Chapter 16: A Momentary Choice (1)

At that moment.

Following the servant's guidance, Viscount Lawrence and Flora moved to the reception room.

"Flora."

"Yes, Father."

"This meeting is arranged to rectify our mistakes. Be especially careful with your words and actions."

"…I understand."

Flora nodded weakly, her face devoid of strength.

On the day Roman Dmitri exterminated the Blood Gang.

The common sense that had structured Flora's world crumbled.

Roman Dmitri, who was called a fool by Dmitry, turned out to be a more remarkable man than expected, and the Lawrence family was in a dire situation, depending heavily on Dmitry.

A momentary choice.

Flora believed that the choice she made for her life was the right one, but it ended up ruining everything.

Now, she realized the truth.

Her father, who had always been kind.

The father who seemed willing to pluck the stars from the sky for Flora, had his reasons for proceeding with the marriage even after hearing about Roman's reputation.

It was truly pitiful.

She was not regretting that Roman was a different man from the rumors, but rather despised herself for not recognizing the family's difficulties and acting rashly.

How much must her father have suffered all this time?

As her father, who had been holding back his anger, finally let it out, she saw the image of him struggling to speak about the strategic marriage overlap.

Even in such a difficult situation.

Her father did not force her.

He gave her a choice, and because Flora made a choice and failed to take responsibility, she faced her father's angry face.

'This is a problem I need to solve. Not because Roman Dmitri is different from his reputation, but because the Lawrence family needs Dmitry's strength to survive the conflict with the Varko family. So, I must accept reality. I am an adult, and I cannot remain just a flower of the Lawrence family forever.'

She clenched her teeth.

By then, they had arrived at the reception room.

There was no host to welcome them.

A cold wind blew through the spacious reception room, and the servant, after saying he would bring tea, left the room.

"It seems we will have to wait."

This meeting.

Although they had come without prior notice in the morning, the fact that Viscount Lawrence was a noble and a potential candidate for a strategic marriage was a sufficient reason to be received immediately.

However, being led to a reception room without a host.

And the servant's words about bringing tea first indicated that the Lawrence family's visit was unwelcome.

She sank into the sofa.

She had been prepared for this.

Both Viscount Lawrence and Flora.

Knowing how Dmitry would react, they waited silently in the room, drinking tea and enduring the silence.

But.

There was a limit to waiting.

One hour, two hours.

As more time passed than expected, Viscount Lawrence's expression grew increasingly rigid.

She didn't know how much time had passed.

What was certain was that they had arrived at Dmitry's before the sun was fully up, but now, the sun was setting outside the reception room window. It was a clear act of disregard. Although Flora had made an unforgivable mistake, leaving guests in the reception room for such a long time was not right by any standard.

Finally.

'This is unacceptable.'

She had reached her limit.

With boiling anger inside, Viscount Lawrence abruptly stood up.

"I will go and find Baron Dmitri myself."

* * *

Baron Romero's office.

The firmly closed door opened.

Viscount Lawrence, his face flushed with anger, burst in and rebuked with a scolding voice.

"Baron Dmitri! Making a guest wait like this, which family's etiquette is this? If our visit was unwelcome, you should have turned us away from the start. I never thought the Dmitri family would be so petty!"

Endless waiting.

His heart was thoroughly hurt.

Thinking that Dmitry was deliberately retaliating, Viscount Lawrence could not speak kindly.

Thud.

Baron Romero put down his pen.

He, who had been reviewing documents, looked at Viscount Lawrence without a hint of surprise.

"I understand why you are angry, but was today's meeting scheduled in advance?"

"We admit that we came without prior notice. However, we conveyed our intention to meet a week ago, and since you neither accepted nor rejected the proposal, we came here. If you had refused the meeting from the start, we wouldn't have been so hurt."

"How could I turn away a viscount? I merely want to point out that the problem arose because the meeting was not scheduled."

A week ago.

Roman had entered a closed training session.

It was not a deliberate avoidance, but a situation where Baron Romero could not refuse.

The issue was.

"However, let me ask you this."

Baron Romero's expression hardened.

His calm voice distorted, and the suppressed anger suddenly burst out.

"Are you so angry that you waited until sunset? On the day Flora Lawrence visited the Dmitri family, Roman came to me and expressed his intention to break the engagement. At the time, I scolded Roman and held him accountable, but even a three-year-old child would know that Flora Lawrence's visit was related to the engagement. Yet, I let it go. Thinking that Roman wanted to handle it that way, I kept my mouth shut and acted as if I knew nothing."

A few days later.

Roman exterminated the Blood Gang.

Was he purely happy about it?

No.

His heart sank.

Worried that his son might be hurt.

Until he received confirmation that there were no issues, Baron Romero could not maintain his composure.

And the root of all this was Lawrence.

Flora Lawrence.

If she had personally disclosed the engagement's cancellation, Roman would not have been put in danger.

"We received a one-sided notice of the engagement's cancellation. Even though Lawrence was the one who initially desired the marriage, we had to accept the reality of the cancellation without our consent. Yet, Viscount Lawrence comes here, complaining about the long wait. Despite the meeting not being scheduled, you forget your own mistakes and act as if you have the right to complain!"

Bang!

He slammed the table.

As Baron Romero stood up, his imposing figure dominated Viscount Lawrence and the newly arrived Flora.

"Are you playing games with me?"

His fierce face.

It was a clear sign of hostility.

The atmosphere turned cold.

Baron Romero.

He had crossed the line.

Despite the clear difference in rank, he did not hesitate to express his anger.

"What do you think the significance of this marriage was for the Lawrence family? A marriage of love? A union of two families? Those are just empty words, unrelated to this marriage."

The title of baron.

Baron Romero is a man who has barely entered the world of nobility.

However, among the nobles who have established themselves in the northeast of the Cairo Kingdom, there is no one who can openly ignore Baron Romero.

That's how the world works.

Power transcends status.

The iron magnate possessed wealth.

Thus, Viscount Lawrence could not say anything.

The other party was right.

Viscount Lawrence knew that the Dmitri family was powerful, and that was why he had first inquired about their willingness to proceed with the marriage.

If the marriage had been with the second son instead of the fool, it would have been a perfect match, but even if not, the union with the Dmitri family was necessary for the future of the Lawrence family.

Therefore.

Baron Romero's anger was justified.

His initially calm voice had now turned fiercely aggressive, as if ready to devour Viscount Lawrence.

"Both you and I know the essence of a strategic marriage. This is not just about two families' children becoming a couple. The Varko family is eyeing the fertile land of the Lawrence family, and due to the central government's approval, a war between the two families would not be unusual. A month ago, I received a proposal from the Varko family. If Lawrence was replaced by a direct descendant of the Varko family in the marriage, they would offer connections in the central government and a portion of Lawrence's land. Yet, I rejected the Varko family's proposal. What do you think the reason was?"

"…Why did you reject it? The Varko family's proposal would have been more beneficial to the Dmitri family."

"The reason is simple. The Dmitri family has power, and we chose what we wanted."

Varko.

A dangerous enemy.

Allying with them might mean a peaceful future, but the choices of the powerful are not just about compromise.

"Roman wanted Flora. Despite his childish words about her being the most beautiful woman in the world, I decided to go to war with the Varko family solely because the eldest son of the Dmitri family admired the daughter of the Lawrence family. There was no other reason. Even if this decision would cause the Dmitri family to shed much blood, we wanted to secure what Roman desired."

This deal.

It was a one-sided loss for the Dmitri family.

Many believed that the Dmitri family had made this choice to fully enter the world of nobility, and indeed, Baron Romero had mentioned similar reasons when pressuring Roman.

However, the truth was different. If this marriage was not what Roman desired, the Dmitri family would never have accepted the loss.

Holding hands despite knowing the truth.

From the beginning, the Lawrence family was in the subordinate position, but the flower in the greenhouse was unaware of this fact.

And the water was spilled.

The engagement's cancellation.

A huge mistake.

From the moment Flora Lawrence mentioned the cancellation to Roman, the Lawrence family was mired in a quagmire.

'…We made a big mistake.'

Viscount Lawrence's face turned pale.

A little while ago.

He should have held back.

Even if the Dmitri family refused the meeting and made them wait until sunset, Viscount Lawrence should have maintained a subordinate attitude.

This was not a normal relationship.

The Lawrence family had a goal they wanted to achieve through the marriage, and since they were the ones who first mentioned the cancellation, they had no right to be angry.

It was foolish.

Driven by a shallow sense of self-respect, Viscount Lawrence thought the Dmitri family was ignoring the Lawrence family.

'Telling Flora to be careful with her words and actions, and then making a mistake myself. The Dmitri family's anger is justified. We toyed with them one-sidedly, so we should have had no right to speak, no matter how they reacted.'

A bleak reality.

Baron Romero revealed the truth.

"The flower of Lawrence and the fool of Dmitri. We know better than anyone that their reputations do not match. But Lawrence should have remembered what kind of family the Dmitri family is. Even if the daughter of the Lawrence family is a flower desired by all, the moment the Dmitri name is attached to Roman's, her value changes. Therefore, the side that should be desperately pursuing this marriage is not us, but the Lawrence family."

The fool of Dmitri.

A blacksmith family.

Nobles might look down on the Dmitri family's roots, but no one could openly say so.

Why?

Because the Dmitri family has power.

Even a baron, the Dmitri family is the dominant force in the northeast.

His mood soured.

Baron Romero, with a cold gaze, shifted his eyes from Viscount Lawrence to Flora, who stood silently.

"Am I wrong?"

A momentary choice.

Because of it.

The pitiful reality of the Lawrence family was revealed.