TCS - Chapter 4
Ads
Pedro gazed at the calendar, his mind wandering. His birthday was approaching—what gift would he receive this year?
Last year, it was a sword.
A legendary blade forged from meteorite iron, containing over 20% pure essence. Such a priceless treasure couldn't be bought even if he sold his ancestral Saxon Territory. Beyond its astronomical price, ownership required a certain nobility—a status far beyond that of a petty lord ruling over a speck of land at the Empire's fringes.
Yet despite Seiana obtaining this treasure for her fiancé, Pedro felt no gratitude. Her reckless meddling in his life had robbed him of what should have been rightfully his.
The loss of the territory he'd always considered his birthright, now passed to his younger brother, left an indescribable ache. All of this stemmed from Seiana's actions.
If only she had married meekly like ordinary noble young ladies. It truly wounded his pride that a mere wench, nothing without her family, had suppressed him using her family's power.
That's why I made sure not to hide my contempt. When I was younger, my desire to torment Seiana—who had made my life miserable—outweighed any benefits her family could offer.
Despite my mockery and deliberate cruelty, Seiana remained powerless against Pedro. The more she hesitated, the more he reveled in it. Each time he manipulated the Estarote County's precious Seiana, it made him feel like a greater man—someone who could dominate the very family that had suppressed me.
It's all your fault I can't inherit the territory.
If you hadn't been so greedy, my life wouldn't have been ruined like this!
Whenever he said such things, Seiana would feel overwhelmed with guilt and try to compensate him in any way she could. Having grown accustomed to this, even the Estarote County now seemed laughable. As long as she was in his grasp, they could never touch him.
If there was one unchanging constant in this world, it was Seiana's feelings toward him.
Seiana's appearance was striking - her hair shimmered like pale sky, her eyes held a deep blue hue. Her overall cold demeanor contrasted sharply with how she melted like spring rain-soaked cotton candy in Pedro's presence.
There were times he was tempted by that face, but since Hailo, Pedro's superior and Seiana's second older brother, was watching with sharp eyes wide open, he couldn't lay a hand on her.
So he reached for another woman instead. That had been two years ago.
'It's no fun because it's too easy.'
Like Seiana, women were too easy. If he treated them well while laying out a few sweet words, they fell for him completely. It was fun until he got them in his hands; after making them fall into his arms, it wasn't fun anymore.
I played with her too long. She was just naive because she knew nothing about men.
In the end, his mistress gave birth to his child. Though Pedro had no intention of raising the child, he couldn't make a big deal of it before marrying Seiana.
'I can't marry you yet because I'm not an adult. Let's marry when I come of age. Just wait until then.'
Whispering sweet nothings like that, he barely managed to buy time, but in reality, he had absolutely no intention of marrying a commoner woman with nothing.
It wasn't like he'd been hit on the head with an axe and lost his mind; there was no reason to abandon Seiana, who had everything.
Seiana, shaped by Pedro's harsh words chipping away at her, was a woman perfectly suited for him.
Her craving for affection was annoying, but considering the wealth she would bring, it was a tolerable nuisance.
Well, even so, she was unobtainable fruit until next year. He was gradually getting tired of his current mistress too and needed new stimulation.
A woman who recently entered service as a maid kept catching his eye... Unlike the previous mistress, this one didn't have an easygoing personality, which made it more enjoyable.
He was anticipating that the thrill of making her fall would be considerable, when he sensed a commotion outside.
"What is it?"
How dare they cause such a disturbance while I am in the mansion? Pedro was thoroughly irritated.
Just as Pedro approached the door, thinking he needed to give them a piece of his mind,...
Kwaang!
The door burst open violently right in front of his nose. A chill went down his spine; if he had stepped forward just a little more, he could have been seriously injured.
"Wh-What. ...Lovely?"
Standing before the opened door was Seiana, the legal owner of this house and Pedro's fiancée.
He couldn't believe that the woman who usually craved his affection and couldn't even make a loud footstep had opened the door so roughly.
'Is this a dream?'
There's no way Seiana Lovely Estarothe would commit such an impudent act? But it was too early in the day to be dreaming. Realizing it was reality, Pedro's face contorted.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Meaning? I just opened the door."
When Seiana, who usually didn't know what to do even if he just frowned, talked back, Pedro's mood worsened steadily.
He wondered if she had forgotten who held the emotional upper hand just because he had treated her well lately.
"Huh? You just opened the door, you say?"
Whether she kicked the locked door hard, not only was the lock broken, but the hinges were also battered.
Although it was Seiana's property, Pedro, who was the one actually living in the house and considered her things his own possessions, was furious to the tips of his hair.
Seiana, seeing Pedro's gaze fall on the broken door, also glanced that way briefly but thought nothing of it.
"Hmm, it was rough. But what of it? It's my property. Whether i break the door or set fire to it, isn't it my choice?"
The voice spoke calmly, but strangely, the eyes sparkled with an intense light. Pedro realized this was no ordinary situation.
This...! Could she be angry because I didn't reply to her message after she couldn't come last time due to illness?
Pedro thought she should be the one feeling grateful. Not only had she broken a promise he didn't want to keep, but she hadn't even been properly scolded for it.
However, although he was diligently sucking up Seiana's wealth, he was still just a fiancé with no real standing. It might be different once they were married and it couldn't be undone, but for now, he had no choice but to curry favor.
"Haha. Lovely. You seem quite angry?"
"Me? Do I look very angry? Why?"
Do you have something bothering your conscience? Her piercing eyes seemed to ask just that.
Pedro had been trying to let it slide, but it seemed Seiana Lovely Estarote was trying to get him to admit he was wrong.
Endure, endure... Pedro repeated in his mind. Just as he was grinding his teeth, thinking he'd show her next year after his marriage, she opened her mouth to apologize.
"Oh. That's not important. Right."
"......"
"Happy birthday, Pedro. I brought you a birthday present you'll like."
Pedro's eyes sparkled. It must be the famous South Selvia horse he'd been longing for. He felt all his anger from moments ago melt away.
He was so overjoyed that even Seiana's face, which he usually found irritating, seemed genuinely beautiful today.
"I originally planned to give it to you on your birthday, but I couldn't wait to get my hands on it sooner. Waiting was just too difficult."
"Haha. I suppose that makes sense. I understand."
It didn't matter whether he received it on his birthday or earlier - it would be his either way. The sooner he got it, the better. The thought of his Knights Guild colleagues' faces when they saw him riding a famous horse to work tomorrow made him want to laugh.
"So, can I go down now?"
"No. There's no need. I can just have it come here."
"Huh?"
A horse inside the mansion? What nonsense was this? Pedro's face paled as he saw the person sneaking up behind Seiana.
The person who emerged behind her was none other than Pedro's mistress, carrying a child in her arms.
Pedro trembled violently.
Was I caught? Since when? How did this fool figure it out?
Pedro had been absolutely certain Seiana would never discover him. He'd never encountered her at the mansion, and when spending time with his mistress, they'd always stay indoors rather than venture outside.
To the woman who wanted to visit his home, he had made excuses, saying the territory was too far and that he stayed in the Knight Order dorms, making it difficult to bring outsiders. Therefore, his mistress didn't know Pedro lived in a townhouse.
Given Seiana's rare appearances in the capital, he'd considered the chance of encountering her practically zero... So how did this happen?
Pedro's mouth twitched as he regained his composure. If he acknowledged this here, he'd be ruined beyond repair.
"This is..."
"..."
"Who is this?"
At Pedro's denial, Seiana, his mistress, the guards Seiana had brought, and even the servants observing the scene all wore expressions of utter disbelief.
Is he out of his mind? Their faces seemed to ask. Pedro inwardly cursed while maintaining his facade of ignorance, though he couldn't suppress the trembling at the corners of his lips.
"I don't know who this is? So who is this? Who did you bring here, Lovely?"
His feigned ignorance turned the crowd's bewilderment into contempt. The mistress's eyes welled with tears, clearly hurt by this betrayal.
Heh, Seiana snorted at the situation.
"You claim to value lineage so highly, yet your bloodline's offspring seems rather mediocre, doesn't it?"
"That...!"
"Ah, perhaps it's due to tainted blood? Given the Saxons' notorious reputation for being a worthless family, that might explain it."
"What?! How dare you! ...Agh!"
As Pedro lunged forward with eyes blazing, his arm was twisted behind his back by Seiana's bodyguard knight. Despite holding the prestigious title of Imperial Knight, his display was utterly pathetic.
That dim-witted Seiana couldn't have uncovered this alone. I don't know how she found out, but that lowborn wretch must have realized I couldn't marry her and turned to Seiana for support.
Thus, Pedro was certain that if he could just manipulate Seiana properly, he could overcome this predicament.
Ads