The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 268

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Episode 73
8. Even Your Fear Belongs to Me
Duke Nogen’s Residence was quite bustling.
“About Leopold—once he finishes his business, he’ll come straight back, won’t he?”
Silvia signed invitation cards one after another, her pen moving across a mountain of stacked envelopes, all the while muttering complaints.
“After all, he’s the main figure at all these events…….”
Valerie, who had been reviewing the guest list, shrugged.
“Isn’t that a problem in itself? Either way, he did go to meet his fiancée, didn’t he?”
“Ah, I suppose so?”
Silvia tilted her head with a soft giggle.
Today was the day Duke Dibostane’s will would be announced. It seemed to have little to do with the Western Region, yet Leopold had left at dawn saying he had business to attend to.
“Why not just hold the succession ceremony and the wedding at the same time? Then you wouldn’t have to organize two huge events like this.”
The reason the Western Region was so busy was precisely because of the succession ceremony.
After Xavier’s death, Hilberry had held the position of Grand Duke for an extraordinarily long time. Given his age, it was hardly surprising. Xavier had been his late-born son to begin with.
Now that Leopold had returned, there was no reason to delay the succession. So they decided to hold a simple ceremony, gathering the nobles of the Western Region, and Valerie took charge of organizing this succession event.
However, since Valerie herself was elderly, she found it difficult to manage everything alone. That was why Silvia had come to help with Valerie’s duties.
“Nogen’s hands are in great demand, so shouldn’t he marry quickly and have at least ten children?”
Silvia chattered away without pause, as was her habit.
“In case the Sears line runs out, we’d need to give him one over, after all.”
“Why would the Sears line run out?”
Valerie let out a scoff.
“The Marquis has quite a handsome face. He’s passed the optimal age for marriage, true, but still—he won’t need to worry about matrimony for another year or two.”
In the Empire, the typical marriageable age ranged from twenty to thirty. Alpheus had spent most of his marriageable years bedridden in the Magic Tower.
“But his right arm is mechanical, isn’t it?”
Silvia said this with unexpected gravity.
“That…… well, it won’t be easy, I suspect. Once you touch it, it’ll be cold and hard…….”
“Silvia, do you make children with an arm? What in the world does a mechanical arm have to do with the line running out?”
At Valerie’s entirely valid point, Silvia’s face flushed crimson.
“That’s not what I meant! I don’t even know why it got connected to that!”
While Silvia ranted on by herself, Valerie’s eyes narrowed.
“But there’s something to what you say.”
Her voice settled into a more measured tone.
“The Marquis of Sears has no fiancée, so it won’t be easy for us to push Leopold’s marriage forward. It would be good for us if the Marquis married soon, but…….”
Valerie, who had worked long as an attendant to the Imperial Court, began to think strategically.
“Hmm, in that case, for various reasons, I think we should make this succession ceremony quite grand.”
At her bombshell declaration, Silvia’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
But since Valerie was entirely in charge of the succession event, it was her call to make.
Silvia made a rueful face as she spoke.
“We already have so much work just gathering the people from the Western Region?”
“But surely you’ve heard the rumors circulating in high society now? That Leopold and Brisa are merely in a strategic relationship. Of course, until now we’ve deliberately let those rumors spread because we weren’t sure Leopold would return…….”
Valerie’s eyes gleamed with something cold.
“So don’t people keep assuming the engagement could break at any moment, given the slightest opening?”
“Mm…….”
“We can’t demand an early wedding because of the Marquis of Sears. But we also can’t let such rumors continue to spread.”
“But Leopold made quite a scene for Brisa in Baron Forman Territory. They say he even confessed to her in front of everyone while eating popcorn?”
Valerie sighed at Silvia’s lighthearted response. Then she asked seriously:
“Silvia, if you heard such rumors, what would you say to them?”
Silvia immediately burst out laughing and answered:
“Oh, come now, even lies have limits! Who would believe something so outlandish? I’d probably dismiss it as some information warfare scheme from Nogen or something.”
“Exactly.”
Valerie made a small sound of acknowledgment through her nose.
“We need to spend whatever it takes to make sure everyone knows that Brisa and Leopold are the match of the century. Officially.”
She clenched her fist as she declared this.
“I think this succession ceremony needs to be quite grand.”
She added with a sly smile:
“And wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Marquis of Sears found a new connection in the process? All the noble young ladies of the Empire will be there. After all, the Marquis of Sears only associates with the young ladies of the First Five Families—or doesn’t socialize at all.”
Marriages between the First Five Families rarely happen.
Since Brisa and Leopold had achieved the match of the century, those families would have to deliberately refrain from matchmaking among themselves for some time.
“Hilberry will certainly object. He hates grand events.”
Valerie sighed deeply.
“But if we don’t push him like this, Leo will never abandon that gentlemanly demeanor of his, will he? He could easily lose Brisa if he takes things too leisurely. The situation is different now. Brisa is an adult.”
Silvia nodded slowly. She agreed with that assessment. After all, that’s why she’d given Brisa the perfume.
‘She hasn’t used that perfume yet, has she?’
She rolled her eyes once and thought.
‘It should be after Lea and I give her a lesson. Brisa doesn’t know anything about that sort of thing. And as for Leo… well, there’s nothing worth saying about him.’
Silvia resolved that the next time she saw Brisa, she would immediately call for Lea.
* * *
I looked around once more.
The Cardipol Residence was in disarray, but the situation had been cleared up swiftly. There was no further need to remain here.
“I’ll head to Duke Dibostane’s Estate to confirm the arrest of the Duchess.”
Maximus made his farewell first.
“I need to investigate the Duke’s Estate before word spreads. While I’m at it, I plan to take over the investigation authority for the Eastern Region entirely.”
The Duke was in a coma, and the Duchess was a suspect. So all that was needed was Gillab’s consent, and given that Gillab was extremely fearful of Dark Mages, he would naturally cooperate.
Even with , the situation was at this level…… If Gillab had been an ordinary person, he might have thrown himself into the Temple’s isolation cell.
“Gillab, you come with me too.”
And so Gillab and Maximus departed first.
I also gave Jerdian instructions.
“We’ll need to employ Marcel soon, so please start organizing the Coastal Area first.”
Marcel was probably trembling and helpless right now, so I made sure to remind Jerdian to inform him of reality and arrange an employment contract and lodgings for him.
“I only need to pass the message along. Then he’ll find his way here on his own.”
“It’s exactly the sort of work that suits me.”
Jerdian was quite satisfied with his assignment.
“Especially the part about ‘informing him of reality’—it gets me so excited. I think I’ll be very good at it.”
His eyes were alight with enthusiasm.
“I will serve you faithfully for life!”
Jerdian had suggested I speak to him more casually. But it still didn’t feel quite natural. Unless Russell the Count transferred his title to his Eldest Son, Jerdian was still technically the Second Son of the Count’s house.
“Well then, we should head home.”
Alpheus smiled broadly, watching me hold Baekgu.
“Let’s go!”
Then a Magic Tower official approached Alpheus.
“Ahem, Lord Marquis. Would it be possible for you to come to the Magic Tower with us?”
“Hm? Why?”
“That mechanical arm of yours…….”
The Magic Tower official gazed at Alpheus’s mechanical arm with undisguised covetousness.
“According to certain information, it seems we might be able to transform that mechanical arm into a remarkable weapon. It would only take a moment, but please, if you could spare the time.”
“Right now? Can’t I go later?”
“We’d like to run some experiments before the vampire’s corpse decomposes. Please, I’m begging you. For the sake of the people of the Continent…….”
Alpheus groaned and pressed his palm to his forehead.
He couldn’t refuse when it was framed as a matter of the greater good for all people of the Continent. But something clearly troubled him.
He bent down and whispered to Baekgu:
“Go to my room, change your clothes quietly, and head to your own home by yourself. Understand? Don’t you dare spend the night in Brisa’s room or anything like that. Got it?”
The Magic Tower official laughed heartily.
“You’re certainly training that dog very strictly!”
I sighed once and pushed Alpheus on the back.
“Why would you need to change clothes? It rained this morning anyway, so your laundry probably hasn’t dried yet.”
In truth, there was no real need for Leopold to come to the Sears Estate at all.
“I’ll drop you off there myself, so just go and come back quickly. See you later at the Sears Estate.”
So I waved my hand to Alpheus, then got into the carriage with Baekgu and told the Coachman:
“To Duke Nogen’s Residence.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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