Baden (5)

“Countess Rocaz is well-versed in imperial etiquette. Learn as much from her as you can. Your mother says the three of you are getting along splendidly these days. If there’s anything troubling you, come speak to your father anytime.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Studying is good, but staying home all the time isn’t. How about a short trip to Ipsen for a change of pace? Spending time alone now and then is important, Alicia.”

Alicia nearly gave a sarcastic response.

‘Oh, you remembered my name?’

But instead of spitting out something twisted, she echoed the word that had caught her ear.

“Ipsen?”

At her question, the Marquess smiled again.

It was a pleased smile, as if Alicia understood him well, as if they communicated perfectly.

“There’s the McMahon family in Ipsen, good friends of mine. Their estate garden is exquisite.”

“The McMahon family doesn’t have a daughter, do they?”

Ipsen. McMahon.

At those familiar names brushing past her ear, Alicia glimpsed shadows of the past.

Albert McMahon belonged to the McMahon family—he had nearly become her second fiancé.

“Refreshing your mind doesn’t have to mean travel. You could also borrow Luderne for a light tea party upon the Imperial Family’s request. Is the Grand Duke serving well as a bridge to the royals?”

“His Highness is kind.”

Alicia responded meekly to the Marquess’s affable words.

“Alicia, when you become Countess of Echeveria, you’ll have many duties. Having a title doesn’t mean everything flows smoothly. To govern a territory, you need good friends.”

“Good friends…”

She could easily guess who the Marquess considered “good friends.”

“Of course, for now you’re still young, and Echeveria is far, so you’ll need to appoint a proxy. It might seem distant now, but time flies. Even if the Grand Duke is kind now, who’s to say how long that’ll last? You must prepare your own path ahead of time.”

“……”

Alicia said nothing.

Thinking her silence was her usual passive nature, the Marquess grew more forward.

“You’re my daughter. You have plenty of talent. You should build valuable connections before leaving for Tessen.”

Alicia let out a dry laugh barely more than a breath.

The Marquess’s face immediately stiffened.

The warm and tender father who offered tea to his daughter vanished in an instant.

“Marquess. Do you believe that just because I’m still unmarried and protected by the Imperial Family, I can build shady connections and continue to live in this land unscathed?”

Alicia’s voice was calm as she spoke.

Gone was the timid girl who used to flinch under someone’s gaze.

“Shady? You and the Grand Duke aren’t formally engaged yet. No one can predict the future. Until the marriage vows are signed, a noble’s engagement means nothing.”

“Please stop with these disgraceful words.”

The two locked eyes with tension.

“What’s disgraceful about it? Is forming good friendships to govern your land something to be ashamed of?”

The Marquess did not back down.

Alicia downed her now-lukewarm tea in one gulp.

“Do you think marrying a royal makes you royalty?”

“What did you just say…!”

Alicia slammed her teacup down as if throwing it and raised her voice.

“You parade around boasting about marrying royalty, yet tell me to make good friends on the side? Do you think I don’t know that these so-called good friends are the marriage candidates you’ve picked out for me?”

“How dare you…”

“Do you think I’m the only one who knows? The whole world can see it. Do you think people walk around with ornaments in place of brains?”

Alicia scowled, unable to hold back.

“You don’t know anything about the Grand Duke of Tessen!”

The Marquess’s cold mask cracked as he shouted.

“And you seem to know everything.”

Alicia’s tone was equally frosty.

“Whether he formally marries you or not is still uncertain. The current Grand Duke of Tessen marches into battle more often than any of his predecessors. Listen to your elders. Do you think your father would say something that could harm you?”

The more he spoke, the more Alicia’s expression contorted.

She had believed she’d left the past behind.

She wanted to focus only on what lay ahead.

But for some reason, every word the Marquess uttered awakened old ghosts.

The authority of the patriarch.

The absolute power of a father within the family.

The helplessness of a child who couldn’t even dream of defying a father who commanded everything.

All those oppressive commands he once issued, claiming they were for her benefit, now came crashing down on her.

“Did the Grand Duke of Tessen die in battle while I wasn’t looking?”

“What are you saying? What if someone hears that…?”

The Marquess turned pale as he stared at Alicia.

“Weren’t you just suggesting that I use the title the Imperial Family gave me to lure men? You do realize that deceiving or insulting the royals is punishable by execution? Are you only afraid of getting caught?”

With a face filled with fury, the Marquess shouted:

“What do you know about war?! Don’t you understand your father’s concern?!”

His contorted face, veins bulging in his neck, looked savage.

From that face, Alicia couldn’t sense an ounce of paternal love.

Only the rage boiling inside her grew.

“Marquess. Since when were you my father? If I hadn’t been your daughter, you would’ve buried me with my mother.”

She said it boldly, straight into the face twisted with anger.

“How dare you…! Have you forgotten who I am?!”

One of the empire’s few great noble houses.

A major family of the north.

Raised since childhood as the family’s sole heir, the Marquess was as arrogant as royalty.

“I know. If nobles were allowed to keep concubines like the royals, you’d have had thirteen wives and twenty-six concubines by now.”

At Alicia’s sarcasm, the Marquess flinched.

His face visibly stiffened.

“You…”

Seeing the man who had always loomed large before her now faltering brought Alicia a surge of emotions.

She wiped them away and returned to the calm composure she’d worn upon entering.

But her sharp words didn’t stop.

“Marquess. Please give up the idea of using me to strengthen the family. And drop your ridiculous salt mine investment, too.”

The Marquess simply listened.

“……”

Surprise flickered in his eyes.

A look of disbelief.

Alicia continued calmly, facing his confused expression.

“And stop taking out your insecurity on your son for having qualities you lack. No one belittles you for not riding horses well, shooting poorly, or being weak at swordsmanship. Also, stop pressuring him to do better just because he resembles you. Learn some humility from the Council of Elders who once forgave your countless mistakes as a young heir. This is my final piece of advice as your daughter.”

Harry had always stood out within the family.

The Marquess, resenting the abilities he lacked in his son, subtly tried to keep him from shining.

He favored Felix, the firstborn who resembled him, and pressured him to perform even better.

Ironically, despite that favoritism, he named Harry as heir—not Felix—believing that the son who had what he never did would lead the family anew.

Thus, he drove a wedge between the two brothers.

That mistaken designation began the family’s internal collapse.

Outside the house, he threw the family fortune into breaking off a bad engagement.

Alicia bowed to her father and turned toward the door.

“You brat! Don’t you dare walk away! Do you think you know everything? The Grand Duke of Tessen is—!”

As Alicia opened the door to leave, the Marquess shouted after her.

“The Grand Duke of Tessen will go on to become the greatest warrior of his generation, undefeated for the next ten years. Please focus on governing your own house, Marquess.”

“I’m not finished! I told you to wait!”

Despite clearing the surroundings for a private conversation, the Marquess’s shouting echoed painfully loud.

“As Countess of Echeveria, I name Francis Appel as my acting representative. I appoint Harry Molstern Rain as my guardian, and Felix Henry Rain as mediator between myself and the Marquess.”

“Alicia!”

“I believe I’ve made my intentions clear.”

With those final words, Alicia left the room.

As she closed the door and turned, she saw a frozen expression.

Harry stood at the end of the corridor, and for once, he wasn’t smiling.

It seemed the shouting inside had leaked through the halls.

Not knowing what face to make, Alicia tried to pass him without a word.

“Alicia, are you okay?”

The second son of the Rain family took more after the Marchioness and his maternal side than the Marquess.

Because of that, he’d been subtly pushed aside since childhood.

Though he always defused tension with his smile and humor, it couldn’t have always been easy.

And now, too.

Though clearly shaken, he tried to smile and asked about her well-being.

“I’m fine.”

Alicia answered and descended the long staircase.

She found herself feeling a bit ridiculous.

After all that bravado in front of the Marquess, she hadn’t managed a single piece of advice for Harry.

Telling him to go in—or stay out—neither felt like the right answer.

It horrified her that the Marquess had summoned Harry in advance as her travel companion and protector.

At the base of the stairs, Alicia stopped.

Standing beside the butler was Reichardt.

He had already seen her coming down.

His gaze held the eerie weight of someone who had watched everything—where she had been, who she’d been with, and what had transpired.

“Your Grace. I apologize, but today isn’t—”

After a brief pause, Alicia stepped forward and offered a greeting.

Unbelievably, her voice trembled with unease.

She found herself feeling ridiculous once more.

She had thought she’d said everything she needed to… but clearly not.

Even after all she had endured, her father still loomed like an insurmountable wall.

“I apologize for coming without notice. Today doesn’t seem like the right time, so I’ll take my leave. Will you see me off?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Hearing the Grand Duke’s words, the butler quietly stepped away.

The Marquess would soon learn of Reichardt’s visit, but that was no problem.

“There will be many challenges in your territory.”

Reichardt said as he exited through the estate’s front door, speaking to Alicia, who walked ahead.

It was abrupt and unexpected.

“…Excuse me?”

Alicia stopped and looked back at him.

“I meant that the Marquess’s advice wasn’t entirely wrong. When governing a domain, good connections and high status can be great assets. If it’s truly just about making good friends, then gender shouldn’t matter—at least, not for someone of imperial stature.”

Reichardt stepped up beside her as he spoke.

Only then did Alicia realize what he meant.

He was referring to the conversation she had had with the Marquess in private.