Chapter 67

The Commander’s aide, Lutz, was the first to notice Eched’s changes.

Because of this, when the members of the Order came to him, teary-eyed, he could understand their feelings better than anyone else.

However, understanding and solving problems were two entirely different matters.

This was a situation beyond Lutz’s control.

The solution, of course, lay with the Chief of the Grievance Counseling Office, who had caused this situation in the first place. Thus, Lutz had no choice but to seek out the Chief to resolve the matter.

All he had in mind was to have a calm conversation with the Chief and somehow untangle the situation when…

“Madame, how is this my fault? They were simply in love.”

“Are you trying to deny responsibility? You pretended to advocate for love between nobles and commoners, spouting all sorts of lofty ideals, yet you married into nobility—specifically, to Duke Astrea?”

“What I’m saying is… what does my marriage to the Duke have to do with this situation? Why do you insist on dragging it up?”

“Duchess, you grabbed yourself a nobleman while pairing my son with a commoner woman!”

A commotion was unfolding in the Grievance Counseling Office, where Lutz had arrived.

Among the staff there, no one dared to intervene in the heated argument between the two high-ranking noblewomen.

To make matters worse, the Commander had left to meet the Crown Prince and was not present.

“So, what you’re really saying is that you’re upset because I married a nobleman while your son is dating a commoner woman. Is that it?”

When Shaterian hit the nail on the head, Countess Robberalter was visibly flustered.

“Countess Robberalter, is Bruf Robberalter a child? It’s not like I told him to date her. They’re together because they love each other. Why are you complaining to me?”

Shaterian let out a deep sigh.

“Honestly, running around like this because of your grown son is quite embarrassing.”

The Countess stood frozen, her face a mix of shock and indignation.

“Mother!”

Bruf, who had rushed over after hearing the news, grabbed the dazed Countess by the arm. Seeing her son seemed to snap her out of her stupor, and she immediately donned a fierce expression.

“Please stop this!”

Bruf’s voice was filled with exhaustion, as if they had argued about this many times before.

“Apologize to the Chief right now.”

“What?”

The Countess looked at Bruf with a betrayed expression, as if to say, “How could you do this to me?”

“If you don’t apologize to the Chief, I’ll never see you again.”

His firm tone left the Countess deeply shaken.

Although they had fought numerous times over his association with the commoner woman, this was the first time he had been so resolute.

However, there was no way the Countess, who had come all the way here to cause such a scene, would easily lower her head. Her noble pride would not allow it.

After trembling for a while, the Countess shook off Bruf’s hand and stormed out of the office.

As she walked away, Bruf let out a heavy sigh and bowed his head in apology to everyone present for the commotion his mother had caused.

“I’m truly sorry. I had no idea my mother would come here.”

Then, he offered an even deeper bow to Shaterian.

Shaterian, too, apologized to Bruf, saying that she hadn’t intended to corner the Countess so harshly but had spoken more strongly than she had meant to.

“No, it’s not your fault. My mother was in the wrong.”

With the incident more or less resolved, the tense atmosphere in the room began to settle.

“Are you okay?”

Lutz, who had been standing awkwardly at a distance, watched as Masetike comforted Shaterian.

“Yes. I think I’ll go for a walk to clear my head.”

Shaterian brushed her hair back with a weary face. The staff at the office encouraged her to take a break and gently pushed her toward the door.

“Sir?”

Just as Shaterian was leaving the office, she noticed Lutz standing there awkwardly and called out to him.

Lutz, who had come to discuss Eched’s issues, realized this wasn’t the right time and shook his head.

Shaterian left the office without another word.

***

Why do I always end up witnessing situations like this?

She had only come out for a walk to clear her head, but somewhere nearby, she heard the sound of someone sobbing.

In the garden next to the annex, Countess Robberalter, who had left earlier, was wiping away her tears.

She alternated between bursting into tears and sniffling as she tried to calm herself down.

She considered leaving to avoid embarrassing her, but her feet wouldn’t move.

It was annoyingly hard to ignore.

A faint sense of conscience led her feet toward her.

Startled by the sound of someone approaching, the Countess looked up. When her eyes met Shaterian’s, she frowned slightly and quickly turned her head away.

Shaterian sat down at a reasonable distance from her.

When she didn’t leave as she probably expected, the Countess glared at her in disbelief.

“There’s nowhere else to sit.”

Shaterian said casually, shrugging her shoulders.

Perhaps her sudden appearance had startled the Countess, as her sniffling subsided a little.

It was a quiet day, so still that even the clouds seemed to drift lazily by.

“Do I… do I really seem so pitiful?”

The Countess’ voice trembled slightly at the end. Shaterian’s earlier words must have struck a chord, prompting her to ask again.

Shaterian wasn’t sure why she felt the need to confirm it, but…

“Yes. I meant it.”

The Countess face crumpled miserably. Tears that had subsided began to flow again, and Shaterian sighed.

“Countess, Bruf Robberalter is a grown man. As a fellow noble, I understand your feelings, but since your son has made his choice, why not give it some time, even if you don’t approve?”

“But! How could he be with a commoner…!”

“What’s the difference between commoners and nobles? We’re all human.”

“But their blood is…!”

The Countess inhaled sharply, swallowing the rest of her words.

However, it wasn’t hard to guess what she had intended to say.

“To me, people are just people. The only difference is that nobles live comfortably thanks to their inherited wealth, while commoners struggle to make ends meet. That’s a difference, not a flaw.”

“But if this continues, Bruf will be disowned by the family!”

The Countess cried out in despair, recounting how the Earl had raged upon hearing about Bruf’s relationship with a commoner.

The father and the son had clashed, and it was the Earl who had ultimately severed ties.

“If he doesn’t marry a noblewoman soon, he’ll be kicked out of the house.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Countess broke down into tears again.

“I understand your feelings as a mother, but unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do. This is something Bruf has to deal with himself.”

“How can you be so cold-hearted?!”

The Countess yelled, alternating between tears and anger. It was an emotionally turbulent day.

“He’s an adult. He has to take responsibility for his own choices.”

“You’re being awfully callous for someone who isn’t involved.”

“Exactly. Because I’m not involved.”

Talking to Shaterian seemed to frustrate the Countess even more, and she clutched her chest as if she were about to explode. Still, it was better than seeing her cry.

“You don’t understand a parent’s heart at all.”

“Unfortunately, I grew up without parents.”

“……”

“Well, perhaps Bruf will understand your feelings once he becomes a parent himself.”

Not that she thought he’d ever return to the Earldom.

“By the way, have you even met the person Bruf is seeing?”

“No, I haven’t…”

“You’ll probably like her. Sylphide is…”

Shaterian trailed off and glanced around before leaning in conspiratorially.

“…adorable.”

“Do you really have to whisper that?”

The Countess gave her a strange look, as if she were an oddball. Her expression made her laugh.

“Yes. I don’t want anyone else to know how adorable Sylphide is. If she becomes too popular, it’ll be a problem for Bruf.”

Shaterian thought of Sylphide’s chubby cheeks, which always greeted her with a smile whenever she visited the Crown Prince’s palace.

She was certain that the Countess, too, would be charmed by Sylphide in no time.

“Duchess… were you always like this?”

The Countess looked confused, as if she were trying to process something.

Shaterian merely shrugged in response.

“Well then.”

It was time to head back to the office. Stretching as she stood, Shaterian loosened her stiff limbs.

“If your grown son says he’ll live his life, why not live yours as well? Your name is Cloare Robberalter, not Bruf’s Mom.”

The Countess froze, looking as if she had been struck by lightning.

“Your lips.”

Shaterian pointed at the Countess’ tightly pressed lips.

“If you keep biting them, they’ll hurt and become inconvenient. Take care on your way back.”

“D-Duchess!”

The Countess grabbed her as she turned to leave. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.

“I-I’m sorry for causing such trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it too much.”

Shaterian offered her a brief smile before walking away.