Chapter 16: Before the Wedding ⑮ ~A Prisoner??~

Despite being prisoners, they were properly given meals, and nothing was done to them, so Edel, Viscount Earclut, and Jessica spent their time chatting idly while waiting for the situation to change.
Then, when the long-awaited visitor finally arrived, Viscount Earclut looked genuinely surprised.

“Oh my, what an unexpected guest.
Baron Hollow, I never thought you’d have an interest in music.”

The man called Baron Hollow wore a deeply irritated scowl.

“It’s not like I kidnapped you because I wanted to.
There’s someone who wants that violin.
If only the owner can string it, then selling the owner along with it is the only option.”

Hearing she was being sold as an accessory to the violin, Jessica’s face stiffened.
More importantly, this was outright human trafficking, which was, of course, a serious crime.

“Doesn’t this feel like something that’ll get exposed and caught immediately?”

When Edel said this honestly, Baron Hollow shot him a sharp glare.

“Who are you?”
“An ordinary civilian who got dragged into this.”
“He’s a friend of Count Faberti.
Baron Hollow, if you don’t return him unharmed, you’ll incur Count Faberti’s wrath.
You’re already provoking his anger by kidnapping him.
You don’t have the nerve to add more fuel to that fire, do you?”

If even a single scratch were put on Edel, Count Faberti’s anger would only intensify.
At this point, the Baron might be forgiven with his life, but depending on Edel’s condition, his entire family line could be wiped out.
Thinking this, Viscount Earclut warned him, though in truth, retaliation from the Margrave Lodnight would be added on top of that.
Edel kept this to himself.
That was Aria’s decision, and Edel had no intention of interfering.
If Edel carelessly pleaded for mercy and allowed someone to survive who later harmed the Lodnight house, that would be unacceptable.
Since Edel didn’t understand noble politics very well, he had decided not to involve himself unless Aria explicitly asked.

“Tch.
Which idiot kidnapped someone this troublesome too?!”
“That’s your side’s mistake, so yelling at us won’t help.”

It was Hollow’s own men who had kidnapped Edel.
Being called troublesome by one’s kidnapper was deeply irritating.

“I can understand the violin, but why kidnap me as well?”

Even though he lived quietly in the countryside, Viscount Earclut was still the head of a noble house.
If he went missing, not only his territory but also central authorities would move.
Kidnapping him despite knowing that meant the culprits were confident they could get away with it.

“Hmph.
There are people who want you too.”
“So they want to keep me as a pet?”
“I don’t know how they plan to treat you, but they’re willing to pay a fortune.”

Baron Hollow spat the words out.
Indeed, Viscount Earclut was a man with mature charm.
His normally slicked-back hair was now disheveled, and the stubble around his mouth suited him well.
Combined with his gentle demeanor and unshakable calm, he was clearly popular with women.

“That sounds fitting.”
“Does it?
I think it would suit you too, Edel.”
“Would it, really?”

If that happened, Aria would probably be the owner.
But in that case, things wouldn’t be much different from now.
She wasn’t the possessive type and would probably let him roam freely.
As someone already being supported by her, Edel just wanted to return home safely.

“Well, whatever.
As long as it doesn’t get exposed.
Looking closely, you’re not bad-looking either.
There are plenty of men who want young men like you.”

Men?
Oh, that kind?
He’d rather not.
And young?

“I’m already in my thirties, you know…”
“What?
You’re that old?
Don’t people tell you you have a baby face?”
“They’ve started saying that recently.”

Viscount Earclut looked surprised at the over-thirty comment, but Edel himself would have preferred a more dashing look like the Viscount’s.
However, after his hair was neatly styled, brushed until it shone, and his worn skin carefully polished, he’d developed an ageless look that eventually settled on the label “baby-faced.”
Aria was younger than him, but she carried the overwhelming presence of a female emperor, so standing together, it was obvious who held the initiative.
Not that he thought he ever could.
The castle staff calling it “just right” was somehow depressing.

“…People have different tastes.
Your wife probably prefers your kind of face over someone like me.”
“If I were put up for sale, my wife would probably buy me.”

If Edel were sold, Aria would likely appear on the spot using whatever means necessary.
She would sit gracefully, bid without hesitation, and say something like, “You belong to me, don’t you?” before taking him home.
He could even imagine her soft laugh.
And the fate of the traffickers afterward.
She really was a reliable wife capable of turning the place into hell.

“In that case, I’d appreciate it if you could persuade your wife to buy me too.
By the way, what would happen to my house then?”

While chatting with Edel, Viscount Earclut remembered Baron Hollow’s presence and asked.

“That attitude will only last for now.
Your title will be inherited by your son.
Though he’ll be nothing more than my puppet.”

Baron Hollow laughed grotesquely, but the Viscount merely shrugged.

“My son was disinherited long ago.
He can’t inherit the title.
I’ve already reported that to His Majesty.
No matter what happens, the title won’t go to him.”
“What?!
Your son said he’d be the next Viscount!”
“It doesn’t matter what he says.
His Majesty won’t approve it.
If I disappear, the title and land will temporarily be held by the throne, and later someone from the family, or someone appointed by His Majesty, will become the next Viscount.”

The foolish son in question had already been disowned and disinherited.
The Viscount was currently selecting a successor from among his relatives, but if no suitable candidate existed, he didn’t mind appointing someone outside the bloodline.
He had informed the Emperor of this, and received permission to proceed as he wished.
As long as the next Viscount was loyal to the Emperor and capable of developing the prosperous territory further, the state had no objections.

His son was unsuitable.
After going to the capital, he had adopted a centralist ideology focused solely on noble利益, ignoring the lives of the people in the Viscounty.
He saw the land only as something to be exploited.
No matter how many times he was corrected, he dismissed it as “provincial thinking,” so the Viscount disinherited him.
A man who couldn’t care for his people couldn’t be given the title.

It seemed that the son’s desire to inherit the title and Baron Hollow’s ambitions had aligned, leading to this kidnapping.

“Honestly, I expected something more complicated.
This is surprisingly simple.”

He had anticipated some deeper conspiracy, but it wasn’t that elaborate.
Now the question was how to resolve it.
His son was already lost to him.
He had spared him with disinheritance, but now even his life was in danger.
Still, after committing crimes, this outcome was inevitable.
His wife would rage as a proud imperial noble, but once she calmed down, she would probably visit their son’s grave with flowers.

To atone for raising such a son, he would also need to relinquish the title soon.
That meant choosing the next Viscount quickly.
Viscount Earclut had already mentally buried his son and was planning how to take responsibility.

“Um… what will happen to me…?”

Jessica asked timidly.
She was being treated like an accessory to the violin, and wanted to know who she would be handed over to.

“Ah, relax.
You and the violin are the main prize.
You’ll be treated properly until delivery.”
“Who’s the client?”
“Hmph.
You’ll find out when you meet them.”

Baron Hollow didn’t reveal the client’s name, but it seemed Jessica wouldn’t be mistreated.

“Oh, one more thing.
How did you know about the Viscount’s hidden passages?”

Since they didn’t seem close, Edel was curious why Hollow knew about the mansion’s troublesome secret routes.

“That house served as a temporary military base during the war.
The blueprints from that time still existed.”

Apparently, the plans had leaked from someone connected to the military.
That meant the house would need to be torn down and rebuilt, eliminating all hidden passages, or it would remain an open-security nightmare.

As Viscount Earclut was growing weary at the thought of more work, Aria had already decided to destroy the maze-like mansion next door.
Using the justification that her husband had been kidnapped, she had authorized her subordinates to destroy anything suspicious.