Chapter 7
Episode 7
"Ah......"
"Hmm......"
"Well, I never......"
As more and more people alternated their gazes between Logan and Riina while nodding in understanding—
'Damn it all...'
Logan forcibly swallowed the curses rising in his throat and struggled to maintain his composure.
Riina had been a lively, adorable child in their youth.
The two had been close, spending countless hours together during their limited time.
But had time changed her?
-Do you really think you're good enough for me? Know your place and just disappear. How pathetic—losing to a child yet still carrying a sword...
In his past life, during this very moment, those whispered words had been the final spark that ignited his explosive rage.
Even now, decades later, the memory of that day still haunted him—proof that her words had been nothing but nonsense.
But for now, he had to endure. It wasn't yet time to act.
As he clenched his jaw and nodded stiffly, the atmosphere in the grand hall shifted in an odd direction.
"However, as one bound by my family's will, I had no choice but to follow their orders. Thus, I believed the best course was to personally visit Baron MacLaine and Young Master Logan to offer my sincerest apologies."
The sight of a beautiful woman shedding tears was a weapon that could sway any man's heart, regardless of age.
"How tragic..."
"The young lady's sincerity..."
"At this rate, the rumors might have been exaggerated..."
In the grand hall, only two remained unmoved by her display—excluding the maids.
"Then what is Ulbus's reason, Lady Riina? I'd like to hear this unavoidable justification."
At those words, Riina faltered for a split second.
'Well done!'
Who would've thought he'd ever find himself cheering for his stepmother?
As Logan suppressed the twitch in his brow, his stepmother, Marian, intervened.
"......My apologies. It seems I'm unaware of such matters. I have nothing further to say."
"Are you claiming you know nothing about the reason for your own betrothal's annulment?"
"I am but a woman. One destined to leave my family and belong to another. My father does not consult me on matters of such importance."
"Then should we assume you came here to break off the engagement without any reason at all?"
Amid the silent battle of wills between the two women, Patrick's expression darkened dangerously at his wife's words.
"However, I wish to make it clear that the fault for this annulment lies with me, Riina Ulbus, and my family—and for that, I offer my sincerest apologies."
Riina's sorrowful voice continued.
But—
"Apologies... Do you truly believe a single word of apology can mend the honor of House MacLaine?"
A voice so cold it sent chills down the listeners' spines. Patrick's expression no longer wavered.
Riina bit her lip, hesitating briefly before forcing out her next words.
"......House Ulbus is prepared to offer three million gold as compensation for the annulment."
'Yes!'
Logan's eyes gleamed at the words he had been waiting for, and the gazes of everyone in the hall snapped back to the high seat.
Objectively, Riina's hesitation was understandable—but in reality, her words were no different from saying, Take the money and get lost.
And considering the man who heard them was Patrick MacLaine, the head of House MacLaine, the outcome was painfully predictable.
"How dare you?!"
A voice like an erupting volcano boomed through the hall.
"Kgh—!"
Some retainers with weaker constitutions staggered, while even those with decent training paled under the suffocating killing intent that filled the room.
"Ugh...!"
"Milady, stay behind me!"
The moment Riina's face drained of color, her knight escort, Rokfern, leaped forward, shielding her.
That simple movement cleaved through Patrick's oppressive aura, allowing Riina to breathe again.
"Sir Rokfern of Ulbus humbly requests Baron MacLaine to calm himself and continue this discussion peacefully!"
His resonant voice echoed through the hall, easing the tension.
Patrick paused, his fury momentarily checked as he scrutinized the knight.
"An upper-tier knight? At your age? Impressive."
Rokfern appeared to be in his early thirties—yet shockingly, he stood at the same level as Patrick.
A prodigy like him would undoubtedly be expected to become an aura user in the future.
'Though that doesn't guarantee he'll actually reach that stage. Unlike me...'
Bitter as the thought was, an upper-tier knight was more than capable of serving as Riina's sole escort.
But that only stoked Patrick's fury further.
"The life of Ulbus's prized knight... That might be worth the honor you've trampled."
As Patrick's killing intent condensed into a single point, Rokfern's face paled instantly.
Superficially, they were of the same rank—but Patrick had been an upper-tier knight for over twenty years.
The difference in their accumulated strength was vast, and Rokfern felt it keenly.
"I trust you will not act on such impulses."
"A pity. If you truly understood my feelings, you'd know that trust is misplaced."
"Our family head assured me that Baron MacLaine is a man who values honor. That you would never bully a young lady or a junior. I choose to believe his words."
At Rokfern's mention of Count Ulbus and his appeal to honor, Patrick's gaze wavered.
"This is not an attempt to buy honor with gold. It is merely a gesture of sincerity—to preserve the goodwill between our families despite unavoidable circumstances."
When Riina added her plea, Patrick gritted his teeth.
'Kairan Ulbus...'
If he pushed any further, he would be the one dishonoring himself.
Even if the other party had insulted him and his family first, his targets were merely a knight in his thirties and a girl not yet of age.
'Did they send these two deliberately, knowing I couldn't retaliate?'
As Patrick recalled his old friend and fellow disciple—the silver-haired man—he swallowed his rage in silence.
The suffocating pressure that had filled the hall dissipated as if it had never existed.
"......A bold child has grown into an audacious young lady, I see. And brought a sturdy shield with her."
Once he confirmed Riina's complexion had returned to normal, Patrick spoke sternly.
"Though your visit was not borne of noble intentions, a guest is a guest. House MacLaine does not mistreat its visitors."
Riina and Rokfern exhaled in relief—
"However, Ulbus's one-sided proposal is also unacceptable."
Patrick's resolute declaration froze their expressions once more.
"For the annulment, House MacLaine demands only one thing."
Riina and Rokfern tensed as they waited for his next words.
"Riina Ulbus, as the envoy, will apologize sincerely and properly to my son—the other party involved. No other compensation is necessary."
The composed voice of a man who valued honor filled the hall.
"......As expected of the family head."
"Now that's a true noble."
"Indeed......"
As most retainers nodded in approval—
"My lord! As the aggrieved party in this annulment, I have a proposal!"
Logan, who had been silently observing, stepped forward to overturn the mood.
'I have to secure this.'
Money.
That was his primary objective in this matter—something he had to obtain for the future.
'An apology and nothing else? That's insane.'
Three million gold was equivalent to an entire year's budget for House MacLaine—including the Cairos family's support.
From his perspective, his father and the retainers who agreed with him were all out of their minds.
Only a few administrators seemed to share his rational thinking, judging by their grim expressions.
'What kind of pride is this? Our family is one step away from bankruptcy if the support gets cut off!'
No matter what, he had to secure that money—it was the foundation for surviving future crises.
"What is it, Logan? Speak."
"I believe we should accept House Ulbus's terms of apology."
"What?!"
Naturally, this reasonable response only provoked his father's fury.
"Are you overturning my decision, Logan?"
His father's glare bore into him, his anger palpable even in his controlled tone.
Though his voice remained calm, the sharp pressure enveloping Logan's body was suffocating.
'Ghk! As expected...'
An upper-tier knight was still an upper-tier knight. There was no doubt that Logan, in his current state, couldn't withstand such pressure.
The problem was that even someone like his father was considered weak in the grand scheme of the kingdom—unable to stand among true powerhouses.
Before supreme-tier knights or transcendent aura users, he wouldn't even qualify as a minor threat.
And the empire didn't just have aura users—it boasted legendary aura masters from myths.
'If I can't even endure this... I won't be able to do anything.'
Gritting his teeth, Logan endured the crushing pressure.
Though only a small achievement, the energy core embedded in his heart lent him some support.
"As the aggrieved party, I believe I have the right to voice my opinion. And I believe my stance benefits our family more."
Logan met his father's gaze unflinchingly.
"......Benefit? You're mistaken, Logan. House MacLaine is not so desperate as to abandon honor for money."
'No, we absolutely are. Without the Cairos family's support, we'd go bankrupt immediately.'
Logan wanted to shout it out, but such words couldn't be spoken in an official setting.
So instead, he appealed to the pride ingrained in their knightly lineage.
"It's precisely because of honor!"
"You claim overturning my decision is for honor's sake?"
"Forgive my impertinence, but House Ulbus holds a higher title than ours—and they are also the eastern border lords."
"And?"
"Though House Ulbus leads the east, we do not serve them as our liege. If we accept only an apology, rumors may spread that House MacLaine has bowed to Ulbus."
Murmurs spread through the hall at his excuse.
Fortunately, it seemed to have some effect—especially on the administrators who had long struggled with finances. Their faces brightened at Logan's words.
Seizing the moment, Riina, who had been shrinking back, spoke up.
"House Ulbus would never disregard such propriety. We sought to respect MacLaine's honor as much as possible—"
But—
"Isn't it hypocritical to speak of propriety when you came here unilaterally demanding an annulment, my lady?"
Logan cut her off before she could finish.
His cold, mocking gaze fixed on his ex-fiancée's fairy-like beauty.
The sight of her acting pitiful was utterly repulsive.
Even as a memory, the recollection was unbearably unpleasant.
In his past life, he had been dragged into the hall under house arrest as the betrothed—forced to listen as his father demanded an apology to his face.
The childhood friend he remembered as pretty and lively had become a breathtaking beauty, bowing before him with tears in her eyes.
His heart ached at the reason—the annulment—and his own pitiful state made him weep alongside her.
He had truly believed his beautiful fiancée was grieving over their unavoidable fate.
"I want to create one last memory with you. Will you come to my room tonight?"
And as he gazed into her mesmerizing eyes, he resolved to elope with her if necessary.
His life as MacLaine's young master was already ruined—why not risk everything for the woman he loved?
But that night—
After sneaking into her chambers, he was met not with warmth, but a chilling smile as she tore her own clothes with a dagger.
"KYAAAAAH!"
The young lady's scream echoed through the mansion, and she hurled the dagger at him.
In a daze, he drew his sword and deflected it—
Only for Rokfern to burst in and subdue him.
And every servant in the mansion witnessed it.
The young master, sword in hand, being restrained by a knight—while the beautiful young lady clutched her torn clothes, tears streaming down her face.
All in the middle of the night, inside her room.
"N-No! Riina! Why are you doing this?! You called me here!"
Logan's desperate cries sounded like nothing but excuses.
With the scene stacked against him, even his family didn't believe him.
And then—
"Do you really think you're good enough for me? Know your place and just disappear. Losing to a child yet still carrying a sword... Thanks to you, things worked out smoothly. I appreciate it."
That whispered taunt as he was dragged away.
His rationality shattered, and he thrashed like a madman—only cementing the false narrative as truth.
In the end, House MacLaine had to apologize to Ulbus and pay an exorbitant sum in compensation.
And as an added bonus, the family's problem child—already a delinquent—was exiled.
That incident, which Logan experienced before even reaching adulthood, left an indelible mark on his life.
In the worst possible way.
'Because of you, I could never trust women again. You damn witch.'
Gritting his teeth internally, Logan maintained his composure and spoke again.
The grudges of his past life belonged to the past. What mattered now was something else entirely.
"If you truly wish to apologize, shouldn't it be normal to insist we accept the compensation? Right now, my lady, it almost seems like you want us to refuse."
The atmosphere in the hall shifted once more at his words.
"Huh? She does?"
"Now that you mention it..."
"It does sound like she's persuading us not to take it..."
Hearing the murmurs, Riina bit her lip in frustration before quickly composing herself.
"As the representative of House Ulbus—and as one involved in the betrothal—I offer my sincerest apologies once more. No matter what choice the baron makes, I will ensure the promised sum is delivered."
Her sorrowful gaze turned toward the high seat once more.
The moment it landed on Baron MacLaine, his expression darkened dangerously.