Chapter 85
Chapter 85
"I am Logan MacLaine. It's a pleasure to meet you, Count Floyd."
"Haha. Just as I heard—a respectful young man. Well, take a seat."
Count Roberts Floyd, with his golden hair and angular face, greeted Logan with a bright smile.
Though the count's scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Logan's entire body was somewhat burdensome, the goodwill in his eyes eased the tension. Logan bowed slightly and took the offered seat across from him.
"So, you're leaving the capital soon?"
"Yes. It's time to return. My business here is finished, and I've left my territory unattended for too long."
"I see. That's understandable. A lord must tend to his land..."
The count trailed off with a subtle expression.
"But..."
"Yes?"
"Let me be blunt. What exactly do you see in my daughter?"
The question came without warning.
Fortunately, it was one Logan had anticipated, so he didn't falter and smoothly delivered his prepared answer.
"She is beautiful, considerate, and possesses swordsmanship skills beyond anything I could have imagined. She is precisely my ideal."
Though he had hastily fabricated this "ideal," he was confident his expression and tone were perfectly rehearsed.
"Swordsmanship...? Ah, well. She is pretty, I suppose. Haha."
Did I mishear him?
The count's expression clearly betrayed his thoughts. Logan pressed on.
"Lady Eileen is an incredibly captivating woman. I was genuinely impressed by how she has honed her swordsmanship to such a level despite being a woman."
Everything was groundwork for what he intended to do next, but the count's reaction was lukewarm.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
"No, no. It's just... Hmm. Haha."
As the count chuckled awkwardly—
"Her talent is too great to be wasted simply because she's a noblewoman."
Logan's follow-up words stiffened the count's expression slightly.
"...What do you mean by that?"
"I came here not only to discuss my engagement to Lady Eileen but also to propose something regarding her future."
"Eileen's future? Well, after marriage..."
"Not as my wife, but as Eileen Floyd—her own future, Your Excellency."
"You're speaking strangely. What exactly—"
Before the bewildered count could finish—
Knock knock.
"Father. It's Eileen."
A voice called from outside the reception room.
The count glanced at Logan before responding.
"Ah, yes. Come in."
Creak.
The ornately carved door opened, revealing Eileen clad in plain gray martial attire—her mubok.
"Eileen! What are you—"
"Lady Eileen. It's been a while. You're as beautiful as ever."
"...What are you— Hmph, ahem?"
The count, who had been about to scold his daughter, awkwardly trailed off.
"You flatter me, Lord Logan. I'm glad to see you again."
The two young nobles exchanged bright smiles, leaving the count with a conflicted expression before he finally sat back down.
"Well, my daughter is pretty even in that outfit. But she'd look even better in formal attire..."
"Father. I have something to say."
"Ah, I was just discussing it with Lord Logan. It's a family matter, but if you both wish to be engaged, I'd be delighted. Finally, a nobleman who recognizes my daughter's charms..."
The count rambled nervously, sensing something ominous from his daughter's stiff expression.
But—
"I intend to go to MacLaine Territory—not just as Lord Logan's fiancée, but as a knight. I hope you'll permit me."
His daughter's resolute words shattered his composure.
"W-What nonsense is this?! Lord Logan, she—she's just talking foolishly! Don't take it seriously! She sometimes—"
"I agree with her decision."
"...What?"
The count, who had been desperately defending his daughter (?) from herself, froze at this unexpected betrayal.
"As I mentioned, Lady Eileen's talent is too great to be wasted simply because she's a woman. As her fiancé and fellow knight, I wish to support her dreams."
"W-What kind of situation is this...?"
The count alternated glaring between his daughter and her suitor, his face twisting.
"Father, please allow it. With Lord Logan, I can achieve both the future you want for me and the one I desire."
His daughter's repeated pleas steadied his wavering gaze.
But the emotions that surfaced in his eyes were far from positive.
"What nonsense is this?! A knight? A knight?! If I'd known you'd spout such drivel, I'd never have let that brat into my home!"
The count suddenly roared, jabbing a finger at Logan.
His face flushed crimson, all traces of the earlier warmth gone.
But this reaction was fully expected, so neither Logan nor Eileen was fazed.
"Count Floyd. Lady Eileen has talent—talent surpassing most. Moreover, she wants to wield it. Don't you wish for your daughter's happiness? If so, please permit this. I will cherish and support her."
"Happiness? Happiness?! Don't even dream of it! And my daughter will never do such a thing! How dare you try to involve her in such brutality!"
"...Excuse me?"
"Father...?"
Brutality?
The count's bizarre outburst left them momentarily speechless.
"She lost her mother at a young age and took up the sword to cope with her grief!"
Huh?
"Swordsmanship is just this child's way of venting her emotions! How could you ask such a gentle, delicate girl to become a killer?! I'll never allow it!"
Knights aren't assassins...
Wait—gentle? Delicate? Who?
Her circumstances are tragic, but if she relieves stress by swinging a sword, she's already—
Though many thoughts flashed through his mind, Logan couldn't voice them.
The overwhelming paternal love radiating from the count's shouts gave him pause.
Eileen, meanwhile, wore a pained expression as she listened to her father's outburst.
Her father was a powerful noble who commanded his own knight order.
There was no way he didn't recognize the value of his daughter's talent—she had awakened her force at just twelve.
-If only you'd been born a son...
That's why it pained him.
That's why he opposed her swordsmanship even more.
-No man wants a woman stronger than himself. Daughter, I want you to find happiness as a woman. Like your mother.
She understood his feelings—but couldn't accept them.
-My daughter. Don't live stifled like I did. Live freely. Promise me you'll do everything you want to do.
For the sake of those words—from someone she could no longer see—
Eileen stepped forward.
"Father. Should I just not marry, then?"
"What?"
"Should I give up on all these marriage talks and stay home swinging a sword forever?"
"No, that's not what I— You said you'd become a knight, so—"
Her icy tone made the count flinch.
"You forced me into these marriage meetings, and by chance, I met a man who truly understands me. Now that I'm willing to marry, you're opposing it?"
"N-No! It's not about marriage—it's about you becoming a knight! A woman must find happiness as—"
"Then tell me!! What the hell is a woman's happiness?!"
Eileen's shout plunged the room into silence.
Logan discreetly hid his goosebump-covered arms and glanced at the count.
Such a gentle, delicate daughter, Your Excellency. Haha.
"...It's marrying well and living according to your husband's wishes..."
The count's feeble resistance only sealed his defeat.
"Then if I marry and my husband permits me to be a knight, that's fine, right?!"
"...Huh?"
"Lord Logan. Should we skip the engagement and just marry?"
"D-Daughter! That's not what I—!!"
"Or should I stay unmarried, swinging a sword in this house until I die an old maid?!"
You threw tantrums to make me marry, and now you're changing your tune when I agree?
Her flawless logic crushed the count.
In the end, he had no choice but to surrender.
"Logan MacLaine. Disciple of the Sword Duke, heir to MacLaine Territory. All well and good—but making my daughter a knight... Ugh."
"..."
The count's murderous glare left Logan speechless.
But—
"Father. Should I just live here forever?"
Why did his beloved daughter's words sound so terrifying?
Defeated by her cold tone, he could only resign himself.
"Fine. No more... No more..."
"I'll do everything to ensure Lady Eileen's happiness."
"You will keep that promise. If my daughter is harmed—"
"Father!"
"Ugh. Just... keep it."
"Of course."
The count alternated staring at Logan and Eileen with a hollow expression before shaking his head.
He looked a decade older in that moment.
But his ordeal wasn't over.
"You're taking her tomorrow?!"
"Yes. The sooner, the better for such matters."
"Father, I'd prefer that too."
"...Daughter, why the rush?! There's no need—"
"It's best to act once my resolve is firm. If I hesitate, you'll try to stop me again."
Struck where it hurt, the count stared at his daughter in silence.
His face, on the verge of tears, twisted into something fearsome when he glanced at Logan.
Logan instinctively recoiled.
After hesitating, the count finally sighed deeply.
"Sigh. Very well. If that's your wish..."
"Father..."
"Then we should at least hold a small farewell party."
"...Huh?"
"My daughter's suitor has come, and she's leaving for his house—how can I send her off empty-handed?"
"Count, there's no need—"
Logan's attempt to dissuade him died under the count's fiery glare.
Then—
"Come! Let's—ahem—enjoy this happy occasion! Prepare a feast! Tell the chef to make all his best dishes—Eileen's favorites! So she'll visit just to eat them! No, wait—I'll supervise it myself!"
The count abruptly stood and hurried out, inexplicably tilting his head toward the ceiling.
"A happy day! A happy day indeed!"
Was the moisture in his boisterous voice just Logan's imagination?
Somehow...
A strange feeling settled over Logan.
I feel like I've become the villain here.
He couldn't shake the unfairness of it all.
The next day.
"Then we'll be going, Father."
"Eileen, stay healthy."
"You're acting like I'll never return. I'll visit."
"I know, but..."
The count clung to Eileen's hand, showering her with worried nagging.
"...Yes, yes. Understood. We should go now."
"And also—"
"That's enough."
"..."
After a prolonged farewell with Eileen, the count approached Logan and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of—"
"If you lay a hand on her before the wedding, I'll cut your head off."
"..."
"I mean it."
"...Understood."
The count's eyes burned with menace.
"And if you let her get hurt as a knight, I'll—"
"Father!"
"Ugh. Just... take care of my daughter."
With great effort, the count suppressed his tears, patted Logan's shoulder, and slumped away.
If he was going to be like this, why did he push for marriage so hard?
Having never been a parent in this life—or his past one—Logan couldn't comprehend the count's complicated feelings.
"Lady Eileen, congratulations!"
"Be happy!"
The Floyd household servants saw them off in the count's stead.
Though Eileen had firmly stood her ground, now that the moment had come, she hesitated to leave.
After lingering for a long while, she finally turned away with a brief farewell—only once the servants were sweating under Logan's gaze.
She didn't look back even once as they passed through the garden and reached the stables.
"My lady! Slow down! Walk together!"
Only after confirming the carriage she would ride did Eileen discreetly wipe her eyes and bow her head.
Leaving the home she's lived in her whole life...
As Logan moved to comfort her—
A short sigh later, Eileen's flushed face appeared right before him.
"Lord Logan."
Her tearful voice startled him.
This is... really awkward.
I never intended for things to go this far...
"You must keep your promise."
"Huh?"
Eileen wiped her tears, clenched her teeth, and glared at him with reddened eyes.
"I can't return empty-handed after coming this far. So you have to keep your word."
Though her voice trembled, her resolve was unmistakable.
Logan stood dumbfounded, struck by something inexplicable in her words—
"Did you not hear me?"
Her now-cold voice snapped him out of it.
"N-No. Of course I will."
She might be more formidable than I thought.
A smile naturally rose to his lips.
"Let's go. I'm eager to see MacLaine Territory."
"...You won't be disappointed."
Absolutely.
Not at all.