Chapter 41
Robern clicked his tongue openly.
“Do you really think marrying a commoner knight will make your life better? Absolutely not! Living comfortably as someone’s second wife is far better! How long do you think love lasts in front of money?”
“……”
“One day, you’ll understand me.”
Love was a lighter emotion than people thought. Money, on the other hand, was reality. Since he married Esha’s mother for money, Robern believed he was right.
Having successfully ordered the knights to lock Esha up, Robern warned them sternly:
“Keep a close watch. Don’t let my daughter contact any worthless man.”
“Yes, Count.”
From a certain point, Esha fell silent. Though she had been violently protesting the marriage to the marquis, she was now uncharacteristically quiet. Robern suspected nothing.
‘She’s probably just lost her spirit since there’s nothing she can do.’
He laughed at her.
Being his child, he naturally thought she was under his control.
One week later.
Robern arrived at the luxury restaurant where he had arranged to meet the marquis.
He checked behind to see if Esha was following properly.
Esha walked slowly, her face covered with a bridal veil.
Inside, the restaurant was pristine, with the entire second floor cleared out for them.
Robern was honestly impressed.
‘As expected of a man of wealth.’
It seemed the marquis had rented the entire restaurant just to meet Esha.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am—”
Marquis Lebanon barely listened to Robern’s introduction. He had no reason to care about a man he wasn’t marrying.
The marquis gestured at Esha’s veil.
“I understand, but why is she wearing that? Is there… some problem?”
Was her face so flawed that she needed to hide it?
“Eh? O-of course not!”
Robern denied it strongly.
“She put it on herself. She said she wanted to remain pure before meeting you, my lord…”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Such obedient women were rare these days. The marquis softened slightly.
“Still, I’d like to see her face… May I check?”
Robern tensed.
He imagined tear streaks hidden beneath the veil.
“Oh dear, you’re worrying too much… Would you like to check yourself?”
Thankfully, her voice didn’t sound choked.
The problem was—it wasn’t Esha’s voice.
‘What…?’
Just as Robern’s eyes widened—
“Oh my, to meet you here like this, Marquis.”
The woman lifted her veil to reveal her face.
The moment Robern saw that clear face—
“You… you’re…!”
He jumped up. That face was one he could never forget.
“I’m so glad the count recovered his memories so quickly. It makes everything proceed so smoothly.”
Laura clasped her hands together and smiled. Though her smile was gentle, a chill emanated from it.
“Repeating the same thing twice is so tedious. Speedrunning is the trend, after all.”
She muttered something incomprehensible, then uncrossed her legs and said:
“Take them.”
At her single command, imperial palace knights emerged from other floors, occupying the entire area.
Their speed was so overwhelming that neither Robern nor the marquis could react.
“You crazy…!”
‘We’ve been caught!’
Only then did Robern realize why the restaurant was empty. Laura had taken control of the entire place.
He tried to flee immediately. He didn’t care what happened to Esha. He needed to protect his own life to plan his next move.
But he barely took a few steps before being captured by the knights. Pinned against the table, his arms twisted painfully behind his back, he let out strangled cries.
Marquis Lebanon, unable to grasp the situation, looked at Laura.
“What is the meaning of this?”
As a man with many sins on his conscience, he sweated nervously before the imperial knights.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a family matter that needs some discussion.”
“What nonsense is this?! I have nothing to do with you!”
Of course, he was ignored.
Laura tilted her head and smiled.
“If you would also like some quality time with me, Marquis, could you please wait a bit? There’s a queue today.”
Her attitude made it clear who the mad person in this room was.
The marquis realized what his best answer was.
“N-no, it’s fine.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.”
A wise decision indeed.
I hadn’t arrested Robern before dealing with the marquis because the marquis was morally better.
In fact, his crimes were worse.
There were indications he had killed his former wife and covered it up with money.
However—
“Are you Marquis Lebanon?”
“I am Mikhail Lebanonte from the Inspection Bureau. Please come with us.”
“Let go of me, you bastards! Release me at once!”
Calculating his punishment was the Inspection Bureau’s job, not mine.
My priority was resolving Esha’s situation.
After about 30 minutes, Robern, regaining some composure, lifted his head from the table and glared at me.
“Even if you’re the Crown Princess, you can’t detain me! Does the Empire’s law allow such tyranny?!”
“You’re right.”
As unjust as the marriage arrangement was, it was still personal. I had no grounds to intervene.
That’s why I came here under a different pretext.
“Since you’re curious, Count, your crime is forging official documents. And you also abused your tax collection rights for personal gain, which makes it worse.”
Two years ago, Robern had tried to arrange another marriage bordering on human trafficking to sell off Esha because of their domain’s poverty.
‘How pathetic. The real problem in Marceline territory was simply having a foolish lord.’
I had arranged for Esha to act as regent and transferred all family assets under her name.
Everything was officially documented.
Meaning, legally, Robern could neither exercise lordship nor use family assets for this marriage.
‘He didn’t have Esha’s approval.’
Even if Robern’s memories were wiped, my actions stripping him of power remained in the records. Yet he never tried to resolve matters with Esha.
Seeing his daughter as property, he could not tolerate having to seek her permission for every move.
So he chose the easy way.
Forging a power of attorney.
“That money was mine to begin with! It was only natural that I used it! How could you steal it with a piece of paper?!”
“Well… Count, as far as I know, you contributed nothing to those assets.”
Robern was born as a third son of a poor family. Esha’s mother was on a different level from the start. The territory, title, mansion, and wealth were all hers.
Even after her death, that didn’t change.
Robern only wasted what he inherited, driving the domain to bankruptcy. It survived thanks to Esha’s capabilities.
I signaled the imperial knights. Spending more time on him was pointless.
“Let go, you insolent… Wait, where is Esha?! What is she doing while her father is treated like this?!”
As he struggled futilely, he suddenly called for Esha.
“Sorry, but she won’t be coming.”
I sneered.
For once, I couldn’t maintain composure.
“She’s too gentle to condemn even an unloving father with her own hands, isn’t she?”
Two years ago, Esha could have stripped him of all power and driven him out, but she didn’t.
Simply because he was her father.
That useless affection, that attachment, had caused all this.
I knew. Her kindness was her strength.
When everyone else turned away from me, only Esha, moved by compassion, looked back.
But in times like this, it was frustrating.
At decisive moments, she wavered and reversed her decisions.
That was why I didn’t bring her here.
‘Because if she pitied him and forgave him again… it would all be for nothing.’
