Chapter 13 —
“Of course, my darling said he didn’t need a dowry… but come on, I have my pride too. I couldn’t get married offering just some ordinary amount. So I made a bet,” Irenea said, her eyes curving playfully as she looked at the Second Prince.
“No matter what, I would win that sword at the auction… and whatever the final bid was, I’d give that amount as my dowry.”
“…What?”
“But ugh, 120,000 Lark?!” Irenea shuddered, as if that number was truly dreadful.
Then she turned toward Lloyd, who was standing there half out of it.
“In that sense, thank you, young master.”
“Huh? For… what?”
“Thanks to you, I was able to raise my dowry to 450 million Lark.”
“Gasp…”
Realizing he’d accidentally helped Leonard—whom he absolutely despised—Lloyd looked like he might faint on the spot.
Irenea laughed out loud as if she was thoroughly enjoying the show.
“As thanks, I’ll give you a little heads-up. A formal complaint will be arriving at your estate soon.”
“What? A complaint? What are you talking about?”
“There was a very interesting article in today’s issue of the *Lotus Times*.”
Lloyd’s face changed, like he had a hunch.
But he quickly feigned ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What article?”
“The one that said my fiancé had some kind of affair with my late future mother-in-law.”
“Wh-what?!”
“What in the world?!”
Everyone around, pretending not to listen, couldn’t hide their shocked faces.
Even Lloyd, who never imagined Irenea would say it so bluntly, looked flustered.
“I—I’m hearing this for the first time. But if it was in the paper… there must have been something to suggest it, right? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
“Exactly. And *Lotus* will have to prove in court that their so-called ‘smoke’ was based on facts and not someone’s filthy speculation. Blair will do everything to restore the honor of both my fiancé and the late Countess Elpheus.”
Irenea’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold glare aimed at Lloyd.
“There are lines people shouldn’t cross… How dare you involve the dead.”
Even beggars on the street wouldn’t look at someone with such pity and contempt.
Lloyd, burned by her scornful look, turned red and shouted.
“I—I didn’t do it!”
“Oh, then your father must have irresponsibly published a baseless article in his newspaper, huh?”
Of course, it was Lloyd who had done it.
After finding out Leonard was Blair’s fiancé, he barged into the press office in the middle of the night, erased a half-finished article, and ordered a hit piece on Leonard instead.
His father didn’t know yet. But when he receives the complaint from Blair, his fury will be unimaginable.
“Anyway, who’s to say this won’t happen again? From now on, I won’t allow *Lotus* to use the name Blair in any of their newspapers.”
“What? Isn’t that too hasty of a decision?!”
Blair’s name is attached to nearly every major event in the Empire. Writing an article without it would be tough—and would surely hurt *Lotus’s* competitiveness.
“I’ll track down the anonymous reporter and send them to apologize to the Count Elpheus. So—”
“Oh my. You claimed you didn’t know about the article, yet how do you know it was anonymous?”
“B-because just now, you said—”
“I never said that.”
Irenea looked around, as if to confirm it. The people nearby nodded.
“Yeah, you were the first to mention it was anonymous.”
“Oh my god… So it really was the young master…”
“What’s wrong with Lord Mathias? What grudge does he have against Count Elpheus?”
“You don’t know about the duel?”
“You mean the one where he was knocked out with one punch?”
“The one where Leonard held back from using his sword because he didn’t want to kill him?”
Though it sounded like they were explaining, it was really mockery for Lloyd to hear.
As Lloyd’s face flushed with shame, Irenea laughed brightly, then suddenly turned serious.
“And you’re calling *me* hasty?”
“Uh, no, I just—”
“I’m not going to believe anything from *Lotus* anymore. I’d rather read a gossip rag.”
Her mocking tone made Lloyd explode.
“Marquess Blair, isn’t that too much?!”
“But you keep calling me ‘Marquess Blair,’ ‘Marquess Blair.’”
Irenea stepped closer, eyes flashing. Lloyd flinched and stepped back.
“A brat without a title, trying to talk down to me? Do I look like your friend?”
“N-no, but just because I don’t have a title doesn’t mean you can treat me like this! And you shouldn’t talk down to me either!”
“You’re still calling me ‘Marquess’? Not even adding ‘sir’?”
At that, Lloyd’s face twisted with anger.
He looked like he might actually hit Irenea. From afar, Leonard’s gaze turned deadly.
**‘That bastard!’**
Suddenly, Lloyd felt like he was suffocating, as if someone was choking him.
All his senses froze, and one thought overwhelmed everything else.
**‘I’m going to die.’**
It was the same feeling he had when he’d locked eyes with a giant bear while on a hunt at eight years old.
“You really can’t even add ‘sir’? Suit yourself.”
Unaware of Lloyd’s fear, Irenea turned away.
And just like that, the fear that had paralyzed his body and mind slowly faded like mist.
Finally able to breathe, Lloyd took a deep breath like someone who had just escaped drowning.
People stared at him strangely, but he didn’t even notice—he was still in shock.
“Kiri, hire someone to check the *Lotus Times* every morning. Give them a bonus every time they find the word ‘Blair.’”
“Yes, Marquess.”
After Irenea left, the crowd buzzed.
“Did you hear that? She said she won’t believe *Lotus* anymore.”
Which basically meant: *If you want to stay friends with me, don’t hang out with that guy anymore!*
It sounded childish, but what could you do? If you wanted to be close to Marquess Blair, you had to avoid Mathias.
Other rival newspapers would probably jump at the chance to print this story tomorrow.
People were already excited for the next day’s headlines.
“I thought Marquess Blair was someone who kept work and personal life separate.”
“She’s just that in love with her fiancé. Didn’t you see? She spent 5 billion on his dowry.”
“People who badmouthed Count Elpheus earlier should probably be nervous now.”
“Oh! That’s why she wore a mask today. She wanted to see who was trash-talking her darling!”
The auction had ended a long time ago, but no one was leaving—they were too busy gossiping.
“Pfft!”
Leonard watched the Second Prince let out a dumbfounded laugh from afar.
He probably would’ve kept watching that stunned face if not for a sudden throat-clearing sound nearby.
“Seller #20, your auction earnings have been settled. Let me assist you with the payment.”
Even at this late hour, the check was processed instantly.
Just like that, Leonard’s account now showed a ridiculous number: 4.5 million Lark.
“…Is this a dream?”
His heart pounded so hard, he couldn’t even swallow.
Then it hit him.
He hadn’t even managed to say no. In just one night, he’d been thoroughly ensnared.
—
**Later that night…**
“Marquess, are you really that happy?”
“Of course I am. He can’t escape me now.”
Irenea smiled as she rubbed her cheek against the hilt of the sword she was holding.
If Emily were here, she’d be freaking out, saying she’d scratch her soft cheek. But Kiri, who was more laid-back, simply smiled along.
“By the way, how’s the thing I asked you to do?”
“I heard it’s almost finished. As soon as it’s ready—hmm?”
Kiri suddenly looked confused as the carriage began to slow down.
They hadn’t even left the auction grounds yet, so it wasn’t going that fast to begin with.
Then the carriage stopped completely. Kiri opened the side window and asked the coachman.
“What’s going on?”
“Something’s causing a commotion at the front gate.”
“A commotion?”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll go take care of it.”
The voice addressing Irenea—not Kiri—was Hawk’s.
Whatever it was, with her brother handling it, it should be resolved quickly.
Kiri sighed and shut the window.
Just then, Irenea opened the one on her side.
“Marquess?”
“Don’t you think it sounds a bit noisy out there?”
They both leaned in to listen. And sure enough, something suspicious was being said outside…
