Chapter 87
In fact, just as I had discussed Gabriel’s issues with Marceline beforehand, I had also talked with her about Tristan in advance.
‘The more I think about it, the more Duke Callisto is the biggest problem. What if he becomes obsessed with Julietta? Then what will I do?’
I clutched my head in worry, and Marceline responded.
‘Duke Callisto? Convincing him won’t be difficult.’
Marceline shrugged as she set down her teacup.
Her expression suggested she didn’t see why I was worrying about it.
‘…What? Really?’
Did the master of the magic tower really have a special way to handle Tristan?
Well, he is a ninth-class archmage, so I guess it makes sense that he’d be different.
At the time, I looked up at Marceline with eyes full of expectation.
She smiled faintly and then called for a servant to bring paper and a pen.
She wrote a short note on a sheet of pure white paper.
[Duke Callisto,
If you want to maintain a smooth relationship with me, it’s best to follow Miss Belua’s instructions.
Even if she makes strange requests, accept them all. Understood?
I trust you will act wisely.
— Marceline]
…Huh?
That’s it…?
I stared at Marceline, utterly dumbfounded.
She precisely folded the paper twice and handed it to me.
‘Here. Show this to Duke Callisto. He won’t be able to move an inch.’
‘…You’re serious?’
‘Of course I am. You don’t distrust me, do you?’
Could you trust someone like that…?
Though the words rose to the back of my throat, I shook my head.
By rights, Marceline was just as dangerous as Tristan. She was not someone I could handle carelessly.
I simply thanked her, took the note she gave me carefully, and went home.
I stored it deep in a drawer in my room. After that, I never looked for the note again.
Thinking about that note now, a sigh escaped me.
I shook my head.
‘Marceline really has no sense. Does she really think Tristan, of all people, would follow my instructions just because of a single note…?’
Of course, if Marceline were by my side, Tristan might at least pretend to listen.
Even Tristan would find it burdensome to become an enemy of Marceline.
A typical archmage could probably obliterate a small town without effort. As a northern lord, he wouldn’t want to get into a hostile situation with her.
But that’s only if Marceline is present.
If I went to Tristan alone, holding that note?
It would be a direct path to death!
There was no way Tristan would leave me alone after such an insult.
‘Ugh, it’s so frustrating…’
Indeed, being powerless was miserable.
I felt like crying because there was so little I could do.
‘Sigh, I need to pull myself together and think of another plan.’
But sulking changes nothing.
I stood up and opened the window wide to get some fresh air.
Whooosh—
A cool spring breeze blew in through the window.
Looking at the colorful flowers in the Belua gardens, my troubled heart eased a little.
‘Ah… this feels nice…’
I stood there for a while, enjoying the refreshing wind.
Then, in the distance near the main gate, I heard a commotion.
‘Huh? What’s that?’
Peering out the window, I saw a woman in a red dress scolding the Belua knights.
Her voice was so loud it carried all the way up to the second floor where I was.
“How dare you ignore my orders? Do you think you’ll remain safe after this?”
The moment I heard her voice, I recognized her.
‘Catherine Spears…!’
The emperor’s younger sister and the Belua Duke’s former wife, Catherine Spears.
It was extremely rare for her to come here, given that she divorced the Belua Duke twenty years ago.
‘Now that I think of it, at the debutante ball, it seemed Catherine wanted to speak with me…’
Could she be here to see me?
Since both the Belua Duke and Lawrence were away from the mansion, it seemed highly likely.
With the obsessive male leads already giving me a headache, now I had to deal with Catherine too…
I groaned at the thought but straightened my dress and headed downstairs to meet her.
Above all, her continued ruckus at the main gate was extremely irritating.
Outside the mansion, her voice grew even louder.
“How many times must I tell you? Open the gate at once!”
“It is not allowed. His Grace the Duke has ordered that Miss Catherine not be let in.”
“But His Grace is away! I only want to see Ariadne for a moment, so open the gate at once!”
Now I could roughly gauge the situation.
Apparently, Catherine had come to see me while the Duke was away.
The knights at the gate were simply not allowing her to enter.
‘Well, the Duke really did take precautions.’
I had assumed his words at the debutante ball were just empty reassurances.
Yet he had genuinely controlled Catherine’s access… perhaps he prioritized my safety over worsening relations with the royal family.
It gave me a strange feeling—protected by someone I hadn’t expected.
‘Anyway, let’s focus on Catherine for now.’
I quickly walked toward the main gate.
“What is the matter?”
The knights guarding the gate turned to face me in unison.
“Viscountess, we greet you.”
They bowed politely.
The highest-ranking among them, Lucas, approached me.
“Viscountess, we apologize for the disturbance. We will ensure Lady Catherine is safely returned. Please continue your work as usual—”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
Before Lucas could finish, Catherine interjected.
She strode forward with fierce steps until she was right in front of me.
Hmph. She scoffed and pointed her fan at Lucas.
“Ariadne, this foolish knight dared to defy me? Clearly, he lacks understanding of rank. He needs to be thoroughly educated again.”
“I apologize, but I was only following the Duke’s orders.”
“Shut your mouth! How dare a mere commoner talk back to me!”
Catherine jabbed Lucas’s shoulder with her fan.
“If you’re a commoner, behave like one! How dare you answer back to a royal?”
“……”
“You dare to match me? Engrain this well in that foolish head of yours! You only need to obey my words!”
Lucas bowed deeply in silence.
No matter how much Catherine misbehaved, she was royalty and could not be restrained carelessly.
Watching Catherine cleverly exploit that fact made me frown automatically.
I snatched the fan from her.
“Lady Catherine, please stop this.”
“…What? Stop me?”
Catherine’s sharp gaze fixed on me.
“Ariadne, are you ignoring me too? You dare to leave a disobedient knight unpunished?”
“They were only doing their duty. Please do not insult my knights any further.”
“Hah, what nonsense…”
Catherine furrowed her brow in anger. She was clearly displeased.
‘Ah, what a nuisance…’
From previous experiences, I knew her temperament was not ordinary.
At times like this, it was better for me to bow first.
I handed her the fan politely, smiling gently.
“Lady Catherine, I hear you’ve come to see me?”
“Oh… that’s right…”
Catherine accepted the fan, somewhat taken aback.
She finally remembered the purpose of her visit, and her fierce demeanor softened.
“I wanted to continue what I couldn’t say last time. But those wretches wouldn’t open the gate.”
“Oh dear, that must have been frustrating… In that case, shall we go to a nearby café? I know a good one.”
“A café? But to come all this way and be refused entry is unpleasant indeed.”
Catherine opened her fan and covered her mouth, staring at me with a bold, unwavering gaze.
She was silently pressuring me to let her into the Belua mansion.
Seeing her eyes, I sighed involuntarily.
I was in a bind. If the Duke had forbidden Catherine’s visit, I could not let her enter, no matter what.
‘What should I do?’
Just then, Catherine clapped her hands.
“Ah, that’s right! Ariadne, how about coming to the imperial palace?”
“…The imperial palace?”
“Yes. I’ll personally invite you. Otherwise, when else will you have a chance to visit?”
“….”
Her tone completely looked down on me. Instantly, the faces of the Belua knights darkened.
‘The imperial palace…’
Honestly, I wasn’t keen.
The imperial family, like the four great dukes of the empire, possessed a unique ability: nullification.
Not only could they nullify the powers of the four great dukes, but also magic and auras.
Only a select few born into the imperial family had this ability, but its power was immense.
Thanks to this ability, the Spears royal family had remained the empire’s central pillar to this day.
