendant inside.
‘We’re finally going in.’
The three days it took to get here felt so long.
They had taken their first step, so now it was time to move forward.
‘It’s time for the negotiations.’
She just hoped the conversation wouldn’t drag on too long.
Maya had a lot to do.
The conversation continued, and Hayden Lebur focused on confirming whether the Grand Duchess was really going to visit, as he could distinguish between work and personal matters.
‘This works in my favor.’
He knew how to separate business from personal feelings.
It didn’t seem like he was disregarding Seren, however.
In fact, Seren was resting in the guest room, unpacking her things.
Hayden, who had been focusing on Seren’s arrival, was now slowly moving on to the main topic.
There had been a lot of talk, but to summarize in one sentence, he was asking why she had come here.
“I came to stay in the West and investigate this place.”
“Investigate?”
“Yes, the monster I’ve been chasing has made its way here.”
“A monster, you say?”
“Yes, a huge butterfly. Have you seen anything like it?”
“A huge butterfly…”
Hayden stroked his chin.
Although he didn’t operate in the capital, he wasn’t unaware of news.
He was well aware of the legendary family Maya Pendraigon came from.
He was a man who loved books and history, and the Pendraigon family was integral to the foundation of this empire.
The only hope left for a family fallen into gambling.
‘But, didn’t she fail to awaken at the banquet?’
He had heard through his spies in the capital about Maya’s declaration at the banquet.
Was it all for show?
Hayden decided to continue with the conversation.
“Is this monster related to the insect swarm that attacked the West a few days ago?”
“Insect swarm?”
Since Maya’s group had been focused on traveling, their news had been delayed.
“Yes, a swarm of insects swept through the entire West three days ago.”
“Even with the snow falling?”
“That’s what makes it even worse. We don’t even understand why this is happening.”
The sudden cold weather, combined with the insect attack, made things even more difficult.
With the strange phenomenon coexisting with the freezing temperatures, the situation had become quite troublesome.
