"Th, this crazy.... I'll put in a formal letter of protest!"
"Yeah, go snitch to your dad, tell him."
People gathered upon hearing the commotion.
Although it was uncertain whether it was a show or he really was sick, Felix couldn't get up and struggled while holding onto his head.
His figure was unbearable to be looked at. Dalia turned to look at him in pity.
Beolde grunted with her hands in the pockets of her suit, and didn't care whether or not the crowd had gathered.
At the same time, Duke Artus with a splint on his hand, rushed through the crowd. The Duke of Mershain was also with him.
Everyone knew what had happened just by looking at this scene.
Duke Artus attacked Duke Mershain first. He pretended to not see other people at all, perhaps afraid of Beolde.
"What is going on!"
The Duke of Mershain was not foolish enough to admit his sister's fault here.
He stiffened his face.
"We need to clarify the situation. I'll recruit a committee to investigate the truth."
"Your sister has attacked my child like a wild beast just now!"
"Are you sexually harassing my sister now?"
"You lunatic!"
Duke Artus was the first to swear.
Duke Mershain did not get carried away.
"You have to put both of their stories together to know what happened between them."
As he said those words, he winked eagerly at Beolde. And she looked back at him coldly, pretending she didn't see his wink.
"Now please tell me, sister. What happened?"
"I will exercise my right to remain silent."
Beolde stood straight and solemnly declared, as if she didn't do anything.
It was strange as if looking at a four-legged beast walking on two legs all of a sudden.
The Duke of Mershain shook his head as he clicked his tongue.
"Then there's nothing I can do."
Duke Mershain has been a veteran of dozens of Beolde's violence cases.
Everything flowed smoothly like water. Unfortunately, Felix, who had been hit in the head, was unable to even open his mouth properly, so the situation moved toward the Mershain family.
"Come here, Dalia."
Then Hikan called Dalia during the confusion. She hurried to him.
"What is going on? Why on earth did Artus' eldest son call you?"
Dalia gave a brief summary of what had happened.
Hikan's expression hardened.
"That crazy bastard..."
Adrisha, who was next to him, covered Hikan's mouth with a handkerchief instead. However, her expression was not much different from that of Hikan's either.
"I, Young, Young Lady Dalia Pesteros saw it all!"
At that time, Duke Artus sensed that the situation was going unfavorably for him and called Dalia in a hurry.
Everyone's eyes turned to Dalia. Then Hikan turned his back to her and shot a glare at Duke Artus.
"Your Excellency Duke Artus, I've just heard something shocking."
"What, what is it?"
"Is it true that Your Excellency the Duke's eldest son just offered my sister a contract marriage?"
"What, what, what, what, what did you say?"
Duke Artus' face turned blue.
Even Duke Artus didn't seem to know that Felix had planned to that degree.
Arranged marriages between families are common. However, it was a promise or a careful agreement between the elders of the family, and it was by no means a topic to be taken lightly between the children.
Especially if the proposal is directed to Dalia Pesteros, whom the Duke Hikan Pesteros is protecting with all his might!
People began to whisper.
Frankly, Beolde's violence was so common among the older aristocrats that it was no longer a topic of discussion. Beating the Duke's son was a bit surprising though.
However, a much more interesting topic came up.
The eldest son of the Artus family, who is just 20 years old, has offered a contract marriage to the treasure of Hikan Pesteros that is hard for anyone to catch a sight of!
The situation has been reversed.
No, it was as good as over for them.
"A contract marriage? To my partner?"
Cedric, accompanied by the Emperor, appeared with a gentle smile at that moment.
Even those who didn't know him knew right away that Cedric's current mood looked very, very bad.
13. Aceras' Scheme
The banquet ended a little early due to Beolde's violence.
The Duke of Mershain, whom she met by chance during the closing, greeted Dalia with a smile on his face. Although he was in his mid-30s, he looked like he was already in his late thirties, probably because he had suffered a lot.
He shook Dalia's hand with his thick hand.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Dalia Pesteros. I really wanted to see you." (*t/n: he used -nim at the end of Dalia's name, a very formal way to address someone especially for someone who has a lower standing than him..I just used 'Lady' for this since there's no specific english term)
"What do you mean, Lady? Please speak freely."
It was a title she never expected to hear from the Duke.
Dalia had a bewildered expression. However, Duke Mershain shook his head in delight.
"Please take care of my lacking older sister in the future. Really. Thanks to Lady Dalia, my sister seems to be restraining herself a lot."
"No, even today...."
"Haha, that's not even a problem."
As he said that, he looked into the air and smiled faintly. For a moment, Duke Mershain's face looked like his age.
'This person is really struggling too.'
"Then I will go ahead and set up an investigation committee."
She was surprised that it wasn't a voice of resentment.
Dalia waved her hand at his receding back. She felt sorry for him.
Before she took Hikan's hand and went to the carriage, Cedric appeared from the crowd and secretly handed her a note.
It was not a situation where the two of them could talk for a long time. Dalia got into the carriage and opened the note from Cedric without telling Hikan.
[I'm really, really, really sorry about today. I'll make it up to you later.
-Cedric]
It was out of character of him to use informal scribbled handwriting. However, the characteristics of the handwriting remained. The habit of writing at the end of a vowel.…..
She chuckled unconsciously.
Hikan looked at her with a puzzled expression. She quickly managed her expression.
He seemed to have interpreted her facial expression in a different way.
"You must be in a bad mood after hearing such filthy words."
"...."
"I can't believe that crazy guy made such an offer to you...."
"That's..."
"I'll make sure to get the apology with my own hands, so please wait, Dalia."
"But I'm fine...."
However, Hikan's expression was full of determination like a man on the battlefield.
Dalia knew that he was someone who always put what he said into action. So she just smiled and leaned on Hikan's arm.
Then, as his body noticeably flinched, Dalia chuckled.
* * *
At the same time, Duke Artus left the fainted Felix to his servant and shook his head.
'That crazy guy, I trusted him and he ruined everything?'
He should have been careful when he saw that Felix was strangely confident.
Felix believed in his face too much. A plausible appearance gives the other person a sense of trust, but if the action is not supported, everyone will soon notice their true colors.
Duke Artus realized that he had too much faith in his child. He regretted it, but it was too late.
'I have to fix this situation first.'
Although he hated this, Felix was his son and the eldest son of this family. He couldn't let him become a laughing stock.
He had to negotiate properly with Hikan Pesteros to prevent the incident from spreading further.
If Hikan announces that the incident was a misunderstanding, rumors in the capital will also subside. Rather, he was annoyed when he thought of himself apologizing to a child who was a few decades younger than him, but he couldn't help it.
Still, they were both Duke, so he can't bow to him too much.
Who can blame Felix for being childish? It doesn't look good if it's too excessive.
Yeah, what did Felix do so wrong?
His means of speaking were only a little immature, and he unfortunately encountered Beolde.
There was no reason for him to be ridiculed now. Of course he had no reason to apologize.
To put it bluntly, in the eyes of Duke Artus, to compare Dalia and Felix, he would take his son's side. Rather, if it were the other young ladies, they would have liked it and accepted it....
'Yeah, that girl is the problem.'
All of this was because of Dalia Pesteros.
She should be grateful for the good suggestion. Even if she refused, she should have just refused it politely, was she that excited to tell everything to her brother?
'Damn it, for us to be like this because of a girl as big as a rat drop....' (*t/n: it meant insignificant i guess)
Duke Artus wrote a letter expressing his sincere regret over the incident caused by his immature son to Hikan, while grinding his teeth.
Then, without a break, he left the mansion for the damn investigation committee something.
Without knowing what would happen in the mansion without his presence.