"....What?"
Aegis blinked once and then burst into loud laughter.
He burst into laughter as if the restaurant were going to be swept away, and slammed his fist on the table.
At that, the knife Duke Bellion was holding flew toward Aegis's head.
Aegis caught it with two fingers, snapped it back to his father, and giggled.
"Wow, I didn't know my niece had a personality like this."
"Lady Carmel came yesterday and turned me upside down, so I simply couldn't stand it anymore."
"Hmm, really? Well, I'll have to teach her a lesson."
He muttered as if amused, grinned, and looked at Roselyn.
"But Chain... I mean, your dad. It’s not like he’s doing this because he hates you. He’s always been a mess with his social skills, so he was just a dishonest guy."
Roselyn smiled broadly as she looked at Aegis.
"Yes."
Duke Bellion opened his mouth as he watched Roselyn turn away with a look of complete disbelief.
"Roselyn, let's have a cup of tea sometime soon."
"Yes. Then I'll go in."
Roselyn, having let Duke Bellion's words go in one ear and out the other, gave a light bow and soon left the dining room.
"...Father, aren't they totally twisted?"
"Use your language properly, tsk, you uncultured bastard."
"What are you talking about? Who did I learn that from? Think back to my father's days; you used to go around spouting all sorts of insults."
"It's because I didn't learn anything when I was young. Because I didn't learn anything! You insolent bastards!"
"Oh dear, I know you're going to tell me again that you were a thug wandering the back alleys as an abandoned illegitimate child until you were twenty. I know~ Where do you think this cocky temperament of mine came from, Father?"
Aegis, who had scoffed while looking down at his father, sprang up from his seat upon seeing the firmly closed door.
"Father raised the youngest so carelessly in the first place that he turned into a gloomy brat. Don't let your only granddaughter run away from home; please handle this properly."
"Then why didn't you guys act like proper successors? Do you want to die?"
The old man stomped out his cigar and spoke fiercely.
"Seriously. Can you even kill her in your old age? Anyway, I told you to kick her out because you have no idea what she’s like."
"The kid says he likes it, so what can I do?"
"Bullshit. Anyway, you should know that my father ruined our family completely."
Aegis waved his hand dismissively and sauntered out of the restaurant, his lips twitching as he spoke.
"Well, maybe we were a bit thoughtless, too."
With a low voice, the restaurant door soon closed firmly.
***
"Hey, Chain, are you moping around here?"
"...Get lost."
Cherty, who was drinking strong liquor in a dark, empty warehouse where only moonlight poured through the window, openly showed his displeasure at the uninvited guest.
"I wonder why you spoke to your daughter like that."
"..."
Aegis, who was sitting opposite, shrugged his shoulders even though he hadn't been given permission.
He shrugged his shoulders as he watched the youngest one silently tilting his glass one after another, then placed the jerky he had brought on the table and pushed one into the youngest's mouth.
"Didn't I tell you it was overprotective?"
"Get lost, you bastard."
"Ugh, you acted all gruff and went through all sorts of trouble to hide that goddamn temper, and what you got in return? Your daughter is announcing she’s going to jump off the mansion’s roof and leave?"
Cherty frowned as he watched his annoying older brother giggling as if he found it amusing.
"I'd be sick to talk to a beast."
Aegis chuckled as if he never got tired of seeing Cherty suddenly jump up from his seat.
"Hey, your daughter really looked like she was going to run away from home."
"...Shut up, who do you think you are?"
"You punk, who says you can do whatever you want? She's an adult now, so it's up to your daughter."
Cherty glared at Aegis, who was sneering with a menacing look.
Aegis shrugged his shoulders.
"Being a parent isn't easy, is it? Children never do the way you want them to, and they don't necessarily understand just because you don't say anything."
Aegis, who had been sneering, snatched Cherty's cup, gulped down his drink, and nodded to the person opposite him.
Whenever Cherty moved, the long silver drop earrings dangled, and the rings and bracelets filling his hands chattered against each other.
"Damn it..."
Cherry sat roughly opposite Aegis.
"What about being honest?"
"What?"
"Actually, it's properly written on the family register that I love you?"
Quang!
As soon as Cherty slammed his fist on the table, it turned purple and instantly melted away.
"This."
Aegis rescued the liquor bottle and glass from the melting table and clicked his tongue briefly.
"Damn. It's bullshit, so what am I supposed to do! It's me...!"
Aegis, who had been staring blankly at Cherty—who was gritting his teeth like a child, a far cry from when he had been acting mature in front of his daughter—smirked and stood up from his seat.
With a whoosh, red flames rose around him, burning the remains of what had been a table, emitting purple smoke, and then went out.
"Hey. My niece really made up her mind. If you can't hold onto her, let her go. She must have been in such a hard time to do that."
"..."
"Don't you realize that what you are doing is something you shouldn't do as a parent, but also as a human being?"
Aegis stared down at Cherty for a moment, then turned around.
It was when he was about to leave the warehouse.
"...But."
A faint voice was heard, as if it were about to fade out.
"I took his mother away from her. I never once gave her a proper hug, but now..."
Cherty, burying his face in his palms, slowly parted his lips.
"What should I say to that kid...?"
Aegis stopped turning the doorknob and let out a light chuckle.
How many people would know that the guy who always acts tough and keeps his mouth shut, saying he’ll only show his daughter good goals, actually has that kind of personality?
"Isn't what you're going to say already decided?"
“What is it?”
"What do you mean? Seriously. Even a three-year-old knows that."
Igis immediately scoffed at Cherty's words, opened the door, and walked out.
"...Ha."
The man, who had been roughly rubbing his face under the moonlight, calmed his red eyes and let out a deep sigh.
***
"...Excuse me, miss. The flowers have arrived."
"Again?"
"Yes."
Roselyn frowned at the mysterious bouquets that had been appearing for several days.
The bouquets that began arriving every day after the formal dinner always came in different types, around noon, accompanied by a card with a short message.
[I liked the flower language.]
[I found this on the way.]
[Since I was there anyway, they happened to be selling it cheaply.]
[It is a flower that is scattered everywhere.]
Of course, it was a note whose meaning was unknown.
'I wonder if he is indirectly mocking me by implying you have no value other than what I happened to pick up.'
She always thinks this, but the language of aristocratic high society was truly exhausting. Especially in that it required deep thought.
The problem is that today, on the sixth day of this bouquet delivery, it has reached a point where it can no longer be ignored.
It was because the room was filled with flowers, and she felt like she was going to suffocate from the scent.
'I don't know what kind of bullying this is this time.'
Roselyn, too lazy to think any further, waved her hand dismissively and opened her mouth.
"That’s enough, just throw it all away. If it comes again, you can either divide it up among yourselves or take it all away."
"Ah. . I understand."
At her command, the maids immediately bowed.
Fortunately, the maids the butler had newly assigned were good. They were not talkative and only did the work given to them.
"Is the carriage ready?"
"Yes. The coachman is on standby."
"Yes."
"Um... but are you really planning to go like that?"
One of the maids, who had been fidgeting nervously, finally spoke cautiously to her as she was about to leave the room.
This was because the dress Roselyn was wearing was pitch black.
In the Empire, people generally did not wear black clothes unless it was for a funeral.
"Yeah, since I don't have any clothes to wear right now."
The maids shut their mouths at Roselyn's words.
In fact, Roselyn's wardrobe contained nothing but faded items that could not possibly belong to a Princess.
It was because Lady Carmel had spouted nonsense about how a Princess must be frugal.
All the servants were surprised when they heard the news that the Princess, who had never said a word even when Lady Carmel was causing trouble in the ducal household, had driven her out.
When they first heard rumors that the Princess had changed, they doubted if it was true, but in reality, her atmosphere had also changed significantly.
The servants hurriedly followed Roselyn down the stairs.
Roselyn went down the stairs and got into the carriage with her shoulders and back straight, revealing the red eyes she had always kept hidden.
The carriage door closed, and the carriage departed.
'I never thought I would be returning to the Imperial City on my own two feet.'
Because the last time she went, she was captured by Garen, handed over to the Imperial Knights, and imprisoned.
'It's been... how long since I last saw the Third Prince?'
Roselyn, a ten-year-old who was immature, sickly, and even ill-tempered, and who thought she was the most noble and exalted being in the world, was engaged to the Third Prince.
Roselyn, the Empire's only Princess, who considered herself no different from an illegitimate child.
Arma Dianitas, the weak Third Prince who has no ambition and cannot even dream of succeeding to the throne.
Whether it was a throwaway move or not, the union of the Imperial House of Dianitas and the Duke of Bellion is a hot potato in high society.
After the carriage departed, Roselyn was lost in thought.
After a while, the carriage stopped, and the door opened. Beyond the window, the magnificent imperial city was visible.
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