Chapter 72

Unfortunately, most of them did not know what rudeness Vintia, the daughter of Count Salome, had committed against Demian and Ely.

Only the elders of the Klauder family and a few retainers had faced Erhardt that day.

Because Count Salome had thoroughly hidden the fact, they could entertain such foolish thoughts.

"We have no regrets now."

"It would have been nice if the Duke had been here with us."

Though they poured out plausible words in choked voices...

Unfortunately, Demian's face, listening to their useless sentiments, was utterly expressionless.

Erhardt's lips curled up slightly as he watched.

'If Ely saw this, she wouldn't be so protective of him.'

Usually, when he playfully poked Ely's soft cheeks, he could feel a sharp gaze from somewhere.

A hundred times out of a hundred, it was Demian.

With a gaze filled with jealousy and envy, he looked so intensely that it was impossible to ignore.

But when Ely turned around, he would smile and wag his tail as if nothing had happened, like a fox.

'It must be good for Ely.'

Those who aimed for Ely's position would only increase in the future.

'So they will try even harder to win over Demian.'

But Demian would not be swayed at all.

It was clear from how hard he trained to win Ely's favor.

As the time passed, the flattery they had prepared seemed to run out, and their words gradually decreased.

While they were sizing each other up, one of the retainers spoke up.

"We are very grateful for the Duke's efforts."

"That's not something you should be grateful for."

Erhardt answered firmly.

"Isn't the education of a child the duty of a guardian?"

"..."

"There's no reason for me to receive gratitude."

Though he spoke lightly, a chilling aura permeated his voice.

It was a statement claiming that Demian's guardian was himself.

"So, what did you want to say?"

Erhardt asked casually, looking at Count Salome.

When the blood-red eyes met his, Count Salome hesitated before speaking.

"Since the young master is also here, I will state our side's opinion."

Count Salome stood up.

"We request the return of the Klauder heir. If that is difficult, for the sake of unity..."

He handed over a statement.

"We demand the marriage of Young Master Demian to a member of the Klauder cadet branch."

Marriage.

Everyone held their breath as the main topic was finally revealed.

How would Duke Schuetz react? They looked at the Duke with tense faces.

But his face showed no movement at all.

Emboldened, Count Salome continued.

The benefits Demian would gain from this marriage, with Vintia as the chosen partner, and so on.

As the words flowed continuously...

Erhardt, tapping his fingers on the table, suddenly spoke in a disinterested voice.

"It's been a while since I heard such barking."

"Barking? Duke, how can you say such harsh words...!"

Erhardt looked at Salome with a cold gaze.

"You, who have shown no interest in how the child has been, who he has met, and what he has experienced, now talk about marriage for his sake."

"..."

"Is this not barking?"

Though he tried to suppress it, a cold anger was evident in his voice.

"..."

"We only wished for the young master to quickly return to his original life."

Salome tried to make a plausible excuse.

But the elders remained silent.

'Who are they siding with?'

He suppressed his boiling anger.

'I can't back down now.'

Even if Duke Schuetz protected Demian, the guild operators had their sights on Klauder.

If Klauder rebelled, there would be no way to handle it.

Having made up his mind, Salome spoke with a bold tone.

"If the Duke does not accept our proposal, we will have no choice but to demand the return of the young master."

"The Duke of Klauder left only the guild to Duke Schuetz, not the young master, did he not?"

At these words, Erhardt's hand, which had been tapping the table rhythmically, stopped.

The blood-red eyes fixed on Salome.

"Your skill with words is truly audacious."

"..."

"To mention the Duke of Klauder so casually."

With a clear aura of killing intent, the Duke's black aura began to swirl slowly.

It was then that Salome, realizing the situation, shuddered.

Knock, knock, knock!

A more urgent knock shattered the eerie tension.

"I apologize for interrupting the meeting, Duke!"

The butler who entered, pale-faced, said.

"Lord Ely and Lady Salome have been seriously injured..."

"What?"

The room was instantly thrown into chaos.

That Ely, whom they must keep in check, and Vintia, whom they had chosen as a marriage partner, were injured.

At that moment,

Erhardt and Demian immediately left the meeting room.

The retainers, stunned by their speed, followed after a moment.

The scene in the room they arrived at was grim.

Vintia was unconscious, her face pale, and Ely was being treated for an ankle injury, her hair disheveled.

Erhardt's face was harder than ever.

"Ely!"

Demian, pale, rushed to Ely's side.

"Are you hurt? What happened? Does it hurt a lot?"

"I'm fine, just-"

"Oh, my. Vintia!"

At that moment, Count Salome, embracing Vintia, cried out.

"Vintia, wake up. Come on?"

"Um..."

As if responding to Count Salome's desperate call, Vintia slowly opened her eyes.

"Father...?"

"Oh, Vintia...!"

Count Salome hugged Vintia tightly.

Although Vintia had only fainted, Ely's condition was worse, but to the people, the just-awakened Vintia looked more serious.

"What did you do to make her faint like that?"

"It doesn't look like a simple children's fight..."

The words that burst out one by one added to the gravity of the situation.

'This is my chance.'

Count Salome, hugging Vintia tightly, shouted.

"Please stop. After the last incident, why are you tormenting my daughter?"

"The last incident?"

"The last incident?"

As the murmurs grew, the strength with which he hugged Vintia increased.

Worried gazes poured in, and Vintia, feeling relieved, began to sob.

The water in the lake was in such a small amount that her eyes no longer hurt, but the image of the flock of crows that filled her vision was still vivid.

Vintia burst into tears.

"Father, I'm scared. I want to go home!"

"Oh, Vintia, stop crying. My poor little one."

The situation had suddenly reversed.

Vintia had been the first to attack, but no one here knew that.

'That...!'

Talroom, watching from outside the window, flapped his wings as if he would burst out, but stopped at Ely's warning gaze.

Only Ely could understand Talroom's words. No matter how much he shouted, it would only sound like the cawing of crows.

"This is not good for me either. So, please just watch. When the situation gets serious, it won't be too late to help."

Recalling Ely's firm words, Talroom could only watch the unfolding events.

Vintia's crying grew louder, and the gazes directed at Ely became sharper. At that moment,

"Enough."

A chilling low voice echoed in the room.

Erhardt looked at the father and daughter with an unreadable expression.

Frightened, Vintia clamped her mouth shut like a child with a candy.

Erhardt approached Ely.

"Duke."

Even when Ely called, the Duke remained silent, kneeling to examine her condition.

The bandaged ankle was slightly swollen, and there were some scratches on her usually plump and soft cheeks.

As he gently touched the wounds, he spoke.

"Since the Count asked for a reason, I will ask as well."

He fixed his gaze on Ely.

"What did you do to my child?"

"..."

"If you don't give a sufficient reason, it would be wise to prepare to remain silent forever."

A much stronger killing intent permeated the air than before.

"I, I... hic..."

Frightened, Vintia shrank back.

"It's okay, Vintia. Tell me what happened."

Encouraged by the Count, Vintia quickly scanned the room.

This was inside the Duke's castle, and there were no crows anywhere.

Relieved, Vintia began to cry even louder.

"I, I just wanted to be friends with Lady Ely. But, but she pushed me into the lake...!"

People murmured at Vintia's words.

"On such a cold day, to push someone into the lake! How could she be so cruel!"

"That's why her clothes were stained red."

The red lake was known to be a place where people died.

Pushing Vintia into such a place could only be seen as an attempt to kill her.

'This is my chance!'

Count Salome's eyes sparkled.

"Duke, I cannot let this pass. Since the child is under your protection, you must take responsibility."

"Responsibility, you say?"

"Yes!"

Though he hesitated for a moment at the Duke's unchanged attitude, he shouted without backing down.

"My daughter almost died! Because of that insignificant girl! It would not be enough to cut off her head-!"

At that moment,

"Aah!"

Hot tea began to trickle down from the top of Count Salome's head.

The