Chapter 76

"…I'm surprised, you know? That you, my brother, have taken an interest in someone and are visiting them so frequently. Someone other than me and Rudy has appeared in your world, and you are being toyed with. …Hey, Rudy."

"What is it?"

"…I know it might be strange to ask you, but what do you think of the Duchess of Armenia?"

"…She is a noble, in both good and bad ways."

"Bad ways…?"

"Yes. She is proud. She has the strength to stand and walk on her own. That's why she wasn't crushed even after the engagement was broken off. The result is the management of the trading company and the estate."

"…I see. In a way, my brother and she are similar, aren't they?"

"Yes. …She is so proud that she doesn't show her weaknesses. She doesn't know how to rely on others. Even the bullying at the academy, which she could have handled with her authority without stepping into the spotlight, she didn't. Rather, even without bullying, she could have relied on her family… or played the tragic heroine to change how others saw her."

She moved too boldly. As a result, her name was used, and in the end, she ended up bearing all the blame.

…Even if she didn't know it… there were many others who bullied the baroness's daughter.

It's no wonder. In the noble society, where the authority of a baroness is at the bottom, she had the second prince, the duke's son, the captain of the knights' son, and the church's son—those with the highest bloodlines in the country—serving her. It would be impossible for other nobles not to find it annoying.

However, it's also difficult to openly oppose the baroness, who has already won the favor of Lord Edward and others, like Iris.

That's why they cleverly used Iris as a scapegoat and carried out despicable bullying. They sneaked around, and all the blame fell on Iris.

If Iris had handled things a bit more skillfully, she wouldn't have been dragged into such a humiliating farce in public.

After all, the bullying she did was still in the category of spreading rumors and saying mean things—still quite innocent. …Even calling it innocent is questionable.

After all, being insulted by a duchess, one of the most powerful daughters in the country, is quite damaging.

However, compared to what the others did, it seems innocent, which shows how terrifying the malice in noble society can be.

"Even now, she has servants who trust her completely. However, that is just 'trust.' She draws a line somewhere, and while she cares for them, if something happens, she doesn't show her weaknesses and cling to them; she sees them as something to protect."

They are probably the only ones she can trust after that incident, but it feels like she's confusing 'trust' with 'reliance.'

"Really, in a way, she is just like my brother. But… the duchess is more straightforward, so she might be a good person."

Lady Letty sighed.

"…If my brother is frustrated by her, I wish he would reflect on himself a bit."

"Haha… but I think he has changed. After all, I've never seen him run around so much. He even used her as a trump card."

Gaining connections within the church was something Lord Alfred had worked very hard on.

After all, the authority of the pope is incredibly great and absolute within the church. Therefore, finding someone who could be pulled into one's own camp and establishing a connection is quite difficult.

He gave it to her, not using it as a prince. …Well, he probably thought it was more effective at that time.

"That's true. …By the way, how far have my brother and she progressed?"

"There's no progress. He has just become aware of his feelings, and as for her, I don't even know if she has any feelings at all…"

"Really! Then, has my brother taken any action?"

"No, he hasn't…"

"Truly, my brother is a complete wimp when it comes to love. I'm sure Lady Iris is also quite dense in that area…"

I swallowed the words I was about to say, "You're right."

"Understand him. He has his own reasons for not moving forward."

"If it's my brother, he would take action no matter how difficult it is. Defending him with such a pretentious statement is useless."

Cut off so bluntly, I couldn't even argue.

"As a sister, I support him from the bottom of my heart… though I heard some ominous words, but I'll pretend I didn't. …Lady Letty wouldn't do anything strange, after all."