Chapter 120

Chapter 120
## Chapter 120

The arrogant Lord Robain gazed at the sunrise over the mountains of Rotenheim.

The sunlight filtering through the morning air seemed to symbolize a kind of hope.

Feeling that he had reached a turning point in his life, which until now had been like turbulent waves, he lowered his blood-stained sword for a moment and took a deep breath.

The monsters had been exterminated, the family crisis was over, and life would go on.

In the end, the only things he held in his hand were a bloody sword and a small amount of honor. He wondered where his true happiness resided in that life.

The young and arrogant noble finally understood.

Whenever he desired rest from his journey through life, that humble girl who always patted him on the back with a steady gaze would return to his mind.

Walking with difficulty, his body wounded, among the bloody corpses of the monsters, the arrogance that once reached the heavens faded away.

And at the end of that long and dark ordeal, he wandered, searching for the small woman he had wanted to hold in his arms.

He remembered that moment when they had laughed together under a blanket in a cabin on a stormy night, and he also saw himself pushing her away because he could not overcome their difference in status.

At the end of the battlefield, he found the girl covered in blood, lying among the corpses of the trolls, and fell to his knees before her.

Lord Robain’s chin trembled as he broke into tears, embracing Tracy’s body.

As he held her with trembling arms, the blood gushing from the girl’s abdomen ran down his forearm. With his warrior’s experience, Robain understood instantly that the wound was beyond hope.

Miraculously, Tracy opened her eyes and saw the arrogant noble weeping. With her weakened body, the girl managed to touch Sir Robain’s face and gave him a faint smile.

—”I’m glad I could see you one last time,” she whispered.

Robain, through tears, spoke to her.

“Forgive me for rejecting you. Forgive me for letting my pride and the difference in status force you to sacrifice yourself.”

“I hesitated to marry you because of my family’s will, and I turned you away. Yet, you stayed on the battlefield for me.”

As Robain poured out apologies to Tracy, she simply smiled sweetly, even as she bled out.

“Instead of apologizing, tell me you love me, Lord Robain.”

“Even if my passage through life is short, I want to hear you say you love me before I go.”

At those words, Robain, weeping, repeated them to her over and over:

“I love you, Tracy. You were the only meaning left in my empty life. I didn’t let you go because of my family’s will or our difference in status. You were the only woman I ever truly loved.”

At those words, Tracy smiled one last time, as if she were happy, and slowly let go of his hand.

Robain looked with trembling eyes at the girl, now without strength.

Soon, the vitality disappeared from those eyes that still smiled as if they were at peace.

Even so, the soft corners of her lips, slightly curved, seemed to say to Lord Robain: “It’s okay.”

That smile remained stuck in the noble’s heart like a thorn.

Robain wept again and again, holding the small, lifeless body in his arms.

The war against the monsters was over.

The sun rose radiantly, dissipating the oppressive atmosphere of the battlefield that had lasted all night.

And in the midst of it all, a man remained alone, sobbing.

*Scribble.*

“….”

Later that night, in the noble district of Ebelstein, at Denise’s private residence.

Denise dropped her pen suddenly, leaned back in her chair, and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

After years of research and reflection, she was in the middle of writing the final volume of her self-proclaimed epic work, *The Arrogant Lord Robain*.

Lord Robain, tormented between his status, his family, and his love for Tracy.

In the end, he wasted his time in anguish and let Tracy go; a tragic love story rushing toward its conclusion.

When she imagined the scene in her mind, she felt quite satisfied, but when she wrote it down, something was missing.

She wondered if she was ending the story on too somber a tone, but if she didn’t, the message she wanted to convey wouldn’t be fully understood.

“…”

Denise crossed her arms and sat lost in thought.

In the end, it was something she had forgotten over time: what she truly wanted to convey.

When she asked herself what she wanted to express with *The Arrogant Lord Robain*, she reached a somewhat embarrassing answer.

Actually, she didn’t know. She simply wanted to write a story about a handsome, talented, cold-blooded noble who only showed affection toward his beloved; a romantic tale that would make the heart race.

How much philosophical depth or inner message could there be in something that, in essence, was simply the expression of a personal desire?

If she started looking for a deep meaning in something so simple, she felt shame burning her back.

So, when she imagined the white-haired mercenary reading it seriously, she couldn’t help but shudder.

If it were a distant reader, someone she would never meet, it would be different.

But showing this to her teacher, whom she saw every day, was more embarrassing than showing him her naked body.

Still, the young woman couldn’t help but contemplate once more what she had written, lost in her thoughts.

She wanted to find a better direction for her work.

Although she pretended to be lazy and indifferent to everything, when she held a pen, her gaze became more serious than anyone else’s.

However, it seemed difficult to find a clear answer.

Lord Robain’s torment and internal conflict were not born from a deep understanding of the human soul, but rather from a collection of impactful ideas gathered from various places and shaped to appear convincing.

Even so, it was said that the characters in a story inevitably reflect the mind of their creator.

In the tragic love story between the noble’s suffering, the family’s will, and Tracy’s low social standing, Denise couldn’t help but wonder what she should reveal and what she should hide.

Finally, Denise sighed deeply, pulled back her bright silver hair, and collapsed onto the bed.

The night was long and there was plenty of time; there was nothing to worry about yet.

Come to think of it, it was time to take advantage of Aiselin’s visit as an excuse to observe the Baron’s mansion in Ravenclaw.

“…”

Absorbed in her creation and wandering through another world, when she finally returned to the present, the weight of reality pressed against her chest.

It was something that had already been decided in several family meetings.

As an agent of the Beltus family, Denise had to find a way to overthrow Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw.

It would be useful to find his weak points, take advantage of insignificant mistakes, and, if possible, inflict significant damage on him.

Ideally, he would be ruined and reduced to a commoner who could be used again.

If that happened, Grand Duke Beltus would receive her with a more satisfied smile than ever.

In this way, Denise’s peaceful life would be assured and her authority within the family would be guaranteed.

Although Denise had received much help from Dereck in moments of anguish and confusion, there was no other alternative.

Treachery and conspiracy were all too common in that ruthless aristocratic society.

Even the children of the most prestigious families distrusted one another and engaged in psychological warfare, so a rural baron from the outskirts would be no exception.

Denise took a deep breath, covered her face with her hands, and exhaled forcefully.

“I hadn’t planned a scene like this…”

Was it a story from her novel or from real life?

Not even Denise herself could clearly distinguish which was which.

***

After the great fall of the Duplain family, the noble power of southwest Ebelstein was divided between the Belmierd and Beltus families.

That autumn, Countess Rodelia, who had received her title directly from Emperor Guttrel, resurfaced; however, she was still a relatively new figure and could not be compared to the authority of the other two houses.

It would take her at least five years, or even fifteen, to reach their level. Until then, Belmierd and Beltus would continue to act as the true rulers of the southwest of the continent.

This situation was reflected in the central city of Ebelstein, and Rosea Hall was, in practice, the domain of Ellen and Denise.

Ellen had been born with the temperament of a leader.

She possessed an innate talent for guiding her followers and leading groups. Although she was still young and inexperienced in some aspects, it seemed certain that she would soon become a lady like her father, Count Belmierd.

On the other hand, Denise’s personality was difficult to grasp.

She was not completely uninterested in political affairs, but she did not take decisive steps regarding them either.

Occasionally, when important issues arose, she expressed her opinions clearly; but, in general, she maintained a non-interventionist attitude.

As a result, Denise had few followers and her authority within the family was minimal compared to Ellen’s.

Ellen was considered the true power of the Belmierd family, while Denise was simply a beautiful and intelligent daughter.

The fact that she had lost the position of heir to her timid and narrow-minded older brother, Robenalt, was symbolic.

Although Grand Duke Beltus was obsessed with the principle of primogeniture, he must have realized that Robenalt lacked the capacity to lead the Beltus family.

By then, the key figures of the southwestern continent already knew that Denise did not have the temperament of a ruler, but she was astute and resourceful, which made her more suitable as a chess piece.

In fact, Denise tended to be lazy and preferred to do things in the simplest way possible, but she always obtained results.

Being diligent and being competent were not always equivalent concepts.

In reality, having a lazy but efficient person under your command is valuable; on the other hand, a diligent but incompetent person is much more dangerous.

In that sense, Denise could be considered one of the most valuable people in the Beltus family.

She had no ambitions for power, no plans to rebel against the family, nor great aspirations; all she desired was a stable life.

It was ironic that Ellen and Denise, so different in character and temperament, shared control of Rose Hall.

“In the last meeting of Rose Hall, many were worried about Miss Aiselin. Without a doubt, cultivating good relationships is important. The Duplain family has already begun to lose influence, but it seems that the number of people interested in Lady Aiselin continues to grow.”

Denise, who had arrived by carriage from the Ebelstein mansion early in the morning, seemed quite tired.

In Rose Hall, she behaved like a refined and noble lady, but she did not seem to want to maintain that exhausting facade in front of Dereck. She sighed deeply, her tired eyes squinting.

Her beautiful silver-gray hair shone softly; Bella had worked hard to prepare her since early morning.

However, Denise behaved with a casual naturalness, in complete contrast to her elegant attire.

In reality, it had been a long time since she had stopped worrying about maintaining her dignity in front of Dereck.

“I see. But I didn’t expect Lady Denise to come in person.”

“Well, it’s not that I wanted to cause a stir so early in the morning. Since Baron Ravenclaw rejected visits from all the ladies who wanted to see Lady Aiselin, I received many requests to go and check her condition.”

“Lady Aiselin needs to rest, so it was difficult to grant permission.”

“Yes, I understand. It’s not easy being the daughter of a powerful family. Ah…”

As she stepped down from the carriage with her arms relaxed, Dereck offered her his hand.

Denise looked at him briefly and gave a little giggle before taking his hand firmly to step down.

“Wow, it seems there are more buildings now. This is almost half the size of our main estate in Beltus, isn’t it?”

“Most are new facilities built with donated funds.”

“Well, even the border nobles are still nobles. They wouldn’t tolerate dilapidated buildings for their daughters.”

Denise gave a playful giggle and walked alongside Dereck toward the main building of the Ravenclaw mansion.

“How is Lady Aiselin? If I don’t find out, there will be an uproar at Rose Hall.”

“She is much more stable now. But as a precaution, I recommended that she rest for the entire week.”

“Yes, that’s something. I thought she was strong as steel. Even in the hall, I was constantly surprised by how diligent a person could be…”

Denise crossed her arms and remained thoughtful for a moment.

From the perspective of Dereck, who until last month had been dealing with Ellen, she was an unknown figure.

Ellen was always concerned with authority and prestige, even in informal conversations, while Denise seemed to treat Dereck as an equal.

However, Dereck’s sharp sight, trained by his dealings with the nobility, noticed something different.

Although she continued to show naturalness and ease, he perceived a subtle restlessness in Denise’s behavior.

Undoubtedly, she was different from the carefree girl who used to walk through the Ebelstein mansion. It couldn’t be explained simply as nervousness about being in an unfamiliar place.

Every so often, she threw furtive glances at Dereck or examined various parts of the building with unusual attention.

But it was difficult to determine the exact reason. Dereck was not a telepath.

So he asked directly.

“Is something wrong? You seem restless.”

“Eh? What?”

Denise was startled and, after bringing a hand to her shiny silver hair, toyed with the ends.

“Did I give you that impression? No, it’s just that the mansion is larger than I expected, so I feel a bit overwhelmed.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. When I met Dereck, he was just a mercenary with no fixed address, remember? It seems like it was only a few years ago, but seeing you prosper like this is quite touching for someone who has seen it up close.”

“Thank you for thinking of it that way.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Denise shook her head and looked toward the main building of the Barony of Ravenclaw.

“My throat is dry after the trip. Let’s have some tea to relax.”

“Alright.”

As he said that, Denise moved forward quickly, with an attitude slightly different from before.

‘She’s lying.’

Dereck thought, resting his chin on one hand and frowning.

‘But why?’

The ladies of the nobility were, by nature, unpredictable.

It didn’t seem like something to worry about too much, but even so, it was better to remain alert.