Chapter 3: Sudden Turn of Events
They had no choice but to abandon the idea of Cecilia’s cooperation, and instead requested assistance from the Adventurers’ Guild, managing to subjugate all the beasts through a full-scale battle.
There were many injured, but miraculously, there were no fatalities.
“Guild Master, thank you for your cooperation.”
“No, not at all. If we hadn’t taken them down, there would have been considerable damage, and we were able to obtain valuable materials as well, so many are quite pleased.”
The Guild Master, about the same age as Hans, had been acquainted with Leonhardt since the time of his father, the previous margrave, and Leonhardt himself was also registered as an adventurer with the guild.
Having been helped many times since his hot-blooded teenage years, he was someone Leonhardt trusted.
“I heard you also took care of treating the injured. You have my sincere thanks.”
“Ah, yeah. We just happened to have someone skilled around.”
When Leonhardt expressed his gratitude upon hearing that a healing mage at the guild had treated the injured from the subjugation, the Guild Master’s eyes unusually shifted about.
“? Is something the matter?”
“Ah, well, the person in question doesn’t really want any thanks.”
He gave a wry smile and seemed reluctant to speak further, so Leonhardt assumed there must be some complicated reason and did not press the matter.
After chatting a bit more with the Guild Master, Leonhardt left the guild.
He did not notice the bitter expression with which he was seen off.
*
After the cleanup was finished and things had finally settled down,
Leonhardt recalled Cecilia, whom he had spoken to before the subjugation.
As Hans had said, Leonhardt’s behavior had certainly not been commendable.
He also understood that after treating her so poorly, there was no way Cecilia would forgive him.
Most likely, Cecilia desired a divorce.
If that were the case, then he would have no choice but to grant it under his own fault, as she wished.
It was the result of his own actions, so it could not be helped.
As he let out a deep sigh, a knock sounded on the door of the office, and upon his response, Hans entered.
“My lord. We have received notice—His Highness the Crown Prince and the young Duke of Ashford will be arriving shortly.”
“Heinrich and the young Duke?”
He tilted his head at the sudden news of their visit.
If the young Duke was coming as well, perhaps they had business with Cecilia?
For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this…
And so, Crown Prince Heinrich and the young Duke of Ashford arrived at the Trevant Margrave House.
“It has been a while, Leonhardt.”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, it is an honor to see you in good health.”
Leonhardt knelt and bowed his head slightly as he greeted him.
After being prompted by Heinrich to sit on the sofa, he looked at the young Duke of Ashford seated across from him.
“Allow me to introduce myself. Margrave Trevant, I am Arthur Ashford, the heir of the Ashford Ducal House.”
Leonhardt simply replied, “Ah,” to Arthur’s greeting, causing Heinrich to show a look of exasperation while Arthur gave a wry smile.
Arthur had the same platinum blonde hair as Cecilia, though his had a faint pink tint, and his eyes were the same jade color.
However, unlike Cecilia, his expressions appeared far more lively.
“…You are quite different from your sister.”
It was a thought he had spoken aloud without much consideration, but both Heinrich and Arthur visibly flinched.
…What is this?
From the atmosphere they exuded, there was an unmistakable sense of awkwardness.
“…Today, we have come to apologize to Cecilia…”
As if having made up his mind, Heinrich began to speak.
Looking at Arthur, he had his hands clasped on his knees, his head slightly lowered, and his expression seemed pained.
“…In truth, it has come to light that Cecilia was falsely accused…”
“…What do you mean by that?”
Clenching his fists tightly on his knees, Heinrich began to explain.
At the graduation ceremony of the Royal Academy, after declaring the annulment of his engagement with Cecilia and sending her away to the Trevant Margrave, Heinrich had formally become engaged to Clara Ashford, Cecilia’s younger sister.
“Six months ago, after becoming engaged to Clara, we began her education as Crown Princess at the royal palace, but it was discovered that she had not even properly acquired basic lady etiquette.”
Heinrich spoke in a strained voice, his expression bitter.
“What? She’s a ducal lady. Did Clara not have a tutor?”
“No, she did. The same tutors as Cecilia and myself. At first, Clara seemed to be diligently attending her lessons, but eventually, she began crying, claiming that Cecilia was being cold toward her, and as a result, the lessons could hardly proceed.”
“…According to the instructors of Crown Princess education, her abilities are so poor that they are not even worth comparing to Cecilia’s… To be honest, even lower-ranking nobles working in the palace are far more competent.”
Leonhardt was left speechless by the shocking contents of the story, while Heinrich and Arthur lowered their shoulders, their expressions filled with deep regret.
“After receiving the reports from the instructors, Arthur and I questioned Clara. At first, she tried to evade and cried, but when we pressed her firmly, she quickly confessed the truth… that everything she had said… all of it… was a lie…”
“She clearly stated… that Cecilia had never bullied her even once…”
Just how great must their shock have been when they learned the truth?
“In other words, everyone around Cecilia had been deceived by Lady Clara…”
Leonhardt’s low murmur echoed heavily throughout the room.
After all, who could have imagined that a single young lady could so completely deceive everyone around her—including the adults?