Chapter: 81
Chapter 6: Why Is It So Unpleasant?
Inside a dark room with the curtains drawn shut.
The entire room reeked of alcohol.
Empty bottles rolled carelessly across the table and floor, while scraps of food had dried onto plates of snacks left scattered everywhere.
And in the middle of it all—
“Liquor… where’s the liquor…?”
Completely drunk, Gregory reached out irritably for a bottle.
After several clumsy attempts, he finally grabbed one, only to discover it was already empty.
“Damn it!”
Cursing viciously, Gregory hurled the bottle away.
Crash!
The bottle smashed against the wall and shattered into pieces.
Panting heavily for a while, Gregory eventually buried his face in his hands.
“Ha… Larit, how could you do this to me…?”
Larit Ansi.
Once his, but now his former fiancée who was openly spending time with another man.
The image of the last time he had seen her kept replaying before his eyes.
The head of the Claudius Ducal House, a noble among nobles, a family comparable even to the imperial house itself.
…The sight of her smiling brightly as she met Dietrich’s gaze.
“Ha. This is ridiculous.”
His stomach twisted from inferiority and despair.
I can’t lose Larit like this.
If he lost her, it would be no different from losing the title of Viscount Ansi and the entire territory that came with it.
But—
How am I supposed to get Larit back?
That was the problem.
He had no idea how.
…What if Larit truly had feelings for Duke Claudius?
“You’re just the daughter of some viscount’s family, yet you dare get ahead of yourself!”
Gregory grumbled again, but deep down he knew the truth.
If he really had to compete with Duke Claudius over Larit—
He didn’t stand the slightest chance.
“Liquor! Is there no more liquor?!”
Gregory looked around with bloodshot eyes.
“Those useless bastards! I specifically told them to make sure I never ran out!”
As he ground his teeth and cursed once more—
Bang!
The door flew open as if it would break off its hinges.
Afternoon sunlight poured into the dark room.
“The hell…?”
Gregory frowned and muttered irritably.
At the same time, a middle-aged man with a stern face stepped into the room.
Clack.
The sound of his heels echoed heavily.
The man swept his gaze across the room with an expression of utter disgust.
Exposed beneath the sunlight, the room looked even more pathetic.
After a moment—
“Gregory.”
The man glared at him with a frightening stare.
“Ghk.”
Gregory sucked in a breath.
The arrogance he had displayed while raging alone vanished instantly.
Like a mouse before a cat, he froze.
Because that middle-aged man was—
“F-Father.”
Count Gusto.
The father who had funded Gregory’s luxurious lifestyle all this time.
“What… what kind of pathetic state is this?!”
Count Gusto roared.
Gregory shrank his neck like a turtle, unsure what to do.
“Father, I…”
Trying desperately to calm him down, Gregory staggered to his feet.
But his drunken body refused to obey him.
Thud!
He fell flat onto the floor in an embarrassing heap.
“Ha. You complete idiot…”
Watching him, Count Gusto rubbed his forehead in frustration.
After taking a long moment to suppress his boiling anger, he finally spoke in a low voice.
“So, are you really planning to just sit here and do nothing about that girl Larit?”
“…”
Gregory couldn’t answer and simply lowered his head.
Staring at his son, Count Gusto spoke through gritted teeth.
“I tolerated it when she boldly sent me that letter breaking off the engagement.”
“F-Father, I—”
“Because I thought you’d handle it yourself! Because you beat your chest and boasted that you could take care of it if I left it to you!”
Count Gusto barked at him furiously.
“But at this rate, not only will you fail to get her back, you’ll lose the Ansi Viscounty forever!”
“P-Please trust me.”
Struggling to rise, Gregory crawled toward Count Gusto on his knees.
The count looked down at him as though he were an insect.
“I’ll do my best, Father.”
Gregory muttered desperately, as if trying to brainwash himself.
“N-No matter what, Larit likes me. She always clung to me, saying she couldn’t live without me…”
“Ha. How laughable.”
The count let out a mocking chuckle.
“A girl who supposedly can’t live without you sends a formal engagement annulment in her family’s name?!”
Count Gusto snapped.
Gregory’s shoulders stiffened.
“An engagement is an extremely efficient way to bind someone. Especially a man who doesn’t love you.”
The gesture with which Larit had firmly rejected him.
“And I gave up that efficient method myself.”
Her pink eyes that no longer held even a trace of warmth.
“Doesn’t that mean I’ve finally let go of my lingering feelings for you?”
And her cold voice that had pierced straight into his heart.
Damn it.
Unable to bear the crushing hopelessness, Gregory squeezed his eyes shut.
At the same time, the count narrowed his eyes and continued.
“Do you know why I came to the capital? To finalize the arrangements for your brother’s wedding.”
The news struck Gregory like a bolt from the blue.
“B-Brother’s wedding?”
“That’s right. You know marriage talks have been ongoing between your brother and the Lionel Count family, don’t you?”
Gregory swallowed dryly.
His older brother, Viscount Gusto Jr., had already secured a strong position within the family.
And unlike the provincial but influential Gusto County, the Lionel family wielded considerable influence in the capital.
If the marriage alliance succeeded, Count Gusto would support his eldest son even more.
And Viscount Gusto Jr. regarded his idle younger brother as a thorn in his side.
Which meant—
I’m completely screwed!
A chill ran down Gregory’s spine, as though a sharpened blade had been pressed against his throat.
Then Count Gusto declared coldly,
“There is nothing more the family can do for you.”
“…What?”
Gregory looked as though he had just been slapped.
The count added sharply,
“Do you understand now? The only option you have left is Larit Ansi.”
“F-Father.”
“If you fail to bring that girl back this time, you can consider yourself thrown out of the townhouse as well.”
Count Gusto looked him up and down with utter contempt.
“I can’t tolerate your stupidity forever. Do you understand?!”
After hurling those final words at him, Count Gusto clicked his tongue and left.
This can’t be happening.
Left alone, Gregory bit his lip until it bled.
He was cornered.
My brother is really getting married. Then I…
Unlike Count Gusto, who at least still provided him with living expenses because he was his son, Viscount Gusto Jr. had no mercy whatsoever for his younger brother.
At this rate, he would be thrown out of the family with nothing.
No!
The urge to scream at the top of his lungs nearly overwhelmed him.
Then—
Wait.
A single word suddenly flashed through Gregory’s mind like lightning.
…Marriage?
Marriage.
The most effective means of binding Larit to him and swallowing up the title of Viscount Ansi along with her territory.
A sinister light appeared in Gregory’s drunken eyes.
