Chapter 4.2

Despite the Count’s dissatisfaction, the delays were inevitable under such circumstances. The butler could only stand with his hands clasped, silently apologizing.

“It seems I’ll have to stay here for a while longer….”

Heizen, too, seemed to understand the situation. Resigned, he glared at the skeletal castle wall.

“Have the wall between the bedroom and the adjacent study torn down. Seal off the study’s door entirely.”

The butler didn’t understand the reason behind such an order but dutifully agreed.

“And replace all the furniture in the bedroom. Spare no expense—make it as cozy as possible.”

Everything had to be ready by the time Heizen returned from Troskan. He emphasized this repeatedly to the butler.

Though he was uneasy, most preparations were complete. Now, all that remained was for the ring to be finished, and he could set off.

Two days before his planned departure, however, bad news arrived from Albert.

There’s no need for you to come all this way for such a trivial matter. My wife wants to send a gift to express her gratitude to you, Count, so we’ll include it when the time comes.

What a considerate gesture. To Heizen, however, it was like a bolt from the blue—and not in the least bit appreciated.

Even after receiving the long-awaited ring, Heizen felt no joy. He was once again consumed by worry. If he insisted on going to Troskan despite being told not to, they might grow suspicious and question his motives.

He needed his visit to Troskan to seem natural, as though Rizle’s disappearance during his stay was purely coincidental. Otherwise, the Marquis of Thruella might immediately suspect Heizen and come after him in Boeur. The villa in Kabakia was meant to serve as a contingency plan, but there was still no news from there.

In the end, Heizen had no choice but to write back, thanking Albert for his thoughtfulness. He also added a request to be invited if a party were to be held. Once again, he refrained from mentioning Rizle, using the excuse of wanting to greet the Marquis of Thruella instead.

Not long after, the gift Albert had promised arrived. Heizen didn’t even bother to open it, shoving it into a corner of his study.

His focus remained solely on two things: an invitation to a party from Troskan, or news that they had finally found a villa in Kabakia.

The rain eventually stopped, and the castle walls were repaired smoothly. The wall between the bedroom and the study was torn down, allowing the bookshelves to be visible from the bed. Yet, the two pieces of news Heizen was waiting for remained elusive, as if intercepted by someone.

Heizen grew restless. If things continued at this pace, he feared he might hear news of Rizle’s marriage before anything else.

“Should I just head to Troskan?”

Surely they wouldn’t turn away a visitor at the gates. They might even welcome him. After all, Heizen Warkliber was not yet an enemy who had stolen their daughter but a benefactor who had saved their son.

They might wonder why he came despite having sent his belongings, but eventually, they would let their guard down. When that moment came, he would take Rizle and escape.

“If the Marquis of Thruella comes after me, I’ll deal with it then. For now, securing her is my priority…!”

Overcome with anxiety, Heizen’s thoughts began to spiral. Just as he was losing his grip on reason, good news arrived from Albert.

It was an invitation to a party.

Finally, the opportunity had come. He immediately sent back his acceptance, ensuring that his visit wouldn’t arouse suspicion. For the first time in what felt like ages, Heizen’s life seemed to be moving in the right direction.

Upon arriving at Troskan Castle, Heizen first expressed his gratitude to the Marquis of Thruella, as he had used this as his excuse. Then, he attended the party, pretending to have no ulterior motives.

He didn’t enjoy the party. It wasn’t in his nature to revel in such events, and while he outwardly appeared composed, his mind was racing.

He fiddled with the teleportation stone hidden in his pocket—a rare and expensive artifact acquired through shadowy channels in the East. With it, he could instantly travel to Boeur. However, the castle’s protective barrier, set up by a mage, rendered it useless inside the premises.

First, he needed to get Rizle out of the castle. To avoid detection, he planned to use paths that were rarely traveled. Fortunately, having once worked in Troskan Castle, he was familiar with its layout.

Once outside, he would use the teleportation stone to take Rizle to Boeur. He would then return to Troskan and wait until morning. By then, the castle would be in chaos over Rizle’s disappearance.

‘The young lady has vanished?’

Feigning shock and concern, he would seize the opportunity to present a letter to Albert. The letter, a forgery he had prepared in advance, would report that Imperial forces were gathering near the border and request Albert’s immediate return to Boeur.

Wishing Albert luck in finding his sister, Heizen would calmly leave the castle and return to Boeur. It was a flawless plan. All that remained was to wait for Rizle to be alone.

“There are too many men approaching her…”

From afar, Heizen observed Lord Lido, Viscount Lambus, and others striking up conversations with Rizle. Even more men watched her from a distance.

Heizen’s frustration boiled over. After what felt like an eternity, Rizle rose from her seat and headed somewhere. Heizen quietly followed her.

Slightly unsteady from the alcohol, Rizle staggered out of the banquet hall and into the garden. She swayed heavily at one point, nearly falling, but managed to steady herself.

Concerned, Heizen quickened his pace to close the distance between them.

“Young lady.”

Rizle didn’t hear his call and continued walking unsteadily into the garden. She eventually collapsed onto a bench covered in snow.

Leaning back, she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, her breath visible in the cold air. She reached into the snow, touched it, and then rubbed her cold hand against her cheek.

Crunch, crunch. Hearing the sound of footsteps on snow, Rizle slowly opened her eyes. Standing before her was Heizen Warkliber.

“Oh my, Count Warkliber!”

Rizle widened her eyes in surprise before folding them prettily and bursting into laughter.

“How did you get here?”

“I was invited.”

“No, no. What I mean is, ahaha!”

She suddenly broke into laughter again, as if something amused her. Heizen knew it was because she was drunk, but it still lifted his mood. Rizle usually either looked disappointed or troubled whenever she responded to him. Seeing her laugh so freely like this was a first.

“What I mean is, just a moment ago, you were definitely in the banquet hall. How did you suddenly appear in front of me like this?”

After laughing for a while, Rizle finally spoke.

Heizen wanted to make her laugh again. But he couldn’t possibly admit that he had secretly followed her, could he?

He changed the subject.

“So you knew I was in the banquet hall.”

It sounded almost like a complaint. Heizen realized he might have been sulking without realizing it. Despite their eyes meeting several times earlier, Rizle hadn’t acknowledged him at all.

“Of course! How could I not? You were standing there, looking like this.”

Rizle furrowed her brows and pressed at the crease with her forefinger. Her drunken state made her movements clumsy, and she kept missing her mark.

“I was tense.”

Rizle lowered her hand and looked up at Heizen. With every exhale, a puff of white breath escaped her slightly parted lips.

“Tense? Why would you be tense?”

Rizle tilted her head, as if stretching, and rotated it as she thought about why Heizen might be tense. Then, as if something clicked, she exclaimed loudly, “Ah!”

“You must have someone you like at the party today!”

“……”

“I’m right, aren’t I? I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I?”

Certain she had guessed correctly, Rizle covered her mouth with both hands and giggled. Heizen didn’t deny it. Whether she was perceptive or clueless, she wasn’t wrong.

“Count Warkliber, I thought you weren’t interested in women, but it turns out you have someone you like.”

“……”

“The ladies must be disappointed.”

“Ladies?”

Heizen’s confusion slipped out as he wondered whom she was referring to. Seeing his clueless expression, Rizle let out a surprised sound and exaggeratedly shook her head.

“You don’t know? Everyone was so eager to dance with you. When you didn’t dance with anyone, they were all so disappointed. So disappointed.”

Speaking on behalf of the women, Rizle emphasized her words syllable by syllable. Though she intended to scold him, she couldn’t help but laugh. She must have had too much to drink.

“And you?”

Heizen asked.

“Did you also wish to dance with me?”

“If I were close to you, perhaps I might have wanted to. But we failed to become close, didn’t we? Because you dislike me….”

Rizle trailed off, lowering her head.

Heizen’s heart raced as he anxiously waited for her response. His eyes widened in disbelief.

How could she think that? Did she really believe I disliked her all this time?

“Young Lady, that’s not true.”

He tried to explain, but Rizle didn’t lift her head. Nor did she respond.

Heizen’s mind went blank. Just moments ago, she had been laughing and the mood had been pleasant. Now, he was flustered and didn’t know what to do. Panicking, he knelt on one knee.

“Young Lady.”

At his call, Rizle flinched and raised her head.

“I wasn’t asleep. I wasn’t sleeping, Count Warkliber! What brings you here?”

She asked again, as if she had forgotten their earlier conversation. She stared at Heizen with a puzzled expression.

Unsure of how to respond, Heizen hesitated before pulling a ring from his pocket.

“I came because I have something to say to you.”

His voice was serious as he held out the ring to Rizle.

“I would like you to spend the rest of your life with me.”