* * *

‘I can’t delay this any longer. Berta’s annulment and my visit to Velon.’

With the bride having disappeared, there was no point in dragging out the annulment any further.

Now, all I could do was plead with Hernan to postpone the dowry repayment schedule.

‘I really don’t want to bring up the help I gave him in the past, but….’

There was no other way. If I could protect the family business by lowering my pride and enduring a bit of humiliation, I was willing to throw my pride to the ground as many times as needed.

Some may criticize that a noble’s son would lack even a shred of pride or dignity, but…

When forced to choose between honor and practicality, the obvious choice is practicality.

Does pride fill your stomach?

No.

What keeps me fed are the employees, servants, and villagers who believe in me and follow me. And it’s my duty to ensure that those who keep me fed have a way to survive.

We’re in a crisis because a child has gone missing, and if begging and pleading could protect what’s been placed on my shoulders, I’d bow my head a hundred, even a thousand times without hesitation.

‘I should beg for just a bit more time, for old times’ sake.’

I had no intention of pushing someone who ran away to avoid marriage back into it.

If he were the type to listen to someone saying, ‘You two are meant to be,’ he wouldn’t have run off in the first place.

First, I need to cancel the marriage arrangement and safely return the gifts and dowry we received.

‘He’s still the male lead… He wouldn’t throw a tantrum and demand Berta be brought to him immediately, like some lowly villain, right?’

I paused for a moment, racking my brain, and then remembered what the original work was famous for.

[“I purchased you from your family for a price higher than this castle. Your heart, mind, and body all belong to me. Don’t entertain any foolish thoughts. I don’t want to hurt you.”]

‘…’

That’s right.

Hernan Velon Yudenet was a character notorious for his abnormal obsession with the female lead and his seemingly tender but dangerously possessive love.

The story began with a misunderstanding between the two, leading Hernan to imprison Berta after mistakenly thinking she’d run away from the castle.

‘Damn it.’

Before we could find her, Hernan might have already located Berta and done something terrible.

A chilling unease crawled over me, sending shivers down my spine.

Though his tone was always calm and refined, his actions were far from gentle.

The thought of Hernan taking his anger out on not just Berta but also on us made me lose my appetite, as if I wouldn’t need to eat for a week.

‘I need to go and beg, fast.’

Before it’s too late, I have to tell Hernan the truth and find out what he wants.

Whether he’s after the dowry and gifts, or if he wants Berta to be brought back to him.

I need to know that to strategize our next move.

“Father.”

Knock, knock. I entered the bedroom, not the drawing room, and saw the viscount lying weakly on the bed, looking like a dying corpse.

Faced with the crisis that could shake our family’s foundation, he seemed more shocked than I was, bedridden and barely sipping on thin porridge.

“I’ll go to the Velon estate and apologize to the Grand Duke.”

Not that apologizing would change much, but at the very least, I might learn what he intends to make us pay for causing this uproar.

The viscount looked up at me with hollow eyes, barely comprehending my calm report.

“…Berta…? Haven’t you found her yet?”

I shook my head weakly.

“It will be hard to find her unless she returns on her own. I think it’s best to inform the Grand Duke of the truth first…”

“Oh dear… Oh dear… What sin did I commit to take in such a troublesome creature…”

Though not the best guardian, I couldn’t entirely blame the viscount for his words.

Even I, Berta’s strongest supporter, felt deeply betrayed by her actions.

If she was so against marriage, couldn’t she have just told us?

If she needed money for studying abroad, she could have asked me for help instead of running away.

The betrayal stung, leaving me bitter.

I could only hope there was a reason she couldn’t speak to us, some explanation that made sense.

She couldn’t have been so reckless without a plan. The reality I didn’t want to believe was gnawing at me.

“I’ll be gone for about a month. I’ll handle urgent communications and orders through the communication portal, so please don’t worry too much.”

Whatever Hernan says, I’ll stay there for about a month, begging for forgiveness until he’s tired of it and tells me to leave. It’s a desperate hope, but it’s all I’ve got.

‘I just have to go and beg.’

With that determination, I stood up and packed my belongings.

Though I had never left my post as a manager except for major events in the capital, I was confident that the system at Ever Paradise was more robust than any hotel in this world.

‘I’ll keep receiving reports and giving orders through the communication portal…’

First, I need to save the people of the Everdeen family and the estate. I lifted my large suitcase, almost as big as me, with one hand and loaded it into the carriage.

“Oh dear, young master. What are we going to do? Are we all going to be out on the streets?”

Elize, who hadn’t shed a tear even at her daughter’s wedding, was now on the verge of tears as she saw me off. Father… seemed too weak to even lift a finger, still lying in bed.

“It’ll be fine. It might be a bit tricky, but the hotel and estate won’t be lost, so just keep the house safe.”

Elize nodded, handing me a basket full of food she had prepared.

“You’ll get hungry on the road, so take this with you. I worked so hard to feed you, yet how could you have gotten so skinny…”

Me?

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar words.

In modern terms, I was over 180 cm tall and never lacked in physique.

I could only conclude that Elize had impossibly high standards.

“You worry too much, Elize. I’ll resolve this and be back, so don’t worry.”

Despite my reassurance, Elize still seemed uneasy, holding back sniffles.

Soon, it was time for the carriage to depart for the train station.

The coachman, who would take me there, climbed into the driver’s seat and looked back at me.

“Shall we depart?”

I nodded and left Elize with one last request.

Ha… The source of all this trouble… I couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful toward Berta, but as the only one who treated her like family, I couldn’t completely abandon her.

As the saying goes, ‘Feed the one you dislike a rice cake,’ and I was the only one who could care for her now.

“Elize, I have one last favor to ask.”

I cleared my throat, rolling down the window to call Elize, who responded with a sulky expression.

“No, I don’t want to hear it.”

For a woman in her middle age with several children, she sure was acting petty. I chuckled and said,

“If Berta comes back all ragged, clean her up, feed her, and put her to bed. Then tell her that when her brother returns, he’s going to scold her very harshly.”

This is how things turned out, and what could I do?

I was still a noble, after all. It’s not like I’m going to lose my head over this.

Compared to a life that ended in overwork, losing some company shares was something I could handle.

“Oh my, young master, you’re too soft!”

“Tell her she’s in for a serious scolding. It won’t end with just standing in the corner.”

I smiled wryly, trying to forget the sweat in my palms, and rolled up the window.

Taking that as a signal, the coachman tugged on the reins, and the carriage began to move.

As the familiar scenery faded and the estate shrank into the distance, a sigh escaped me.

“Ah…”

I prayed to the gods of this world, in whom I didn’t even believe, that Hernan’s obsession with Berta hadn’t yet taken root.

---

The journey to the Grand Duchy was more arduous than expected.

If I had companions or a more relaxed schedule, I would have taken a carriage, but time was of the essence, so I had to use the train.

Surprisingly, the rail system was quite well-developed, so traveling from the southern tip of the continent to the northernmost point wasn’t too difficult… except, it was.

There were five different lines I had to switch between, and just as I was getting used to one, I’d have to disembark.

When I tried to catch some sleep, the train got delayed, and I had to wait.

The constant starting and stopping felt like I was scattering a week of my life into the void.

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t even read or work on documents while seated.

I get motion sickness from trying to work on my laptop on a regular train, so it was impossible to get any work done on a steam train.

The shaking was so intense for the first two days that even sleeping was a challenge.

* * *