STLECM 11

CHAPTER 11

The Emperor of Ignivan turned to Duke Cayenne with a look that said, “Is this enough?”
Duke Cayenne gave a faint nod.

“…Viscount Heinz.”

Cayenne’s handsome lips twisted slowly.
He parted them to speak, and the entire room held its breath.

His gaze bore down on Viscount Heinz, leaving no room for defiance.

He intended to end everything right here—
To ensure Heinz never dared covet Wintel again.
To make certain he would never approach Etisha again.

“Do you see this?”

Cayenne pulled a hexagonal insignia from his coat.

On the front was Etisha’s name, and on the back was the crest symbolizing the title of Baron.

“This is the property of Miss Etisha.
No—Baron Etisha.”

He placed the insignia in Etisha’s hand for all to see.

“Now you understand. Baron Etisha is no longer a Heinz.
And the House of Heinz will never be treated as Wintel’s in-laws.”

“…”

“And you, Viscount Heinz—don’t ever entertain that foolish dream again of me marrying Etisha.”

“…”

“Don’t even think about threatening us.”

Viscount Heinz flushed red, unable to utter a word.

“Etisha, a baron? Receiving a new family name from the Emperor?”

It was absurd. Unbelievable.
And yet, there was no way to refute it.

Viscount Heinz glared sharply at Duke Cayenne.
But opposing him was impossible.
And the Emperor standing at Cayenne’s side was just as fearsome.

In the end, the viscount turned sharply toward the one person he thought he could still control—Etisha.

“You—you ungrateful girl!
How dare you turn your back on your father?! What lies did you feed His Grace and His Majesty?!”

He lashed out, accusing her in a shrill voice.

“No! This is a misunderstanding! I don’t know what lies my daughter told you, but in our house, all we did was discipline her! Nothing more!”

“…”

“Yes, maybe we spanked her a few times, maybe we were strict, but that’s how parents raise their children!
I only ever wanted the best for her—!”

“…”

“And now this daughter, whom we raised and fed, dares turn her back so coldly on her own family?
How heartbreaking! How unjust, Your Grace! Your Majesty!”

Cayenne let out a short, breathy laugh.

Etisha had never once complained about her family.
She had only said she wanted to sever ties—
She’d never explained the abuse or humiliation she suffered.

That silence was the last shred of grace she offered them.
A daughter trying to protect her parents’ reputation.
Her sister’s, too.

But even now, Viscount Heinz hadn’t changed.
Still making excuses—not even to Etisha, but to the Duke and the Emperor.

“I’ve seen enough.”

Duke Cayenne was about to have him removed.

But at that moment, Etisha gently placed her hand on his arm.

She looked straight at her father.

“Father.”

Her voice was calm, but her heart was tangled.

There was a time—long ago—when she had wanted to be close to him.
To be loved the way he loved Larienne.

“I wanted him to smile at me… to praise me… to hold me.”

Yes, once, she had wished for that.

“Do you know why I suddenly decided to leave for the North?
Seven years ago, when I was thirteen, you told me something.”

“…”

“You said I disgusted you.
Told me to get out and never come back.
You said it didn’t matter if I was kidnapped or killed—that I should just go join Mother in the grave.”

“You threw me out of the carriage.”

She still remembered—how she had tumbled into the gravel, how her arm had broken.

If the coachman hadn’t stopped and helped her…

“But that’s because you were so unruly!
And we had you healed—our family’s physician made sure you didn’t even have a scar.”

“No.
I should have had a scar.
So I would’ve known then—to leave. To never come back.”

“You…”

“I’m late, by a few years.
But now I will leave, Father.”

“…”

“So please don’t come looking for me again.
This is the last time I’ll speak to you as your daughter—
As Etisha Heinz.”

“…”

“Because now, I’m no longer a Heinz.”

Etisha let go of Cayenne’s arm.

Understanding her intentions, Cayenne finished what she left unsaid:

“Viscount Heinz.
From what I just heard, you physically abused Miss Etisha.
Threw a child out of a moving carriage.”

“Y-Your Grace, that’s—!”

“She never spoke of it, so I didn’t know.
But now, I question your qualifications as a lord.
If this is how you treat your own daughter, I dread to imagine how you treat your people.
Likely through tyranny and exploitation.”

The Emperor added coldly,

“He makes a fair point.
I’ll be keeping an eye on your territory from now on, Viscount.”

It was over.

“E-Etisha…”

Duke Cayenne turned cold.

“Viscount. Stop embarrassing yourself. Leave.”

“Ugh…”

“One last warning: don’t do anything foolish.”

Heinz looked around frantically, but there was no escape.

Everyone—Cayenne, the Emperor, even Etisha—was against him.

He stumbled backward.

And behind him, nobles snickered.

“Pfft, that’s Baron Heinz for you. As if he was really going to become Wintel’s father-in-law.”

“I knew something was off when he wouldn’t shut up about dowries and love.”

“He won’t be showing his face around here for a while. What a disgrace.”

The same nobles who had just congratulated him had already turned.

“You’ll see… just you wait.”

Heinz fled the ballroom, face burning.

“This isn’t over, Etisha. Even if you hide behind the Duke…
You’ll always be my daughter!”

His resentful eyes lingered on her.

Even as the door closed, he kept staring.

But Etisha never once looked back.

She had severed her ties with House Heinz.
She had no reason to fear his outbursts anymore.

* * *

After Viscount Heinz left, the Founding Day celebration regained its cheerful rhythm.

A line formed to greet the Emperor, and Ignivan met the nobles with polite smiles.

“…Your Grace,” Etisha said quietly beside Duke Cayenne. He had remained by her side the entire time.

“Yes, Miss Etisha?”

“Is it true? That I… I’m a landowner now? A baron?”

“It is true.
A necessary tactic to fully sever your ties with the House of Heinz.”

“So… I’m really a lord now?”

“It’s temporary. Don’t worry about it.”

“But how…?”

“This afternoon, I transferred the estate and land to your name.
The land, technically, was imperial property under His Majesty’s authority.”

“…”

“Because it’s only a delegation of rights, the title and ownership will end when the term is over.
By then, you’ll be gone to the North.”

“And the mansion…?”

“That is yours. A personal gift. It will not be taken back.”

Etisha blinked.

Just how many moves ahead had Cayenne thought?

“He gave me the estate as a gift… knowing it was part of imperial land…
Made me a landowner… so I’d receive a noble title…
So I’d get a new family name and completely cut ties with Heinz.”

She was in awe.

“No wonder he governs the entire North alone.”

Etisha found herself curious—
What was the North like, under his rule?

“…Miss Etisha.”

“Yes?”

“You’re not going to say it this time?”

“…?”

She tilted her head, confused.

Cayenne’s expression was the same as always—stoic and unreadable.

She stared at him for a long moment.
Then softly said,

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

“…”

“Truly, thank you. For helping me.”

This time, Cayenne did not deny it.

He didn’t say it was just for Wintel’s sake.

“I’m glad it helped. I was worried I might have overstepped.”

“No, not at all. You’ve done so much for me.
You’re… my savior.”

“…”

“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you…”

She smiled gently.

Though she hadn’t had any wine, her cheeks were already rosy.

“But… why are you being so kind to me?”

Even if it was temporary, giving her a noble title and land—
That was beyond ordinary goodwill.

“I’m just your pretend fiancée, after all. I don’t understand why you’re doing this…”

Cayenne looked at her.
His lips moved slightly, his gaze oddly intense.

“That’s because I…”

“…?”

“…Is it because you’re simply a good person, Your Grace?”

“…What?”

“I’ve heard the rumors. That you’re a ruthless beast of the battlefield.
But the truth is, you’re incredibly thoughtful.
You’ve done so much for me…”

Cayenne couldn’t speak.

No one had ever called him thoughtful before.