It's Not A Childcare But A Contract Marriage - Chapter 11 Part 2

“Ahem. So, what… are you considering breaking the engagement with Ivernum?”

“Oh, my, what are you talking about?”

“Huh? I was just joking—”

“What do you mean to break it off? I just mean to return to the engagement that should have been in place.”

“Ahem, well!”

Pretending not to notice the Marquis, who was on the verge of exploding with anger, the Countess continued speaking.

“Initially, getting involved with Ivernum was never our intention. You know, Marquis, how loyal we are to the Second Prince…”

“Hmm.”

“But to marry the Duke of Ivernum, who is practically the First Prince’s sword!”

If it were any other family, marrying the Duke of Ivernum would have been seen as a prestigious union. However, it wasn’t the case for Sinkere.

“Just think about the amount of gold and jewels we invested to align ourselves with the Second Prince!”

In order to receive the treatment befitting their family’s history, Sinkere, who had been ignored all this time, had latched onto a group of nobles aligned with the Second Prince, who prioritized lineage.

To gain access to the center of this group, Sinkere poured their wealth, and instead of being tight-lipped like them, they spoke the desired words at every party.

Particularly, they took the lead in spreading malicious rumors about the nobles who opposed them, such as the First Prince and his entourage, notably the Duke of Ivernum.

“If we support the First Prince, it’s obvious they will gnash their teeth at us. If we switch sides now, we won’t receive a decent position… It’s certain that the one who aligns with the Second Prince, barely touching the center, will surely lose.”

The Countess, the main culprit in spreading nonsensical rumors every time an incident occurred, without any self-reflection, opened her mouth like a noble servant.

“For us, Sinkere, loyal servants of the Second Prince, it was a startling event that we could never have imagined!”

“You were shocked?”

“Absolutely!”

The Countess exclaimed passionately, concealing her embarrassment and anger from when her daughter unexpectedly became entangled with the Duke of Ivernum.

“Goodness, children these days! Despite raising her with all my heart and sincerity… She even ran away because she didn’t want to listen to me!”

“Hmm…”

“Just in the short time I was away from home, she caused that incident.”

The Marquis, who had been gently stroking his mustache, spoke up.

“Anyway, it is true that she is engaged to the Duke of Ivernum, isn’t it?”

“Well, we are still engaged.”

“…”

“Is marriage just a child’s play? How much money do you think it takes, before or after marriage?”

While snickering and tapping her fan, the Countess, who had been making nasal noises, raised the corners of her mouth mockingly and said, “What to eat, what to wear, where to sleep. We provided everything with the family’s money, but the child knows nothing about the ways of the world…”

“She does seem quite clueless.”

“I am ashamed. I showed the Marquis something he should never have seen…”

With a swift motion, the Countess covered her mouth with her fan blade.

“I am sorry. It’s truly embarrassing to have shown such a disgraceful sight to the Marquis…”

The Countess’s eyes flashed mischievously as she placed the fan blade over her mouth.

“But… What can such a young child do without the support of her family?”

“Oh, I see.”

“Right now, she may be foolishly swayed by the sweet words of her suitor and lose her senses… but once she realizes the reality, she will come to her senses.”

The Countess proceeded to share every detail of her family affairs with the Marquis. The Marquis listened with interest, stroking his beard, and tapped his knee.

“Very well. After that, I can bring her here.”

“Of course, Marquis. Anything you wish.”

With a satisfied smile, the Marquis contemplated, “Anyway, she has done something foolish despite her age. I shall generously forgive her. As for her education, I will take care of it once she enters the Marquis’s residence.”

The Countess flattered the Marquis with a voice filled with utmost admiration, imagining her own wicked schemes.

“Who else but someone as mature and understanding as the Marquis would take her?”

“Haha. Indeed, your discerning eyes, sharpened by age, are accurate.”

For a while, the laughter of the two who successfully mocked the other parties resounded in the drawing room of the Marquis’s mansion.

* * *

“What? Who did you say has come?”

I raised an eyebrow upon hearing the absurd news in the morning.

“The visitor introduced himself as the second child of Count Sinkere.”

Doulian?

I expected my mother or Chiaville to come, but what’s the little jabra bunny doing here?

“Shall I send them back?”

“Hmm…”

“His Excellency instructed us that the young lady may do as she pleases.”

Saying that, the butler bowed his head. It was an attitude of fully abiding by my decision.

After thinking for a moment, I spoke up.

“No.”

My firm words must have been unexpected, as a different expression passed across the butler’s face.

“I will see him. Let him in when I’m ready to talk.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Oh, and can you summon a maid to help with my dressing?”

The butler left the room, promising to find someone and send them up.

I leisurely took a seat and looked out the window.

At the front gate, beyond the spacious garden of the Duke’s estate, a carriage with a familiar pattern came into view.

“He came to me in this situation.”

The corner of my mouth lifted at the roughly predictable scenario.

“Well, for now. We need to let guests who come without an appointment know the joy of waiting.”

After all, they have been gossiping behind my back all this time.

I don’t know how much fun they can have waiting in the front yard of Ivernum, but that’s fine.