Chapter 17 (Part 4)

And after a long duel, Grace emerged victorious, and what she demanded from the Imperial Family in return became the biggest topic of discussion.  

“So, is it true?”  

Nicholas, who had learned of the news belatedly, asked with a pained expression as he looked at his daughter standing before him.  

Grace, standing confidently with her back straight, acted as if there was no problem, ignoring her father pressing his temples as though he had a headache.  

“What’s the problem? Your daughter did well, earned a title, and even brought back a new estate.”  

The sheer absurdity of his eldest daughter’s reckless actions, something Nicholas had never even imagined, made his head throb.  

He had never voiced it, but he had always thought that Grace would be the one to succeed him.  

But why on earth did she bring back a new estate, and why did she accept a single-rank title?  

“Do you not wish to inherit from your father?”  

Hearing the voice filled with despair, Grace blinked as if hearing something unexpected.  

Then, pointing at herself with her finger, she asked for confirmation.  

“Me? You’re passing the title to me? Not Bella or Philip?”  

Her casual tone, as if such a thing had never even crossed her mind, made Nicholas shut his eyes tightly.  

Amelia, who had been watching beside him, patted her husband’s shoulder as if to console him.  

Grace, watching her parents, scratched her cheek awkwardly.  

“Well, I mean… you’ve never mentioned anything like that before…”  

Nicholas sighed deeply as he watched Grace dart her eyes around, knowing full well how absurd her words sounded even to herself.  

“Then what do you think all the education you’ve received from this family was for?”  

“Well, I just thought… because I’m not very smart.”  

Mumbling as if to justify herself, Grace added, “So I thought it was just extra lessons.”  

At her words, Nicholas covered his face with his hand.  

He had never doubted his daughter’s intelligence before, but now he felt as though his judgment had been completely off the mark.  

Amelia, who had been soothing her husband, spoke in a calm voice.  

“I can understand why you might have thought that way, but Grace, neither I as your mother nor your father has ever thought of you as lacking.”  

Grace averted her gaze and feigned indifference at Amelia’s kind words.  

During her academy years, she had caused her parents no end of frustration with her mediocre skills, and hearing that she wasn’t considered lacking made her feel embarrassed.  

“It’s just that the gap between the fields you’re interested in and the ones you’re not is quite large.”  

At Nicholas’s sighing remark, Grace winced.  

Unlike her academy education, the lessons she received within the family had been easy to follow. They were enjoyable, and she found them fulfilling.  

But at the academy, she hadn’t been interested in anything other than swordsmanship, and it was true that she hadn’t been motivated to try.  

“Well, um, Bella is smarter than me anyway.”  

As if trying to defend her own awkwardness, Grace said, but Nicholas looked directly at her and replied.  

“Do you think Bella, who is frail to the point of being delicate, can lead this family? Or do you think Philip, who likes to bumble his way through life, can take charge of the Lowell household?”  

At Nicholas’s pointed words, Grace pursed her lips tightly.  

If her younger siblings found out about this, they’d probably faint on the spot and run away as if their pants were on fire.  

They’d yell at her to take responsibility as the eldest.  

As Grace averted her gaze sneakily, Nicholas spoke in a stern voice.  

“You are forbidden from leaving the house for the time being.”  

“What?! Why?!”  

Forgetting to show respect, Grace shouted in protest. Amelia, who stood beside her, simply shook her head as though she had expected this.  

Nicholas answered in a firm voice.  

“There’s no one in this house who can stop you except your mother. So if you disobey my father’s orders…”  

Nicholas paused and gestured with his chin toward someone behind Grace.  

Dreading what she might see, Grace turned her head, and there stood Becky, trembling, having been summoned without her knowing.  

“Father!”  

“If you refuse to comply, I’ll dismiss this maid for failing to serve you properly.”  

“Father! How could you do that?!”  

Grace shouted, but Nicholas waved his hand dismissively, looking exhausted.  

“You will reflect on your actions while under house arrest.”  

Seeing the deep fatigue etched on her father’s face, Grace, who had been yelling moments ago, fell silent.  

Behind her, Becky cautiously called out to her.  

“…I’ll be taking my leave now.”  

Watching Grace’s slumped shoulders as she turned away, Nicholas clicked his tongue.  

Once the door closed, Nicholas leaned his head against Amelia and muttered.  

“It seems she’s finally starting to rebel against her father.”  

At the sight of Grace behaving in a way he had never seen before, Nicholas sighed deeply. Amelia stroked her husband’s head gently and laughed.  

Hearing his wife laugh, Nicholas frowned and tilted his head slightly to look up at her.  

“My wife, this is no laughing matter.”  

Amelia smiled softly at her husband, whose face was as serious as their daughter’s, and gestured toward the door.  

The attendants standing nearby quietly withdrew.  

When the sound of the door closing echoed again, Amelia perched lightly on the armrest of Nicholas’s chair.  

“Your Lordship, Grace must have her reasons.”  

“But, my wife, what if she truly decides to marry that young Lord Fernandez?”  

Amelia smiled at her worried husband.  

Though their marriage had been arranged, her husband was a good man who cherished her. Over time, their mutual affection had grown naturally.  

They had become each other’s most precious person.  

“Then so be it.”  

“My wife.”  

At Amelia’s resolute words, Nicholas frowned deeply.  

She knew well that his expression held both his dissatisfaction with Leonardo and his reluctance to let go of his daughter. Amelia spoke soothingly.  

“I know it bothers you that he’s a Fernandez, but he’s never once shown any ambition in politics.”  

At her words, Nicholas groaned and closed his eyes.  

There was nothing more he could say to that.  

Compared to his father, the Duke of Fernandez, the younger generation of the family showed so little interest in politics that they were almost eccentric.  

In fact, he had often heard the Duke complain about it.  

“So, let’s wait and see.”  

At Amelia’s words, Nicholas nodded with a grim expression.  

She, too, was curious about what decision Grace and Leonardo would ultimately make.  

But unlike her daughter, who bulldozed her way through life without looking back, she thought to herself,  

‘I’m curious what’s on your mind, young Lord Fernandez.’  

As she comforted her still-displeased husband, Amelia smiled faintly.

The story of Grace defeating the captain of the Imperial Knight Order and still being placed under house arrest by her family spread quietly among those who knew.  

Leonardo also heard the news.  

“Aren’t you going to visit her?”  

Caleb asked with a worried expression.  

Leonardo, who was working on paperwork, looked at him as if asking what he was talking about.  

Seeing the confusion in Leonardo’s eyes, Caleb avoided his gaze and spoke in a small voice.  

“Well, it’s just that Sir Lowell has been, um, placed under house arrest…”  

At his words, Leonardo stared at him silently for a moment before returning his focus to the papers.  

He already knew that Grace had been placed under house arrest and couldn’t come to the Knight Order—Grace herself had told him so.  

But Grace had also said not to worry about it.  

‘She said it was a family matter.’  

Honestly, though, if he were to admit it, her words had left him feeling a bit rebellious.  

So, while pretending to respect her wishes, he had been stubbornly holding back from contacting her. It had only been two days, though.  

Unaware of Leonardo’s inner turmoil, Caleb continued speaking.  

“According to rumors… Sir Lowell refused to take over the Marquisate.”  

Hearing something so unexpected, Leonardo looked at Caleb again.  

Startled by Leonardo’s surprised expression, Caleb asked back as if confused.  

“You didn’t know?”  

“…”  

“They say Lord Lowell was so angry that Sir Lowell accepted a title and estate instead of preparing to succeed the family, he threw things in rage.”  

As Caleb spoke, Leonardo pressed his lips tightly together.  

He hadn’t heard anything about this, so why did Caleb, an outsider, know more about his lover’s situation than he did?  

A faint sense of betrayal crept up, and Leonardo closed his eyes.  

Even though he knew he needed to stay calm, he couldn’t stop himself from gripping the papers tightly.  

“I know you’re busy as the Tower Master, but shouldn’t you at least visit Sir Lowell?”  

Now that he had been promoted from captain to Tower Master, Leonardo’s responsibilities had increased significantly.  

In Grace’s absence, the building had already been completed, and the first official member she had asked about was Caleb Martin.  

After that, Hymen and Hara signed up, and surprisingly, even Delia threw in her application before leaving.  

The amusing thing was that after these individuals submitted their applications, an unexpectedly large number of people began knocking on the tower’s door.  

‘Which is why I’m even busier.’  

Although the basics had been prepared, running an organization required constant review and consideration of the members’ opinions.  

This was especially true for the newly established organization, “Adiran de Thum.”  

“Tower Master.”  

When Caleb called out again, as if urging him, Leonardo turned his head and replied.  

“This is a family matter for Sir Lowell.”  

At his words, Caleb opened his mouth as if to argue but then closed it again.  

For some reason, Delia’s indifferent face briefly flashed in his mind before disappearing.