Chapter 53
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53
“Kanes will be arriving this evening, so make sure you welcome him properly.”
“Kanes? Of course!”
Tedric’s face brightened instantly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen his face.”
Lilius, chiming in, asked, “But aren’t the others coming? Like Kiel or Sandra?”
“Kiel and Sandra’s courses at the Academy are ending late, so the timing didn’t work out for them to attend the hunting competition.”
“Oh dear. That’s a shame.”
Lilius looked genuinely disappointed, but I found the whole thing hilarious.
He definitely asked that on purpose.
In the Academy, the length of one's vacation was determined by their grades.
Lisian and Leon Frezier, who had taken first and second place respectively, had already started their break and returned to the Main Castle.
But the others…
For instance, Nigella’s children, Kiel and Sandra, did not have very good grades.
Is there a single noble in this empire whose pride wouldn't be wounded by having to admit out loud that their child’s grades were poor?
Not a chance.
Lilius was a man who was exceptionally skilled at subtly getting under people's skin with that gentle-looking smile of his.
“Kiel isn't particularly interested in hunting anyway, and what would Sandra even do if she attended the competition?”
Nigella Frezier half-hid his displeased expression and huffed, glancing at me.
“A daughter’s place is simply to be good at embroidering handkerchiefs.”
* * *
“His personality is truly something else.”
“Hmm?”
Lisian, who had been reading a book, looked up.
“What… what is… something else?”
“No, nothing. I was just talking to myself.”
I brushed Lisian off and looked back out the window.
I recalled the face of Nigella Frezier, who had been looking me up and down with disapproval the entire time.
He liked to put on airs, acting like a thoughtful and dignified high noble, but in reality, his private life was far from virtuous.
The results of that were Kanes Frezier, who was supposedly arriving at the Main Castle today, and his daughter, Sandra Frezier.
To think he’d bring those two to the Main Castle without even blinking.
Nigella Frezier.
He was a man who had maintained a second family with a mistress while still married.
Even while he had a legitimate heir, his son Kiel Frezier, with his wife, the Countess.
And he had even fathered a son with his mistress who was less than a year apart in age from his legitimate son.
That’s Kanes Frezier.
To put it simply, Nigella Frezier was the kind of guy who got two women pregnant at the same time.
A total piece of trash.
The question struck me again.
Why was Tulia the one called trash?
Isn't Nigella Frezier the real, ultimate trash?
Anyway.
The Countess—that is, the former Countess Roxanne Frezier—had endured that marriage for over ten years.
In the end, she declared a legal separation.
They were living apart now. The reason they hadn't divorced was easy to guess.
Because they have a son together.
Furthermore, she had given birth to her son, Kiel Frezier, just slightly before the mistress gave birth.
In short, he was the legitimate heir.
That meant he was the successor most likely to inherit the title of Count Nigella Frezier in the future.
Countess Roxanne Frezier is probably just waiting for Nigella to die.
I thought it was a miracle she hadn't poisoned him yet, but then again, maybe she’d already tried a few times.
Regardless.
Currently, Grand Duke Nigella Frezier was living in the Imperial Capital with his mistress.
Belladonna Merton.
I’ve seen her in the illustrations a few times; she looked exactly like a single poisonous rose.
Wavy red hair and a beauty mark under her eye.
If she had only been born a noble, her dazzling looks would have likely secured her the spot as the "Crystal of High Society" for at least a year.
Well, I suppose it was because of those stunning looks that she managed to become Nigella Frezier’s mistress even though she already had a daughter of her own.
And by having a son, Kanes, with Nigella, the two of them were living essentially as a married couple.
Though legally, they can’t divorce, so Roxanne Frezier remains the Countess of Frezier.
In truth, Nigella Frezier wanted to divorce the fastidious Roxanne as soon as possible.
He wanted to make his beautiful mistress, Belladonna Merton, his new companion, but…
Every single one of the Frezier vassals opposed it.
Grandfather, in particular, had opposed it with literal "extreme rage."
Remarrying a mistress?
Do it if you want.
—But know that you will be ousted from the Frezier family.
As far as I knew, there was no one in The Milk Bread who could withstand the gaze of those piercing, dark green eyes.
Grand Duke Nigella Frezier eventually gave up not long after.
Nevertheless, after five long years of pleading, it was written that Grandfather finally allowed the illegitimate Kanes to be adopted into the family.
And surprisingly.
He even succeeded in having Belladonna’s daughter, Sandra, adopted as his own child.
In a way, Nigella Frezier is quite a remarkable man.
To insist on bringing a child who doesn't even share his blood into the Frezier family.
He had nearly been disowned by Grandfather for several years because of this, but as they say, no parent can win against their child?
No. Grandfather wins. He’d tear his children to shreds.
However, Grand Duke Nigella Frezier was so deeply infatuated with his mistress, Belladonna Merton, that he eventually succeeded in adopting her daughter, even if it meant accepting certain conditions.
Because of that, Sandra was only half a Frezier.
Actually, not even half; it’s more like she’s just wearing the Frezier name like a coat.
Her adoption included a clause stating she would receive no Frezier inheritance when she married, but to go from being a mistress’s daughter to a Lady of Frezier was an extraordinary social climb.
The mistress’s daughter, Sandra, had essentially become a Cinderella.
What did it matter if she didn't get the Grand Duchy’s fortune later?
Nigella Frezier doted on her so much that he was raising her like a precious princess with everything she could ever want.
That alone would have been quite a haul.
And here I am, a Frezier who hasn't received a single cent of child support from my so-called father.
Anyway, since almost all the direct descendants of Frezier would attend Grandfather’s banquet, I’d be able to see them all in person then.
Though Marquis Aster Frezier won't show up, as usual.
* * *
A few days later. The day of the hunting competition.
The Main Castle became as boisterous as a small festival.
Vassals of the Grand Duchy, their families, and servants.
Many people attended, full of anticipation for the hunting competition.
“Tu… lia.”
I turned around at the sound of a voice calling me.
“Lisian!”
I smiled and ran to him in a single bound.
Returning my bright smile, he asked, “What… what are you… do, doing?”
“Just thinking about how vast the Main Castle grounds are.”
“Ah. That’s… true.”
Lisian looked out over the endless fields. His beautiful silver hair fluttered in the blowing wind.
“The Grand Duchy is a cas, castle with a long his, history.”
“Mhm.”
Aside from the Imperial Family, there were very few families capable of hosting a hunting competition on their own.
This was because it required an immense amount of land.
And it’s not just any large piece of land.
There were even specific conditions attached.
Only land that met all these demanding conditions could host an official hunting competition.
Wasn't this basically a way of telling people not to host them at all?
And yet, the Frezier family meets all of them… Incredible…
Because of this, whenever a Great House announced a hunting competition, the neighboring nobles were desperate to attend.
It was a social gathering of sorts.
Many nobles who were busy chatting would quickly turn their gaze and whisper among themselves as Lisian and I passed by.
They weren't necessarily just talking behind our backs.
Many were likely filled with curiosity about the direct line of Frezier, whom they rarely saw even within the Grand Duchy.
Though, I bet over thirty percent of them are gossiping about the long-awaited appearance of the notorious brat, Tulia.
I gave a beaming smile to a group of nobles who were whispering while scanning me from head to toe.
“Gasp. She made eye contact.”
“She didn't hear us, did she?”
Startled, they quickly averted their eyes.
“Tu, lia?”
“Yeah. Let’s go, let’s go.”
I trotted along after Lisian.
My goal for today’s massive hunting competition was simple.
Just be quiet, be nice, and enjoy myself.
Don't spill wine on nobles for no reason.
Don't scream.
Slowly start shifting Tulia’s disastrous reputation in a better direction.
It basically meant I just had to act like a sane person.
In short, for the first time, I was going to enjoy this grand social event with a light heart!
I smiled, feeling a surge of excitement.