The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 94

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

Chapter 94

* * *

“Grrrrrrr….”

Hilberry broke out in a cold sweat as he watched Sears’ carriage approaching from the distance.

“Ugh, you foolish thing!”

He smacked the wolf-dog’s back repeatedly.

“Why didn’t you follow the curfew, why! Are you really going through puberty? Huh? Don’t tell me you were trying to run away from home? Huh?”

“Grrrrrrr….”

By sheer luck, he had found the wolf-dog near Central Warp.

Hilberry hurriedly stuffed the clothes the wolf-dog had brought in its mouth into his bag.

“The great Grand Duke of Nogen!”

He whispered furiously.

“At over sixty years old!”

Even as he spoke, his hands moved busily to destroy the evidence.

“Cleaning up after a dog!”

He had lived his entire life serving others.

But the secret with Leopold belonged to just the two of them. So he had no choice but to handle it himself.

“Grrrrrrr….”

The wolf-dog hung its head low as if apologizing.

“At least you have some sense!”

Hilberry sighed.

“What would we do if you got hunted while wandering around like this….”

His habitual words of worry trailed off.

In fact, the wolf-dog he was seeing after three months had grown considerably.

“…Now you’ll probably be the one doing the hunting.”

Just then.

Sears’ carriage, which had been approaching from the distance, stopped and a small girl jumped down.

“Woof!”

Hilberry hesitated and quickly hid behind a tree, concealing the bag full of Leopold’s clothes.

“Wait, Woof! What are you doing here? Huh?”

The girl ran over and hugged the wolf-dog tightly.

The wolf-dog rolled its eyes anxiously toward Hilberry.

Hilberry bit his lower lip in frustration. But he couldn’t ignore his grandson’s desperate gaze, so he eventually came out from behind the tree and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, hmm.”

“Huh?”

Brisa was so startled she looked like she might faint.

“Your Grace? H-how did you come to be here….”

Hilberry tearfully sold his aging act.

“I was trying to warp with the wolf-dog but entered the wrong coordinates.”

Brisa rolled her eyes for a moment before answering calmly.

“Ah, I see. I do that sometimes too.”

As if.

Brisa awkwardly released her hands that had been holding the wolf-dog.

Only then did Hilberry realize this was the first time he was alone with this small girl.

The wolf-dog couldn’t speak, so that didn’t count….

“Well, ahem.”

There wasn’t a single person passing by on the dark night road.

“Why did you come all the way here in the middle of the night?”

“Ah… actually, Leopold came here.”

“Oh, Leopold did?”

The 60-year-old Grand Duke put on his best acting performance.

“I see.”

“But he seemed to be in a bad mood and left in a hurry… so I was worried….”

Brisa, who had been answering carefully, suddenly startled herself.

Then she hastily added.

“But please don’t worry. I’m not presumptuously hoping for that position again.”

Hilberry stared blankly at Brisa for a moment. He couldn’t understand her words at first.

After some time passed, Hilberry realized that ‘that position’ referred to Leopold’s fiancée position.

“Actually, Your Grace is someone I wouldn’t dare meet privately, so I had given up, but there’s something I want to apologize for.”

Brisa was now standing properly with her hands clasped together.

“What about?”

Hilberry looked at the girl standing like a doll in the middle of the quiet road.

“Five years ago, Sears concealed the truth from House Nogen.”

The child’s voice trembled slightly at the end.

“Our mother….”

Hilberry quickly placed his hand on the child’s shoulder.

“Wait, if it’s difficult, you don’t have to say it.”

However, Brisa took a deep breath and spoke all at once.

“She did have madness. It’s not a false rumor.”

“….”

“It has always weighed on my mind.”

Hilberry quietly looked at the girl.

“I’m the only one left who can tell you this truth, so I’m telling you.”

Brisa’s voice trembled a little but was calm.

“Young Lady Sears.”

Hilberry said, meeting her eyes.

“At that time, I knew all about such things. Do you think I wouldn’t have put in that much effort when finding Leo’s match?”

Brisa flinched. It seemed like an unexpected answer.

He remembered seven-year-old Brisa.

The image of a perfect little girl with flawless etiquette who walked without making a sound and never wrinkled even a fold of her dress came to mind.

If she was confessing this fact now because it weighed on her mind, it was hard to imagine how much mental anguish that young child must have suffered back then. And the courage and integrity of the child who brought up those words so late…

Absurdly, an unexpected voice echoed in Hilberry’s ears.

“I recommend that Leopold and Brisa get engaged again.”

It was Valerie’s advice, spoken without knowing the circumstances.

He had never once followed Valerie’s words, but now he found himself mulling over his younger sister’s words as if enchanted.

“But you know.”

Hilberry raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice.

“If I were to say that I’m interested in the young lady once again as Leo’s match.”

As soon as he said those words, the wolf-dog bristled its fur and growled.

Hilberry glared fiercely at the wolf-dog once before continuing his words.

“Would that be burdensome for the young lady?”

“Ah.”

Brisa looked at Hilberry with a somewhat puzzled expression and said.

“…There must be a hundred excellent young ladies who would want to become Leopold’s new fiancée.”

“Does that matter?”

“I suppose it does.”

The wolf-dog now began whimpering in apparent distress.

That’s when Brisa spoke matter-of-factly.

“Since I’d have to get in line as the hundred and first.”

Hilberry couldn’t help but stagger at that boldness.

“I could even refuse any potential offer to become the Crown Prince’s concubine, so what a wonderful position it is. I used it as an excellent shield quite often whenever I was summoned to the Imperial Court.”

The Crown Prince already had a Crown Princess and many concubines.

But Hilberry felt dismayed by the reality that he couldn’t shout at Brisa’s words, “How does that make sense! What’s the age difference between you two!” The Imperial Court’s movements had definitely been unusual lately.

“Still, the position of future Grand Duchess isn’t something to accept so readily.”

Looking at the expression of a child jaded by worldly affairs, Hilberry, an adult with secrets, felt guilty for no reason and rambled.

“…Le, Leopold is busy so sometimes you might not see his face often. You’d be lonely and feel empty.”

“Oh, that’s fine.”

Brisa said nonchalantly.

“I can spend time with the puppy during those times. If I marry Leopold, I’d be able to see the puppy more often too, wouldn’t I?”

It was an answer that strangely touched on the truth and satisfied everyone.

“Right, puppy?”

Brisa gently stroked the puppy’s head. Then she muttered regretfully, “If only I didn’t have to go to the Southern Region, I would have asked to stay together for a few more days.”

After that, she politely greeted Hilberry.

“Well, since it’s late at night, I’ll be going now. If by any chance… you meet Leopold, please tell him I was a bit worried. Puppy, take care. I’ll see you again later.”

Brisa hugged the wolf-dog tightly and kissed its forehead with a gentle peck.

“When I grow up and marry Leopold, will I be able to keep doing this with you? I guess I should draw a number ticket first, even if it’s the hundredth time.”

“Hm?”

Hilberry tilted his head. He didn’t understand what she meant by drawing a number ticket.

He wondered if it was some kind of slang the kids used these days when Brisa suddenly stood up.

“Ah…”

Her expression was a mix of embarrassment and dismay.

“Oh, that’s…”

She looked so anxious that Hilberry couldn’t even ask what she meant by drawing a number ticket.

In the meantime, Brisa quickly bowed her head.

“Well, I’ll be going now. Goodbye, wolf-dog.”

He thought she would hug the wolf-dog a little longer before leaving, but she looked strangely hurried.

Her steps grew faster and faster as she turned around resolutely.

In any case, Hilberry quietly watched her retreating figure.

‘…I want her.’

For the first time, he truly felt desire.

‘As Nogen’s next Grand Duchess…’

Even when Brisa showed enough ability to revive the Western Region, he was amazed, but not to this extent.

Even when she tamed and cherished the wolf-dog, his heart was touched, but even then it wasn’t to this degree.

There were many people who wanted a private audience with Hilberry. Most of those who stood before the Grand Duke of Nogen tried to package themselves somehow.

But at this moment, Brisa had spoken only the truth.

She confessed her mother’s madness and frankly admitted that she didn’t dislike Leopold.

“Leo. I like that child more than ever before. So…”

Hilberry threatened the wolf-dog.

“From now on, try to become even cuter. Practice some aegyo too. Then when you confess the truth, I might be able to overlook it if you do well.”

“Grrrrrrrr…”

Hilberry, who was about to scold the wolf-dog once more, was startled.

The wolf-dog was rubbing its forehead where Brisa had kissed it with its front paw, dripping nosebleed.

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