I Thought I Was Married, But I Was Left Alone, So I'll Live as I Please. So Please Don't Mind Me Anymore, My Lord of the Border - Chapter 5

Upon arriving at the mansion, I immediately summoned the head butler.

“Where is my fiancé now?”

“He should be in his room, I believe?”

“How could that be! He was working as an alchemist in the territory!”

The echo of my shouted voice reverberated through the hallway.

At any rate, I wanted to confirm the fact that he had been here as quickly as possible.

“Pardon…?”

Anger and impatience welled up inside me as I saw the head butler’s pale face.

“Head butler, what is the meaning of this!”

“M-my apologies! I shall go confirm immediately!”

I followed his retreating back as he hurriedly left the room.

We rushed down the long corridor to the southernmost end of the mansion, stopping before the guest room farthest from the study.

I knocked, but there was no response.

When the head butler announced “Excuse me” and opened the door, dusty air spilled out.

“……”

The perfectly made bed. Furniture showing no signs of use, covered in dust. A withered plant pot by the window. Not even a hint of cleaning.

Seeing this cold space that seemed detached from time itself, we were speechless.

“I showed him to this room.”

“Did you?”

“N-no. I noticed he had disappeared. I instructed the servants to guide him to a room if they saw him…”

“Confirm with all the servants immediately.”

“Yes!”

The flustered head butler quickly gathered all the mansion’s servants and began taking statements.

The servants spoke before me, trembling with fear.

Summarizing their testimonies, he had vanished inside the mansion after the head butler left the study, with no eyewitness accounts.

No caretaker had been appointed, and they had been told by the head butler to respond only if the call bell rang.

As these testimonies continued, the head butler grew increasingly pale, sweating profusely.

The head butler had been primarily responsible for handling him at that time.

His responsibility was grave.

“Without even a caretaker, not even meals were delivered.”

At my words, the servants flinched and stiffened.

“Since you didn’t call for him, we thought he wasn’t needed. Our deepest apologies.”

The head butler slumped forward as if collapsing.

What have they done…?

I swallowed my words as I was about to shout at him.

“…No, it was my fault for making him think I found him bothersome.”

Servants reflect their master.

They were merely treating him accordingly, as someone I didn’t want.

…In other words, this miserable situation was my responsibility.

I ordered them to clean the room immediately.

“Head butler.”

“Yes.”

I called the head butler who was giving instructions. He had served since my father’s time, but this couldn’t be overlooked.

“Once that’s done, pack your belongings.”

“!? Master.”

“I believe I ordered you to ‘take care of him.'”

“……”

“I have no need for those who disobey orders.”

“…Yes.”

I turned my back on the bowed head butler and left the room.

Nia and I trudged back down the corridor.

The moment I sat in the study chair, a long sigh escaped me.

“Can I still make amends?”

I leaned my elbows on the desk and covered my face.

Bitter regret tightened my throat.

“If I may be so bold. Isn’t it about what you wish to do, Your Excellency?”

Nia’s voice was low and calm, but her hands trembled slightly.

Logically, I could insist on terminating the contract and declaring the engagement unnecessary, making everything disappear.

But wouldn’t that mean disregarding that young man and greedily taking only the results?

That person made significant contributions to this territory that I, with my cold attitude, was supposed to protect.

I couldn’t sever our relationship without even expressing gratitude.

But he held no hopes for me.

That’s why I couldn’t even learn his name.

That fact weighed heavily on my chest.

“Wasn’t that person… an incompetent fool with no interest in alchemy?”

Even to my socially inept ears had reached the rumors about the foolish son of the Kreuz territory.

That’s precisely why I found him so bothersome.

But that was completely false.

The medicines he created were of exceptional quality, and he anticipated and materialized what people needed.

His understanding of the territory, his ability to read the people’s desires, and his skill as an alchemist.

And above all, his willingness to use his abilities selflessly for others.

Someone of his caliber would never be called a foolish son.

“Better late than never, shall I conduct an investigation?”

“…Please do.”

Back then, I was simply angry about being forced into a troublesome engagement.

I intended to formally accept the engagement, have him stay quietly in the mansion, and terminate it when the time came.

But now, that wouldn’t suffice.

That person had contributed to this territory, creating a debt of gratitude I couldn’t repay.

I wanted to repay him.

And I realized I didn’t want to let him go.

To put it simply, I had become attracted to him.

His intelligent mind, beautiful face, dignified demeanor, and confidence and pride in his work.

Everything about him was appealing to me.

I wanted him to smile at me alone, not with that artificial smile.

I wanted the right to call his name directly.

And half a month later.

An urgent report arrived.

Nia opened the seal and handed it to me.

“The Kreuz territory seems to be beyond saving.”

“Yes.”

Just reading a few lines gave me a headache.

The previous lord had been a hero who created the cure for the epidemic that swept the nation.

He distributed medicine freely even to the poor, saving people across the country regardless of status.

But on his way back from the royal capital, he was attacked by bandits and lost his life.

The lord and his wife had only one son.

But since he was underage, his uncle and aunt became acting rulers of the territory.

Now, the person I’m dealing with is that acting lord.

With each line describing the conduct of the uncle, aunt, and their son, my chest ached dully.

The uncle who became acting lord was devouring Kreuz.

Without knowledge of alchemy, he merely used the “Kreuz territory medicine” name for profit, creating inferior medicines and ravaging the territory.

He kept all the earned money for himself, forcing the people into poverty.

And the one appearing in high society as the “Baron Kreuz’s son” was that uncle’s son.

He was the one rumored to be the ‘foolish son.’

“…So, the rumored prodigal son was that one.”

“Yes. Lord Ash is the legitimate successor to the Kreuz territory.”

“…What have I done?”

A little investigation would have revealed this immediately.

When the legitimate successor came of age, the uncle would lose his position as acting lord.

That’s why he used the engagement proposal to me to push him off.

If he married and changed his name, the uncle could obtain Kreuz through legitimate means.

“No matter how busy I was, it’s my responsibility for neglecting even minimal verification…”

“I too was angry, thinking an engagement at this time was unreasonable, and neglected proper investigation. My apologies.”

If only, back then.

—If I had tried to know him even a little.

Would he have been smiling by my side?

No matter how much I regret, time won’t turn back.

As I sighed, Nia began conveying the rest of the report.

“Additionally, the increase in alchemists in Graphica over recent years is Lord Ash’s achievement.”

“His? What do you mean?”

“Competent alchemists who weren’t properly treated in the Kreuz territory admired Lord Ash and migrated here.”

“It seems they were buying the medicines they made at unfairly low prices and threatening to withhold materials if they refused,” Nia read from another report.

“…So that’s why so many alchemists came to Graphica.”

“If we let Lord Ash go, the alchemists would likely leave too.”

Nia’s words sank heavily in my chest.

“…For now, I have no choice but to apologize sincerely and start over.”

“Yes. I will assist you with all my strength.”

The road ahead was difficult, but I had no more doubts.

It didn’t matter if he wouldn’t forgive me.

I just wanted to bow my head and apologize to him.

As many times as it takes for him to understand.

And if possible.

I wished that someday he would smile at me.

I found myself hoping for that.

But at that time, I was still naive.

You can’t earn forgiveness with kindness alone.

I would come to learn painfully well how difficult it is to restore spilled trust.