Episode 113. The Ordeal of Countess Seymour
Count Seymour returned to the mansion that way and looked for his wife.
"You!!"
“What’s going on that makes it such a fuss!”
Instead, when Mrs. Seymour suddenly flared up in anger, the Count shouted as he ripped off his jacket.
“What the hell?! What’s going on?! What on earth are you up to?!”
Mrs. Seymour was speechless and just blinked her eyes.
“No, I... what...”
"You met the Princess at Bianca Department Store!!"
“...”
"Did you meet the Prince that day, too?"
Mrs. Seymour's heart began to beat violently. She blinked her eyes much faster and twitched her lips as if her mouth were parched.
“You... what on earth did you say to the Princess? The Prince ordered me to find out what you said to the Princess.”
“...”
“Damn it, what did you say?!”
The words she had whispered to the Princess came to Mrs. Seymour's ears.
“Sleeping with household maids or actresses doesn’t even count as having an affair. They frequently have romantic entanglements with the wives of prominent families, so there are times when I find myself laughing and dining at the same table with my husband’s mistress.”
“In times like that, there is only one solution. Have a son as soon as possible.”
As she recalled exactly what she had said, a shiver ran down her spine.
But... how can he punish me for that! There aren't even any witnesses!
"I didn't say much!"
When Mrs. Seymour flatly denied it, the Count beat his chest as if bursting with rage.
“I’ll listen to see if it’s a big deal or not, so hurry up and spill the beans!”
“No, even if I did say something, what does that matter?! Even if I spoke rudely to the Princess, no one heard me! If I deny it, even the Royal Family can't just punish Seymour arbitrarily!”
"So, that means you did speak rudely."
The Count barely managed to hold onto his fading sanity and spoke with great effort to remain calm.
"The Prince informed us that he would be canceling his investment in our hotel."
“...Did the Prince say he would invest?”
“...”
“You never once tell me anything about business, so how am I supposed to know?!”
Count Seymour slumped onto the sofa as if drained of energy and spoke with a sigh.
“Since it’s not retaliation on a royal level but the Prince stepping forward to take revenge personally, it doesn’t matter who heard it or not. It’s a matter where witnesses aren’t needed.”
“...”
“The important thing is to change the Prince’s mind. Tell me what you said.”
Nevertheless, when the Countess remained silent and stubborn, Count Seymour shouted angrily.
“If this isn't resolved properly, our hotel is just going to be gone!! We've already started digging! To make up for it, we'll have to sell even this mansion and move to the countryside!!”
“T-To the provinces?!”
“Fine, to the provinces you detest so much!! Why did you bother the Princess who was minding her own business!!”
Mrs. Seymour was stunned and just mouthed the words, then confessed in a hushed voice.
“No, I just... I’m telling her to have a son...”
“...Is that all?”
“Then that’s all...”
Count Seymour squeezed his eyes shut, feeling as if all the blood in his body was draining away from his feet.
“You... you are not Her Majesty the Queen, how dare you tell the Princess Consort to bear a son...”
He slowly rose from his seat and confirmed in a weary voice.
"Is that really all?"
"... Yes."
“That really has to be all. It would be exposed immediately if the Prince checked with the Princess.”
“...”
Prince Noah is the son of the persistent and hot-tempered King Leonard. He is the kind of person who will find out every single word you uttered, no matter what it takes.
Mrs. Seymour's hands trembled like aspen trees, and seeing this, the Count muttered pleadingly.
"So, don't hide it, just tell me now."
A short while later.
The carriage of the Count Seymour family came to a sudden stop in front of the main gate of the Norfolk Investment Company. The pale-faced Count and Countess rushed into the building, and the sheriffs guarding the gate looked at the disheveled couple's retreating figures with suspicion.
Count Seymour ran up the stairs a few steps at a time to the floor where Noah's office was, and the Countess chased after her husband desperately, panting.
By the time the two arrived at the magnificent hallway, a massive black door, which looked to anyone like the heart of the building, slowly opened its mouth. And from inside the gaping mouth, a long leg elegantly revealed itself first.
Count and Countess Seymour stopped walking, breathing heavily.
Noah stood at the door and quietly watched the disheveled couple.
The Countess felt deep despair as she faced Noah, who effortlessly overwhelmed the atmosphere of the grand hallway.
“Did you come to tell me something?”
There was an undeniable dignity in the low-key question.
“Yes. That is correct, Your Highness!”
As the Count regained his senses and hurriedly approached him, Noah silently turned and disappeared beyond the door.
Noah sat at the head of the reception sofa without even taking off his gloves. He elegantly crossed his long legs and gestured for Meson, who was waiting, to leave.
As the Count and Countess quietly entered, Noah pointed to the sofa on his right and spoke.
"I ask for your understanding that I cannot entertain you. I need to return to the mansion quickly, so let's get straight to the point."
An office with an overall dark tone, a Prince in a pitch-black suit.
The Countess felt as though she were being dragged before the judgment seat of hell.
As neither spouse spoke first, Noah's brow furrowed.
So, she had spewed out nonsense to Olivia that she wouldn't even dare to open her mouth in front of him.
Noah drew his lips up in a smile and stared intently at Countess Seymour.
“Countess, what did you tell my wife that day?”
Then, Count Seymour quickly looked at him and spoke urgently.
“Your Highness, I hear that my wife presumptuously spoke to the Princess Consort... wishing for a son. However, since our daughter is about to get married, she did so because she felt as if she were looking at a daughter...”
“Ah... because it’s like looking at your daughter?”
When Noah asked back slowly, the Count trailed off.
"I see."
However, there was a hint of laughter mixed in the Prince's words.
Countess Seymour, who had been lowering her gaze because she could not bear to look at the Prince, suddenly looked up. Noah met her eyes with a light smile. The suffocating aura that had been gripping her neck until now vanished without a trace.
"It is good that you are being honest with me first. Did you not give any other advice, just as you would to your daughter?"
At the tone of his voice, which even felt gentle, Countess Seymour found herself looking at her husband. The Count blinked as if busy thinking about something, then gestured toward his wife.
She had just come here, thinking that it would be better for the Countess to confess and apologize rather than hear it through the Princess.
Since the Prince's reaction wasn't as bad as she expected, she thought it would be right to take this opportunity to confess and smooth things over.
Mrs. Seymour also felt a surge of inexplicable courage.
She swallowed hard and cautiously opened her mouth.
“Um... I was talking about a certain custom... no, a bad habit of aristocratic society.”
Noah hated beating around the bush, but he waited without rushing.
“Bad habits?”
“Yes. Uh... usually... after marriage... I mean... it’s in many cases...”
However, the more she spoke, the more she felt like she was sinking into a quagmire. Noah nodded gently and urged her to continue.
Eventually, the Count, unable to bear it any longer, quietly added.
“Ahem. I mean, Your Highness, uh, after marriage, don’t you secretly... uh... occasionally have brief deviations?”
"Deviation?"
“Yes... Well, it is a sort of deviation. It seems this person wanted to offer Her Highness advice regarding the realities of marriage... just as they would to their daughter.”
After listening to his lengthy explanation, Noah slowly nodded and spoke lightly.
"So, you're saying that since I might have an affair at any time, you told my wife to have a son before then?"
At the blunt but accurate words, the Count and Countess closed their mouths and lowered their gazes.
Noah let out a chuckle. Then, he slowly stroked his sharp jaw and rose from his seat. The Count and Countess hurriedly followed suit.
“I am sorry, Your Highness. I apologize for the disrespect I committed against Her Highness the Princess.”
As the Count poked his wife in the waist, Mrs. Seymour also spoke up quickly.
“I will personally visit Her Highness the Princess and apologize, Your Highness.”
"No, there is no need for that."
“Please, Your Highness...!”
The Count turned pale and pleaded, but Noah resolved never to let the Countess see Olivia again.
He did not even want to give her a chance to apologize. This was because the Countess was a person who lost her senses when excited, and she undoubtedly harbored ill feelings toward Olivia.
"Mrs. Seymour."
"Yes?"
Her face was already smeared with tears, but Noah spoke differently with a face devoid of even a shred of mercy.
“Instead of presumptuously giving advice to the Princess Consort, why don’t you give proper advice to your daughter? Since you mentioned deviation, I say this...”
“...”
At the sudden mention of the daughter's name, not only Mrs. Seymour but even the Count froze and stared at the Prince.
He spoke cruelly, his face radiating an aura like the bitter cold of the polar regions, as if he had never laughed.
"Lady Seymour sought me out at the warship construction ceremony and suggested that I try that so-called deviation with her."
Count and Countess Seymour turned so pale they were beyond white.
“As I told the young lady that day, I have no intention of practicing that evil custom you spoke of regarding my wife. So, Mrs. Seymour.”
“..."
“You should advise your daughter instead. Tell her to avoid bad practices as much as possible. And even if she does, as you mentioned, she should do so wisely after she has married and produced an heir, while carefully considering the person.”
“...”
“If you don’t want to be ruined.”
The handsome Prince's face looked like a demon. He gnawed at the hearts of the Count and Countess with his soft-spoken words. He completely crushed even their determination to apologize to the Prince on the spot and secure the investment.
Noah watched the two of them slowly slump onto the sofa with a blank expression, then leisurely turned around.
Count Seymour returned to the mansion that way and looked for his wife.
"You!!"
“What’s going on that makes it such a fuss!”
Instead, when Mrs. Seymour suddenly flared up in anger, the Count shouted as he ripped off his jacket.
“What the hell?! What’s going on?! What on earth are you up to?!”
Mrs. Seymour was speechless and just blinked her eyes.
“No, I... what...”
"You met the Princess at Bianca Department Store!!"
“...”
"Did you meet the Prince that day, too?"
Mrs. Seymour's heart began to beat violently. She blinked her eyes much faster and twitched her lips as if her mouth were parched.
“You... what on earth did you say to the Princess? The Prince ordered me to find out what you said to the Princess.”
“...”
“Damn it, what did you say?!”
The words she had whispered to the Princess came to Mrs. Seymour's ears.
“Sleeping with household maids or actresses doesn’t even count as having an affair. They frequently have romantic entanglements with the wives of prominent families, so there are times when I find myself laughing and dining at the same table with my husband’s mistress.”
“In times like that, there is only one solution. Have a son as soon as possible.”
As she recalled exactly what she had said, a shiver ran down her spine.
But... how can he punish me for that! There aren't even any witnesses!
"I didn't say much!"
When Mrs. Seymour flatly denied it, the Count beat his chest as if bursting with rage.
“I’ll listen to see if it’s a big deal or not, so hurry up and spill the beans!”
“No, even if I did say something, what does that matter?! Even if I spoke rudely to the Princess, no one heard me! If I deny it, even the Royal Family can't just punish Seymour arbitrarily!”
"So, that means you did speak rudely."
The Count barely managed to hold onto his fading sanity and spoke with great effort to remain calm.
"The Prince informed us that he would be canceling his investment in our hotel."
“...Did the Prince say he would invest?”
“...”
“You never once tell me anything about business, so how am I supposed to know?!”
Count Seymour slumped onto the sofa as if drained of energy and spoke with a sigh.
“Since it’s not retaliation on a royal level but the Prince stepping forward to take revenge personally, it doesn’t matter who heard it or not. It’s a matter where witnesses aren’t needed.”
“...”
“The important thing is to change the Prince’s mind. Tell me what you said.”
Nevertheless, when the Countess remained silent and stubborn, Count Seymour shouted angrily.
“If this isn't resolved properly, our hotel is just going to be gone!! We've already started digging! To make up for it, we'll have to sell even this mansion and move to the countryside!!”
“T-To the provinces?!”
“Fine, to the provinces you detest so much!! Why did you bother the Princess who was minding her own business!!”
Mrs. Seymour was stunned and just mouthed the words, then confessed in a hushed voice.
“No, I just... I’m telling her to have a son...”
“...Is that all?”
“Then that’s all...”
Count Seymour squeezed his eyes shut, feeling as if all the blood in his body was draining away from his feet.
“You... you are not Her Majesty the Queen, how dare you tell the Princess Consort to bear a son...”
He slowly rose from his seat and confirmed in a weary voice.
"Is that really all?"
"... Yes."
“That really has to be all. It would be exposed immediately if the Prince checked with the Princess.”
“...”
Prince Noah is the son of the persistent and hot-tempered King Leonard. He is the kind of person who will find out every single word you uttered, no matter what it takes.
Mrs. Seymour's hands trembled like aspen trees, and seeing this, the Count muttered pleadingly.
"So, don't hide it, just tell me now."
A short while later.
The carriage of the Count Seymour family came to a sudden stop in front of the main gate of the Norfolk Investment Company. The pale-faced Count and Countess rushed into the building, and the sheriffs guarding the gate looked at the disheveled couple's retreating figures with suspicion.
Count Seymour ran up the stairs a few steps at a time to the floor where Noah's office was, and the Countess chased after her husband desperately, panting.
By the time the two arrived at the magnificent hallway, a massive black door, which looked to anyone like the heart of the building, slowly opened its mouth. And from inside the gaping mouth, a long leg elegantly revealed itself first.
Count and Countess Seymour stopped walking, breathing heavily.
Noah stood at the door and quietly watched the disheveled couple.
The Countess felt deep despair as she faced Noah, who effortlessly overwhelmed the atmosphere of the grand hallway.
“Did you come to tell me something?”
There was an undeniable dignity in the low-key question.
“Yes. That is correct, Your Highness!”
As the Count regained his senses and hurriedly approached him, Noah silently turned and disappeared beyond the door.
Noah sat at the head of the reception sofa without even taking off his gloves. He elegantly crossed his long legs and gestured for Meson, who was waiting, to leave.
As the Count and Countess quietly entered, Noah pointed to the sofa on his right and spoke.
"I ask for your understanding that I cannot entertain you. I need to return to the mansion quickly, so let's get straight to the point."
An office with an overall dark tone, a Prince in a pitch-black suit.
The Countess felt as though she were being dragged before the judgment seat of hell.
As neither spouse spoke first, Noah's brow furrowed.
So, she had spewed out nonsense to Olivia that she wouldn't even dare to open her mouth in front of him.
Noah drew his lips up in a smile and stared intently at Countess Seymour.
“Countess, what did you tell my wife that day?”
Then, Count Seymour quickly looked at him and spoke urgently.
“Your Highness, I hear that my wife presumptuously spoke to the Princess Consort... wishing for a son. However, since our daughter is about to get married, she did so because she felt as if she were looking at a daughter...”
“Ah... because it’s like looking at your daughter?”
When Noah asked back slowly, the Count trailed off.
"I see."
However, there was a hint of laughter mixed in the Prince's words.
Countess Seymour, who had been lowering her gaze because she could not bear to look at the Prince, suddenly looked up. Noah met her eyes with a light smile. The suffocating aura that had been gripping her neck until now vanished without a trace.
"It is good that you are being honest with me first. Did you not give any other advice, just as you would to your daughter?"
At the tone of his voice, which even felt gentle, Countess Seymour found herself looking at her husband. The Count blinked as if busy thinking about something, then gestured toward his wife.
She had just come here, thinking that it would be better for the Countess to confess and apologize rather than hear it through the Princess.
Since the Prince's reaction wasn't as bad as she expected, she thought it would be right to take this opportunity to confess and smooth things over.
Mrs. Seymour also felt a surge of inexplicable courage.
She swallowed hard and cautiously opened her mouth.
“Um... I was talking about a certain custom... no, a bad habit of aristocratic society.”
Noah hated beating around the bush, but he waited without rushing.
“Bad habits?”
“Yes. Uh... usually... after marriage... I mean... it’s in many cases...”
However, the more she spoke, the more she felt like she was sinking into a quagmire. Noah nodded gently and urged her to continue.
Eventually, the Count, unable to bear it any longer, quietly added.
“Ahem. I mean, Your Highness, uh, after marriage, don’t you secretly... uh... occasionally have brief deviations?”
"Deviation?"
“Yes... Well, it is a sort of deviation. It seems this person wanted to offer Her Highness advice regarding the realities of marriage... just as they would to their daughter.”
After listening to his lengthy explanation, Noah slowly nodded and spoke lightly.
"So, you're saying that since I might have an affair at any time, you told my wife to have a son before then?"
At the blunt but accurate words, the Count and Countess closed their mouths and lowered their gazes.
Noah let out a chuckle. Then, he slowly stroked his sharp jaw and rose from his seat. The Count and Countess hurriedly followed suit.
“I am sorry, Your Highness. I apologize for the disrespect I committed against Her Highness the Princess.”
As the Count poked his wife in the waist, Mrs. Seymour also spoke up quickly.
“I will personally visit Her Highness the Princess and apologize, Your Highness.”
"No, there is no need for that."
“Please, Your Highness...!”
The Count turned pale and pleaded, but Noah resolved never to let the Countess see Olivia again.
He did not even want to give her a chance to apologize. This was because the Countess was a person who lost her senses when excited, and she undoubtedly harbored ill feelings toward Olivia.
"Mrs. Seymour."
"Yes?"
Her face was already smeared with tears, but Noah spoke differently with a face devoid of even a shred of mercy.
“Instead of presumptuously giving advice to the Princess Consort, why don’t you give proper advice to your daughter? Since you mentioned deviation, I say this...”
“...”
At the sudden mention of the daughter's name, not only Mrs. Seymour but even the Count froze and stared at the Prince.
He spoke cruelly, his face radiating an aura like the bitter cold of the polar regions, as if he had never laughed.
"Lady Seymour sought me out at the warship construction ceremony and suggested that I try that so-called deviation with her."
Count and Countess Seymour turned so pale they were beyond white.
“As I told the young lady that day, I have no intention of practicing that evil custom you spoke of regarding my wife. So, Mrs. Seymour.”
“..."
“You should advise your daughter instead. Tell her to avoid bad practices as much as possible. And even if she does, as you mentioned, she should do so wisely after she has married and produced an heir, while carefully considering the person.”
“...”
“If you don’t want to be ruined.”
The handsome Prince's face looked like a demon. He gnawed at the hearts of the Count and Countess with his soft-spoken words. He completely crushed even their determination to apologize to the Prince on the spot and secure the investment.
Noah watched the two of them slowly slump onto the sofa with a blank expression, then leisurely turned around.
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