Chapter 2.2

Just as Gilbert was about to take a step closer to Heizen, a voice interrupted them.  

“Hey, you two.”  

Albert opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Noticing the group gathered there, he approached them with a smile on his face.  

“What’s all this commotion about with the person you were supposed to bring along?”  

He chided his younger brother while casually draping an arm over Gilbert’s shoulder. Gilbert, determined not to lose to Heizen’s piercing gaze, focused all his energy on maintaining eye contact and didn’t respond to Albert’s words.  

Sensing the tense atmosphere between the two men, Albert deliberately let out a hearty laugh. Then, he grabbed Gilbert’s shoulder and forcibly turned him around.  

“Father and Mother are waiting. Let’s go.”  

Pushing Gilbert, who was reluctant to move, Albert gestured with his chin for Rizle to follow. Rizle threw a sharp glance at Heizen before quickly scurrying after her brothers.  

Left alone, Heizen watched their retreating figures when Albert suddenly turned back to him.  

“What are you doing? You’re part of the family now, so you should come along too.”  

“Why him!” 

Gilbert protested, clearly upset that his elder brother had unilaterally invited Heizen. Family meetings were meant to be attended by family members only. Even if Heizen had indeed proposed to Rizle, what did that matter? He was still an outsider.  

What right did he have to intrude? Gilbert’s strong sense of rejection flared.  

“No matter how much you favor him, there are places he belongs and places he doesn’t.”  

Rizle silently cheered for Gilbert. But Albert’s trump card was too strong.  

“Father specifically asked me to bring him along. He said he wanted to hear what he had to say.”  

The siblings had no choice but to comply. Gilbert, with eyes full of dissatisfaction, could only watch as Heizen walked into their father’s study.  

It was only then that Rizle belatedly realized she might actually end up marrying this man. She had always dreamed of becoming a couple with someone who genuinely adored her. At the very least, she wished for someone who didn’t dislike her.  

‘But Heizen Warkliber hates me!’  

Resolving to speak to her father properly, Rizle entered the study with a determined expression. Even though she had accepted the ring, she planned to ask him to reconsider the marriage!  

In the center of the study, the Marquis of Thruella was seated on a sofa. His hands rested on the armrests, and his face was filled with worry.  

To his right sat his wife, the Marchioness of Thruella, and to his left was Albert’s wife, Marika. Though their expressions weren’t as dark as the marquis’s, neither looked particularly cheerful.  

Albert sat next to Marika and pulled Gilbert to sit beside him. Though Gilbert swatted his brother’s hand away with a sullen expression, he obediently took a seat.  

Rizle was about to dash to her father’s side to declare that she couldn’t marry a man who frowned even while kissing her. But the Marchioness of Thruella caught her arm and pulled her to sit beside her instead.  

The marchioness smiled at her daughter, but her eyes were filled with anger.  

“You went through all that, and you didn’t say a word to me?”  

Strangely, the marchioness managed to convey her words to her daughter without moving her lips.  

“And couldn’t you have done something nice with your hair? What is this, appearing like this in front of the Count of Warkliber?”  

The marchioness tucked Rizle’s hair behind her ears, tidying it up. At least she hadn’t shown up in her nightgown—perhaps that was a small mercy.  

If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have left the task to someone else. She should have gone herself to fetch Rizle and ensured she was presentable. Despite the smile on her face, the marchioness’s mind was racing.  

“Take a seat.”  

While his wife was preoccupied with their daughter, the Marquis of Thruella gestured for Heizen to sit. With a glance, he indicated the chair opposite him.  

Though the family was seated on sofas, the chair was made of wood. It was clear that it had been brought in temporarily and didn’t belong in the room.  

Heizen immediately understood the marquis’s intent. Allowing him to attend the meeting didn’t mean he was being accepted.  

It was a cruel way of drawing a line, but Heizen didn’t seem flustered or offended. Calmly, he sat on the wooden chair. Fortunately, it was similar to the chairs he had used when working in this very house, so he didn’t find it uncomfortable.  

“I told you to wait in your room, but you’re quite impatient.”

The marquis remarked as Heizen took his seat.  

“This is an important matter. I couldn’t just sit idly by.”

Heizen replied.  

Though he accepted the uncomfortable seat, he didn’t adopt a submissive attitude. Sitting upright, he met the marquis’s gaze squarely.  

Rizle found Heizen’s composure fascinating. Aside from Albert, everyone in the room was openly hostile toward him. In a way, he was in enemy territory.  

Yet, even in the midst of such hostility, Heizen showed no fear. It seemed he truly possessed the courage that had once struck fear into the hearts of the imperial army.  

‘But what does that matter? He hates me.’  

As she secretly glared at him, Heizen suddenly turned to look at her. Startled, Rizle stiffened and hastily hid behind her mother. She could only manage to hide her head, as it was impossible to conceal her entire body.  

“What are you doing, Rizle? Sit properly. You look ridiculous.

The Marchioness of Thruella scolded.  

Rizle linked arms with her mother and used her to shield her face.  

“Are you embarrassed?”  

“No.”  

Though Rizle denied it, the marchioness didn’t believe her.  

Ah, young love. 

She assumed her daughter was too shy to even lift her head in front of Heizen.  

“Father, how could any man propose to the woman he loves and remain idle afterward?” 

Albert spoke up, defending Heizen. He recalled how nervous he had been when waiting for Marika’s family’s approval. Just thinking about it still made him sweat.  

Before Albert could ramble on, Marika interjected.  

“If he could remain calm, I’d question whether his love was genuine.”  

“Exactly!” 

Albert nodded enthusiastically.  

Leaning toward his father, Albert continued, 

“The count saved my life. He risked his own to rescue me, and thanks to him, I’m here today.”  

He recounted the story of how Heizen had charged into enemy lines to save him. It was a tale he had told many times before, but he repeated it to persuade his father.  

“If it had been me, I would’ve done the same.”

Gilbert muttered, twisting his lips.  

Had he been on the battlefield at the time, it wouldn’t have been Heizen but himself who saved Albert. Unfortunately, he had been stationed at Troskan Castle, and it pained him that he hadn’t been there.  

“And I wouldn’t have expected any grand reward or recognition for it.” 

Gilbert added.  

“Of course, I know you would’ve saved me. We’re family.”

Albert replied.  

But this led Albert to another thought.  

“On the other hand, the Count of Warkliber isn’t family, yet he still saved me. Doesn’t that make him like family?”  

“What nonsense!” 

Gilbert exclaimed.

He loved and respected his older brother, but this time, he thought his brother’s nonsense had gone too far. It seemed as though his judgment had been clouded after crossing the line of life and death.

“It’s not strange at all.”

“It is strange! Completely wrong, even!”

“Enough.”

The stern voice of the Marquis of Thruella silenced the squabbling sons. As the commotion finally subsided, the Marquis slightly raised his chin and looked at Heizen.

Although Heizen was a large and solid man, the Marquis was no less a picture of health and strength. Coupled with his years of experience, the aura he exuded was far beyond that of a mere elegant middle-aged man.

“When you received your fief from His Majesty, I heard you specifically requested the southernmost region. What was the reason for that?”

At this unexpected question, Albert and Gilbert turned their gazes simultaneously toward Heizen. Even Rizle, who had been desperately hiding behind her mother’s arm, peeked out.

“Did you wish to distance yourself from the influence of Thruella at Troskan Castle?” 

The Marquis questioned.

“Oh, come on, that couldn’t possibly be the case.” 

Albert replied, though his voice betrayed a hint of unease. Gilbert, on the other hand, glared at Heizen, as if he had expected this, eagerly awaiting his response.

The Marquis of Thruella did not snarl openly like Gilbert, but his blazing eyes revealed the fury simmering beneath. Heizen knew that if he uttered even a single word that could be taken as an excuse, the Marquis might expel him on the spot. He glanced briefly at Rizle.

When their eyes met, Rizle flinched in surprise. Heizen then turned back to face the Marquis and spoke.

“I only wished for my wife, who is sensitive to the cold, to live in a place that would be warmer.”

Rizle widened her eyes in surprise. His words implied that, even before receiving his fief, he had already been preparing to take her as his wife.

She had thought he disliked her. Would someone who disliked her act so deliberately?

Rizle’s heart began to flutter. Did he hate her? Or did he like her? She couldn’t make sense of his feelings.