Chapter 24

Keivrand ran out of the bathroom.

Elly and Christina, who were sitting in Iris’ drawing room, sprang up.

It seems Keivrand looked strange in their eyes too.

“Count. Are you okay?”

At Christina’s question, Keivrand raised his hand lightly and then left Iris’ drawing room.

Only after he came out of the hallway did he cover his mouth with one hand.

“Crazy.”

A groan came out.

Strangely enough, being with Iris makes him lose his reasons.

When her violet eyes stared at him, the emotions that are hard to describe filled up from his lower abdomen and crushed his chest.

He had only wanted to see Iris’ face and drink wine while exchanging jokes about today’s event, but something unexpected happened.

‘It would have been worse if I had stayed.’

“Boss.”

At Wallace’s voice coming from behind, Keivrand turned around in surprise as if he had been struck. Wallace and Jamie were standing side by side, looking at him suspiciously.

“Why are you like that in front of sister-in-law’s room? Sister-in-law didn’t let you in…? Huh? Boss, why is your face like that? Are you sick?”

Wallace quickly approached Keivrand as if he was worried.

Keivrand unwittingly stepped back and put one hand up.

“Stop, Wallace.”

“Why? Is it contagious? Your face is too red. Isn’t that right, Jamie?”

Jamie was looking at Keivrand with a meaningful gaze. His eyes expressed a ‘I know what’s wrong with Keivrand’ look.

Keivrand wanted to run away, but held it in.

“Go. I don’t feel like talking.”

“What’s wrong, boss? Do you have rabies or something?”

“…Wallace…”

“That’s a big deal. If you catch it, there’s no answer. Wasn’t it Eort village last time? I heard that the person who got bitten by a rabid dog went crazy. Oh, come to think of it, I heard if you get rabies, you become afraid of water…Jamie, let’s spray him with some water?”

Keivrand thought about whether to hit Wallace or go into the study room as if he hadn’t heard him.

“It’s all right, Wallace. The boss is just in a period of turbulence that every adult male goes through.”

As expected, Jamie had noticed.

“Turbulence? What turbulence?”

Wallace didn’t understand and looked at Jamie and Keivrand alternately.

Jamie tapped Wallace on the shoulder.

“The boss is. Miss Iris…”

“Jamie. Stop.”

Keivrand cut Jamie off and pointed to the other side of the hallway.

It meant for him to shut up and get out of here, which Jamie understood.

Jamie, smiling, whispered to Wallace.

“Let’s go over there and I’ll explain it in detail.”

“Jamie…”

“Oh, boss. The late Count contacted me about the wedding invitation. He seemed very upset…It’d be better if the boss contacted him directly, right?”

“I got it.”

Jamie whispered something as he walked across the hall with Wallace.

Perhaps he was giving details of Keivrand’s condition.

Keivrand felt an oncoming headache.

For his ‘shadows,’ they were Keivrand’s closest friends rather than colleagues working under him. That didn’t mean he wanted to reveal all the emotions that he himself couldn’t explain.

‘I need to get my act together.’

Keivrand swept his hair back and headed to the communication room.

Decades ago, wizards and mechanical engineers invented a communicator.

It was a device that could easily connect to the other side of the world and make contact.

The device couldn’t be owned by just anyone because it could be abused, so it was only used by government offices in cities or large towns.

However, with the government’s permission, individuals can own one. But only a few individuals have the communication device because of the strict conditions.

Naturally, the Green family, the guardian of the sacred relics, has a communicator after easily receiving permission.

Entering the communication room, Keivrand stood in front of a large communicator and pressed a button to the Venerable Count Green’s mansion.

It wasn’t long before he was connected to the steward of Venerable Count Green. Then, the steward called for Count Wyvern Green.

“Father.”

[Keivrand Green.]

Wyvern recited Keivrand’s full name in a low voice.

It meant that he was very angry.

“There’s a reason.”

[No matter how much was written in the newspaper, I and your mother didn’t believe it. The reason is because we trust you more than we trust the newspapers.]

“I know. But the reason…”

[The flower of Duke Whittle? Apparently Duke Whittle was covering his daughter up, saying he didn’t want anyone to see her….]

[Kei, it’s mom.]

His mother, Helena Green, interrupted Wyvern and took over.

“Mother…”

[It’s only natural for a man to like pretty girls, so I understand. Yeah, a hero likes a beautiful heroine. But Kei, I didn’t think you were like that. You didn’t even tell your parents, and you chose the woman yourself? That’s why we were the last to learn about the wedding? I understand everything.]

It was a tone that said she didn’t understand anything.

[But Kei. Duke Whittle is a greedy man. What’s the reason Britney, the eldest daughter, made her debutante in society early on and hid Iris, the youngest and most dazzlingly?]

“That’s… ”

[It’s to sell. Looking at the beautiful Britney, I’m sure he made everyone wonder. Why the pretty Britney is on display, but Iris can’t be because she’s so pretty. It’s to make everyone raise their anticipation.]

Keivrand was filled with admiration. He didn’t know that his parents, who had put everything down early and went to a quiet countryside, were watching the situation so keenly.

“Mother, there’s a reason for that.”

[Did you exchange something to bring back the girl?]

The Count and his wife gave Keivrand no time to make excuses. It was something that has never happened before.

Keivrand could see how angry his parents were.

“Nothing.”

[Now you’re lying to your mom because of a woman. On the day you brought back the girl, I heard that a mine owned by the Green family had been passed over to Duke Whittle.]

“Who the hell is your source? If you have such a good source, please give it to me.”

[I’m not joking with you right now, Keivrand Green. I understand that you like beautiful women, and you’re going to get married however you want. But it’s not right to give something to buy a woman. Did Lady Whittle agree with you?]

Keivrand let out a sigh.

The reason why his parents were angry wasn’t simply because he got married without telling them.

His parents were worried that he might have forced Iris’ against her will.

“It’s not Lady Whittle but Countess Green, Mother. Even though we haven’t had a wedding…]

[That’s not what I asked.]

“Iris, she agreed.”

The conversation was cut off for a moment.

However, the communicator, which was in a particularly good condition, could pick up the internal and external conversations.

[Honey, what should we do? Our Kei’s lying has improved.]

[It’s all because I raised him wrong. Don’t cry, Hela.]

[But…our son grew up paying for a woman…]

Keivrand swallowed a sigh.

It was true that he gave Duke Whittle a mine in exchange for Iris. But that was what Iris wanted.

However, he couldn’t tell his parents that Iris had told him to buy her for the mine. It was better to be seen as the bad guy who had paid for a woman.

It wasn’t long before Wyvern spoke into the communicator.

[Keivrand Green. We’re setting off today. We’ll take the fastest carriage and be there in three, no, two days.]

Helena added.

[If Lady Whittle is married to someone she doesn’t even love, then you’ll be the first in our family to divorce.]

* * *

Britney was having a tea party in the garden greenhouse.

The gold mine in Venott, which Keivrand gave in exchange for Iris, was producing a large amount of gold, so they had renovated the garden and greenhouse, and Britney wanted to show it off to other young ladies.

“It was a relief to hear that. Countess Green cleared up the misunderstanding. It must have been a relief to you too.”

The young lady, who said that, had an expression of no particular relief.

The same was true for Britney who tried to smile.

“I know. I’m so glad. I couldn’t sleep well because I was afraid that Iris was crying because she was falsely accused.”

“Oh. You think deeply about your sister.”

It was deep.

Though, it wasn’t on the good side that the young ladies here thought.

Once it was revealed that the rumors were orchestrated by Juliette, the newspapers that had been cursing and mocking Iris hurriedly changed their attitudes.

They had cursed Iris of the Green family, the flower of Duke Whittle, and the guardian of the sacred relics.

It deserved great punishment to defame a noble lady for something that wasn’t true.

It was even possible for the newspaper companies to go out of business.

However, Iris didn’t file a lawsuit against the newspapers, and the newspapers that once cursed her published articles praising her generosity and beauty.

“These days, journalists have been burning with praise for Countess Green…I have a different opinion. How dare she push Miss Juliette in front of others. Isn’t she telling her just to die?”

At one of the young ladies’ words, Britney wanted to applaud her, but she managed to hold it in.

“I don’t think that’s what she meant. Of course, Iris can’t forgive anyone who did something wrong to her, but…But she wasn’t telling her just to die. I’m sure she forgave her.”

Britney preemptively defended Iris.

“Well. Apparently, Juliette was the one who was warming Count Green’s bed…Isn’t it because Iris was jealous?”

“Of course she was a little jealous. But…”

Britney said that much, then her lips quivered as if she found it awkward.

The young lady who brought up the subject gently held up her fan.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse her, Britney.”

It was then that one of Britney’s personal maids came.

The maid stood quietly beside Britney, handing over an envelope.

“What’s this?”

It was a white envelope with a gold band around it and a nice handwriting in the middle that read [Wedding Invitation].

“Who’s getting married?”

Britney looked around the young ladies, but they didn’t know either.

She took the wedding invitation out of the envelope.

It was a luxurious yet elegant wedding invitation with real gold around it.

Britney’s eyes grew bigger when she read the wedding invitation.

[We formally invite you to the wedding of Keivrand Green and Iris Whittle.]

That was what was written at the top.

“Who’s getting married?”

Katrina, who was next to Britney, asked in a small voice.

“Count Green and…Iris…”

“Oh, my. I guess she got impatient.”

Katrina said so and looked back at the young ladies.

The ladies nodded with mocking smiles.

“I guess she’s aware of the rumors circulating around her. I’m sure she asked Count Green to have a wedding.”

“Maybe she was too embarrassed? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to force someone who hates me to marry them.”

“I know. Since she has never been in high society, does she even know her dignity as a lady?”

Britney would normally have listened to them with delight.

But now none of their voices were heard.

It was because of the name written at the end of the wedding invitation.

As if she realized Britney’s expression was strange, Katrina carefully looked over the wedding invitation.

Katrina’s eyes, which looked sullenly at the wedding invitation, stopped where Britney was reading.

“What’s this…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“What is it?”

The young ladies showed a look of interest.

Katrina unknowingly grabbed Britney’s wedding invitation and shook it.

“The party’s organizer…Countess Melanie Jennel!”

== Translator’s Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section .