I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 84

The letter contained the news that, as Donat had said, Eleanor’s title had been revoked. The fact that such an insignificant piece of information had arrived so quickly, despite the fact that the Ministry of Permits was half-paralyzed while the Duke of Bormia was resting, meant that it had been sent intentionally.

“Since you are now officially a commoner, you must register your original name. It says to write it here and return it.”

With this, the distance between her and Lian, who had the highest status in the empire, had grown even further. She tried not to let it bother her, but she couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in her mouth. To hide it, Eleanor spoke lightly, as if nothing were wrong.

“This is awkward. I don’t remember my original family name.”

As an extra whose name wasn’t even mentioned, and who had never met her family, Eleanor had never heard her maiden name. Maybe, like most commoners in the empire, she only had a given name and no family name.

While she was thinking that, Lian quietly opened his mouth.

“Eleanor Merville.”

Eleanor blinked and asked, “Is that my family name?”

“Yes, it is,” Lian replied, nodding. “I found out when I was looking for who and where you were after I fell for you.”

He seemed a little embarrassed that he had looked into it secretly, but thanks to him, she had found a name that was about to be forgotten.

“Eleanor Merville…”

Eleanor said the name aloud. Although it was her original name, she didn’t know if it suited her; it only felt awkward.

“If you don’t like it, how about registering with a different family name?” Lian suggested subtly to Eleanor, who was hesitating and couldn’t write it down readily.

“Change it? To what?”

“Well,” Lian said, drawing out the word, then a subtle smile appeared on his handsome face. “How about Eleanor Calabria?”

Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, but Eleanor responded with a cool retort. “You’re putting that tongue to good use as soon as it’s healed.”

“…Please don’t talk about that time.”

“Why not? It was cute. Don’t you like it anymore?”

Lian sighed at Eleanor’s teasing. “Maybe it would have been better to just cut it off.”

“Don’t say things like that, even as a joke.”

Seeing Eleanor’s serious face, Lian tilted his head and asked, “Then will you make sure I don’t regret having my tongue left?”

What did that mean? Eleanor, who was momentarily stunned, realized that Lian was staring intently at her lips. Understanding his meaning, she put on a demure expression.

“You were definitely cuter back then.”

“What I said might have been different, but what I thought inside never changed.”

His playful gaze turned a little hotter. Thinking that she shouldn’t be doing this, Eleanor turned her head slightly. Then Lian’s gaze, which had been on her lips, moved down a little further.

“You’re still wearing it,” he murmured, his eyes fixed on her neck. He reached out a finger and touched the necklace he had given her. “We were supposed to take it off when I came back.”

“I don’t think it’s time yet,” Eleanor said, gently pushing his hand away. “We promised the Duchess we’d stop thinking about things like that for now. Let’s take it off when everything is over.”

“Then will you be tied to my side until then?”

Lian’s face, his eyes shining, was so elegant that she felt a tickling sensation. Eleanor dropped her gaze, her eyelashes fluttering.

“Well, I’ve also been training to escape from restraints. I might run away at any time, just like the Count did.”

“Are you going to run away again?”

“Hmm, depends on how you do.”

When she answered with a chuckle, Lian lowered his head and whispered, “Don’t go. I’ll be a good boy.”

His earnest eyes and gentle voice. The man, a head taller than her, once again felt like a big puppy. This wasn’t the time for it, but just talking to him made her heart pound, and a sweet atmosphere spread between them.

It was while the two of them were enjoying that subtle atmosphere.

“Commander. I have a report.”

The door burst open almost at the same time as the knock. The person who entered was Eli. It seemed he knew that Lian was with Eleanor. Perhaps because he was interrupted, Lian’s voice was a bit stiff as he asked, “What is it?”

“A nobleman from the Empire has sent a challenge, condemning Count Calabria’s disloyalty.”

“A duel?”

Eleanor was very surprised. It wasn’t because she felt a sense of danger, but because it was pure astonishment. ‘Who in the world wants to throw their life away?’

To send a challenge to the empire’s greatest knight. She was very curious as to who that crazy opponent was.

“Who sent it?”

In response to Lian’s question, Eli gestured to the butler who had followed him in. The butler then held out a red envelope on a golden tray to Lian. When he opened it and looked at the card inside, Lian’s expression hardened.

“What’s wrong? Is it someone you know?”

Lian did not answer Eleanor’s question. “My apologies. I’ll be taking my leave.”

With those words, Lian left the room.

“Good morning, Claude.”

Claude frowned at Minaz, who was greeting him.

“Are you drinking in the morning?”

In Minaz’s hands were two glasses of champagne that sparkled like jewels. He handed one to Claude and said slyly, “Knights going to the battlefield always drink the wine offered by a beautiful woman.”

“I am a judge, not a knight.”

Despite his curt reply, Claude took the champagne.

“Cheers. Drink up and gain strength to strip that malicious facade off in front of the public.”

Claude stared at the seemingly agitated Minaz for a moment and then asked, “Since when did you dislike the Princess so much?”

“Huh?”

“You seem particularly angry.”

It seemed like there was more to it than just simple anger. It was a half-guess, but Minaz looked embarrassed.

“Did it show?”

“What happened?”

Minaz refilled his glass with more champagne and said, “Mikhail has joined the roster for the Troian Conference.”

Rowen’s brows furrowed. Mikhail Avlot. He was Minaz’s younger brother, who was twenty years old this year.

“He’s in the Troian Conference? Why?”

“The Princess strongly recommended it, so I hear.”

Even if the Princess had recommended it, he had never heard of a direct descendant of a dukedom attending the Troian Conference. Minaz added, as if to supplement his explanation, “I heard that when he entered the Felicity Academy, he couldn’t adapt properly and was bullied by those around him. The Princess, who was a lower-class student at the time, stepped in and protected him a lot. I was grateful at the time, but…”

Minaz trailed off for a moment and took a sip of champagne.

“Considering the case of Biancasta Weiss… I wonder what it was like.”

Minaz’s suspicion was valid. It was unnatural for a direct descendant of one of the empire’s five major dukedoms to be bullied at the academy. Moreover, although Mikhail was a little timid, he had a pleasant appearance and decent social skills. It seemed highly likely that some strange scheme was at play.

“Does Mikhail want the title?”

“I don’t know. He’s never shown any inclination, but if he’s attending the Troian Conference, then he must, right? Wanting it is the normal thing to do, after all.”

The Empire did not prohibit women from inheriting titles, but in cases where there were both a son and a daughter, the son usually inherited the title, even if the daughter was older. The reason Mikhail did not become the Duke of Abrot was that he was only five years old when the former Duke of Abrot died.

Minaz was 32 this year, and there was a considerable age gap between her and Mikhail. She had been known for her intelligence since she was a girl and had already come of age at the time.

“Even then, there was a strong voice saying that the title should be passed on to my younger brother. My aunt and uncle still think poorly of me. Around the time he came of age, they even put pressure on me to give up the title, saying I was unqualified as a duke.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Claude said, dismissing the idea in a stiff voice. “Just four years after you became duke, you neatly resolved the territorial dispute, and the border area, which used to cause trouble periodically, has also become quiet. All the recent agreements are being effectively maintained.”

“Oh. You didn’t fall asleep in class and listened well.”

Claude’s frown deepened as Minaz giggled. “Are you going to be like this when I’m trying to praise you?”

“My bad, my bad. It sounds good, so keep going.”

Claude put on a dissatisfied expression but did not take back what he had said. “While there’s no disagreement that you greatly harm the dignity of a duke, you are a suitable person as the Duke of Abrot, who is in charge of diplomacy. Saying you are unqualified is absurd.”

Although she usually appeared to be a bit loose and carefree, she had the reputation of a natural genius when it came to diplomacy. Her skill of making her opponent let their guard down with a slightly clumsy impression and then thoroughly getting what she wanted was nothing short of a textbook example of diplomacy.

“Well, for that reason, what you’re doing has become very important to me. I hope you give that unpleasant woman a proper blow.”

Since he had taken on the task from the beginning, he had intended to carry it out perfectly, but now his resolve was even firmer. Claude gave a solemn nod and then emptied the glass of champagne Minaz had given him.

Eleanor climbed the tallest tower of the Calabria Count’s residence and looked down at the outside. The wide plaza beyond the vast garden was packed with a countless number of people. They had gathered to watch the trial of Adrian Eunice and Princess Eileen Hascatore.

Eleanor also wanted to attend, but since her status had been downgraded to a commoner, she could not enter the noble’s seating area. It might be possible to watch from a distance, but mixing with the huge crowd at a time like this would not be a wise choice.

She had no choice but to watch from the tower using the alchemist’s magnifying glass. Fortunately or unfortunately, she had a live broadcast with her.

[Why is the Chief Justice of the Law Ministry a young boy who looks like a gigolo?]

Beatrix grumbled as she saw Rowen entering the courtroom. She had agreed to relay the general details in exchange for a single jeweled pin that Eleanor had given her.

[It’s starting now.]

Today was the first trial. Commoners were sentenced and punished in a single trial, but nobles of the Empire had three opportunities for trial in total. While they were not presided over by different courts like in modern times, it was not uncommon for a verdict to be overturned in each trial. This was probably because appealing to the jury in real-time was crucial.

[That noisy boy is up there.]

Beatrice still referred to Adrian, who had been groaning in pain after his arm was cut off, by that name.

[A woman of such high nobility that she cannot be opposed used her position and status to kidnap me and inflict unendurable pain. I lost a precious arm that was given to me by God and my parents for an unjust reason, was abused underground for a long time, and would have been murdered if not for someone’s salvation.]

Beatrice had quite a talent for acting and mimicked Adrian’s tone very well. After Adrian’s passionate appeal, Claude’s questions began.

[What was the reason that woman kidnapped you?]

[The reason was that she wanted to punish her friend who had betrayed her.]

[Who is that friend?]

[It is Marchioness Biancasta Weiss.]

When Biancasta’s name was mentioned, a roar of boos came from the public. It must have been because of her reputation as a villainess. This was not a good direction.

[Then who saved you?]

[It was Count Lian Floyd Calabria. He liberated me from the unjust confinement.]

However, Claude’s clever question turned the boos into cheers. The public’s support for Lian was unwavering.

[Reveal the name of the person who confined and abused you.]

The timing was perfect. Adrian slowly turned his head toward the girl standing on the opposite platform.

[I accuse the Princess of the Empire, Eileen Hascatore.]

A deafening roar of cheers filled the plaza.

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