Chapter 17
Do You Have Any Idea How Valuable My Time Is?
Riley was suffering from a high fever.
Despite being given her medicine regularly, the fever refused to go down easily. Still, her complexion was better than when he had first seen her.
Even though his schedule was packed, Gibnen did not return to the Mage Tower and stayed by Riley’s side instead.
“Shouldn’t we send her back to the Eadalin estate now?” Sak asked. “An official notice came down from the Ministry of Magic. They’re requesting that you stop by as soon as you return to Blestige.”
“What happened to the old man?”
“He was released and sent home.”
“As expected.”
“When we arrived, the assassins were in the middle of trying to violate her. Because of that, Count Ermeintz insists that he never directly harmed her, and that the assassins suddenly turned on him and threatened him as well.”
“And they’re actually buying that ridiculous excuse?”
“They seem determined to keep it quiet.”
“Don’t let Riley find out about this.”
If she learned that Count Ermeintz had received no punishment at all, she would be devastated.
“If we truly wanted to drag Count Ermeintz into court, we would’ve had to arrive much earlier. The timing was bad. Or we could’ve waited deliberately and let things get worse…”
Gibnen turned his head and looked at Riley’s sleeping face.
She looked far thinner than the last time he’d seen her. It was obvious she had suffered greatly over something as trivial as a scandal fueled by romantic rumors.
Once reports about this incident were released, he intended to make sure Riley Eadalin’s identity stayed completely hidden. Still, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if that was really the right choice.
Things would be noisy for a while. Would the victim truly be free from that chaos? No matter how much they tried to suppress it, if the issue grew larger, there was always the possibility her identity would be exposed.
Besides…
In reality, it would be difficult to push Count Ermeintz all the way to trial and see him properly punished.
The assassins involved—the direct perpetrators—were all dead, and Count Ermeintz would undoubtedly assemble a massive legal team and steer the case in his favor.
There was insufficient evidence and too few witnesses. Worse still, the victim—Riley—would have to stand in court herself.
Since Riley was alive and the assassins who had orchestrated the killing were dead, attempted murder wouldn’t even apply. At best, it would be reduced to assault. And the sentence would be laughably light—probably nothing more than a hefty fine.
Was it really necessary to drag Riley into that kind of fight and smear her with filth? Especially when she was already emotionally unstable?
“…Hah.”
Gibnen let out a short sigh and stood up.
“Sak.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Shut the reporters up. Collect every photo.”
“…What? All of a sudden? Why?”
Sak couldn’t understand. If this incident became public, it could overturn the rumors that had been dogging Gibnen in one fell swoop.
Count Ermeintz—the man who had tried to kill his former fiancée—would suffer far greater damage than any petty love scandal.
It was a golden opportunity. Why abandon it now?
“Just because.”
“……”
“I’ve lost interest.”
Is he insane?
Sak was about to argue, but when he saw the look in Gibnen’s eyes as he gazed at Riley, he shut his mouth.
“Understood.”
That was the reason he was burying everything.
“For one lady alone.”
“Master.”
“What.”
“You really are good at lying.”
“About what.”
“Your words and actions don’t match at all.”
If only you showed that kind of kindness to others, things would be much easier. For someone who’d always been indifferent to both his own reputation and others’, this choice felt strangely out of character.
“Still… I think it was the right decision.”
He chose to cover everything up.
Solely for one woman.
“I’ll stop by the baron’s estate. The household must be in chaos now that Riley’s gone.”
***
“What do you mean Riley is missing?!”
“Well… the window was open, and her bedding was in disarray.”
“Ah—!”
Ryan clutched his head and staggered.
What kind of bolt from the blue was this, first thing in the morning?
The baroness beside him gnawed at her nails anxiously.
“She didn’t… run away, did she?”
“Run away? For what reason?”
“Well… maybe she acted obedient in front of us, but secretly hated the marriage. Or maybe she still resented us.”
“Nonsense! Why wasn’t anyone watching her?!”
“Oh, please! Do you think I sit around doing nothing all day? I just got back from a gathering!”
Ryan and the baroness only realized Riley was gone once evening had fallen—and they panicked.
The servants had known since the night before.
Unfortunately, Ryan hadn’t returned home due to yesterday’s incident, and the baroness had been away as well, so the report only reached them that morning.
“The young lady said she wasn’t feeling well and asked that no one come into her room unless summoned. She’s been overexerting herself lately, so we assumed she was simply sleeping longer than usual…”
“And you thought that was acceptable?! You should’ve checked the room anyway!”
“I—I’m sorry, Master.”
It wasn’t fair to blame the servants entirely. After all, they weren’t accustomed to looking after a young lady who had spent most of her life outside their concern.
Habits took time to form. Though their treatment of Riley had improved recently, it wasn’t enough for the attentive care Claire received.
They had also been far too complacent. Why would a girl about to marry into immense wealth run away?
The idea that Riley had been kidnapped never even crossed their minds.
Assassins entering through windows to kidnap or kill someone felt like something out of a lurid street drama—far removed from their world.
So the assumption leaned heavily toward Riley having fled of her own accord.
“Go! Go out right now and bring Riley back—immediately!”
Ryan shouted, his face drained of color.
The entire household was mobilized to search for her.
If this marriage fell apart, everything would be over. The future of the Eadalin family rested entirely on Riley’s shoulders.
Their path to success had been right in front of them. Entry into the central aristocracy was within reach—
“Even if we treated her poorly, we fed her, clothed her, gave her a place to sleep! Hah! This is why they say you shouldn’t take in animals with black hair!”
“Enough! If you’ve got time to say that, go look for Riley!”
“Why are you snapping at me? If you hadn’t tried to marry her off to that old man in the first place, it wouldn’t have come to this! She’s always been gentle—she only started acting strange after you pushed that marriage!”
“And who was the one demanding we send her off anywhere, immediately?!”
Their voices rose as they blamed each other.
Watching from the side, Claire smiled in satisfaction.
So you finally understand your place. You should’ve been like this from the start.
Claire hoped Riley would never come back.
And then—
“Master, um… the Lord of the Horizon Mage Tower has arrived.”
Ryan’s face turned paper-white.
“…Duke Rianster?”
What kind of day was this?
Why were disasters piling up one after another? And why would he travel all this way, especially now that Riley was missing?
“The Lord of the Horizon Mage Tower? Here?”
Claire, who had come downstairs, couldn’t hide her excitement.
He’s here to break off the engagement!
Ryan thought the same—and fear clenched his heart.
“Prepare the reception room at once!”
***
“W–Welcome, Duke Rianster.”
“Please excuse the intrusion, Father-in-law.”
Father-in-law?
Ryan’s face lit up. A thrill ran through his body.
To be addressed that way by the Lord of the Horizon Mage Tower—it sounded wonderful. Maybe he wasn’t here to annul the engagement after all.
“P–Please, come in.”
Ryan hurriedly led him to the reception room.
What if he asks to see Riley…?
His face turned pale as they arrived.
Gibnen sat down casually, as though he owned the place. Ryan sat across from him, forcing himself to look calm.
Servants brought refreshments.
Ryan smiled awkwardly.
“What brings you all the way out here so suddenly, Your Grace?”
“I couldn’t bear not seeing the woman who will be my wife.”
So he did come to see Riley… What do I do?
“Oh? Hahaha, is that so? Then you’ve come all this way just to see Riley?”
“Yes.”
“Well… how unfortunate. The timing was bad. Regrettably, Riley stepped out and isn’t home at the moment.”
Gibnen looked at him, puzzled.
“Where did she go?”
Caught off guard, Ryan began to babble.
“Th–that is… ah, yes. She went out to buy clothes with my wife.”
“I see.”
Gibnen took a sip of tea, then spoke lightly.
“That can’t be right.”
“….”
“Back when you tried to sell your daughter to that perverted old man, and even now—you seem remarkably indifferent toward her.”
Ryan’s face drained of color. His hands trembled.
“I–I don’t understand what you mean…”
“The fact that you’re calmly entertaining me when your daughter has gone missing tells me everything about how she’s been treated here.”
“W–Wait, how did you—?”
“I came to tell you that Riley has been safe with me.”
“What? Why would you have our Riley—?”
Gibnen let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“And what have you been doing for the entire day since your daughter was kidnapped?”
“…Kidnapped?”
“It seems you didn’t even realize. Even if you’re adoptive parents, you’re still blood relatives. Isn’t this too cruel?”
Ryan fell silent.
“If I’d been even a little later,” Gibnen continued softly, “my bride would’ve been a cold corpse.”
“……”
“For a family to be this careless… How could I ever trust you with my wife?”
“I—I’m sorry, Your Grace. She disappeared so suddenly, we were completely flustered…”
“Then you should’ve told the truth instead of trying to wriggle out of it. Why lie when you can’t even handle the consequences?”
“…I have no excuse.”
Gibnen clicked his tongue.
“I’m disappointed in you, Father-in-law.”
“….”
“Since all trust is gone, it’s impossible to leave my wife here.”
“Y–You mean…?”
“I’m taking her with me.”
“What? You mean you’ll take Riley to Blestige and live together?”
Gibnen nodded.
Ryan stared at him, stunned. This wasn’t a joke.
Living together before marriage? His head spun.
“No matter what, you haven’t even had the formal meeting yet—starting with cohabitation is a bit…”
“Who worries about that these days?”
“I recommend you prepare to move as well.”
“…Pardon?”
“If not, she can come alone. I’ll make sure she has everything she needs.”
“…R–Really?”
“Yes. Set your affairs in order and come to the capital. Until then, my wife will stay with me.”
Ryan cleared his throat.
Traditions weren’t absolute, after all. Times had changed.
And given the circumstances, what was there to argue about?
It wasn’t ideal, but surely he’d educate her properly.
And at least he wasn’t asking to break off the engagement. Given the uproar surrounding those rumors, wasn’t this something to be grateful for?
Having convinced himself, Ryan answered respectfully.
“…Then please do so.”
“I’ll send someone for her belongings. Though there probably isn’t much.”
Gibnen stood, wondering how many things in this house truly belonged to her.
“I’ll be going now.”
***
That went smoothly.
Gibnen smiled, satisfied with his negotiation.
Originally, he’d planned to say she was safe with him and would be returned once she recovered.
But Baron Ryan’s stupidity had removed any need to give her back.
“She went out to buy clothes with my wife.”
What a ridiculous answer.
The moment he heard it, Gibnen’s mind raced.
If handled properly, he could claim Riley far sooner than expected. And the baron had dug his own grave by exposing himself as a negligent, incompetent father who didn’t even know his daughter had been kidnapped.
Now that Riley was firmly in his grasp, he wouldn’t need to deal with this sort of nuisance again. Things would be easier to manage.
“Um… excuse me.”
Gibnen stopped and slowly turned around.
“What is it, Lady?”
He answered politely, recalling who she was.
Riley’s sister. The baron couple’s biological daughter.
What was her name again?
“Did you finish speaking with Father?”
“Yes.”
Claire’s face brightened.
“I’m terribly sorry things turned out this way. It seems the situation worsened because of my sister… Our whole family has been very worried.”
“I see.”
“It’s unfortunate, but breaking off the engagement is probably best for both sides. I hope you won’t take it too hard. My sister didn’t mean for things to end up like this… Please don’t blame her too much. If you really get to know her, she’s quite pitiful.”
Gibnen listened quietly before realizing what she meant—and let out a small laugh. Leaning against the wall, he asked,
“Breaking off the engagement?”
“…You didn’t come here to annul it?”
Dropping all pretense of politeness, Gibnen sneered.
“Why would I?”
“Well… because of those romantic scandal rumors?”
“I fail to see how that leads to annulment.”
“…So you intend to carry that disgraceful rumor with you?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“…Your Grace, I believe this is a foolish decision. Proceeding with the marriage would be the worst possible choice for both families.”
“I said it’s none of your business.”
“I’m saying this for my sister’s sake. As her younger sibling. You feel sorry for her, don’t you? Her prospects are ruined, so you feel guilty—right?”
Gibnen burst out laughing.
After a long moment, he asked gently,
“Do you dislike the idea of your sister marrying me?”
“…That’s not it.”
“Stop talking in circles. And stop treating me like an idiot.”
“….”
“What a nasty disposition.”
Though his voice was gentle, the mockery made Claire’s face burn red.
“Sisters raised in the same house—and yet one is too greedy, and the other has none at all.”
“That’s because my sister never received a proper education!”
“You’re the one lacking here. Your comprehension seems especially poor.”
“W–What did you say?!”
Humiliated, Claire clenched her skirt.
This wasn’t what she’d expected.
Such crude behavior from someone so polished.
“Since you’re done speaking, I’ll be leaving.”
“W–Wait!”
“It seems you still don’t understand your place.”
Gibnen’s expression hardened.
“Every second I spend talking to you is a waste.”
Then he said coldly,
“Do you have any idea how valuable my time is?”
