Ch#86
Spoils of War
Duchess
By Lemon Frog
Episode 86
'Has this woman gone mad?'
But it was too soon to be surprised.
Angela began spouting even more outrageous words while scanning Edel from head to toe.
"The rumors about your household's 'butler' are widespread. Going from laundry maid to butler in just a year, and then immediately replacing the servants to suit her taste... She's quite capable, isn't she?"
"What did you say...?"
"I'm not saying anything bad. To be precise, everyone keeps one or two mistresses anyway, so there's no need to lie by calling her a butler. Even I could overlook a husband's mistress or two."
This time, Laslo let out a hollow laugh. It was the first time he'd laughed since facing Angela.
It was a scoff born of sheer absurdity, not amusement.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something from earlier, so let me clarify. First, this person is not my mistress but a highly competent butler. Second, I danced with the butler at the party because I didn't want to be trapped by dancing with other women. Third, there's no need for you to worry about my circumstances. Ever."
At those words, Angela's face stiffened. But Laslo not only remained unconcerned but also slipped the letter back into its envelope and held it out to her.
"I decline Count Bliss's proposal. No matter how elegantly it's phrased, buying a relationship with money doesn't sit well."
"Pardon? B-buying a relationship with money? Grandfather absolutely didn't mean it that way!"
"That's exactly what it means. And for Count Bliss, it's a proposal with nothing to lose. How much of a fool do you take me for to make such an offer? And pretending to bestow a favor, no less."
Laslo clicked his tongue sharply at the end. Even that alone made Angela flinch.
"It's truly not what you think. Grandfather was simply pondering how to put good warhorses to good use."
"Then why must I form close ties with House Bliss as a condition? Sending you makes the 'close ties' quite obvious, doesn't it?"
"It's natural to seek trustworthy people when entrusting important family assets! Who could be more reliable than family?"
It was utterly self-centered reasoning, but both Count Bliss and Angela acted as if there was no issue with it. Of course, any man smitten by Angela's beauty might eagerly accept, but Laslo was not one of them.
He took a deep breath to suppress his anger and glared at Angela as he spoke.
.
"In the end, Count Bliss wants to keep every warhorse while gaining Laslo Creaser in hand. How ridiculous."
"C-Count! Your words are too much!"
"The one whose words went too far was you. Coming here with baseless rumors and insulting me and my entire house to my face."
With that, Laslo revealed no further emotion.
"You should leave now. I hope we never meet again."
"Pardon...?"
"And be sure to tell Count Bliss this: I won't forget treating me like a fool."
Angela, raised on flattery, couldn't handle Laslo's fully turned hostility.
Fearing something might happen right there, she hurriedly rose from her seat.
But as she exited the drawing room, she turned back for one last word.
"I won't forget this either. Ever."
Then she vanished quickly.
An uncomfortable silence lingered in the drawing room after Angela left.
"To them, I'm still just a hunting dog who swings a sword without any learning... Even House Bliss, part of the Emperor's faction, acts like that—who knows how the others see me?"
Self-mockery laced with suppressed anger slipped from Laslo's lips.
Edel understood his frustration.
If Laslo had been noble-born, Count Bliss wouldn't have made such a transparently calculating proposal.
Angela had overestimated her own value. And Angela had underestimated Count Creaser too.
She could guess that treating her as a mistress had also offended Laslo.
'How irritating must it be to have an uninterested woman repeatedly mistaken for a mistress? For Count Creaser, keeping me around brings no gain at all.'
- 3 -
He had thanked her multiple times for overseeing Linia and his external changes and renovating the entire mansion, saying she worked hard. But in truth, that could have been handled by asking the Emperor for suitable people.
It was a recurring thought, but her becoming Laslo's spoils of war had been fortunate for her—while for Laslo, she was nothing but a burden.
Of course, she couldn't voice that, so Edel brought up another issue.
"It's only been a short time since Count Creaser and House Creaser began changing, so they're all testing the waters. They'll come to their senses after today."
"You really think so?"
"Yes. Count Bliss is extremely sensitive to shifts in power. Someone like that wouldn't have sent such a provocative proposal just to pick a fight."
"He didn't even anticipate I'd get angry, so how sharp could he be?"
"Miss Bliss truly seemed unaware, but Count Bliss likely saw it as a fifty-fifty chance. So soon, under the pretext of an 'apology,' there will be another approach. Whatever proposal they bring then will be closer to their true intentions."
At her sound analysis, Laslo was reminded anew of who Edel had been.
'Indeed, not just anyone becomes a duchess. She sees right through what kind of person Count Bliss is and what he was planning...'
He viewed Edel, who filled his deficiencies, as truly valuable personnel.
Having studied diligently to reign as the flower of society and actively participating, Edel interpreted information related to nobles far more organically than Laslo's rote memorization.
And based on that, she anticipated various scenarios and even suggested solutions.
*No wonder she was ranked the top marriage prospect.*
Fools with brains in their pants might have been dazzled by her looks, but men who needed to lead a household would have found Edel's abilities as an ally attractive.
Even now, Edel pointed out issues Laslo hadn't considered.
"Soon, marriage proposals will flood in for you, Count. Best to prepare your mind."
"You think so? Just because we pulled off one good party?"
"Nobles have a knack for spotting so-called 'promising' investments."
"Ha...! I feel like a truffle with pigs swarming to dig me up."
Edel could only smile awkwardly at his words.
"It's not all bad. You might find someone perfectly suited to you among them."
"How would I know if someone I've never met suits me or not?"
.
"Ah... I meant you could select a woman who meets the conditions you need, Count."
That's how noble marriages worked.
For those not heirs like Linia or Ian, with few concerns, love could rarely be a marriage condition.
But for family heads or heirs, the partner's conditions came first.
It had to be that way. In noble society, marriage was like a blueprint for expanding influence in a certain direction.
Laslo crossed his arms, pondered, then complained to Edel with a dissatisfied expression.
"I won't marry without feelings just to calculate political gains. I don't want to live like that."
"But that will make it harder to achieve your goals. Doesn't His Majesty wish for you to marry the child of a solid loyalist family?"
"Politics is politics, and my life is my life. I don't want this mansion to become someone's prison, nor do I want to feel like a stranger in my own home."
It was hard for Edel to respond.
Not everyone thought like Laslo, and such ideals were hard to reconcile with reality.
Gaining political advantage couldn't be done alone. Hence forming alliances through marriage.
'I've seen more than one or two who chased love, married, and fell behind in politics...'
And that love wasn't always eternal. Often, couples who married passionately without thought met ruin faster.
As Edel fell silent, deep in thought, Laslo suddenly asked.
"But why does it feel like you're the one urging me to marry? What do you think happens to you if I do? Do you gain something from it?"
His words stabbed her heart like a dagger.
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