Chapter 84
“As expected.”
Dalia let out a sigh involuntarily. Felix had a puzzled expression.
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Really, it’s nothing. Dalia smiled and shook her head.
‘You’re the one who planned it.’
The good relationship between the Mars family and the Artus family is not known to anyone who is not familiar with politics.
Of course, he would have thought that Dalia didn’t know either.
However, even Dalia could not understand why Artus’ eldest son, whom she had never had contact with, is being so friendly.
‘Did Duke Artus recognize my face?’
If so, that was pretty terrifying. She painstakingly tried to erase the hypothesis from her head.
“I am sorry, but I also lost my partner today. Can I talk with you for a while until she comes back?”
Felix clung persistently to Dalia.
To be honest, Dalia wanted to say no, but it was not good to show the bad relationship between the Ducal families.
She accepted with an awkward smile.
The two talked as they walked along the banquet wall.
Most of the conversation was about Felix’s experiences. Many of the stories were about showing off the family’s wealth or power.
In addition, he secretly showed his face at an angle that made him look handsome, patted her on the back of her hand, or swept her shoulders.
Somehow, Dalia was flustered by his actions that would only be done to a courting partner.
Moreover, it was obvious that all of his actions were based on the thought, ‘If you do this, your opponent will be excited’.
In Dalia’s eyes, what he did was absolutely ridiculous and unfortunate.
Dalia looked at Felix with cloudy eyes. She wondered who he looked like, and he looked just like his father.
There was already a record of his father who had given her his business card, so Dalia interpreted his actions as a connection to that.
No matter what he did, it was never with good intention.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Felix was tactless and didn’t seem to know that she didn’t like him very much.
Before she knew it, they were halfway around the banquet room.
They were originally stuck close to the wall, but now the balcony was right next to them.
‘Ah, come to think of it, I was supposed to meet Lady Beolde on the balcony during the second part.’
She was listening with one ear and leaking through the other as she answered Felix’s words in an insincere way.
“By the way, they say that Lady Beolde Mershain is back.”
Felix was the first to speak on an interesting topic.
It was an opportunity to find out what the Artus family thought of Beolde.
She nodded, her eyes twinkling in interest. Felix smiled as he thought the conversation was going well. It was an annoying smile.
She smiled and asked softly.
“What do you think, young Duke?”
“Do you mean regarding Lady Beolde?”
Dalia nodded.
Felix let out a ‘hmm’, then leaned over Dalia’s ear and whispered quietly.
“This is something that people don’t know very well, but do you know what Lady Beolde did when she left the capital for five years?”
“…… What did she do?”
“You may not believe it, but she secretly led a criminal organization in the underworld.”
“Oh my goodness.”
The man who stormed into the headquarters was right in front of him. But Dalia put on a fake surprised expression.
“Can that happen?”
“That’s what I’m saying. That’s more than enough to disgrace the Duke of Mershain.”
Dalia agreed with it and Felix said excitedly. His gaze quickly moved to the balcony.
“I’d like to talk to you more in private, why don’t we go over there and talk?”
“…….”
Dalia judged the situation for a moment.
Felix Artus was foolish, but he was not the kind of person to call a Duke’s daughter to a separate balcony to do anything.
‘But there are always exceptions.’
Dalia pretended to organize her bag strap and held a piece of quartz Cedric gave her in her hand.
Then she smiled at Felix and nodded.
‘I need to hear just what you want to talk about.’
She thought that it would help her understand the opponent more. It seemed like she already knew most of them just by talking for a while.
The two went out onto the balcony.
The cold wind struck Dalia on the cheek. It was already autumn and the evening breeze was quite chilly.
She refused to let Felix take off his suit coat and put it on her.
“Actually, I have a disease that burns too much heat…….”
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry I didn’t know that.”
‘No, you don’t have to know forever. Please.’
“Miss Dalia.”
Then Felix called her.
It was cold, she somehow got goosebumps.
She looked back creakingly.
“I’ve called Miss Dalia here because I have something very serious to tell you.”
“Wh, what is it?”
“It might sound a little bit political. But……”
“You can tell me.”
“Yes, if you say so.”
Felix caught his breath. Not knowing what he was trying to say, Dalia became so anxious.
“The Mershain family is the maternal relative to the Imperial family. In addition, a transcendent named Lady Beolde, who had been in hiding for a while has returned. And they’re using some kind of method to threaten the Duke of Artus family now. This is an excessive dominance that destroys the balance of the four Ducal families. Don’t you think so?”
‘Oh.’
He is indeed the eldest son of a ducal family in his own way?
It was far more coherent than Dalia had expected. If she had heard this in an unknown situation, she would have thought that it sounded quite convincing.
But Dalia knows the whole truth about the situation. He shamelessly blamed others for secretly communicating with the Holy Empire.
‘Well, he doesn’t know the root cause of his pain is here.’
Besides, Duke Artus was really unlucky.
She would make Meldon to be the Duke of Artus to see the current Duke fall.
“Miss is old enough to know everything. You know why I’m telling you this, don’t you?”
“……I can roughly guess.”
“We, the Artus family, propose to cooperate with the Pesteros to prevent the Duke of Mershain’s domination.”
‘So it’s like this.’
It was different than she had expected, but it wasn’t a bad offer for Felix’s intelligence based on what he had shown so far.
No, that was what she thought. Until she hears the following words.
“What do you mean by cooperation……?”
“You’re marrying me on a contract, Miss Dalia.”
“Argh!”
Dalia couldn’t contain her screams when she heard those words.
The goosebumps she had been holding back grew all over her body.
She wanted to curl her hands and feet and roll on the floor.
With what kind of confidence is he saying that? What on earth does he think she sees in him to let her marry him? Can’t that human see properly? Then the person who gave Dalia his business card will become his father-in-law!
‘No! Absolutely not! You’re so annoying!’
Felix was taken aback when she unexpectedly hated it.
However, for a moment, the discomfort on his face gradually grew.
“……Were you that offended by my proposal?”
“…….”
She couldn’t bring herself to say no.
Felix’s face turned red and blue as she silently affirmed. He seemed to know that he had said something humiliating too.
He harshly turned around and shouted.
“Ha, Miss Dalia. I’m sure you will regret coming out like this……”
“What regret?”
And just then, Dalia ran into Beolde, who just came to the balcony.
Beolde was a little shorter than Felix, and instead of raising her head, she raised her gaze and looked at him.
Beolde was like a human predator with a ghostly presence.
She glanced at Dalia and looked at Felix. Her eyes, which roughly anticipated what the conversation might have been, changed to be very disturbing.
“Hey.”
She called Felix.
Felix’s body, which caught her gaze right in front of him, shrunk like a man who met a ghost.
He spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Pl, please mind your manners, Lady Beolde…… !”
His determination not to back down somehow was praiseworthy, but his voice was already trembling like his legs.
Beolde didn’t care, he looked at Felix and motioned at Dalia.
“You cursed at me in front of this child right?”
“……that’s…….”
“So it’s true then.”
What happened next was surprising even for Dalia.
Beolde raised her hand and slapped Felix’s temple with her palm.
Felix’s body plunged helplessly into a corner of the balcony.
Dalia opened her mouth blankly and alternately looked between her and the fallen Felix.
‘B, but he’s still the eldest son of a Duke!’
Indeed, if she had hesitated for that reason, she would not have retired from her position by causing violence incidents in the first place.
‘Th, that’s why all the people…….’
Her notoriety was not born for nothing. Beolde growled as she looked down at Felix.
“Watch your mouth. Next time I’ll ruin your face.”
Translator Note: I really want to see Hikan’s reaction when Felix proposed to Dalia hahaha
**so my brother keep on asking me to read ‘Return of the Mount Hua Sect’, and now I’m totally hookedI paused my reading just to finish tl this chapter