For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 67 - Cowardly Excuses (1)

#67. Cowardly Excuses (1)

Returning to her family estate had many benefits. Chief among them was the food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all sumptuous meals. Lia had never thought of her home’s meals as extravagant, but after her time in the palace, she realized that the menus at the Penelope estate had transformed from mere meals to grand feasts.

“I used to have bread and soup almost every day. It feels almost wrong to eat such luxurious food now.”

“I agree. Especially since the chef at the palace never gave us more even when we asked.”

“You two are spoiled. Do you know how many starving children there are outside? How can you say such foolish things?”

“Yes, yes. We are the epitome of those arrogant noble brats.”

Rufus and Lia rejoiced in the taste of meat again after leaving the palace and returning to the estate. Charlie, however, immediately reprimanded them for their brief moment of admiration. It was a familiar scene from their childhood. The count merely watched his three children converse and laughed.

Since Lia’s return to the estate, Charlie and Rufus had taken immediate leave from the knights’ order to stay with her, concerned for her well-being. Whether it was their efforts or the recent visitor’s influence, Lia’s spirits had noticeably lifted. Seeing the three of them bicker daily, the count still saw his children as nothing more than kids.

“Both of you need to return to the knights’ order tomorrow.”

“Father.”

“Rufus, your skills are still lacking. Can you afford to neglect your training?” 

Rufus couldn’t respond. His abilities were still far from matching those of his older brother. He needed a lot more practice to catch up with Charlie and the other skilled knights.

“And Charlie, as the Deputy Commander, how long do you plan to neglect your duties?” 

“I’m sorry, Father. But—” 

Charlie began, glancing at Lia instead of finishing his sentence. Lia smiled brightly to reassure him. She knew both of her brothers were worried about her.

“Brothers, stop using me as an excuse to take a break. I’m an adult now, well past the age of needing to be worried over.”

“You see? Lia herself says this. When will you stop worrying about your grown-up sister? If only all three of you would marry, then I’d have some peace….”

“Father….” 

Lia glared at the count but couldn’t argue. Their agreement that he wouldn’t bring up marriage for a while if she met with potential suitors in the palace was nullified when she was expelled. Charlie and Rufus, focusing solely on their meal, also refrained from commenting. Watching them fall silent, the count clicked his tongue. He couldn’t understand why none of his children seemed interested in marriage.

“Ah, perhaps Lia has someone in mind.”

“What?” 

Lia almost spat out her food in surprise. Rufus and Charlie frowned as they realized who their father might be referring to.

“Last time, it was Perth, the aide, who visited, right?”

Lia had never directly told the count that she and Perth were in a special relationship. So she hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

“He reported to me, saying there’s no need to find another match as he’s the third one and the final choice.”

Lia unconsciously tightened her grip on the fork in her hand. If that happened, he should have told her beforehand! She lowered her head to the table, her face turning red. Perth had met the count before coming to see her in the greenhouse. He had joked about it, but it was clear he never thought he’d be rejected. Although she hadn’t rejected him. Somehow, she felt frustrated.

“I don’t like that aide.”

Charlie openly voiced his opposition. From the start, he had hoped for Kevin and Lia to get together. But somehow, now it seemed that Perth, who had insisted they were just friends, had succeeded. Even during the festival, Charlie had thought Perth was unlikable.

“I feel the same way.”

It was rare for Rufus and Charlie to share the same opinion. Rufus generally wasn’t very opinionated, and they were different in many ways. But now, they were thinking the same thing.

“Why, why do you dislike Mr. Perth so much?”

Lia, too embarrassed to admit they were dating, couldn’t stand her two brothers’ opposition.

“He looks like a gigolo.”

“He’s got an irritating way of speaking.”

Though their reasons differed, they both agreed with each other. They disliked everything about him, from his appearance to his manner of speaking and movements.

“That’s too harsh!”

Lia’s face turned even redder, not from embarrassment but from anger. She liked Perth’s slender appearance and the way he spoke kindly only to her while being indifferent to others. It made her feel bad to hear her brothers, her own family, criticize him so harshly.

“Lia, no need to get angry.”

“But!”

“They both instinctively feel that he’ll take their little sister away.”

Lia blinked, not immediately understanding the count’s words. In the meantime, her two brothers, who understood the meaning, protested.

“That’s not it, Father.”

“I’ll oppose it to the end. I won’t let it happen.”

“Well, I’m in favor of it.”

The count’s sudden declaration surprised all three of them.

“Father!”

“No matter how much you want her to marry quickly, isn’t this too rash?”

It was then that Lia understood what the count meant. He was implying that Lia and Perth might soon get married. Her brothers were worried about that possibility. While she liked Perth, they had just started dating. She had never imagined marrying him. Her face turned red with embarrassment, and she couldn’t say anything.

“What do you mean? He’s the First Prince’s aide. If the prince becomes the next king, he might even become the chancellor.”

Everyone who worked in the palace knew this. Although there was a current chancellor, Perth, as the First Prince’s chief aide, already handled many administrative duties. He had earned the deep trust of both the current king and Alfonse.

“Besides, I like the way he handles things.”

No matter the process, he had ultimately found a suitable husband for Lia, even if it turned out to be himself. Moreover, the count appreciated Perth’s confident demeanor.

– I am confident I can meet Lady Lia’s every wish. Haven’t I already found out and introduced her to preferences she was unaware of?

He never lost his relaxed smile while dealing with the count. His confidence wasn’t arrogance; it was well-founded.

– What if Lia asks you to become a live-in son-in-law? What would you do?

This was the count’s test. From the beginning, Perth had introduced Lia to the palace to forge a connection with Alfonse and the count. Perhaps as a backup plan, he aimed to tie himself to Lia.

– If Lady Lia wants it, I would do it, though I doubt Mr. Charlie and Mr. Rufus would be pleased.

It was a polite refusal, and the reasoning was plausible. Most importantly, his attitude of genuinely being willing to follow whatever Lia wanted was commendable.

– My daughter has many shortcomings. Are you really okay with that?

– Yes, Lady Lia is more than enough for me.

Perth’s expression was more natural than ever as he said this. He even seemed a bit shy. This part of his speech was the most convincing.

“For various reasons, I approve.”

“Father!”

Forgetting her meal, Lia ran to the count and hugged him tightly.

“You’ve grown up so much.”

“Thank you for thinking well of him.”

Even though the praise wasn’t directed at her, Lia was tearfully happy. The count hugged her back and patted her on the back. Her two brothers looked envious to death.

“Father, I have something to say.”

“Go ahead.”

Lia stepped back from the count and stood up straight.

“I want to return to the palace.”

“Lia!”

Rufus raised his voice to object. The thought of what she had endured there made him so furious that he wanted to overturn everything right then and there.

“It’s the place that rejected you. Do you still want to go back?”

The count was also worried. However, he knew how much Lia had loved her life at the palace, to the point of refusing to eat when she had to leave. He wanted to respect her wishes if she wanted to return, despite the deep wounds she had received.

“There’s a plant I want to save there.”

Her eyes were clear and sincere. This was different from a few months ago when she had stubbornly demanded to go to the palace. She had grown so much.

“All right, if that’s what you want.”

Rufus and Charlie sighed deeply. They were only discontented with the fact that the count’s permission was the final say. They didn’t want Lia to return to the palace. When they heard the full story, they realized there was a conspiracy involved. But they couldn’t even ask for an investigation because the queen had already dismissed Lia from the palace. Worried, they took leave and came to the mansion, only to find Lia locked in her room, wounded.

They weren’t certain if the culprit who harmed Lia was within the palace or outside. Even if she returned to the palace, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t face the same danger again. They didn’t want to see their little sister hurt again.

“What if we don’t send her back?”

Charlie’s expression hardened. Even if the count permitted it, he had no intention of sending Lia back to the palace. It didn’t matter if she hated him. Rufus didn’t say anything, but he felt the same way. Lia quietly looked at her two brothers before taking a step forward. The three of them remained silent for a while.

“Thank you both for your concern.”

Lia paused for a moment before speaking again.

“But you both know I’m not one to just sit back and take it, big brothers.”

Lia winked lightly. She exuded an attitude filled with confidence. Revenge when wronged was something her brothers had taught her when she was young. To never let herself be pushed around wherever she went. Now they had to admit it. That Lia had overcome her wounds and stood up. And soon she would leave their hands and fly far away.

“But how do you plan to re-enter the palace?”

It was the queen who had ordered Lia to leave the palace. For Lia to return, the queen would have to rescind her words. But she rarely retracted her statements unless necessary.

However, Lia smiled confidently.

“Well, you see. Since everyone’s so worried about me, naturally you’ll all help, right?”

Her family felt an inexplicable unease. Somehow, her smile resembled that of her lover Perth. It was very assured and very suspicious.