Chapter 172 - Finishing the Job

Of course, Max had no intention of giving up. 'If she forgot about my confession… I'll just have to remind her every day,' his determination burned.

"Didn't you tell me that you were going to protect the child?"

Max frowned at his teacher's cold voice, then he clenched his jaw tightly. Sure, he saved her, but he couldn't deny that the incident made Jubelian cry as soon as she got home.

'I should have stopped that b*stard from talking to her in the beginning…'

Max's regret was cut short by his master's voice. "Marquis Hessen is reputed to be a resourceful man. In reality, he is a sly one. And since he has inherited his father's disposition, Mikhail must also be planning a scheme."

Max could immediately figure out the answer his master wanted to hear.

"From now on, I will never make Jubelian cry again."

In response, the master turned around and spoke coldly, "You better do so."

As soon as his master disappeared from view, Max smirked. 'How absurd to say something like that while opposing our relationship,' he thought in a disgruntled manner and frowned. 'By the way, where did he go? Did he head to the marquis' estate?'

Max clenched his fists and opened them, brutally cracking his knuckles in the process.

'First, I'll have to deal with the garbage lingering around this mansion.'

* * *

Late in the evening, the marchioness was complaining to her husband who had returned from his duties. "Honey, that girl Jubelian—she's a bold one. She ruined all my clothes and pottery, saying it was okay because she was the one who gifted them."

"They're not worth much anyway, are they?" the marquis answered dryly, to which the lady raised her voice; her face crumpled.

"You must be joking. I suffered today because of that girl!"

The marquis sighed at those words and looked at his wife with a bitter expression. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"That damn sissy hurt our still sick son! Shouldn't we demand an apology from Duke Floyen?"

The marquis furrowed his eyebrows, then he spoke coldly, "Don't you know that asking for an apology from them will only turn us into a laughingstock?"

"I just can't believe what that girl has done! She's dating a lowly commoner after breaking up with Mikhail. That's such a disgrace to our name!"

The marquis clenched his fists. The ancestors of the Hessen family were renowned swordsmen and had trained themselves to be excellent knights for generations. However, after the rise of the Floyen family, the Hessen-born knights had become obscured by the duke's shadow. The marquis had been pushed out to be second-in-command because of Regis, who was now the commander of the Imperial Palace Knights and commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army.

Nevertheless, no boys had been born from the Floyen household after Regis. The only direct heir remaining was Jubelian, who was ignorant of the sword.

When the marquis found out that Jubelian had been chasing Mikhail around, the thought of being able to manipulate the duke as an in-law, and the expectation that Hessen's name would become the best of the swordsmen once again, had filled the nobleman's heart.

'I believed that the Hessens would become widely known as the best swordsmen in the empire by the time my son had come of age…'

If the marquis had known that his son was going to become ill like this, he wouldn't have persuaded Mikhail into a relationship he didn't want.

'How dare you make fun of our family and make my son a villain?'

The nobleman's blood boiled from anger. He clenched his fists so tight that his veins bulged, then he slowly opened them up and calmed his mind. He wanted to bring down the duke, but it was too early.

"I had been planning to retaliate against the damn duke anyway, so there's no need to rush me."

The marchioness opened her eyes wide at those words. "Is that true?"

Wearing a sly smile, Marquis Hessen said, "Then you thought I would just let those who looked down on my family be? I'm digging for Duke Floyen's weakness, so just wait a little bit."

The marchioness' face brightened once he finished speaking. "As expected from you, honey."

Bang! There was a sound of something breaking.

Surprised, the two ran out of the room and yelled, "What's going on?"

They widened their eyes in astonishment when they discovered what was before them. Trembling, the marchioness pointed at the entrance, precisely where the front door had been.

"L-look there…!"

The Marquis' estate was particularly known for its huge front door, which was related to the family's motto.

Swordsmen, the gates of the Hessen family are huge, but they will not be easy to enter.

However, the front door, the pride and the symbol of the Hessen family, had disappeared without a trace. Stepping gracefully over the wreckage, a man loftily entered the mansion.

The marquis gritted his teeth and yelled, "Duke Floyen!"

At the calling of his name, the duke smiled slightly. "It's been a while, Marquis Hessen."

The duke greeted, but there was no way he would be welcomed as he was an uninvited guest who had damaged the gates. "What in the world do you think you're doing?! You're breaking and entering!"

"The door was locked," the duke answered calmly.

"How could anyone with common sense break the door to enter? This is trespassing! I will not overlook—"

Cutting off the marquis, Duke Floyen spoke coldly, "You sound awfully angry, Marquis Hessen."

No matter their status, the duke had trespassed. It was obvious that the marquis would be upset, and therefore he had forgotten to speak formally. The marquis tried to justify his position but couldn't say anything once he met the duke's eyes. Trembling, he recognized the terrible feeling that enveloped him. It was as if he was facing a beast unarmed.

"H-honey!"

The marchioness called her husband, but Marquis Hessen continued to tremble helplessly in place after receiving the duke's death stare.

"Snap out of it!" the lady screamed. That was when Duke Floyen took something out of his pocket and threw it in front of the couple. After looking at the object with suspicion, the marchioness picked up the pouch and looked inside. Her eyes widened at an instant. "W-what is this?"

"I heard that my daughter has shown disrespect to you all today. Would that be enough for compensation?" the duke queried.

The jewels in the pouch were enough to purchase a mansion in the capital. Was the duke serious about his question?

'With this, I'll be able to live extravagantly for a while—and still have some left over!'

The marchioness nodded eagerly, rejoicing at the unforeseen prosperity that had come her way.

Bang!

Startled by the sudden noise, she dropped the bag containing the jewels. She then screamed at the terrible sight before her.

"Ahhhhh!"

The wall, which had been intact just a moment ago, had been destroyed. Duke Floyen, who had broken the wall with his bare fist, was wearing an eerie smile. He then said, "I've put in a generous amount for compensation, so I would like to continue what my daughter was unable to finish."

****

Hope you enjoyed it,

Love,

Biji ^^,

Nov.11.2023