Chapter 10
It was truly a troublesome situation.
Until I arrived at the Duke’s residence, I couldn’t recall what gift I had prepared.
“Then I’ll be talking with the Duke.”
Milliam, who had stepped out of the carriage, took out a pocket watch.
The ticking hands of the watch.
He read the time from it.
“See you here in 42 minutes. If you’re late again, I’ll leave without you.”
As if even the time to hear a response was a waste, Milliam walked ahead first.
With a steady stride, too.
Is he even human?
While I was lost in thought, the butler of the Izakhel household approached.
The elderly butler, who looked seasoned, greeted me.
“Welcome. Are you here to celebrate Lady Bella’s birthday?”
I silently extended my left hand to him, who bowed politely.
More precisely, the black ring on my left finger.
It was an obsidian ring engraved with the black lion symbolizing the Ruelberta Family.
Every notable noble family in the Empire had at least one item symbolizing their house.
And it often served as a kind of identification.
But upon seeing it, the old butler’s expression brightened.
“Ah…! You’re from Ruelberta! Welcome! We’ve been expecting you!”
Huh?
“Pleased to meet you. I am Bastian, the head butler of Izakhel. From now on, I will personally escort you to the young lady.”
Hmm?
The old butler even sparkled his eyes.
This was strange.
‘Instead of being wary upon hearing the name Ruelberta, they’re welcoming me….’
Is there another family as infamous as Ruelberta in the Empire?
Cursed for generations, unable to use magic.
The heads of the family died young for unknown reasons.
Moreover, the current head, Milliam, is known as an eccentric.
The name Ruelberta should definitely be a target of caution.
Or is there some setting I’m unaware of?
For now, I decided to quietly follow the head butler.
He led me to the back of the massive mansion.
There, a beautifully decorated garden was laid out.
A garden that seemed to hold the scenery of spring.
In the midst of that spring, I saw nobles of my age enjoying a tea party.
“…What are those kids doing?”
“Ah, they are guests invited to Lady Bella’s birthday. They are enjoying a banquet there.”
Huh?
Wasn’t I invited too?
As if reading my confusion, Bastian smiled and said,
“That’s the ‘waiting room.’”
“Waiting room?”
“Yes. They are all waiting for their ‘turn.’ Of course, Lord Tristan, you don’t need to go there.”
I was about to ask what that meant, but I felt gazes from behind and turned around. Several nobles in the garden were staring at me.
I could read the emotions in their eyes.
Jealousy, envy, inferiority, and hatred.
‘…What’s this?’
My confusion was short-lived as Bastian opened the back door of the mansion.
“Please come in.”
I entered through the back door, receiving glares from numerous nobles.
It felt like I was being given special treatment, which made me uneasy.
But soon, I couldn’t help but be amazed by the scene before me.
‘This is ridiculously luxurious….’
The place seemed like a space prepared for special guests.
Gold-plated decorations and furniture made of luxurious wood.
Even the floor tiles were made of the finest stone, creating an ultra-luxurious room.
I couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
My traits, ‘Tycoon’ and ‘Calculation,’ were estimating an astronomical sum.
The sense of incongruity I felt upon arriving at the mansion was precisely this.
A mansion excessively luxurious, though not as much as Ruelberta’s.
‘This must be Izakhel during its prosperous era….’
The Izakhel I was transmigrated into was a poor family, unable to uphold the dignity of a ducal house.
If Tristan hadn’t lent them a huge sum of money, they might have already disappeared.
The reason Duke Fred couldn’t defy Tristan was precisely because of the enormous debt.
Since Tristan held the lifeline of the ducal house, he could even force the engagement with Bella.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
After Bastian left, I was left alone in the luxurious room.
Everything in the room felt unfamiliar, but what caught my eye the most was the pile of gifts in the center.
There were hundreds of gift boxes there.
It felt like Christmas had come early.
But today wasn’t Christmas.
Upon closer inspection, the gift boxes had the names of nobles written on them.
All were birthday gifts for Bella.
It was a scene that showed the status of the ducal house and how many nobles had feelings for Bella.
‘Hmm?’
I found a torn gift box.
I casually picked up the protruding contents.
It was a bear doll with no sender’s name written on it.
I took the bear doll out of the box.
It was undoubtedly the cheapest gift among those present.
+
Name: Cheap Bear Doll
Description: A bear doll made of low-quality stuffing and scrap fabric. Crude, but infants would love it.
Estimated Value: 5,000 Kael.
+
It was too shabby and out of place as a gift for the daughter of a ducal house.
Who could have brought such a gift?
But my curiosity ended there.
“I’ve been waiting eagerly, Tristan.”
I quietly put the bear doll down and turned around.
There stood a silver-haired girl with her hair braided into two.
“You’ve been ignoring all my private invitations, so what brings you here this time?”
“…I just came to celebrate your birthday.”
Sapphire-like blue eyes.
Legs as long as a child model’s.
Except for being younger, she looked exactly like Bella Izakhel now.
Well, there was one difference.
“Hehe. You’re not here just because you wanted to see me, right?”
Bella giggled.
Her smile was far from that of a cliffside flower…
“You’re lucky. Usually, on my birthday, many men just leave their gifts and go without even meeting me.”
It wasn’t the noble smile of a saint either.
“So be grateful. Someone as beautiful as me is meeting you.”
She was just a spoiled brat who relied on her looks to act out.
Bella stared intently at my face and said,
“Hmm… You’re not bad looking up close.”
“Not bad?”
“Handsome. You.”
“……”
Ugh.
Somehow, it gave me chills.
Bella, who usually scorned me as the Pig Count, was calling me handsome.
Not only that, but she was giving me the look of a girl completely in love.
It was then that I realized one thing.
At this time, Bella didn’t have any ill feelings toward Tristan.
In fact, she had a crush on him.
Shocked by this revelation of a backstory I didn’t know, I was speechless. Bella changed the subject.
“Ahem, so what are you doing? Today’s my birthday. Hurry up and congratulate me.”
Bella extended her hand.
Clearly, she was asking for a birthday gift.
It wasn’t out of defiance, but I didn’t feel like giving her anything.
However, for the sake of the story’s progression, I couldn’t refuse.
“Alright…”
Steeling myself, I reached into my jacket pocket.
I pulled out what my fingers touched and handed it to Bella.
Her brow furrowed as she saw what it was.
“What… is this?”
“A blank check.”
It was the result of simple elimination.
This was all I could give her right now.
“Do you think I don’t know what this is!? Why are you giving this to me?”
“It’s my gift.”
“…Are you joking right now?”
“I’m serious.”
Bella spoke as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Tristan. A gift is something you give with genuine feelings.”
“I’m giving it with my genuine feelings?”
“This just feels like a bribe…!”
Hmm. Is that so?
Annoyed, Bella threw the check back at me.
“I refuse this gift. Even if Ruelberta is wealthy, Izakhel is no less. Do you think our family is some kind of beggar?”
I almost said yes but held back.
I felt sorry for her family, which was destined to become destitute.
No, she didn’t know, but Izakhel was already drowning in debt.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that the ducal house would barely survive on the money I lent them later.
Even if I did, she wouldn’t believe me, and her pride would be deeply wounded.
“If you don’t like the gift, there’s nothing I can do.”
I decided to back down gracefully.
I gave the gift, but you didn’t accept it.
That should be enough to move on.
But Bella spoke with a triumphant attitude.
“Hoho. Don’t lie. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“……?”
As I tilted my head, Bella, with a knowing expression, picked up the bear doll I had touched earlier.
“I’m disappointed, Tristan. Did you hide this because it was too shabby to give as a gift? Well, no one would think this was a gift from the Count’s family.”
“……”
I couldn’t respond.
I truly had nothing to say.
But Bella seemed to like my reaction.
“Are you embarrassed? How cute, Tristan.”
Bella placed her hand on my cheek.
I got goosebumps.
It was something unimaginable given Bella’s current attitude.
No, actually, it wasn’t Bella who was strange.
It was because young Tristan had a devilish charm.
Looking at the wall clock, I said,
“It’s time. I’ll be going now.”
I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
Dealing with this princess-complex version of young Bella was extremely taxing.
But surprisingly, Bella let me go without a fuss.
“Alright. Hehe… I’ve seen a lot of your good sides today, so I’ll let you go.”
Her cute smile was indeed the face of the young Bella Izakhel, a peerless beauty.
I shrugged and walked away.
Then, Bella called out to the back of my head.
“Oh, by the way, what’s this bear doll’s name?”
Of course, I had never thought about it.
I was about to make up a random name, but something strange happened.
As if under a spell, only one name circled in my mind.
I spoke that name.
“Dmitri.”
