Chapter 45
“Yes, Master! After reading the letter this man brought, Lady Dalia was really upset! And I’ve never seen her make that expression before!”
Roy blurted out incoherently.
Having grasped the situation to some extent, Khalid raised his hand to stop him and then grabbed Elzenon by the collar, pulling him close to look down at him.
“You’ll hear the rest directly from him. He came from Dalia’s hometown. That’s why he did what he did to my fiancée.”
The man’s calm tone carried the weight of a question, but his voice barely rose at the end—it was flat. Still, for some reason, a shiver ran down Elzenon’s neck as he met that gaze.
“Enough.”
Dalia, watching the tense standoff, let out a long sigh.
‘Thinking about the rude things Elzenon has said makes me reluctant, but I suppose I should intervene, at least for now.’
“He really is from my hometown. I’ll apologize for Elzenon’s rudeness.”
“Why are you taking responsibility for something he did?”
It was Elzenon who should have been held accountable.
Dalia stopped Khalid, who was still glaring at Elzenon with fixed attention.
“Let it go. He didn’t exactly harm me, and I think he’s finished delivering his message.”
Khalid’s eyes, which had been fixed on Elzenon the entire time, slowly shifted toward her.
He was assessing whether to treat him as a threat to Dalia or, as she said, to welcome him as her guest.
‘Part of me wants to punish him, but he’s not worth it.’
Finally, Dalia spoke.
“Would you see him off for me? I want to continue my walk.”
This was the maximum courtesy she could extend to Elzenon.
She had no intention of further placating his suspicions, and she certainly wasn’t planning to write a friendly reply to the Marquis of Borbon herself.
She just wanted to quickly get rid of this unwelcome guest and calm her upset stomach with fresh air.
“Miss, but you should write a reply…”
Ignoring Elzenon, Dalia glanced at the three men around her and cut him off decisively.
“That’s all I have to say. Everyone heard me, right?”
“…….”
“Yes.”
While Elzenon was momentarily speechless and Roy hesitated, Khalid immediately understood her intention and nodded.
‘She means to send him off politely, without indulging his whims.’
Neither favor nor hostility—just that much.
Then, seeing Dalia smile at him as if approving of his response, Khalid’s own expression softened with satisfaction.
“…….”
Elzenon was displeased with the whole situation, but for the moment, he remained silent.
‘If I were alone with Miss Dalia, I wouldn’t have given up so easily…’
But Khalid and Roy’s threatening presence made it impossible to scold Dalia for her naivety or lack of tact.
These were reckless men who wouldn’t hesitate to act. If he protested further, Dalia might not safely leave this place alone.
“You’ve lost a lot of time. I’ll handle things properly, so don’t worry about this place.”
Dalia watched Khalid’s completely gentle expression as he prepared to see her off, feeling a strange sense of uncertainty.
‘Did I entrust this to him for nothing?’
Seeing him with such a kind face, she didn’t suspect he would secretly harm Elzenon, but she knew that until she saw the result, she couldn’t be certain.
He wasn’t human—she never forgot that.
‘I don’t know where his “handling things” ends, so I can’t relax.’
“Don’t treat him too harshly.”
Even after taking a few steps, she still felt uneasy, so she tiptoed and whispered into his ear.
Her heels barely reached his ear, but seeing her clasp her hands together and whisper, Khalid nodded reassuringly and kissed her forehead.
“I won’t be rough. Don’t worry.”
“Alright.”
Though slightly suspicious, she had no reason not to believe him. Above all, Dalia no longer wanted to face Elzenon’s face.
Khalid escorted her out with a gentle expression.
But the moment Dalia left and the door closed, his gaze toward Elzenon turned colder than before.
‘No need to treat him too well.’
Khalid had never been more sensitive about Dalia’s safety and well-being than now.
This disruptive man, who had appeared out of nowhere to upset her, was extremely bothersome.
“So, you were curious about my identity?”
“…….”
Inside, Elzenon was waging a fierce mental battle with himself.
Once he had imagined taking Dalia, standing beside the female lord, and acting as her playboy consort, even a powerful competitor wouldn’t make him give up easily.
‘If I miss this chance, suitors like me will swarm in.’
“……No, excuse my rudeness.”
Elzenon suddenly turned meek.
“Your father sent me because he was worried. I’ll leave without causing a fuss.”
Mentioning Dalia’s father unexpectedly made Khalid frown.
Since Dalia had asked him not to harm Elzenon, his obedience now made it hard to properly discipline him.
“May I, however, take one more cup of tea with me?”
Without waiting for an answer, Elzenon shamelessly sat on the sofa.
“…….”
As Khalid approached, sweat ran down Elzenon’s back.
But when Khalid nodded as if granting permission, his tense shoulders relaxed.
“……Thank you.”
He raised the cold, already-drunk tea cup to his lips, but his mind was still racing.
‘Honestly, Marquis Borbon is my lord, but he’s stubborn and sloppy. His heir is too young, and the heir’s mother is of low origin.’
By contrast, Dalia had an excellent reputation among the people of her domain.
Elzenon knew firsthand that she wasn’t just beautiful and gentle, but capable and meticulous, handling the affairs of her estate behind the scenes.
Even a quick calculation revealed the answer.
Convincing the obstinate southern elders to support a female lord would be difficult, but the Borbon estate was on the verge of bankruptcy.
If Dalia could attract funds back to the estate, and he—experienced and capable—could show a reliable, male presence to persuade the people, even the elders would have to recognize them as the lord and lady.
‘After that, Dalia would continue managing the tricky tasks, and I’d become a generous husband and savior, rising in status.’
As a commoner with no knightly title, struggling to maintain a subordinate position under the lord, this was an exhilarating opportunity.
‘Then my children would be born into nobility. Any extra weight she gains managing the estate is trivial. Any post-marriage weight I can handle later.’
This was Elzenon’s perfect blueprint.
He believed he could execute this outrageous plan easily—until the meddler appeared.
‘If I miss this chance, similar fortune will never come again.’
So he had to come up with a scheme.
As Elzenon hesitated, Khalid’s patience ran out.
“Didn’t you say you’d just have one cup of tea?”
“Yes… sorry. The place your subordinate struck still aches.”
Elzenon smiled politely, as he always did.
If Roy had been there, he would have complained, stamping his feet, that he wasn’t hit at all. But Khalid assumed Roy would have thumped this annoying weakling, so he nodded.
Elzenon shook off his daydreams and clenched his eyes shut.
To realize his plan, he first had to deal with this parasitic conman. But no solution came to mind.
‘I need a way. If I can lure the lady out and make her fall for me, the rest will follow.’
For some reason, his legs shook when he made eye contact with this man, but he forced himself not to be intimidated.
A trophy like Dalia would attract anyone who wasn’t a fool. Hesitating would only increase competition.
‘He seems outwardly kind, but I don’t like him. The fact that he proposed to Dalia is aggravating.’
Khalid crossed his arms, watching him scheme with a peculiar expression.
Elzenon, uncomfortable under his scrutiny, awkwardly smiled while looking for a weakness.
“Hmm, may I take a tour here? Dalia’s father is very interested… I think you understand what I mean.”
‘Whether this man is a noble planning to toy with her, or a conman like me seeking status and the Borbon estate, mentioning her father would weaken him if he cares for her.’
“To get permission, you must follow my instructions now…”
“Stop.”
“Excuse me?”
Yet, contrary to his calculations, the man didn’t seem concerned in the slightest.
