Chapter 26: A Father’s Concern

Before dinner, Balian stood quietly outside the study door of the Olivia Marquis’s residence. His back pressed against the wall, hands clasped in front of him.

The oak door was tightly shut, supposedly soundproof. But the two voices inside were far too loud.

“House arrest! From today, indefinite house arrest!” Marquis Ed’s voice boomed like a drum, so loud it numbed the ears even through the thick door panel.

“Unless you swear by the Goddess to stop investigating those cultists and that Happy Water case, you’ll never set foot beyond this threshold as long as you live!”

A brief silence. Balian counted silently in his mind. One, two, three—

“Never!” Aurora shouted back even louder.

“Why do you keep blocking my investigation? With your intelligence, can’t you see how much of a threat this unregulated addictive substance poses to the kingdom? If you ignore it, the City Guard, the Frank Guard—all the military forces in this city—will be corrupted and controlled by it. If the entire army is in the hands of these unknown cultists, how can you be Chancellor?”

Aurora was furious at his lack of fight. She couldn’t just sit back and watch her father ruin himself. Whether it was about keeping Balian in check or securing resources, her father was her greatest pillar in this world. If he ruined himself, Aurora would either have to return home and try to outmaneuver her mother, who had always disliked her, or become an adventurer. Either way, she would struggle without relying on Balian’s strength.

Balian heard Ed slam the table hard. “Because the Queen will be implicated by this case!” Any normal daughter would have shut up by now.

“Implicated? She’s definitely involved! Why else would she keep causing me trouble?” Aurora took a breath and dropped the bomb: “Do you know what I saw in the palace dungeon this afternoon? A Frank Guard member ran in and massacred all the witnesses! Do you know about that?”

“The Frank Guard?” Ed was startled. Aurora’s voice grew louder and faster. “Today they dare to use the Frank Guard to silence witnesses behind the King’s back. What will they dare tomorrow? Assassinate the King? I can’t even think about it!” “The Queen would never assassinate her own husband!” Ed countered loudly.

Then he laid out the plan he had drafted with the King: “This is the King’s intention. He told me the Queen only stumbled into this matter unintentionally; she meant no harm. If this comes to light, it will not only damage the royal dignity but also the relationship with the Hermes family. So we must first clean up any trace of Her Majesty before we can investigate. Do you understand?” Ed concluded: “It’s not that we won’t investigate, but we’ll do it slowly, with discretion!”

“And you believe that?” Aurora was speechless. “Father, let’s do it!” Her voice suddenly rose a notch. “How can you govern the country with such vermin? Listen to me! His Majesty must have been deceived by the Queen—let’s purge the court!”

The conversation in the study stopped. The hallway fell completely silent. Balian even stopped breathing. ‘Purge the court? She dared to say that?’ Then Marquis Ed’s roar exploded: “Get out!”

Balian immediately straightened up and stepped back to clear the door. The door was yanked open, and Aurora stormed out. Her eyes were red, lips pressed into a thin line, chin trembling slightly. She was holding back tears. But there was a distinct sheen of water in her violet eyes, as if she had been slapped hard and couldn’t swallow the humiliation. She paused as she passed Balian, then abruptly turned her head to glare at him. That look was fierce and aggrieved, as if saying—’You think I’m wrong too, don’t you?’ Balian opened his mouth but said nothing. Aurora sniffled hard, turned away, and strode off.

Balian stood frozen in place, one foot already unconsciously taking a half-step forward. ‘Should I chase after her? But what would I say? Don’t cry? Hmm, that would probably backfire.’ Balian knew Aurora was the type who hated crying and hated even more having someone point out that she was crying. As he hesitated, a tired voice came from the study. “Balian, come in.” He pulled back that half-step, turned, and pushed the door open.

Marquis Ed slumped in his high-backed chair, one hand covering his forehead, looking as if all the bones had been drained from him. The furious frontier marquis was gone; in his place sat a middle-aged father with a headache from his daughter’s anger. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. His voice was weak: “Close the door.”

Balian complied, gently closing the door before walking to the desk and sitting in the high-backed chair Aurora had just occupied. “Tell me, wasn’t everything I said for her own good?” Balian nodded silently, hands properly placed on his knees. “Running around every day, dealing with cultists, brawling with guild members…” Marquis Ed let out a long sigh filled with lingering fear. “I can’t control her anymore.” He stared at Balian, thoughtful. “But maybe you can?”

Balian was startled. ‘Me? Manage Aurora? Strictly speaking, Aurora was my master. How could a servant manage their master?’

“I know what you’re worried about.” Ed saw Balian’s hesitation and urged him: “You’re her attendant now, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always be her attendant. You have ability, plus the Church and my support. If you strive, you can earn a barony or even a marquisate yourself. If not, I can still find a way to get you a count’s title.”

Balian caught Ed’s implication. A fire ignited in his heart, growing stronger. ‘Balian could become a count—without Aurora. Being made a count by marrying Aurora was entirely different from earning the title and then marrying her.

The former was being a kept man, a live-in son-in-law; the latter was earning his status through his own efforts, a poor boy’s triumph in winning his one true love. After all, even if Aurora inherited land under the kingdom’s partition inheritance law, she would at most be a countess. If he were made a count, his status would be higher than hers!

That’s right—he didn’t have to keep groveling to Aurora. If he was strong enough, he could force her to grovel to him instead, right? Aurora always said Marquis Ed was wrong about this and that—was she never wrong? Balian should be the one to correct Aurora! My lord, I get it now! So this is how the male protagonist of a male-oriented novel plays it!’

Ed chuckled. “Got it?” “Yes, my lord. I understand.” Balian returned the smile. “Good.” Ed rose from his chair and put on his heavy cloak with Balian’s help. He gave Balian one final instruction: “From now on, if that girl insists on going out and you can’t stop her, don’t force it. Just follow her. On one hand, protect her; on the other, keep an eye on her. And it’ll help build your relationship—just be clever and don’t get caught.” “Understood, my lord.”

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