Translator: Nox

Chapter 53

“Kanes is set to arrive by nightfall, so ensure his reception is handled with care.”

“Kanes? Absolutely!”

Tedrick’s expression shifted instantly, a wide grin breaking across his face.

“It has been far too long since I last saw him.”

Viscount Lilius nodded in agreement, though a follow-up question quickly crossed his lips.

“Will the others be absent? I was expecting Kiel and Sandra as well.”

“The Academy’s schedule is quite rigid. Their courses don’t conclude in time for them to make the trip for the hunt.”

“Such a pity. I was looking forward to their company.”

The Viscount wore a mask of genuine regret, but the sight only made me want to smirk.

The man was clearly digging.

At the Academy, the duration of one’s holiday was a direct reflection of their academic standing. Only the elite were dismissed early.

Lisian and Leon Frazier, having secured the top two rankings in their class, had already been enjoying their freedom at the ancestral seat for some time.

As for the others…

Kiel and Sandra, the children of Nigela, were glaring examples of the opposite. Their grades were notoriously lackluster.

In the world of the nobility, having to openly admit your children were failing their studies was a stinging blow to one’s reputation. There wasn’t a peer in the entire Empire who wouldn’t feel the bite of that humiliation.

Viscount Lilius was a master of the craft—delivering sharp, calculated insults while maintaining the facade of a harmless, smiling gentleman.

“Kiel has no passion for the hunt regardless,” Count Nigela Frazier spat, his annoyance bubbling beneath a thin veneer of civility as he shot a dismissive glance my way. “And what purpose would Sandra serve at such an event? A young woman’s place is at her embroidery, not in the field.”

---

“His character is truly something to behold.”

“Pardon?”

Lisian looked up from his leather-bound volume, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“What… what did you say was amazing?”

“Oh, nothing at all. I was just muttering to myself.”

I waved off his concern and returned my gaze to the view outside the carriage window.

My mind drifted back to Count Nigela’s face—the way he had looked at me with such blatant loathing.

He worked tirelessly to project the image of a refined, high-ranking aristocrat, yet his private life was a sordid mess of indiscretion.

Kanes Frazier and his sister Sandra were the living proof of that lack of restraint.

The sheer audacity of the man was staggering—bringing his illegitimate brood into the heart of the main castle without a hint of shame.

Count Nigela Frazier was a man who had brazenly maintained a second family with a mistress while still legally bound to his wife.

At the time, he already had a rightful heir, Kiel, with the Countess.

Yet, he had fathered another son with his lover who was barely a year younger than his legitimate child.

That child was Kanes.

To put it plainly, Nigela was the kind of man who had managed to get two different women pregnant simultaneously.

He was a monumental piece of human wreckage.

It made me wonder all over again.

Why was Tulia the one labeled as the family disgrace?

Compared to her uncle, she was practically a saint. Nigela was the true rot in the Frazier line.

Regardless, the former Countess, Roxanne Frazier, had endured that mockery of a marriage for over a decade.

Eventually, she reached her breaking point and demanded a legal separation.

They lived in separate worlds now, though the reason she hadn’t filed for a full divorce was transparent.

She was protecting her son’s interests.

Because Kiel had been born just slightly before the mistress’s son, he held the status of the firstborn legitimate heir. He was the one destined to inherit the title and the power that came with it.

Roxanne was likely just biding her time, waiting for Nigela to draw his last breath.

It was honestly impressive that she hadn’t taken matters into her own hands with a vial of poison—or perhaps she had already tried and simply failed.

Currently, the Count resided in the Imperial Capital with his mistress, Belladonna Mertung.

I remembered her from various portraits; she possessed the striking, dangerous beauty of a lone red rose.

With her cascading crimson waves and that distinctive beauty mark, she could have ruled the capital’s social circles for a lifetime had she been born into the right family.

Even with her common origins and a daughter from a previous entanglement, her looks were enough to ensnare Nigela completely.

After Kanes was born, the two of them lived in open defiance of tradition, acting as though they were husband and wife in all but name.

Legally, however, Roxanne remained the Countess Frazier.

Nigela had been desperate to discard his stern wife and elevate Belladonna to her place, but he had hit a wall of absolute resistance.

The Frazier vassals had been unified in their opposition, led by my Grandfather, whose rage on the matter had been legendary.

The ultimatum had been simple: marry the mistress if you wish, but you will do so as an exile, stripped of the Frazier name and fortune.

No one in the family was brave enough to stare down those piercing, dark green eyes and win.

Nigela had eventually folded, though he spent five years relentlessly begging until Grandfather finally allowed Kanes to be recognized as a legitimate member of the house.

Even more shocking was his success in getting Sandra, a girl with no Frazier blood at all, adopted into the family.

In a twisted way, Nigela’s persistence was almost admirable.

He had managed to force a total stranger into the lineage of one of the most powerful houses in the land.

The fallout had nearly severed his relationship with Grandfather for years. They say there is no parent who can truly defeat their own child, but in this family, that wasn’t true.

Grandfather didn’t just defeat his children; he broke them.

Yet Nigela’s obsession with Belladonna was so total that he accepted any condition, no matter how harsh, just to secure Sandra’s status.

Technically, Sandra was a Frazier by name only—a commoner wearing a stolen cloak.

Her legitimization came with a strict proviso that she would receive no dowry or inheritance upon her marriage, but the jump from a mistress’s bastard to a Lady of House Frazier was a fairy-tale transformation.

She was the family’s very own Cinderella.

A lack of inheritance hardly mattered when the Count doted on her so excessively, providing a life of absolute luxury. She wanted for nothing.

Meanwhile, I was a blood Frazier who hadn’t seen a single copper of support from my own father.

Soon, the entire direct lineage would gather for Grandfather’s gala, and I would finally meet this colorful cast of characters.

Though, as per usual, Marquis Aster Frazier would be notably absent.

---

The morning of the Great Hunt arrived a few days later.

The atmosphere at the main castle was electric, resembling a grand festival more than a sporting event.

Vassals, their families, and a small army of servants filled the grounds, all buzzing with anticipation.

“Tu… lia.”

I turned at the sound of my name being spoken with a slight hesitation.

“Lisian!”

I hurried over to him, a genuine smile on my face.

He greeted me warmly, his expression softening.

“What… what are you doing out here?”

“Just taking a moment to admire the scale of the estate,” I replied. “It’s truly massive.”

“It is,” Lisian agreed, looking out over the rolling landscape. The wind caught his silver hair, making it shimmer. “The Grand Duchy is built on… on centuries of history.”

He wasn’t exaggerating.

Outside of the Emperor’s own holdings, there were very few families capable of hosting a hunt of this magnitude. The requirements for the terrain were absurdly specific.

The land had to be vast enough to cradle seven distinct lakes. It had to be a natural basin, walled in by mountains or high ridges. The foliage had to be dense enough to support a thriving ecosystem of wildlife, including truly dangerous, predatory beasts.

Meeting those criteria was nearly impossible, yet the Frazier estate checked every box with ease.

It was the reason every noble in the surrounding territories clamored for an invitation. This wasn’t just a hunt; it was the pinnacle of high society.

As Lisian and I moved through the crowds, the air was thick with the sound of hushed voices and the weight of judging eyes.

Not all of it was malicious curiosity. Some were simply fascinated by the rare appearance of the Frazier heirs.

However, I knew at least a third of the whispers were centered on me—the notorious Tulia, returning to the fold after her long exile.

I caught a group of nobles staring and offered them a sugary-sweet, pointed smile.

“Good heavens, she looked right at us,” one whispered, flinching.

“Do you think she heard?” another hissed, quickly looking away.

“Tu… lia?”

“I’m coming. Let’s keep moving.”

I walked alongside Lisian, my mind set on a very specific goal for the day.

I just wanted to get through this without a scandal.

No throwing wine. No temper tantrums. No screaming.

My mission was to slowly dismantle the disastrous reputation Tulia had built for herself by simply behaving like a rational, composed human being.

For the first time in this life, I felt I could actually enjoy a social gathering.

The thought brought a spark of genuine excitement to my heart.