Chapter 36

“Please, have a seat.”  

Father-in-law. Kalik never imagined there would come a day when he could maintain his composure while facing Albrecht. In fact, the feeling he had now went beyond composure—it was almost admiration. The moment he saw Albrecht’s rugged, manly appearance, he nearly blurted out a heartfelt thank-you for giving him his daughter.  

In contrast, Albrecht still wore a grumpy expression. From a distance, he sometimes seemed to smile, but the moment he came near Escael, he acted as tense as a hunter pursuing prey, exuding hostility. Of course, Peter, Kalik, and the rest of the Escaels were so used to this that they could now eat meals with Albrecht nearby. Whether this was impressive or sad, Kalik wasn’t sure.  

Kalik kept glancing at the door occasionally. Normally, Dawson would hover nervously, worried about potential trouble, but today he was unusually uninvolved. Since he hadn’t even entered the room, it seemed like he had deliberately created space for them. But since Dawson hadn’t said anything, Kalik couldn’t be sure.  

Left with no other option, Kalik retrieved an old bottle of liquor from the cabinet. The only drink he had to offer was a bottle he had received from a retired captain of the guard. Whether Albrecht drank it or not didn’t matter; what mattered was that Kalik had made the gesture of hospitality.  

“This is Oaklade, aged 18 years.”  

“Eighteen years?”  

“Yes?”  

“Eighteen?”  

“… Is there a problem?”  

Kalik’s expression stiffened. He tensed, wondering if he had made some mistake without realizing it.  

But Albrecht, muttering “eighteen” repeatedly, merely wrinkled his nose and raised his glass.  

“Pour me some.”  

His tone was arrogant.  

Kalik cautiously poured the liquor, and Albrecht downed it in one gulp. Then he demanded another.  

“Ah.”  

This one, too, he drank in one go.  

“More.”  

This time, he barely touched his lips to the glass before setting it down on the table.  

“What brings you here today?”  

“What, a father-in-law can’t visit his son-in-law?”  

Kalik smiled softly and acknowledged his misstep. Albrecht Odillia was the type of man who forgave honesty. There was no need to protect himself and provoke unnecessary trouble with such a straightforward man.  

“You.”  

“Yes.”  

“I hear you’ve taken a mistress?”  

Albrecht, reeking of alcohol, wore an unusually serious expression.  

Kalik froze, unable to comprehend the question. He thought he had heard “mistress,” but he couldn’t be sure.  

“Mistress… Are you referring to a house?”  

“Did I pour liquor into your ears? I said mistress, a mistress!”  

Ah.  

Kalik’s face twisted in discomfort. His embarrassment over not understanding earlier was brief; the realization that Albrecht was indeed talking about a mistress made him groan in disbelief.  

What kind of sudden visit was this, only to talk about mistresses?!  

Kalik, who had expected scoldings like, “Take good care of Marie; she’s my precious daughter,” was utterly speechless and could only stare at Albrecht.  

“What? Can’t even make an excuse because it’s true?”  

“Father-in-law.”  

“Yes, I’m your father-in-law.”  

“This is the first I’m hearing of such a thing, so I’m quite taken aback.”  

“First you’ve heard? You don’t know about your own affairs?”  

“Yes.”  

No matter how much he thought about it, he had no memory of taking a mistress. Still, just because he couldn’t think of anything didn’t mean he could deny it outright or demand an explanation—Albrecht wasn’t the type to explain things step-by-step.  

“How did Lady Hinsward end up in your house?”  

“Ah.”  

“Ah?”  

“Ahh. You’re talking about Angelica.”  

“Angelica?”  

Albrecht felt a surge of murderous intent toward Kalik, who casually mentioned Angelica Hinsward. The rumors outside were already abuzz with talk of Escael’s mistress.  

Of course, this was all in Albrecht’s head. Angelica Hinsward was merely a rare female knight who occasionally became a topic of gossip.  

But to Albrecht, who had already decided not to believe Kalik, it didn’t matter how serious or professional Angelica was, nor whether she was, as Natalie claimed, an old friend.  

The point of his argument was: why had Kalik behaved in a way that allowed such rumors to spread?  

Whether intentional or not, Albrecht wanted to hold Kalik accountable for his actions.  

Naturally, Kalik felt wronged. He hadn’t invited Angelica, nor did he have any feelings for her, yet Albrecht wouldn’t believe him.  

“She’s just a friend who’s here briefly on some business, as far as I know.”  

The words “just a friend” slightly calmed Albrecht’s anger. If there had been something between Kalik and Angelica, he wouldn’t have referred to her as “just a friend.” Of course, if this was all a calculated act, there was no way to tell. But given Kalik’s well-known personality, it was more likely he would have confronted the issue head-on.  

“Then why is everyone saying otherwise?”  

“Who exactly is spreading such nonsense?”  

Kalik belatedly realized the weight of the word “mistress.” This wasn’t something he could dismiss as the ramblings of some lunatics. If that were the case, Albrecht would be nothing more than a petty man worrying over nothing.  

“It’s not true?”  

“It’s not.”  

“Can you prove it?”  

“How do you prove something that isn’t true?”  

“Hmm. There’s nothing harder than blindly believing someone.”  

“But I can prove something else.”  

“Something else?”  

Albrecht’s eyes gleamed. He was slightly impressed that his son-in-law’s reaction didn’t stray from his expectations. If Kalik had acted guilty, avoiding eye contact or fidgeting, he would have been in real trouble.  

“I can prove how much I love Marie.”  

“Hm?”  

“Shall I make a declaration? If you want, I can stake my life. Or I could transfer all my land and assets to her name.”  

“Hm.”  

“If that’s still not enough, I’ll move to Odillia.”  

“Oh.”  

“Is there anything else you’d like?”  

“Oh…”  

‘Wow, this guy really is as stiff as they say.’  

Albrecht liked sincerity but disliked rigidity. He was the type who always added a bit of humor to his words, leaving room for escape in any conversation.  

That’s why he didn’t know how to respond to someone like Kalik. Normally, Albrecht would joke about signing in blood, but judging by the atmosphere, Kalik might actually do it.  

“Alright, if you say you didn’t, I’ll believe you.”  

In situations like this, it was best to retreat.  

“But where did you hear this?”  

Kalik, however, didn’t back down. He was more curious about the source of the rumor than the content itself. He couldn’t just accuse the knights of spreading such nonsense.  

Albrecht kept his mouth shut, pretending to be serious. If retreating was his first strategy, stalling for time with a show of gravitas was his second.  

“Does that even matter?!”  

Finally, Albrecht managed to come up with an excuse and raised his voice.  

“Why do you want to know? Planning to retaliate? Or are you feeling guilty about something?”  

“No, absolutely not!”  

Finally, Kalik’s rigid demeanor softened. He withdrew his question at the mention of retaliation, worried that he might be labeled as a petty man who seeks revenge.  

“Alright. Let’s just treat it as a baseless rumor and move on.”  

“Understood.”  

“Anyway, I only came to confirm it.”  

“Don’t worry. I can swear on my innocence to you, Father-in-law.”  

“Hmm. Don’t do that. It’s too burdensome.”  

“Then, perhaps to Mother-in-law…”  

“No, no. Just put aside the idea of swearing on anything.”  

Reluctantly, Kalik nodded. Watching him, Albrecht had to pinch his forehead for a moment, overwhelmed by mixed feelings.  

How many times had he seen this upright and handsome son-in-law throughout Marie’s married life? He was truly a man who acted by the book. While polite and proper, he was like a cold, lifeless piece of metal, lacking any warmth of humanity. Naturally, Albrecht had assumed Marie’s marriage would be equally cold and dry.  

But for some reason, the man had changed overnight. It was as if a god had remodeled him to suit Marie.  

If he was this devoted and sincere, perhaps Albrecht could compromise a little. No, for his daughter’s happiness, he could compromise even more. Though reconciliation might still require some thought…  

“Excuse me, Captain.”  

Breaking the silence between the two men, Dawson cautiously entered the room. He peeked his head through the door but, upon noticing Albrecht’s presence, tried to retreat. However, Albrecht called him back.  

Dawson was acting strangely, glancing nervously between Albrecht and Kalik, and then back at Albrecht.  

There was no way Albrecht wouldn’t notice this. He silently observed Dawson, who hesitated like a child trying to hide something or lie.  

“If it’s not urgent, talk later.”  

Dawson’s eyes met Albrecht’s, and the latter interrupted Kalik with a sly grin, sensing something.  

“It seems important. You can speak now.”  

“Ah, well…”  

Kalik stared at the hesitant Dawson. When had it ever been this difficult to read someone’s intentions? Dawson couldn’t tell if his superior’s gaze was urging him to speak or stay quiet, and Kalik couldn’t discern what Dawson wanted to say or even the nature of the matter.  

“What is it? Is it something I shouldn’t hear?”  

“Yes, that’s… correct.”  

“Hmm.”  

Albrecht instinctively realized this was a personal matter. If it involved his overly principled son-in-law, then it likely concerned his daughter.  

He declared he would leave and strode toward the door. Without hesitation, he left the room—only to suddenly reopen the door.  

But by then, the words had already slipped out of Dawson’s mouth.  

“Lady Marie has collapsed…”  

At the same time, Albrecht bolted down the hallway like a spring-loaded mechanism.