Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 42

“Where are they?”

“I’ve put them in the parlor. Considering the hour and the fact they claimed to be servants, I haven’t offered them any hospitality,” the butler replied.

As Eirik entered the parlor, the two people waiting turned their heads simultaneously. Before they could even greet him, Eirik drew a firm line.

“My wife will wake up soon, so please state your business briefly.”

He sat on the sofa and gestured to the opposite side. The one in the robe sat down naturally, while the large one walked to the door and assumed a guard-like stance, ready to repel any intruder.

“The servants have been dismissed, so please understand that we cannot offer any hospitality,” Eirik said.

“No need. We understand the rudeness of our visit,” replied the woman’s voice from inside the robe, clearly tense.

Eirik, crossing his long legs and frowning, made no attempt to hide his discomfort.

“I appreciate you meeting us at this hour. I am—”

Eirik raised his hand to cut her off. He already knew much about her. “Straight to the point, please.”

At this, the robed figure removed the hood, revealing her face. It was Rakane Crispin, the only daughter of the Marquis Crispin, known for her beauty, manners, and enormous dowry. To Eirik, she was just another woman, one whose mere presence felt like a betrayal to his wife. Rumors about her manipulating people to her whims no longer mattered to him.

Contrary to her reputation, Lady Crispin hesitated, unable to speak and not meeting Eirik’s eyes. She finally bowed her head.

“I have come to beg for mercy.”

“Mercy, you say.”

“My parents are incredibly greedy and incompetent,” she continued, unable to lift her head due to shame in front of her former fiancé. Eirik watched her with a dry gaze, not expecting any guilt from her.

“Though they were tempted by talk of rebellion, it wasn’t out of any noble cause,” she said, choosing to speak about what Eirik wanted to hear rather than using her usual cunning words.

“My father is somewhat dull-witted and has never attracted the king’s attention. As a result, he has held a grudge against the king for not recognizing him.”

“You’re very straightforward,” Eirik noted.

“It all started when the Countess of Carlisle filled my mother’s head with ideas. Have you heard of the Carlisle family?”

“The same Carlisle who trembles at the mere sound of the king’s breath?” Eirik replied, knowing well of the infamous sycophant.

“Yes, despite it likely being the king’s will, my mother, without much thought, got excited and caused this mess,” Rakane admitted, bowing her head further.

After a brief silence, Eirik spoke again, “I understand that this wasn’t your intention, but Cladnier has no choice but to hold Crispin accountable for this matter.”

After another short pause, Eirik added, “Otherwise, we’ll have to bring this to the king.”

Rakane looked up, her porcelain-like face showing signs of cracking. “You speak frightening words.”

She hesitated, then lowered her head again, saying, “What can a mere daughter do? I only hope for leniency in this matter.”

“Is it completely impossible for our two families to join hands?” Eirik asked.

“Join hands…” Rakane Crispin opened her mouth several times but then answered in a subdued voice, “Do you believe we have any capable hands to offer? I am flattered by your generous assessment.”

There was no point in continuing the conversation. Eirik slowly stood up and spoke, “Just one last question. Did you have anything to do with the barmaid of the frontier?”

“No. We took her in after she had already finished her business there. After she moved to the capital, we assigned someone to watch her,” Rakane Crispin answered.

As expected, Eirik thought. He glanced at the man guarding the door and asked, “The person you assigned to her, how capable are they?”

“……”

“Do you not know? It seems the deputy commander of the Crispin knights is not on good terms with his mother.”

The man bowed his head apologetically, and Rakane stepped in to mediate, “We will investigate and find out whatever we can. To whom should we report?”

“For now, we’ll settle this as a minor dispute between noble families. I will demand a reasonable amount of compensation, so include that in your report,” Eirik said, adding, “And of course, we will also hold you accountable for the Falciarc guild members attempting to harm our people.”

“I apologize for that,” Rakane Crispin bowed her head, ready to offer her thanks, when the door burst open, revealing the last person Eirik wanted to see.

“This is outrageous,” the Margrave of Cladnier entered, seething with anger. The deputy commander of the Crispin family stepped back, trying to avoid confrontation.

“You ignored each other when it came to marriage, but now you have a secret meeting at this hour?”

“Father, you’re here,” Eirik greeted his father with an emotionless face, then turned to Rakane Crispin, his voice equally devoid of emotion, “If your business is concluded, you should leave now.”

“Once again, I apologize for the intrusion,” Rakane Crispin bowed to both men before pulling her robe back over her head and leaving with her knight, leaving an uncomfortable silence in the room.

The Margrave of Cladnier walked over and collapsed onto the sofa. Eirik sat down opposite him. It had been a long time since he had spoken with his father.

“What on earth kept you so long?” Eirik asked.

He had sent someone to fetch his father around noon, expecting him to arrive by dusk even with travel time. That his father had returned near midnight was inexplicable. The Margrave glared at his son’s undisguised tone of accusation.

“And you, you killed a royal maid for the sake of a woman digging up the garden.”

“It’s astonishing that you would see the situation that way,” Eirik replied, unfazed.

“I hear you’ve also neglected your duties with the knights, giving Emmerich a perfect opportunity to take your place.”

Eirik had expected his father to refuse to acknowledge his mistakes, but he hadn’t expected such nonsense. He looked at his father’s somewhat heavier face and stifled a laugh.

“You’ve also given me an opportunity to take over as head of the family,” Eirik said, his voice dripping with irony.

“What did you say?” The Margrave’s face hardened instantly.

“Did you think I didn’t consider the consequences when I took these actions?” Eirik continued, his smirk growing.

“You’re still just a novice,” the Margrave sneered.

“Indeed. But what do you know, Father?” Eirik asked quietly. The Margrave couldn’t answer. He had spent the day lounging with his mistress, only rushing back late in the day after hearing about the royal maid’s death at Cladnier.

“Do you know that the king is behind all of this? The woman you were with, the marriage proposal with Crispin,” Eirik continued.

“What are you talking about?” The Margrave was stunned.

“We’ve all been puppets, dancing on the strings the king holds,” Eirik said, watching his father’s face turn ashen.

“I will have Cullen report to you tomorrow. You can hear the details from him.”

“The king…” The Margrave muttered, lost in thought. Eirik looked at him with cold eyes.

“Have you apologized to Mother?” Eirik asked, not hiding his disdain.

The Margrave, unable to hide his confusion, raised his voice. “Apologize? For what? Is there anyone at my age who doesn’t have a mistress or two? Even in the Cladnier family—”

A ridiculous laugh escaped Eirik’s lips. “What do you think of Mother? Do you not even recognize her as a member of the family?”

“……”

“You should apologize for putting the family in this danger. It’s something you should rightfully say to the mistress of the household.”

The Margrave, caught off guard, muttered a curse under his breath but found no suitable reply. Eirik continued to stare at him.

“You taught me that mistakes born of incompetence might be forgiven, but those rooted in deceit and malice never should be.”

The sight of his once impeccable father, now so fallen, filled him with a heavy sense of betrayal.

“What did that woman say to make you like this? How skilled is a barmaid’s tongue that she could bring you to this state after fifty years of stability?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” the Margrave spat out with a twisted expression.

“That’s why I’m asking. Right now, you seem possessed by a demon.”

With a bitter grimace, the Margrave retorted, “You’ll never understand, always defending that foolish woman you call your wife.”

Eirik burst into laughter, the sound filled with disdain. The Margrave, perceiving it as mockery, stood up in a rage, his face flushing with anger.

“I’ve lived my entire life with a woman who looked down on every decision I made. Your mother was so perfect, always mocking everything I did.”

Eirik’s gaze grew colder. “So, to escape Mother’s disdain, you let yourself be deceived by an uneducated, lowly woman?”

The Margrave, struggling to catch his breath, couldn’t find words to respond.

“Thanks to Mother, I learned to respect intelligent women,” Eirik said, looking his father in the eye as he stood up.

“And thanks to you, I’ve learned how not to end up a laughingstock in my old age.”

***