~Chapter 37~
“Madam, is that true? Ah—Madam! Where are you going!”
At Count Juan’s question, his wife turned around and ran away.
“Madam!”
Count Juan quickly chased after her.
Everyone fell silent, stunned by how fast everything had happened.
“Things seem… quite tangled.”
It was Serio who spoke first after regaining his composure.
“…My apologies.”
Marquis Nor bowed slightly to Serio.
Even though it was Count Juan who caused the commotion, the marquis was still the host of the banquet.
“My apologies as well, Count Herolds.”
He then turned to Count Herolds, speaking as Viscount Berta’s father.
He hadn’t realized his son was such a disgrace until now.
“……”
But, strangely enough, Count Herolds—who normally would’ve accepted the apology politely—said nothing.
“Count Herolds must be in shock. Well, it’s understandable. After all, the man who almost married his daughter turned out to be having an affair.”
Serio’s calm remark made his gaze naturally drift toward Aveline.
“By the way, Lady Herolds, you almost became Marquis Nor’s daughter-in-law. Viscount Berta was a bastard son, wasn’t he? Not exactly a good match.”
Serio seemed genuinely curious about why Aveline had been connected with the marquis’s illegitimate son in the first place.
But the truth was, Aveline herself wondered the same thing.
“……”
Count Herolds still said nothing, his expression stiff.
‘What is it?’
Aveline found her father’s reaction strange.
He was the one who told her to prove her usefulness and pushed her into society—yet he looked troubled now.
She couldn’t deny that, deep down, she had once resented him for it.
“Even so… I still wanted him to acknowledge me.”
But she could never quite understand his real thoughts. Sometimes, after hearing stories from Melina Srun, she thought he truly cared for her—only to feel uncertain again later.
“I think it’s time for me to leave. It would be unsightly for the crown prince to linger too long at a noble gathering.”
Serio, now collected, began to wrap things up.
“I’ll have your carriage prepared.”
“No need. Riding a horse will be faster.”
“For your safety, Your Highness—”
“Hahaha!”
Serio burst out laughing at Marquis Nor’s concerned tone.
“You’re worried about the safety of the commander of the Imperial Knights?”
“……”
Marquis Nor fell silent at that.
‘Right. Ares did say the prince was incredibly skilled.’
Serio’s confidence wasn’t arrogance—it came from true ability.
“Oh.”
Just as he turned to leave, Serio seemed to remember something and looked back.
“Lady Herolds, that sparring invitation I mentioned earlier wasn’t a joke. I’ll truly send for you soon.”
He winked at Aveline, then turned his eyes toward Theron.
“……”
Theron only met Serio’s gaze with his usual calm expression, showing no reaction at all.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Once Serio left, Logan—who had been pale the whole time—also quietly excused himself.
“Sister, let’s go too.”
As people began leaving one by one, Ares pulled Aveline toward the door.
“Thank you for hosting us, Marquis. I’ll see you at the next meeting.”
He politely bowed to Marquis Nor, deliberately ignoring Theron, who was standing beside Aveline.
“See you soon.”
Theron’s voice followed behind them.
When Aveline turned back, he was smiling faintly—the same unreadable, painted smile as always.
* * *
Inside the carriage on the way home, no one spoke about what had happened at the banquet.
As soon as they arrived at the Herolds estate, the three members of the family went their separate ways to their rooms.
Walking toward her room with Ares, Aveline suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot something. You go ahead.”
“What is it?”
“Sorry!”
She quickly ran off, leaving Ares calling after her.
“Father!”
Aveline arrived in the corridor leading to Count Herolds’ chambers.
The count had just been about to enter his room when she appeared.
“Aveline? Why are you here instead of your room?”
“I wanted to talk with you.”
“…Talk?”
Count Herolds tilted his head, looking puzzled.
“Alright, go ahead.”
He nodded, though he was still trying to guess her reason for coming.
After confirming that no one else was nearby, Aveline spoke.
“It’s about earlier.”
“Earlier—meaning the banquet?”
“Yes.”
At the mention of the banquet, Count Herolds’ face grew serious again.
But this time, Aveline didn’t care about his reaction.
For once, she wasn’t going to read his mood—she wanted answers.
“What was the reason you tried to match me with Viscount Berta?”
She had wanted to ask that question since the banquet—or rather, since the beginning.
“I told you back then, didn’t I?”
“You said it was to prove my usefulness.”
“……”
Count Herolds fell silent.
“But that doesn’t make sense. If you really wanted me to prove my worth, you wouldn’t have needed to arrange a meeting with Viscount Berta.”
“As I said, he was the son of Marquis Nor—”
“You saw how everyone regarded him today, Father.”
Even Serio hadn’t understood why Count Herolds would connect his daughter with such a man.
“And if you truly saw me only as someone useful, then your reaction to the crown prince’s attention doesn’t fit. You should’ve been pleased that His Highness was interested in me.”
“……”
Count Herolds couldn’t deny that. He had clearly disliked Serio’s interest in his daughter.
“Please be honest, Father.”
Count Herolds sighed and rubbed his face with one hand.
“You’re right. I didn’t have only those reasons for arranging it.”
He naturally referred to Viscount Berta as “that man”—showing he didn’t think highly of him either.
“At the time, you’d locked yourself away at home. I ordered your confinement, yes—but I didn’t expect it to last four years.”
“……”
“So I thought you needed a shock to wake you up. Count Juan happened to propose the match, and I foolishly took it as a chance. It was a mistake.”
“……”
“I also thought… if you actually did get married, it could serve as a reason for you to leave the capital’s social circles peacefully. A selfish thought.”
He exhaled deeply, sounding tired.
“Now that I think about it, it was all foolish of me.”
His expression looked genuinely regretful.
“And as you pointed out—I don’t want you involved with the royal family.”
That confession surprised Aveline.
“You probably already know you’re being considered as a candidate for crown princess, but I don’t want that for you.”
Coming from a man known for his loyalty to the crown, it was hard to believe.
“And as for Duke Ribes’s so-called ‘courtship’—I don’t like that either.”
Count Herolds’ tone suddenly turned gruff.
“He doesn’t seem trustworthy… except for his looks, I suppose.”
The way he said it made it sound as though he did find Theron’s looks agreeable. He met Aveline’s eyes.
“I didn’t expect you to ask me so directly. I thought you still found me intimidating.”
He looked genuinely surprised.
After all, the Aveline he remembered had always hovered around him timidly, desperate for even a scrap of his attention.
But the girl standing before him now was different.
“I’ve always wondered,” Aveline said, meeting his gaze firmly.
“I followed your words because I wanted your approval—but I’m not blind to how strange things have been.”
Count Herolds could see it clearly—Aveline had changed.
Perhaps something that happened at the banquet had stirred her deeply.
“Father, can I enter with you today?”
“I want to make my place in society quickly, just like you said.”
He remembered her words before the banquet began.
No—her change hadn’t started today. It had been building for some time.
He had just failed to notice.
But the change wasn’t bad—it was welcome. Even a cold father couldn’t feel at ease watching his daughter shut herself away for years.
…But then a thought crossed his mind.
“Thanks to Count Juan’s introduction, I was able to meet Lady Herolds that day.”
The words of Duke Ribes came back to him.
If Aveline’s change had started after meeting the duke, should he be thankful…
or wary as a father?
Deep lines formed on Count Herolds’ brow as he pondered the question.
