Chapter 7.5

“I’ll leave on my own. I’ll never set foot in the Dunmoa family again, so please tell Father that.”

Erika shook off Eva’s hand from her arm.

“Then write a letter of renunciation from the Dunmoa family.”

“Isn’t it pointless to write that unless Father formally disowns me?”

“I’ll take care of Father’s formal letter of disownment, so don’t worry about that.”

To leave a noble family, both a letter of disownment and a letter of renunciation were required.

Eva wanted Erika out of the family because once she left, there would be almost no noble willing to propose to her.

Of course, true love could overcome the fact that she was a non-noble, but there was no nobleman who would love Erika without any strings attached, especially since she had no noble connections. In that sense, Eva’s actions were effectively cutting off Erika’s chance to ever marry into nobility again.

That was exactly what Erika wanted.

After Erika signed the letter Eva handed her, Eva smiled in satisfaction and produced a maid’s uniform and a wig she had prepared in advance.

“Put this on and follow behind me. Keep your head down at all times—someone might recognize your face.”

“All right.”

Erika disguised herself as Eva instructed and followed her out of the room.

* * *

Kainel was still waiting for Erika to return, refusing to leave the house. He still didn’t know where she was.

The Hartwig family’s information network was quite powerful, so he thought he would find out quickly, but the fact that he hadn’t meant that someone was interfering.

He suspected the culprit was Baron Dunmoa. However, with only suspicion and no evidence, he couldn’t confront him directly.

He couldn’t just barge into a noble family’s home without any connection. If only he had proof, he could go and demand Erika’s return right away, but that was what frustrated him.

“Your Grace, why not give up and return to the Grand Ducal house?”

The person most dissatisfied with his behavior was Earl Down.

While Kainel was away, the Grand Ducal house was piling up with work he needed to handle. Of course, he could delegate some things to his representative, but there were limits.

“Not yet.”

“Staying here won’t make Lady Dunmoa’s heart turn toward you.”

“What if my wife is moved by the sight of a husband waiting for her with all his heart? Maybe she’ll be touched and come to me.”

Earl Down had been staying at the house with Kainel, trying to persuade him, but Kainel was so adamant about not moving until he saw Lady Dunmoa that it was driving him crazy.

So, once again today, he had no choice but to argue with him. As a long-time friend and vassal, only he could get Kainel to listen.

“Ah, really! Let’s just go back to the Grand Ducal house and figure something out!”

Just as Earl Down lost his patience and shouted, there was suspicious movement outside the house.

“Who’s there!”

Just as Earl Down was about to run to the door, a wave of heat began to seep into the house.

Someone had set fire to the outside. Since the house was made of logs, the flames quickly spread throughout.

“It seems someone is trying to kill you, Your Grace. Who could be so foolish as to do such a thing. Good grief.”

Earl Down clicked his tongue as if he couldn’t believe it.

“With this, I think I know who took Erika. Tell the men waiting outside. Tell them to catch the arsonist!”

Covering his mouth with his arm, the Grand Duke spoke in a calm tone. He seemed relaxed, as if he had been waiting for the arson to happen.

“First, we need to get out of here before we can talk. And they’ll catch him on their own.”

Just as they were about to burst through the door in the midst of the flames, a large burning pillar collapsed and blocked their way.

“D*mn it.”

Cough, cough. Kainel was about to run to Earl Down, coughing dryly, when another large pillar crashed to the floor and struck the Grand Duke’s shoulder forcefully. It was a critical moment—if things went wrong, his body could catch fire.

“Your Grace!”

Earl Down’s urgent cry quickly disappeared amidst the flames.

* * *

Baron Dunmoa was waiting for news from his attendant. Getting rid of a mere commoner wasn’t difficult, but he wanted to be sure. If the man survived and sought revenge by breaking off the marriage, it would be a disaster.

If one rode a horse quickly from the village to the Dunmoa family, it could be reached in less than two days. But even after three days had passed, there was still no news, and the Baron was growing anxious.

Killing a commoner in secret wasn’t a problem, but if it was discovered, it would disgrace the family, so the longer it took for news to come, the more nervous the Baron became. He had bitten his lower lip countless times.

“Don’t tell me something went wrong?”

Just as he was about to send another attendant, worried that something had gone awry, the attendant returned. There was no reason for failure, so the Baron asked with confidence.

“So, it was a success, right?”

“Yes. It was successful, but…”

He was relieved to hear the answer he wanted, but contrary to his words, the attendant’s expression was not bright.

“If it was a success, what’s the problem?”

The hesitant attendant cautiously opened his mouth.

“The man who acted as Miss Erika’s husband was actually Grand Duke Hartwig.”

“Grand Duke Hartwig? What nonsense is that?”

Out of nowhere—Grand Duke Hartwig? Baron Dunmoa thought his attendant had gone mad.

“I-it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

Sensing the Baron’s gaze, the attendant confirmed it again.

“Is it really true? You’re not lying?”

“Yes. I have no reason to lie to you, Baron.”

Seeing the attendant’s pale face, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

Realizing only now what a huge mess he had caused, the Baron’s own face turned pale.

He had tried to get rid of the man pretending to be Erika’s husband without anyone knowing, but who could have guessed that the man playing the husband was Grand Duke Hartwig?

“Why was Grand Duke Hartwig pretending to be married to Erika?”

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand.

“I’m not sure. I only heard that he lost his memory for a while.”

To think she married the Grand Duke while he had lost his memory. What a brazen girl!

She was his daughter, but her actions were so bold that he was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how they had met, but did she think that if she made the amnesiac Grand Duke her husband, he would become her real husband?

He only intended to make money through her, not send her to a family with real power.

No matter how high-ranking a noble proposed to Erika, if he refused, that was the end. Erika should know that as well.

Could she be aiming to become the Grand Duke’s concubine by getting pregnant?

“So, what happened?”

“Um… The house burned down, and after that, they went missing.”

“D*mn it!”

It was already too late to order another rescue.

“There’s no way the Empire’s hero would die so easily, right? Or maybe, did you just mistake a similar-looking man for Grand Duke Hartwig?”

He wanted to deny it, but Baron Dunmoa’s voice was full of anxiety, and his body trembled. If it really was Grand Duke Hartwig, it would be a disaster.

To touch the Empire’s hero, who was trusted by the Emperor, was to become entangled with the Empire’s enemies. If he died, the peace of the Empire could be shattered. In the worst-case scenario, he could even be accused of treason.

What the h*ll have I done!

Terrified, Baron Dunmoa began to pack his things.

He wanted to believe the attendant had made a mistake, but somehow he felt he shouldn’t stay at the Dunmoa family right now. He had to hide somewhere else and watch the situation before deciding what to do.

He was hurriedly gathering what he needed and anything valuable when—

“B-Baron, something terrible has happened!”

Another attendant burst through the door in a panic. He was so rushed that he didn’t even knock.

“What is it, what’s wrong? If it’s not urgent, talk to me later.”

The Baron replied in an annoyed tone—he had no time for conversation.

“T-the thing is… Grand Duke Hartwig has arrived, leading his knights….”

Before the attendant could finish, his body collapsed to the floor, and immediately, men clad in armor began entering the Baron’s office.

“W-what do you think you’re doing! How dare you barge in here?!”

No matter how much he shouted, the knights showed no sign of stopping.

The captain of the House of Grand Duke Hartwig’s knights stopped in front of the utterly terrified Baron Dunmoa.

“We just heard who you tried to kill, didn’t we? Therefore, you are under arrest for the attempted m*rder of Grand Duke Hartwig. The arsonist has confessed that you gave the order.”

Only then did the Baron realize that the attendant knew the truth about Erika’s husband because it had been deliberately leaked. They hadn’t given him a chance to escape—they had warned him in advance of his crime. Just to frighten him.

D*mn it. I shouldn’t have given the order to kill.

Baron Dunmoa regretted it, but it was already too late.