TEWRIT 65

Episode 65

Just like the day he had rescued Eliano, Flint rode fast and urgently. As he approached the estate, he heard Oliver’s voice through the megaphone:

“If you slander House Howard again with such filthy nonsense, your head will end up like Duke Rosana’s beard!”

When Flint arrived at Howard Estate, the gates were already tightly shut—as if nothing had happened. Duke Rosana and his lackeys had vanished.

Butler Gilbert, seeing Flint return so early from the palace, looked surprised and said:

“Is everything alright, sir? If it’s about the incident, Lady Eliano is safe. Duke Rosana didn’t get anywhere near her.”

Flint sighed in relief.

“I need to see her. What happened exactly? Did he try to hurt her?”

“No, sir. He couldn’t even get close. Please be at ease.”

Flint rushed toward Eliano’s bedroom.

But the one who had brought the uproar to an end was fast asleep. Jane reported that the moment Eliano returned to her room, she collapsed in exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

Flint stared at her sleeping face with mixed emotions.

I didn’t want her to go this far. I pushed her too hard again.

Her words at the palace still echoed in his mind. His cheeks burned at the memory.

It’s too hot… I need cold water. Maybe even a freezing bath.

He hurried out of the room—nearly bumping into Oliver and Adel.

“Your Grace, Lady Eliano is incredible,” Oliver said with a wide grin. “Now no one will dare call you a criminal again.”

He chuckled. “Honestly, I worried when you began seeing the Rosana girl. But after today… she’s truly a bold match for you.”

“That’s not why I chose her,” Flint replied sharply. “Don’t reduce my wife to just that.”

Still, Oliver kept grinning.

Adel noticed something else. “Your Grace… you look flushed. Are you unwell?”

“I ran here. That’s all.”

Flint turned away quickly, his face still burning. A cold breeze might help cool him down.

On his way, he passed a few retainers who greeted him with surprise.

“You’re home early today, Your Grace?”

Marquis Hyren laughed. “What a passionate wife you have! This old man feels reassured. I expect good news soon, haha!”

“Yes, the North is in good hands now! Once Lady Eliano regains her strength, perhaps we’ll soon hear of—”

“Enough! Have some decency!”

Flint’s face grew even redder.

Even after drinking cold water and bathing in ice, he still felt overheated. It had to be his mind. To cool his head, Flint went to the training yard and began swinging his sword with all his strength.

Meanwhile, Duke Rosana was finally forced to end his dramatic protest in front of the Howard estate.

The nobles and citizens of the capital had reached their limits. At first, they were sympathetic, believing a father was mourning his kidnapped daughter. But after Eliano’s booming love confession through a megaphone, public opinion shifted.

It was shocking and funny—but mostly, it was loud.

With Prince Heriath quietly stirring things behind the scenes, public complaints turned into outrage. Even the elderly nobles began to protest. Some even fought with Rosana’s knights.

“You call yourselves Bianteca knights? You’re worse than kidnappers!”

“No, sir—please calm down!”

“I’m Duke Albich, you fools!”

The old Duke shouted and started hitting knights with his cane.

“I can’t sleep because of this racket! Tell that bed-wetter Dmitry to knock it off! No wonder the daughter’s lost her mind too!”

“‘Bed-wetter’?! That’s a lie!”

One knight tried to defend Duke Rosana but only earned more smacks from the cane.

“How dare you shout at me, boy!”

“Your Grace! Lady Eliano only said he might have had an accident—she never confirmed it! She was confused after being kidnapped—she must’ve seen wrong!”

Even with Rosana’s authority, not everyone believed him anymore. His own daughter had hinted that he peed himself out of fear of Flint—and that was enough to turn the empire into a laughingstock.

“But Lady Eliano was kidnapped! Not a runaway!”

“Who said she ran away? I said she lost her mind!”

Rosana’s knights were humiliated but couldn’t lay a hand on Duke Albich. All they could do was take the beating.

Soon even the city guards showed up.

“You’re only now showing up?! What are we paying taxes for?!”

The guards also got swatted by the old man’s cane.

“If this noise ruins my nap again tomorrow, I’ll come after you too!”

In the end, the authorities had no choice but to send Rosana a very polite but firm letter: Stop the protest.

The protest was officially shut down, and Duke Rosana disappeared into his home.

Rumors began spreading.

Some said he fainted from the shock of Eliano’s “unstable condition.” Others claimed he got sick from his obedient daughter suddenly rebelling. And of course, there were whispers that he had really wet himself and couldn’t face anyone.

“That’s probably it,” Jane giggled. “He’s too ashamed to show his face. Even Duke Albich called him a bed-wetter!”

Eliano shook her head.

“No… I think the beard was the real trauma. He won’t remember anything else.”

It was hard to believe Duke Rosana—once so proud—had been reduced to this. Eliano herself had trouble believing it even after seeing it.

“No one would dare say such things to his face. Even if the rumors are true… they’ll vanish fast.”

“I’ll make sure they spread,” Adel grinned. “Don’t worry, Your Grace.”

Eliano just smiled quietly.

Her outrageous performance with the megaphone had shifted the conversation. Flint was no longer seen as a monster. At least, not completely.

Of course, the image of a “kidnapper” was still strong. One loud speech wouldn’t erase it. Some even began calling it a daylight escape instead of an elopement—but it wasn’t enough.

In the end, Eliano was frustrated.

I humiliated myself for this! Why hasn’t everything turned around yet? It made facing Flint incredibly awkward.

Still, there was one success: no one dared call him a rapist anymore.

But as Adel put it, when it came to diplomacy and negotiations… things were still a mess.

To ease the rising tensions between Duke Rosana and Grand Duke Howard, a formal meeting was held. Representatives from both sides gathered at the negotiation table—and Flint himself attended.

But the discussion didn’t go well.

Duke Rosana’s side still insisted that Eliano Rosana had been kidnapped by Grand Duke Flint Howard.

Flint, calm and resolute, replied firmly.

“The marriage contract was signed through mutual agreement. Lady Eliano is nearly twenty-two years old—an adult—fully capable of choosing her own husband. If you love your daughter, isn’t it right to respect her choice?”

His deep voice and serious expression gave weight to his words.

But just as Eliano expected, Rosana’s side cried out that she had been forced to sign it under imprisonment and pressure.

Marquis Hyren, seated at the table, clicked his tongue and muttered,

“Tch. Locking up your own daughter like that? She shouted her love for her husband for the whole empire to hear. I understand caring for your child—but that much is madness. Someone should test if he’s mentally sound.”

“How can you say such a thing, Marquis Hyren?!” someone from Rosana’s side snapped.

Rosana’s supporters insisted that Eliano’s behavior—her public love confession, her signature on the contract—were all signs she had lost her mind from being held captive.

“Lady Eliano was kidnapped without warning and is still being confined at Howard Estate,” said Count Morris, one of Duke Rosana’s close allies. “Who knows what’s happening behind those walls? The contract was signed while she was clearly not in a sound state. It must be declared invalid!”

He raised his voice with great emotion.

“We suspect that she may have been threatened with her life! This cannot be called a lawful agreement!”

Duke Rosana himself didn’t show up to the meeting.

Marquis Hyren narrowed his eyes and muttered sarcastically, “And where’s Dmitry now? Don’t tell me he wet himself again—”

“Marquis, please!” someone gasped in horror. “The Duke is gravely ill… overcome with sorrow after losing his daughter!”