Chapter 16: A Moment's Choice (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: A Moment's Choice (1)
At that same time.
Guided by a servant, Viscount Lawrence and Flora made their way to the parlor.
"Flora."
"Yes, Father."
"This meeting was arranged to undo our mistake. Be exceptionally careful with your words and actions."
"...I understand."
Flora nodded, her expression utterly drained.
The day Roman subjugated Blood Fang, the common sense that structured Flora's world crumbled. Roman Dmitry, the man everyone mocked as "The Fool of Dmitry," was far greater than she had ever imagined. Meanwhile, the Lawrence family’s situation was so desperate that they had no choice but to cling to Dmitry. A single moment's choice. The decision she had believed was right for her own life had ruined everything.
Now, she finally saw reality.
Her father had always been nothing but gentle. He was a man who would have plucked the stars from the sky for her, yet he had pushed forward with this marriage despite Roman's reputation. He had a reason. She felt utterly pathetic. She didn't regret her actions just because Roman turned out to be different from the rumors; rather, she hated herself for acting so recklessly, completely blind to her family's dire plight.
How difficult must it have been for her father all this time?
When he had roared in anger and spat out the harsh truth, that image overlapped with his past self—the man who had so hesitantly brought up the political marriage.
Even in that difficult situation, he hadn't forced her.
He had given her a choice. And because Flora had made that choice but failed to take responsibility for it, she had been forced to face her father's unbridled fury.
'This is a problem I must solve. Not because Roman Dmitry is different from his reputation, but because Lawrence needs Dmitry's power to survive the conflict with the Barco family. I must accept reality. I am an adult. I cannot remain the Flower of Lawrence forever.'
She gritted her teeth.
Soon, they arrived at the parlor.
There was no host to welcome them.
Only a cold draft blew through the spacious room. The servant simply stated that he would bring some tea and left.
"It seems we will have to wait."
This meeting.
Even though they had arrived unannounced in the morning, his title as a viscount and their status as parties in a political marriage were reason enough to be received immediately. Yet, they had been guided to an empty parlor. The servant's excuse about bringing tea first was a clear signal: the Lawrence family's visit was unwelcome.
They sank onto the sofa.
They had prepared themselves for this—both Viscount Lawrence and Flora.
Knowing exactly how Dmitry might react, they drank their tea in the silent room and waited endlessly.
However, there was a limit to patience.
One hour. Two hours...
As far more time passed than expected, Viscount Lawrence's expression grew increasingly rigid.
They had lost track of time.
What was certain was that they had arrived at the Dmitry estate before the sun had even fully risen, yet now, it was setting outside the parlor window. It was a blatant snub. Even if Flora had committed an unforgivable mistake, keeping guests waiting in a parlor for this long defied all common courtesy.
Ultimately...
'This is too much.'
He reached his limit.
With his insides boiling, Viscount Lawrence sprang to his feet.
"I must go find Baron Romero myself."
* * *
Baron Romero's office.
The firmly shut door burst open.
Face flushed with anger, Viscount Lawrence stepped inside and spoke in a sharp, accusatory tone.
"Baron Romero! What kind of family etiquette dictates keeping guests waiting like this? If our visit displeased you, you should have turned us away from the start! I never expected the Dmitry family to be this petty!"
The endless waiting had thoroughly wounded his pride.
Believing that Dmitry was deliberately retaliating, Viscount Lawrence could no longer maintain his polite facade.
Tap.
Baron Romero set down his pen.
He had been reviewing approval documents until just a moment ago. Now, he looked up at Viscount Lawrence, his face completely unperturbed.
"I understand why you are angry, but was today's meeting scheduled in advance?"
"I admit we came unannounced. However, we conveyed our desire to meet a week ago, and since we heard nothing after you declined that proposal, is it not natural that we came in person? If you had simply refused to see us and turned us away at the gate from the very beginning, I would not be this offended!"
"How could I turn you away at the gate, Viscount? I am merely pointing out that this issue arose because the meeting was unscheduled."
A week ago, Roman had entered Closed-Door Training.
It wasn't an intentional avoidance of the meeting; Baron Romero simply had no choice but to decline.
The problem was...
"But tell me, Viscount."
Baron Romero's expression hardened.
His calm facade cracked, and the anger he had been trying so hard to suppress suddenly flared up.
"Are you truly so furious over having to wait until sunset? The day the daughter of the Lawrence family visited Dmitry, Roman came to me and declared his intention to cancel the engagement. At the time, I roared at him and demanded he take responsibility. But even a three-year-old child would know that Flora Lawrence's visit was the reason behind the broken engagement. Even so, I let the matter slide. Believing that was how Roman wished to handle it, I kept my mouth shut and let it pass, acting like a fool who knew nothing.
"A few days after that, Roman subjugated Blood Fang. Do you think I was simply overjoyed by that news? No. My heart sank. I was terrified that my son might have been hurt. Until I received word that he was completely unharmed, I could not maintain my composure.
"And the root cause of all this was Lawrence. Flora Lawrence. If she had been the one to formally announce the cancellation of the engagement, Roman would never have had to put himself in such danger.
"We were unilaterally notified of the broken engagement. It was Lawrence who wanted this marriage alliance first, yet regardless of our wishes, we had no choice but to accept the reality of a broken engagement. And yet, Viscount Lawrence, you come to my office to berate me over something as trivial as a long wait? Even though this meeting was never scheduled, you completely forget your own blunders and have the audacity to turn the tables on me!"
Slam!
He slammed his hand onto the desk.
As Baron Romero bolted upright from his seat, his massive frame completely overwhelmed Viscount Lawrence and Flora, who had just arrived behind her father.
"Are you playing games with me right now?"
A ferocious face.
Clear hostility.
The atmosphere turned ice-cold.
Baron Romero had crossed the line.
Even though titles strictly dictated social hierarchy, he didn't hesitate for a single second to unleash his fury.
"Viscount Lawrence, what did you think this marriage alliance meant? A marriage of love? The union of two families? Such pretty, hollow words have absolutely nothing to do with this marriage."
The title of baron.
Baron Romero was a man who had barely managed to squeeze his way into the aristocratic world. Yet, among the nobles settled in the northeastern region of the Cairo Kingdom, not a single soul dared to openly look down on him.
That was the way of the world.
He wielded a power that transcended status.
The iron ore tycoon possessed immense wealth.
Thus, Viscount Lawrence could not utter a single word in response.
The Baron was right.
Viscount Lawrence knew Dmitry possessed power, which was exactly why he had been the first to propose the marriage. It would have been the icing on the cake if the marriage had been arranged with the second son instead of "The Fool of Dmitry," but regardless, a union with Dmitry was an absolute necessity for the future of his family.
Therefore, Baron Romero's anger was entirely justified.
His voice, which had been so calm at first, had turned so savage it felt as if he might devour Viscount Lawrence whole.
"You and I both know very well what the essence of a political marriage is. This is not a simple matter of the children of two families tying the knot. The Barco family has been greedily eyeing Lawrence's fertile lands, and with the Central Government's approval, it wouldn't be strange for a war to break out between your two families at any moment. A month ago, I was contacted by the Barco family. They proposed that if we allied with Barco's direct lineage instead of Lawrence, they would connect us to the Central Government and even hand over a portion of Lawrence's land. Yet, I rejected Barco's proposal. Why do you think I did that, Viscount?"
"...Why on earth did you reject it? Barco's proposal would have been far more beneficial to Dmitry."
"The reason is simple. The Dmitry family has power, and therefore, we simply chose what we wanted."
The Barco family.
They were a dangerous enemy.
Holding hands with them would have guaranteed a peaceful future, but the choices of those with power do not always seek compromise.
"Roman wanted Flora. Seeing him speak so childishly, saying there was no one more beautiful in the world, I resolved to go to war with the Barco family for that single reason—simply because the eldest son of Dmitry adored the daughter of Lawrence. There was no other reason. Even if Dmitry had to shed a great deal of blood because of this decision, we wanted the eldest son of Dmitry to win what he desired."
This deal was entirely to Dmitry's disadvantage.
The public rumored that Dmitry had made this choice to formally enter the aristocratic world, and indeed, Baron Romero had given a similar excuse when scolding Roman. But the truth was different. If it hadn't been the marriage Roman desired, Dmitry would never have accepted such a loss.
He had held their hands despite knowing the truth.
From the very beginning, the Lawrence family had been the subordinate party, but their greenhouse flower had been completely oblivious to that fact.
And now, the water had already been spilled.
The broken engagement was a catastrophic mistake.
From the moment Flora Lawrence brought up canceling the engagement to Roman, the Lawrence family had stepped into the mire.
'...We have made a terrible mistake.'
Viscount Lawrence's face turned pale.
Just a moment ago, he should have endured to the very end.
Even if Dmitry refused to meet them and kept them waiting in the parlor until sunset, Viscount Lawrence should have maintained his posture as the subordinate party. This was never an equal relationship. The Lawrence family was the one seeking something through this marriage, and since they had been the ones to bring up the cancellation first, they had absolutely no right to be angry.
He had been foolish.
Blinded by his petty pride, Viscount Lawrence had assumed Dmitry was merely looking down on them.
'To think I made such a blunder after telling Flora to watch her words and actions. Dmitry's anger is entirely justified. Since we unilaterally made fools of them, we should have had nothing to say, no matter how Dmitry treated us.'
It was a grim reality.
And Baron Romero laid bare that very truth.
"The Flower of Lawrence and The Fool of Dmitry. We know better than anyone that the reputations of these two do not match. However, Lawrence should have kept in mind what kind of place Dmitry is. Even if the daughter of the Lawrence family is a flower desired by all, the moment the surname 'Dmitry' is attached to her name, the value of that flower changes. Therefore, the one who should be desperate and clinging to this marriage is not us, but Lawrence."
The Fool of Dmitry.
A family of blacksmiths.
The nobles mocked Dmitry's origins behind their backs, but none of them could ever say it to their faces.
Why?
Because Dmitry possessed power.
Even with only the title of a baron, Dmitry was the undisputed dominant power in the northeastern region.
His mood thoroughly soured, Baron Romero swept his cold gaze past Viscount Lawrence and let it rest on Flora, who stood behind him in silence.
"Am I wrong?"
A moment's choice.
Because of it, Lawrence's pathetic reality had been laid bare.