Chapter 70

“You may be Count Peralt now but you once bore the name of a ducal house. Shouldn’t you mind your words?”

Hedeis was visibly flustered by Evan’s defiance. His attitude was different from how he had behaved at previous banquets. Once, when Hedeis had suggested that he himself should inherit the duchy later on—arguing that his age and experience made him the better choice—Evan had even seemed to agree.

But all of that had been a trap Evan deliberately laid. He had only played along for the sake of this very day.

“No matter how I think about it, I see no reason to show you courtesy, Count. The greeting just now should be sufficient. I never swore loyalty to your county, after all.”

“That… is technically correct.”

People around them marveled at the sight of Evan standing his ground before Hedeis, who was more than a decade older than him. At the same time, they began murmuring about Hedeis’s behavior. He had already been building a poor reputation since the previous banquet.

“Count Peralt is being far too blatant. He’s been eyeing his young nephew’s position shamelessly. I heard that even at the last banquet, he kept nitpicking at the young master, ruining the entire atmosphere.”

Hedeis’s hands trembled at the nobles’ whispers. The nobles aligned with the empress showed no intention of intervening, merely watching from the sidelines.

Inside, Hedeis was burning black with resentment. Losing the ducal house to his younger brother had already been humiliating enough—he could not afford to look cowed by his brother’s son.

But the one who bared his fangs first was Evan.

Evan’s gaze landed precisely on Count Nephelia, who stood beside Hedeis, fidgeting like a puppy desperate to relieve itself. Recently, this man had rarely shown his face at gatherings of the ducal retainers. He was someone who had been completely taken in by Hedeis’s honeyed words and had turned to Hedeis—or rather, to the empress’s faction.

He was also the one who had leaked information about the ducal house. As if that weren’t enough, he had tried to push a business venture—one secretly backed by the empress’s faction—seeking the duke’s approval. Of course, the duke had refused to stamp it, but it was clear that Nephelia had coveted the duchy’s assets.

That was why he was now sweating profusely under Evan’s gaze.

‘Like a hyena.’

In the past, Evan had allowed such men to run rampant. But not anymore. They should never have felt at ease just because there had been no restraint during the five years Evan laid ill. From the moment Evan resumed his activities, their fate had been sealed.

“Count Nephelia. My father mentioned that he hasn’t seen you at all lately. And yet, here you are—standing beside Count Peralt.”

Evan spoke with a smile, as if making casual conversation, but his eyes were ruthless.

“Y-young master…! Th-that is…!”

The other nobles who had been watching with keen interest now tensed as well, swallowing dryly.

“Hah! You’ve been spoiled too much—how dare you speak to an elder like that? My brother truly failed at raising his child.”

“I see no obligation to speak kindly to a traitor.”

“……!”

“You seem not to know. Count Nephelia demanded reckless investment into a business that was clearly destined to fail. I don’t know whose words he swallowed whole, but I fear he may even bring harm to you, Uncle. I would recommend keeping your distance.”

The incident Evan mentioned had been orchestrated by Hedeis himself. He had whispered the idea to Count Nephelia, instructing him to subtly propose the business to the duke.

‘Does he know…?’

Evan’s meaningful smile, and the way he deliberately struck the exact sore spot, felt ominous. More than that—

Hedeis ground his teeth together, forcing strength into his trembling legs.

‘What is this pressure? What the hell is he?’

This was far beyond what one would expect from someone who had only just risen from a sickbed.

“Surely you wouldn’t keep a traitor at your side, would you? Isn’t that right?”

At Evan’s words, Hedeis swallowed hard. Evan let out a quiet scoff. It was proof enough that Hedeis had been frightened by his young nephew.

“N-no! Young master, please, listen to me—!”

The greatest victim here was Count Nephelia. Fidgeting in panic, he tried desperately to explain himself to Evan. He had chosen Hedeis over Evan, believing Evan to be finished. Securing the empress’s favor through Hedeis had not been easy—yet Evan had risen again.

But by now, the situation had already slipped beyond his control.

“There’s no need to hear more. You’ve already made your choice, haven’t you?”

Evan paid no further attention to the shaking Hedeis. From the beginning, he had been a man who, despite having ample time to act, had accomplished nothing. Even with the empress’s powerful backing, he had shown no ability—making it obvious that he would eventually be discarded.

Evan briefly glanced at the empress-aligned nobles whispering behind him. Judging by their attitudes, being cast aside was only a matter of time. All talk, loud voices, and no substance.

Evan excused himself with a polite bow and left the hall.

“Another pointless day. Ah… I miss Lep.”

As he looked up at the sky, now dyed pink with sunset, Evan thought of Lepina.

But even if he returned home, he wouldn’t be able to see her. Lessons with his father awaited him. Evan let out a small sigh. He had to learn quickly under a father who was eager to hand over all responsibilities and finally rest.

Evan hurried back to House Weiss and went straight to the duke’s office.

“So, how did my brother act?”

The duke asked without lifting his head. He already knew all of Hedeis’ schemes.

“He tried to lecture me.”

“Heh. I see. He never understood how the world works—that’s why Father entrusted the family to me, which he always resented. Even though I surpassed him in swordsmanship and every other ability, he never gave up. And yet, he never put in the effort. With the empress backing him, he doesn’t even feel any urgency.”

The duke scoffed openly. The fact that Hedeis still hadn’t given up on the ducal house was laughable. Watching him struggle desperately to outdo his own nephew was absurd.

“And the atmosphere?”

“Nothing worth reporting. I’m the heir to the ducal house.”

“I see.”

At Evan’s confidence, the duke chuckled softly.

“Oh, I heard from Liman. The cold war is over, hm? Congratulations. The household will be warmer now.”

“…….”

Duke Weiss didn’t flinch even when Evan glared at him. Instead, he mischievously curled his lips upward. Annoyed, Evan sharply turned his head away.

“Marriage proposals have been flooding in endlessly. Half from the empress’s faction, half from the emperor’s. They’re remarkably in sync.”

“I don’t need them anymore. Use them as kindling, or do whatever you like.”

“That was my plan. Still, you must have spoken quite well. You didn’t focus on your heir lessons at all—just spent the whole time plotting.”

Evan’s eyes instantly turned sharp. Watching the father and son’s exchange from behind, Liman smiled faintly.

“Your Grace, why do you insist on provoking Lord Evan? You yourself nearly reached the point of breaking off your engagement after a huge fight with my lady, didn’t you?”

“……Why is that coming up now?”

This time, Evan let out a scoff.

“So you were the same, Father?”

“……Ahem.”

Duke Weiss looked away and cleared his throat. Liman glanced at his pocket watch—it was nearly time for dinner.

Liman then took out a letter he had been unable to deliver earlier due to Evan’s banquet attendance and heir lessons. It was from Lepina.

“Young master, the young madam has sent you a letter.”

Evan’s head snapped around. His glare clearly demanded why it hadn’t been delivered sooner, and his hand shot out impatiently. Smiling, Liman neatly placed the letter into Evan’s palm. Evan tore it open without hesitation—and smiled.

Though the handwriting was a bit rushed, the line suggesting they attend a banquet together stood out most. Those useless proposals had found a better use than kindling.

“It seems the proposals were useful after all. Lep is adorably jealous.”

“Well, that’s fortunate. If you need any help, let me know.”

Not knowing what kind of “help” that might be, Evan cut him off flatly.

“Please refrain from interfering, Father. I’ll personally bring you a lovely daughter-in-law. I need to go write a reply.”

Liman tried to stop him, reminding him it was time to eat, but Evan declined.

“Send something light up to my room.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll take my leave.”

The duke waved his hand lazily, signaling him to do as he pleased. Evan left without looking back.

***

I took the newspapers Piote handed me and read through every single issue that had come out recently.

No—where did my privacy go? The photos were framed perfectly, like a breakup scene straight out of a movie: Evan’s bloodshot eyes glowing red beneath the sunset, and me with my head lowered, turning away. And plastered boldly above it all was a massive headline.

“Ugh… this is so embarrassing, seriously…”

That meant countless people had seen this article!

I buried my face in my hands and groaned. Then another article caught my eye—the one about the flood of marriage proposals sent to Evan. There was even speculation about who would suit best as the duchy’s next fiancée in my place.

“Hah! This is ridiculous!”

I fumed, huffing angrily as hot breath slipped past my lips.