Chapter 55: CH 55

After safely returning from the villa, Riett heard the news that Marquis Callian was eagerly preparing. The more she heard, the more she looked forward to the day of public execution.

‘Will my father’s trial come first, or the noble council interview?’

Either way, it didn’t matter. The day that would come first would be the day of Marquis Callian’s judgment.

And a few days later, a letter arrived announcing the schedule for the noble council interview.

“It’s this weekend.”

Riett was reading the letter when she heard urgent footsteps. When she looked up, her pale-faced father stood there.

“Riett.”

“Yes, Father?”

“The date for the noble council interview has been decided?”

“I was reading the announcement letter that just arrived.”

Her father’s expression became grim upon hearing her words.

“Haah…”

“Why are you like this?”

Something was strange. Even though her father knew that the noble council interview was imminent, his reaction was far from good.

“…Riett, there’s something I didn’t tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Well… instead of handling this matter, Marquis Callian proposed to marry you…”

Seeing her father reveal something she had known for a long time now made her feel sorry for him. He had been so desperate to hide the marriage proposal that she pretended not to know until now.

“Of course, I was furious as soon as I heard that. He’s older than me, and it’s only been two years since his previous wife passed away.”

Her father must have thought it wasn’t worth mentioning.

“Moreover, his reputation with women in high society is already infamous. He’s a dirty scoundrel who preys on young girls.”

He was even more of a scoundrel than she had thought. Riett clenched her teeth inwardly.

“But a week ago, he sent a letter along with the marriage contract.”

If it was a week ago, the timing of the arrival of the marriage contract was after her return from the villa. Despite going through that, he hadn’t given up. She was impressed by his perseverance.

“He threatened that if I didn’t accept his proposal within three days, he would completely ruin your future.”

What he needed to worry about now wasn’t her future.

“So, how does he plan to ruin my future?”

“It seems he intends to have the Emperor attend the noble council interview.”

Oh, really?

Riett’s eyes sparkled. It seemed that he intended to thoroughly defeat Duke Marren in front of the Emperor himself.

Although it was a fortunate turn of events for her, she had a question.

“Even if they come from a politically influential family, is that possible?”

“The Emperor has been actively monitoring the activities of the recent noble council members. So if there is a reasonable justification for the gathering of nobles, he tries to attend as much as possible.”

I see. Riett nodded as she touched her chin and looked at Duke Marren.

“Will you attend that day as well, Father?”

“…I suppose I must. All the noble council members are expected to attend.”

Then, Duke Kreutz, her father, Evan, and even the Emperor would all gather on that day.

Now that things had escalated to this extent, there was no room for mistakes. She had to prepare more thoroughly.

“Riett.”

“Yes?”

Riett slowly answered, and Duke Marren embraced her gently. Her father’s once broad and sturdy shoulders now felt fragile.

“I’m sorry… That I couldn’t help with your future as a father, and instead, I hindered your promising days with my foolish judgment.”

“…Father.”

“Even if you leave the capital, as long as you manage the estate well, there won’t be any problems with your livelihood. Please promise me that much.”

It seemed her father had gathered some determination. He was getting out of his self-reproach and preparing for the future. Riett felt a pang of pain at the sight of her father, who was taking full responsibility for his family until the end.

On the day she returned from Marquis Callian’s villa, Riett thought about informing her father about what she had learned, but she didn’t. To prevent that cunning fox of a Marquis from finding an escape route, she had to be extremely cautious in her actions.

Especially, she must not show any signs of knowing something. Since her father had frequent encounters with the Marquis, there was a concern that it would be evident. That’s why Riett kept the information she learned at the villa a secret even from her father.

‘Father, I’m sorry.’

She couldn’t reveal the Marquis’ dirty secret, so this was the only thing she could say to her father.

“Don’t worry.”

Riett said as she tightly embraced her father.

“Everything will turn out fine.”

* * *

The day of the noble council interview arrived. The day of the decisive battle had come.

“Riett, we should start getting ready.”

“Yes, just a moment!”

Riett diligently gathered the items she had prepared.

“Let’s go, Father.”

Soon, Duke Marren’s carriage set off toward the palace.

As soon as they got on the carriage, Duke Marren reassured his daughter not to be nervous and comforted her. In Riett’s eyes, her father’s lips appeared parched.

‘It seems like Father is the one who’s nervous.…’

However, she didn’t show it outwardly and calmly reassured her father, saying yes.

“By the way, I’m worried about Evan too.”

Her father was a person who worried a lot and showed a lot of concern. Unlike her warm-hearted mother, her father always had a distant attitude toward Evan. But behind his back, he often expressed worry.

“Evan’s lineage will be a problem for his whole life. It’s like being on a political battlefield where they constantly try to bite and tear at any opportunity.”

“I know, Father. I’ve already experienced it to some extent at the noble academy.”

If the political world was the main game, then the noble academy was like a trial version.

“Yes, it’s not an easy place either.”

However, Riett was also worried about Evan. When Marquis Callian attacked Evan, using his birth as an excuse, Riett couldn’t help but get angry.

‘I shouldn’t do that during the interview.’

It wouldn’t be helpful for Evan either.

Even if there was a desire to crush the person who uttered such words from behind later on, she had to respond calmly in front of them.

“But, Riett, you will face the most attacks.”

The duke once again warned her with a serious tone.

“What kind of attacks should I expect?”

“Most likely, they will target you as my daughter and as a woman.”

Riett had already anticipated that. Even disregarding the fact that she was Duke Marren’s daughter, being a woman was a significant disadvantage in the eyes of older noble gentlemen.

When they felt the threat of losing their positions to women, she had seen how those gentlemen she had encountered at the noble academy had changed.

‘That’s what men are for, anyway.’

Riett closed her eyes and lowered her head.

In societies where women’s social advancement is almost blocked, like Korea, if they were formally encouraged, there would be a considerable number of women who would demonstrate outstanding abilities.

‘I will open that door.’

Today is said to be the occasion for the spectacular beginning.

* * *

The interview took the form of a dinner with noble members. The venue was the guest room of the imperial banquet hall.

As they entered, a long table unfolded before them, as if taken from a masterpiece.

The gazes of the nobles, who had already arrived, turned towards Riett, who was also the protagonist of the day. Riett enjoyed those gazes and confidently walked into the guest room.

The seating arrangement was already set, and Riett was seated next to Evan.

“Are you ready?”

Evan quietly asked as they took their seats.

“Well, perfectly.”

Riett answered with a smirk. Evan also didn’t seem to be visibly nervous.

It was always fascinating that Evan had very little emotional fluctuation.

‘That guy without any humanity.’

As they sat, the empty seats were gradually filled.

“Welcome, Marquis.”

As if adorning the grand finale, Marquis Callian revealed himself last. Upon seeing the Marquis, some nobles stood up from their seats and bowed deeply. The Marquis received their greetings with a haughty air. And as if to show off, he stared intensely at Riett.

In her mind, Riett wanted to flip him off, but she forced herself to calm down, thinking about what was about to happen.

‘Enjoy it while you can, Marquis Callian.’

“Long live the Emperor!”

A thunderous cry from the guards outside could be heard. All the nobles stood up from their seats.

‘Finally, I’m going to see the Emperor.’

She’s been looking forward to this since before departure. To see the leader of a country right before her eyes.

Soon, the Emperor slowly walked into the guest room. Riett’s eyes followed the Emperor’s footsteps.

The Emperor’s first impression seemed stiffer and more formal than expected. His angular jaw and elongated eyes appeared rigid and inflexible. He seemed a little intimidating.

‘I wonder how he was described in the original work.’

She searched her memory, but there wasn’t much mention of the Emperor, so nothing came to mind.

The story mainly revolved around the female protagonist, with only a passing mention of political matters.

‘Come to think of it, did the original work unfold like this?’

In the original, there was a lot of interest in temples and saints within the empire. This was because the female protagonist was a commoner-turned-saint.

But now, it felt like the empire didn’t attach much importance to such aspects.

Or perhaps she was deviating from the original flow and following a different path as a supporting character in the borderlands.

“It’s a pleasure for us all to gather in one place like this.”

Amid her brief distraction, the Emperor solemnly spoke. Riett secretly admired him.

Although she had been cautious of Marquis Callian’s gaze, the Emperor was still the Emperor. The aura emanating from him was different.

“We truly appreciate your attendance.”

Marquis Callian bowed to the Emperor on their behalf.

That appearance seemed very courteous, but Riett knew that his actions were disgustingly insincere.

“I am expecting a new character to be introduced today, so I have high hopes.”

“They are talented individuals recommended by Marquis Bellon, the principal of the noble school, so you can expect great things.”

With that, the Marquis looked at Riett and Evan in turn.

Behind his back, he was sending threatening letters that would ruin their futures, and in front of him, he was saying things like that.

“For now, let’s take our time and talk while enjoying the meal.”

When the Emperor gave the signal, a maid who had been waiting by the side placed an appetizer in front of each person.

The appetizer was a smoked salmon dish. Salmon was a very precious ingredient as it couldn’t be obtained directly in the Empire.

Truly, it was a moment of admiration for a dish she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Lady Marren, the Duchess, is known to be exceptionally beautiful, but Miss Riett surpasses those expectations.”

The person who said that was Count Terrator, Marquis Callian’s right-hand man.

Before entering this place, Riett had already familiarized herself with the name tags placed on each seat. Count Terrator was one of the people her father had warned her to be cautious of.

He was a very conservative person who strongly disliked the idea of women entering the political arena, aside from being Marquis Callian’s right-hand man.

In other words, he was one of the people who despised the fact that she was sitting here.

“We don’t need any decorative flowers on the table. Miss Riett is the flower of this place.”

It was an attack disguised as a compliment.

‘That damn flower indeed.’

She also loved flowers very much, but comparing a woman to a flower in this context was a clear insult. It meant they wouldn’t treat her as an equal.

The nobles sitting nearby, whether they knew the hidden meaning or not, played along with Count Terrator’s words.

“Her splendid red hair reminds me of roses!”

“Men will be lining up to woo her.”

“You have raised your daughter very well, Duke Marren!”

Empowered by the nobles’ responses, the Count laughed and looked at Riett.

“Flowers are most beautiful when they bloom gracefully, don’t you agree, everyone?”

Riett barely held back a sigh and clenched her fist under the table.