Chapter 79: The Choice is Yours
Abel received a letter from Heilon. It was nothing special—mostly about his aide, Jeron, complaining about feeling like he was dying. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
[I’m really going to quit at this rate!]
The last sentence was very desperate. Over the past year, Abel and Fiona had been handling documents in Heilon, so it was understandable that Jeron felt overwhelmed with neither of them there.
‘I’ll have to go back to Heilon soon.’
However, Abel could not be away from Sigren’s side for long, given how crucial this period was. As soon as he returned to Heilon, more than one person would target Sigren—and Fiona as well.
‘Though, I’m sure both of them can withstand it.’
Being targeted could also demonstrate to others that they were not easy to deal with. Having Heilon as the only family supporting Sigren was not enough, especially with the Ernest and Erez families aligned with the crown prince. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘As long as I live, that person will never sit on the throne.’
The crown prince was incompetent yet powerful—a terrible combination. Since the Darkness appeared, monster attacks had intensified. Abel, who ruled Heilon, had clearly noticed the increase in the ferocity of the monsters, but the nobles of the capital seemed oblivious.
‘I need a ruler who can take proper action.’
The current one did not even provide adequate support to Heilon, which was standing guard in the middle. If the crown prince became emperor, persecution against the North would intensify. If that happened, Heilon, which was not a monster, would be overthrown by the Imperial family.
The current imperial family was so consumed by their greed to destroy the North that they failed to understand the situation or see the bigger picture. If the northern front line collapsed, the next area to be attacked by monsters would be the capital. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. Yet, they continued to refuse support to Heilon due to political reasons. It was not an exaggeration to say that if they persisted in this way, the empire would have no future.
But Abel had no intention of watching his estate be ruined because of that fool. This was why he had brought the illegitimate prince to the capital. Power? He had no desire for it. Now, more than ever, he was determined not to let that fool ascend to the throne after seeing the condition of the capital for himself.
The capital lacked a proper response system for monsters. At best, their efforts were limited to a few low-level monsters in a hunting contest.
‘Such weak monsters are common in Heilon, like wild dogs.’
Just thinking about it made him sigh heavily.
“Duke, is it okay to come in?”
At that moment, Fiona’s voice was heard alongside the knock on the door. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Come in.”
Fiona opened the door to his office and poked her head in.
“I heard you called me.”
“I have something to tell you.”
Fiona sat down naturally in the chair opposite him.
“I think I have to go back to Heilon.”
“What happened to Heilon?”
“It’s not exactly that, but Jeron said he’s dying. Also, I’ve left my estate unattended for too long…. I need to check on it soon.”
“I see.”
Fiona’s face showed concern. She seemed to understand that there was something important needing Abel’s attention at his estate.
“I don’t know if it’ll be okay without you.”
“I’m worried too.”
Of course, Abel’s main concern wasn’t just Sigren’s situation; it was the relationship between these two. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Don’t do anything unnecessary while I’m gone.”
“Wait, is your concern in that direction?”
Abel replied brazenly, “Of course.”
“….”
In fact, he didn’t want to be so inflexible. To be blunt, if two adults were dating, so be it. However, what bothered Abel was the fact that Fiona seemed to be blind to the potential consequences of her actions.
“You are not allowed to do anything as long as there’s no dirt in my eyes.”
Fiona touched her head. “Sooner or later, I might actually throw some dirt…”
“My reflexes are better than yours. But are you really serious about marrying Sigren?”
“No, well… I just think people can break up while dating. No one knows the future,” Fiona murmured.
Abel suspected that Fiona wasn’t as sincere as Sigren. That odd tendency to keep a distance was still there. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘Fortunately, it seems unlikely that anything will happen while I’m away.’
“Well, anyway, we can’t keep going like this, right?” Fiona hurriedly changed the subject.
“What?”
“All of this. We’re falling behind the crown prince! What if Sigren gets bullied by the Empress and the crown prince…”
Sigren was not the type to get bullied. But Abel nodded in agreement with his adoptive daughter. After all, Fiona was the only person he consistently agreed with. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“You’re right.”
“Right?”
“Certainly not like this.”
Fiona nodded enthusiastically, clearly concerned about Sigren.
“In the future, we’ll need to bring in a neutral family out of the five families.”
“Uh… if it’s a neutral one, then Duke Priscilla and Marquis Clovis, right?”
“Yes.”
The faces of Arrendt and Livia flashed through her mind. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Could we really do that?”
“Well… Marquis Arrendt is a mysterious man, and Duke Priscilla is very straightforward.”
Abel continued indifferently, “Both are annoying to deal with.”
Fiona interpreted these words as meaning that their personalities did not match Abel’s.
‘What do nobles usually do to unite with others?’
Fiona sighed inwardly. As expected, the most common solution was a political marriage.
Then Abel clicked his tongue. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Fiona, you’re thinking in a strange way again.”
“Why does everyone say that when I’m thinking about something?” She felt like she was constantly being picked on. She was just trying to work hard.
“Don’t dwell on useless things. Come to think of it, aren’t you familiar with Young Lady Priscilla?”
“We’re not that close…”
The contract from the hunting competition had gone unheeded. Since then, she had only seen Livya a few times.
Abel grinned at Fiona’s lack of confidence. “Don’t be nervous. Well, both families can’t be brought in right away. It will take some time.”
Abel had already calculated the timing.
“Do you have any orders for me while you’re away?”
“I don’t have any. Just act as usual, like you did in Heilon.”
‘Like usual.’ Those words were said with a subtle nuance. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Eventually, Fiona nodded, thinking that Abel might have a plan. “Try to manage well while I’m away. For now, I’ll leave some reliable knights behind.”
Being attacked was not a joke at all.
“The mansion is your responsibility for the time being. Take good care of it.”
As he said that, he suddenly felt his shoulders grow heavy. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Fiona nodded politely. “Yes, I understand.”
***
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