ICM Chapter 117

Inside the library, thick with the smell of old dust from lack of human traffic, Erwin couldn’t dare lift his head. He couldn’t bear his father’s reproachful gaze.

 

Even without raising his voice, Marquis Maiheller was a fearsome person to him. The kind of person whose very silence could suffocate his opponent to the point of exhaustion. Erwin’s gaze wandered around the dim edges of the bookshelves, avoiding the Marquis.

 

“I told you to bring that Igraine girl, when did I tell you to bring some woman of unknown origin?”

 

“The situation was unavoidable. If I had left her there, the woman would have started spouting unnecessary nonsense…”

 

It had been a bewildering moment. When he went to the lounge following his father’s instructions, Coral was already collapsed and bleeding, and he found Glenoa trembling.

 

What killed Coral was a palm-sized knife, smaller even than a dining knife.

 

“The woman wasn’t in her right mind. She said it was an accident. That they were just scuffling and in her anger she swung the knife, which pierced the throat.”

 

“In anger? She swung a knife in anger and someone died?”

 

Of course, an ordinary man might have been able to block it. But the two had been in an intimate relationship for a long time, and it happened while their guard was down. It was an unexpected, accidental incident that no one could have predicted.

 

“Who killed Lord Oclein isn’t important. Even if the woman had been caught on the spot, it wouldn’t have been a problem.”

 

“But because they couldn’t catch the culprit, the capital has become noisy, and besides, the owner of the knife…”

 

“When did I give you such instructions?”

 

At the quiet counter-question, Erwin’s shoulders flinched. The face of Marquis Maiheller, which always seemed bored, was particularly hardened today, openly displaying distrust as if to say ‘how can I trust you like this?’

 

“I’m sorry, Father.”

 

Even as he apologized, Erwin felt wronged. It had been such a chaotic situation. The Marquis had issued urgent orders before the shock from the banquet hall had even subsided.

 

“But, by the way…”

 

After hesitating, Erwin finally voiced the question that had been on his mind.

 

“What about Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager? Does she really share the same bloodline as us?”

 

He had witnessed the Empress Dowager’s identity being revealed with his own eyes. The same heterochromatic eyes of gold and blue-green as his own.

 

Marquis Maiheller quietly looked at his son. He showed no signs of anger or reluctance. He merely smiled with a bitter expression.

 

“What does that matter? Nothing changes anyway.”

 

“But…”

 

Erwin was curious. Was the Empress Dowager perhaps Marquis Maiheller’s sister or his daughter?

 

As far as Erwin could remember, Marquis Maiheller had always had the same face. As if he alone had sidestepped time. From when Erwin was very young until now, he hadn’t aged a bit. Erwin’s mother, who had noticed this fact, was confined to the main castle of the territory for a long time before finally going mad and dying.

 

‘Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager was afraid of Father.’

 

As much as Erwin feared him. So perhaps the absurd assumption that the Empress Dowager might be his daughter was possible.

 

At the sound of knocking on the table, Erwin emerged from his thoughts. The Marquis skillfully changed the subject.

 

“I received word from Count Granati recently. He said he found another marriage prospect.”

 

“What? What do you mean?”

 

“Indeed. What could this all be about?”

 

The Marquis’s gaze toward Erwin was sharp. It was a gaze that probed thoroughly to see if there were any lies or things being hidden.

 

“That child… did she perhaps make some mistake…”

 

“I wonder. Would that greedy man give up on that child just because of a few mistakes?”

 

He was a man who had been eyeing Shafri even before breaking off the engagement with Drushia. He was the first to send a marriage proposal as soon as he heard news of the broken engagement. Because their territories were adjacent, they knew he had been eyeing Shafri for quite some time.

 

“His eye might have turned to another woman. Or perhaps that impudent thing played some trick. That’s unknowable.”

 

Murderous intent flickered in his murky blue-green eyes. This was already the nth time things had gone wrong regarding Shafri.

 

Erwin felt his mouth go completely dry.

 

“Another marriage prospect will come in soon.”

 

“Marrying that child off isn’t what’s important. I put quite a lot of effort in for quite a while, only for it to be completely useless.”

 

“Ah, Father. I’ll speak well to Shafri. To make Count Granati change his mind…”

 

“If she were the type to throw herself to block it, things wouldn’t have come to this.”

 

Cold sweat ran down Erwin’s spine. His mind went completely blank and he couldn’t think of what to say.

 

“I invested too long in something useless.”

 

He had already lost interest. Marquis Maiheller unilaterally ended the conversation and stood up. Erwin, who had been standing frozen, only came to his senses after the Marquis disappeared from view.

 

He knew what kind of person his father was. If there was anyone in the world who knew Marquis Maiheller’s temperament, it was only Erwin. That’s why he had lived in submission without ever dreaming of defying him.

 

But how dare Shafri, of all people, fall out of the Marquis’s favor.

 

Erwin ran straight to Shafri’s room. The door opened roughly and the two maids helping with undressing stopped their hands in surprise upon seeing Erwin.

 

“Brother?”

 

“Everyone out. Right now!”

 

“Yes? Yes, Young Master.”

 

Before the flustered maids could even leave, an excited shout echoed through the room.

 

“What on earth have you been doing? How did you manage to get a cancellation notice!”

 

The surprise was only momentary; a look of relief crossed Shafri’s face.

 

‘Lady Igraine kept her promise.’

 

Somehow, Count Granati, who had been clinging disgustingly, had been shaken off. That was enough. But Erwin’s position was different.

 

“Did you really do it? Did you make the marriage fall through?”

 

“I don’t want to get married. Just let me stay here like this.”

 

“Are you crazy? Do you think this is just about marriage! What do you think you are? If you become useless…”

 

Erwin’s eyes were strange as he shouted angrily.

 

“Brother?”

 

“You should have just obediently listened to what you were told instead of doing this!”

 

Unable to control his anger, Erwin kicked a chair with all his might. With a crash, the chair tumbled to the floor. Shafri was startled and stepped back.

 

“Why are you like this? Why…”

 

“You fool. You stupid thing!”

 

Erwin couldn’t control his excitement and poured out his anger. Even Shafri’s pleas to calm down were useless.

 

Although Erwin was usually sensitive by nature, he had never been this rough. Erwin roughly pushed away her approaching hand and spat out curses.

 

“Damn it!”

 

“Brother!”

 

Erwin ultimately kicked open the door and left again.

 

Something had gone wrong. Some problem that Shafri didn’t know about.

 

‘He must have been scolded.’

 

On the day of the imperial banquet, Erwin had returned with a woman. Although she was confined in an annex far from the main building, Shafri already knew.

 

‘Brother did something without permission.’

 

The murder case that occurred at the imperial palace and Ashika, who was discovered at the scene and caused a stir. And another woman who was dragged in covered in blood.

 

‘Glenoa Schwern. The woman who was Lord Oclein’s mistress.’

 

The unprecedented murder at the imperial palace was a crime of passion. She didn’t know why Erwin had brought that woman, but it apparently wasn’t the Marquis’s intention.

 

‘Lady Igraine was probably the target.’

 

The Marquis’s people had been coming and going to the Oclein territory for quite some time. As she remembered, it was after Coral was chased away to the territory.

 

‘But why my marriage issue?’

 

She thought there would be time until they found another marriage prospect. But Erwin’s reaction was not normal.

 

Shafri, who had been pacing around the room anxiously, stopped abruptly.

 

‘It’s not because of Erwin.’

 

She recalled Marquis Maiheller’s gaze when he heard news that the marriage proposal had been accepted. Eyes without any emotion or interest. The gaze of someone looking at something worthless, like selling off an item from storage that they didn’t even know they had.

 

To the Marquis, Shafri wasn’t even a person. Just something raised nicely to be used appropriately before losing its purpose. Even that was something forgotten after losing its usefulness. Then they happened to find a use for it, but even that fell through.

 

‘Something is going wrong.’

 

Shafri covered her mouth to prevent a scream from bursting out.

 

The narrow hill path was difficult for carriages to climb. After getting out of the carriage, Shafri declined the escort knight’s suggestion to ride a horse and chose to walk instead.

 

The rustling sound of stepping on fallen leaves on the desolate forest path. The wind blew strongly, wrapping her dress around her legs.

 

“Ah.”

 

Suddenly Shafri’s body swayed.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

The maid following behind spoke for the first time. She asked politely but showed no sign of trying to help.

 

The maid with the cold attitude was a woman who had recently come from the Maiheller territory. Since Shafri hadn’t stayed long in the territory, she didn’t know her well. Even those who came along as escorts weren’t familiar faces.

 

One maid and three escort knights. For a Lady of the Marquis house going on a trip, the entourage was too modest.

 

Two days ago, Marquis Maiheller had suddenly ordered Shafri to leave the mansion. It was shortly after Erwin had gotten angry about the broken engagement. The reason was to reflect for a while.

 

The place Shafri was sent to under the pretext of a trip wasn’t even a villa. It was a place she was occasionally sent to for disciplinary purposes when she greatly displeased Marquis Maiheller. It was a place she hadn’t been to even once since becoming an adult.

 

Why would he separate her from the main house at a time like this?

 

“Why aren’t the porters coming up?”

 

“The carriage hasn’t arrived yet. It will come today, so don’t worry.”

 

The maid’s response was indifferent. Shafri quickly turned her gaze to avoid showing her flustered expression. While quickening her pace, she carefully glanced sideways at the knights holding horse reins as they walked.

 

‘They don’t seem like knights.’

 

They wore the Maiheller family knight uniforms but carried both swords and crossbows.

 

Suddenly the back of Shafri’s neck bristled. A cool sensation running down her spine and a dizzying realization.

 

‘Am I no longer needed?’

 

Shafri belatedly realized. The fact that she was a consumable that had outlived its usefulness.

 

Leaving the Maiheller Marquis house through marriage wouldn’t be the end. The moment she became useless, there was only one fate waiting for her. A fate she could never escape as long as the Marquis lived.

 

Her heart beat rapidly. Her walking legs trembled as if she might collapse.

 

The capital was bustling with stories of the three families: Talion, Igraine, and Oclein. Meanwhile, leaving the Marquis mansion was due to Marquis Maiheller’s orders. A sudden trip that Shafri herself hadn’t wanted.

 

‘Did Dru hear the news? Will he come?’

 

She had contacted Drushia without missing the timing. There was nowhere else to ask for help. No, it had to be Drushia.

 

‘He’ll come. He must come.’

 

The closer they got to their destination, the slower Shafri’s steps became.

 

“Miss, we must arrive before sunset. Since it’s been empty for a long time, there’s much to do.”

 

“I know, I know. I’m just feeling a bit tired today.”

 

Her whole body tensed, worried that her trembling voice might show.

 

“I’ll put you on a horse.”

 

“Didn’t you hear? I don’t know how to ride horses.”

 

She should have learned horseback riding at least. Maybe they didn’t teach her because they were afraid she might run away, she thought belatedly.

 

“That’s why I said I would ride together with you.”

 

The escort knight approached from the side and pressed again.

 

“I said… no.”

 

A knight insisting when a Lady refuses? Shafri unconsciously stepped backward.