Chapter 134
Chapter 134: It’s Not a Difficult Request (2)
‘This audacious guy came prepared from the start.’
Marquis Branford couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. Ghislaine’s boldness was commendable.
Under normal circumstances, anyone who hinted at such intentions would’ve faced immediate reprimand, but now, the situation was different.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Marquis Branford drummed his fingers on the armrest.
The people in the grand hall waited silently for his response.
Branford had never assumed the role of a guardian for anyone before.
To do so might cause his hard-earned honor and authority to collapse in an instant.
Ghislaine, observing the Marquis deep in thought, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
‘You said you would consider anything. Why are you hesitating?’
Ghislaine pouted, and Branford looked down at him with an indifferent expression.
‘This guy’s greed is no joke. Being a guardian will bring many headaches.’
Branford closed his eyes and pondered a bit longer.
‘But… among the young nobles I’ve seen lately, he does stand out.’
Reports had reached him that Ghislaine had made a name for himself after the war, but he wondered if he was too generous due to past misbehavior.
However, seeing Ghislaine’s antics firsthand made him feel that those reports had underestimated him.
‘There are some annoying aspects, but… it seems okay to push him forward.’
With a bit of time, Ghislaine would surely grow into a power that no one could ignore, even due to cosmetics.
Moreover, Ghislaine’s father, Duke Perdium, had absorbed Digald’s territory.
With a little extra support, it would be quite beneficial for the Crown Prince Faction.
After careful consideration, Marquis Branford slowly nodded his head.
“Alright.”
Everyone in the grand hall was taken aback by the unexpected response.
No matter how much a promise was made, to actually accept such an outrageous request!
Ignoring the astonishment around him, Branford straightened up and spoke firmly.
“I declare before all present. I, Marquis Branford, will act as the guardian of Baron Ghislaine Penris, supporting his endeavors. The enemies of the Baron shall be my enemies, and anyone who engages with him must remember that I stand behind him.”
With fierce eyes, Branford posed his final question.
“You must also consider my honor in all your dealings. Do you agree?”
“Yes, I will always act in a way that does not harm your honor, my lord.”
With his head bowed, Ghislaine wore a significant smile.
‘It worked!’
Now that he could receive help from Marquis Branford, it was time to handle the important matters he had set aside.
‘He wouldn’t have agreed just because he promised. He must think it benefits him to work with me.’
Marquis Branford was a seasoned politician who had seen it all.
If he truly disliked Ghislaine, he could have easily invented a myriad of excuses to refuse.
Yet, there had to be a reason for his acceptance.
‘Could he be planning to use me as a pawn against the Duke faction?’
There was a possibility that Ghislaine would be positioned directly against them.
However, Ghislaine was already at odds with them.
Even if the Marquis intended to use him, there was no reason for him to evade it.
After all, it would give him a solid excuse to openly seek help from the Marquis, which was rather good for him.
If the Marquis openly stood behind Ghislaine, it would make it quite tricky for Duke Delphine to meddle in the Perdium Territory.
‘This buys me a little more time. Those guys must be quite flabbergasted, right? Hehehe.’
They wouldn’t last long. In his previous life, the Crown Prince Faction had ultimately been devoured by the Delphine House.
But for now, Marquis Branford would serve as a sturdy shield.
Branford looked around the room and said,
“Retainers, remember that when you deal with Baron Penris, I am behind him. Butler, inform the royal family and other nobles of this fact.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The butler bowed his head in response.
Ghislaine scanned the faces of the Marquis’ retainers around him.
Shock, distrust, disdain—all kinds of negative emotions were evident on their faces.
Ghislaine smirked as he examined the retainers’ expressions one by one.
“I look forward to working well together. But why do you all seem displeased with me…?”
Before he could finish, the retainers simultaneously bowed their heads.
“Ah, so you really don’t even want to meet my gaze…?”
Ghislaine asked playfully. The retainers turned pale and quickly raised their heads again.
“Oh! You don’t hate me after all!”
“Ha, ha… Don’t be ridiculous.”
The retainers forced smiles, trying to hide their discontent.
It was unbelievable that people who had held their heads high before the nobles in the capital like retainers of a Marquis would show such behavior.
Ghislaine nodded with a satisfied and arrogant smile.
Marquis Branford, seeing this, chuckled in disbelief.
‘What a remarkable guy he is.’
In all his life, he had never seen someone so shamelessly bold.
‘But a guy with that kind of resolve is definitely worth supporting.’
If he’s asking for a guardian, he likely has high expectations.
Just as Branford was about to discuss this, a soldier guarding the door nervously spoke up.
“M-my lady has arrived.”
Marquis Branford raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“…Didn’t I tell you to have her come later?”
“I did pass that along, but…”
The butler replied with a perplexed expression.
“Well, since she’s come all the way here, there’s no need to send her back. Let her in.”
Creeeak.
The soldier carefully opened the grand hall door.
There stood Rosalyn, elegantly dressed in a refined gown, proudly lifting her chin.
Ghislaine slowly turned around.
Had she put on makeup, or was her face simply devoid of any redness?
The cold gaze and firmly sealed lips exuded her strong character.
That atmosphere was strikingly similar to that of Marquis Branford.
With graceful steps, Rosalyn entered the grand hall.
The butler rushed forward, delighted.
“Oh my, my lady! You’re already moving about, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“You look truly beautiful, all dressed up and made up after such a long time!”
“Why the embarrassment…? No, thank you. You’ve worked hard during this time.”
Rosalyn replied shortly with a faint smile before greeting Marquis Branford.
“Father, I’m sorry for not properly greeting you due to the commotion. Have you finished discussing with Baron Penris?”
“Yes, as compensation for treating you, I’ve agreed to become the guardian of that guy.”
At his words, Rosalyn’s eyes widened as she looked at Ghislaine.
He was the first person to gain such compensation from her father.
‘He really is an exceptional human.’
She wore a subtle smile and soon approached Ghislaine.
As Rosalyn drew nearer, Ghislaine wore a suspicious expression.
That enigmatic smile was quite bothersome.
‘She’s not acting cranky like usual, which is suspicious. She doesn’t look like someone who would thank me; what’s going on?’
Ghislaine suddenly recalled her words while he was treating her.
— You quack!
— I’m definitely going to kill you.
— You won’t die easily. I promise you that.
‘Hmm, that definitely seemed sincere. She wouldn’t actually come at me intending to kill me, right?’
Her influence was immense even without the power of her father, Marquis Branford.
And with a vengeful attitude, if she still harbored ill feelings towards Ghislaine, things could get quite troublesome.
In a world where many lunatics would kill someone simply due to wounded pride despite owing them a favor.
Especially since Ghislaine had acted quite aggressively, she might retaliate in kind.
‘Well… I could probably take a slap or two.’
Thinking about it, it was a bit harsh considering she was a noble lady.
Though that was just his character not caring about such matters, the same wouldn’t apply to her.
‘Still, I mean, I was just dedicated to her treatment. The atmosphere even improved in the end, right?’
While Rosalyn approached, everyone held their breath in nervous silence.
Within moments, Rosalyn seized the atmosphere and looked at Ghislaine as she spoke.
“Baron.”
She paused for a moment before placing her hand over her heart and slowly bowing her head.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to escape from the affliction that bound me like a curse.”
The sudden words of gratitude astonished everyone present.
‘Ah, she’s apologizing!’
Ghislaine also responded with a puzzled expression, slightly pulling back.
‘What’s going on with her today?’
Rosalyn lifted her head with an innocent expression, scanning her surroundings.
“Oh? Why is everyone looking at me like that? Is something the matter? Ah, perhaps it’s because it’s been a while since you’ve seen my face? Oh my, how embarrassing.”
Her blatant attitude of completely obliviousness left everyone blinking.
Unable to hold back, Ghislaine candidly asked,
“Um… are you really okay?”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
“You said until yesterday that you wouldn’t let me off…”
“When did I say that? I never say such harsh things.”
“About how you’d definitely kill me…”
“Oh my, it sounds like the treatment must have been exhausting for you. You might have been hearing things.”
Rosalyn turned to her maid following behind her and asked.
“Did I say such things?”
The maid, without blinking, replied with a poker face.
“No, you did not.”
“Look at this.”
Ghislaine’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
‘She’s acting like the threat to stab me with a dagger is still fresh in my mind, and now she wants to play dumb? Is this a new form of torment?’
In a voice full of grievance, he said,
“No, you called me a quack and said you would tear me apart and kill me!”
Swoosh!
Before Ghislaine could finish, Rosalyn opened her fan and covered her face.
While concealing her distorted expression behind the fan, she spoke with only her eyes visible.
“Oh please, I never said that! If others hear, they’ll misunderstand, so why do you keep doing this? Even if you’re a benefactor, it’s troublesome to tarnish a lady’s honor like this.”
The girlish tone sounded kind, but killing intent radiated from her eyes.
Ghislaine, seeing that gaze, awkwardly chuckled.
“Y-Yeah. I must have misheard.”
‘I get you want to brush this under the rug… but does it even hold any weight now? It seems pointless.’
Swoosh!
Once Rosalyn got the answer she wanted, she folded her fan and smiled gently.
“If I was disrespectful during the treatment, I hope you can forgive me.”
“…It’s alright. Just enduring the pain must have been impressive.”
He had to concede to her for enduring a treatment even the toughest man would struggle with.
Pleased with his response, Rosalyn smiled faintly.
“I will repay the favor of your treatment. I promise with all my power. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“No, thank you.”
Ghislaine firmly declined.
