Chapter 5.10

“Uh, Monsieur Arthus?”

Liam, with a cigar in his mouth, looked at the middle-aged man who called him.

The man was the Viscount Pontoise, head of one of the five families with decision-making power over the Rido Canal.

The viscount’s appearance was ordinary, but his round, upward-curled brown mustache was impressive.

Liam was particularly interested in the viscount’s mustache because it was a style that might have been fashionable during his grandfather’s time.

‘To think I’d see a mustache I’ve only seen in my grandfather’s portraits here.’

Of course, the grandfather he referred to was not the Earl of Arthus, who left him an inheritance and passed away, but the Grand Duke Conrad.

“Go ahead.”

“Well… it’s quite late. Are you sure you won’t go home?”

The Viscount Pontoise asked cautiously.

The other family heads, including Earl Marlon, who had gathered for the meeting, had long since left.

Yet, only Liam remained, busy drinking and smoking cigars.

The Viscount Pontoise, also a smoker, wasn’t bothered by the cigar smoke, but Liam’s behavior was too strange.

It was strange because ever since Liam had hurriedly married Earl Marlon’s young fiancée, he would rush home after meetings, saying his wife was waiting.

He even left alone during the celebration of the new ship’s construction while the other family heads partied all night.

Not only that, he ignored the tradition of rotating meetings at the estates of the five families each month. He skipped his turn, citing reasons like being newlywed or someone coveting his wife.

In a good way, he was a devoted husband; in a bad way, he was a man obsessed with women.

It was surprising that he attended every meeting and handled affairs diligently.

Why is he still at our house…?

“Do you want me to leave? Or.”

Liam tilted his head and added.

“Do you not even have a room for a guest to stay, Viscount Pontoise?”

“Of course not. We have plenty of rooms. I’d be pleased if you stayed, Monsieur Arthus. It’s been a while since I talked to a young man…”

The Viscount Pontoise laughed awkwardly.

‘What a rude fellow…’

It was no wonder Earl Marlon criticized Liam at every opportunity. But it was too strange.

‘Is that rumor true?’

Liam might not know, but recently, there were rumors that he seemed to have a bad relationship with his wife.

It was because Liam had been acting quite irrationally for the past few days. When was it that he was smirking unpleasantly, and now he was constantly frowning and irritated?

Not only in conversations but also during hunts, he couldn’t concentrate and missed his shots. It was too different from his usual excellent marksmanship. Everyone sensed that Liam’s mind was elsewhere all day.

If it had ended there, the rumors of discord with Yvonne wouldn’t have started. It would have just seemed like he was in a bad mood.

But someone’s testimony inflated the rumors. They said Liam didn’t return home but stayed at Gabriel’s mansion.

Why would he sleep at an aide’s house when he had a perfectly good home?

If Liam were single, the interest would have died down quickly, but he was married.

Everyone speculated that Liam and Yvonne had fought or their relationship had soured. The nuisance caused by his supposed devotion to his wife only fueled the rumors.

The Viscount Pontoise had heard these rumors. At the time, he dismissed them as “Could it be?” but seeing Liam now, it was clear there was a problem with Yvonne.

‘Or maybe the passion that burned so brightly has quickly extinguished.’

That’s how fire is. The faster it burns, the quicker it consumes. Liam’s marriage was likely the same.

And for the Viscount Pontoise, this was an opportunity. He hid his sly intentions and smiled as if he were a good-natured person.

“Hmm, Monsieur Arthus. Wouldn’t it be lonely to sleep alone tonight?”

“…?”

What nonsense is this?

Liam frowned, looking at the Viscount Pontoise. First, he subtly annoyed him by asking if he wasn’t going home, and now he was making him out to be a kid who couldn’t sleep alone.

“If it’s lonely, will you sleep with me, Monsieur Pontoise?”

“Disgusting, no, ahem! Ahem! Ahem!”

The Viscount Pontoise quickly cleared his throat. He then pretended to cough a few more times.

Of course, Liam understood everything he was about to say. But seeing him try so hard was pitiful, so he chuckled and drank again.

Even after drinking several bottles of strong liquor, he didn’t feel drunk, perhaps because of his constitution or his established tolerance.

And the more he drank, the more thoughts of Yvonne filled his mind.

‘Crazy fool.’

Still thinking about that woman.

His resolve had shifted from “I’ll kick her out as soon as I get home” to “I’ll satisfy my desire and then kick her out.”

He had made up his mind but couldn’t bring himself to kick her out. That wasn’t all.

Because she cried and pleaded, saying she would give up the child if necessary but begged not to take away the canal rights, he couldn’t retaliate against the Debroge family.

Yvonne’s actions only fueled Liam’s anger. Pretending to cherish the baby, yet willing to give it up for the family business…

After venting his anger, his hands trembled. He recalled hearing that a fetus is greatly affected by the mother’s condition in the early stages, which made him even more anxious.

‘Surely it hasn’t gone wrong already?’

It was a simple matter to check by going home, but he was afraid to confirm it.

Even he thought his actions towards Yvonne were excessive. After all, wasn’t she a pregnant woman?

But… he couldn’t help it. It was both an outlet for his anger and jealousy. At that moment, he had to release it somehow.

‘I married the wrong person.’

Liam disliked seeing himself acting crazily, unlike himself. To be so distracted by Yvonne…

Surely the woman he married was a wicked witch. Or an extraordinary seductress.

Even at this moment, he was going mad wanting to see her small, pretty face.

‘Damn it.’

Should I just go back now? No, hold on. Wasn’t she the woman who hid having another man’s child? What’s so pretty about her that I’d want to go back? I have my pride…

Liam was about to put the cigar back in his mouth when the Viscount Pontoise, his face flushed from pretending to cough, smiled.

“Ahem, isn’t it a shame to spend the night only with alcohol and tobacco?”

“Not really.”

“No, think carefully. Isn’t something missing?”

Liam frowned. His expression turned grim, but the Viscount Pontoise continued to smile and speak.

“If you don’t mind, Monsieur Arthus, I can make this night less lonely for you. What do you think?”

What nonsense has he been spouting since earlier…?

He was about to open his mouth in annoyance when he noticed a gaze peeking through a door that had opened at some point. It was a young woman. He couldn’t see her entire face, but she was reasonably attractive.

When their eyes met, the woman didn’t avoid his gaze; instead, she smiled, her eyes softly folding.

Ah.

Liam realized belatedly why Viscount Pontoise was making such efforts.

The woman wasn’t the viscount’s wife. He didn’t remember her face well, but she had the moderately plump figure typical of a noblewoman.

So, she must be a woman the viscount had arranged separately.

‘I’ve lost my touch.’

To not understand the intention of offering a woman…

How long has it been since he was sent from the capital to this backwater and became a country bumpkin?

“Monsieur, that Mademoiselle?”

“Ah? No, that’s, ah… haha…”

Liam gestured toward the door. The Viscount Pontoise seemed a bit flustered, as if he hadn’t arranged for the woman visible through the door.

“It’s fine, introduce her.”

“Oh… Ah! Yes! Anaïs, come in.”

At the viscount’s call, the woman outside opened the door and walked in gracefully.

Even when seen through the door, she seemed reasonably attractive, but revealing her full form, she was quite a beauty. Her curly golden hair and upward-slanting eyes stood out.

Her chest…

‘She’s stuffed with a lot of cloth pockets.’

Pretending to be voluptuous, the curves above her dress were artificial compared to the cleavage shown.

Undressed, she’d have a rather unimpressive figure. His wife, on the other hand, was voluptuous and beautiful everywhere, even when undressed.

Well, such women aren’t common…

‘Ah, damn… Again.’

I’m thinking of that woman again.

He was about to frown in annoyance at his thoughts linking everything to Yvonne when the woman approached and greeted him with a slight curtsy.

“Nice to meet you, Monsieur. I’m Anaïs de Pontoise.”

Her voice was seductive, mixed with breathing. Liam thought, “Her figure might be lacking, but she must have made many men cry with that face and demeanor.” He paused as he chewed over her name.

“De Pontoise…?”

“Haha, yes. She’s my daughter.”

“…I apologize. I didn’t know you had such a daughter as she wasn’t at the dining table, Viscount Pontoise.”

“It’s fine. I purposely didn’t let her attend the meal. What good is it for a widow to show herself?”

“Oh, I’m sure Viscount Pontoise and you, Madame, are deeply saddened. My condolences.”

“It’s alright. We didn’t get along well. We didn’t even have children, so I lost all the inheritance to his male relatives and was driven out. Yet, shamelessly, I returned to the mansion recently.”

The Viscount clicked his tongue. Despite the blatant criticism, Anaïs’s expression didn’t change at all. She was only gazing at Liam with intense eyes.