Chapter 56: The Most Coveted Man (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: The Most Coveted Man (2)
Human hearts were truly fickle.
If.
If Flora had known beforehand that a party was being held in Dmitry, she would have made up any excuse not to attend. Her curiosity about Roman was a separate matter. Right now, she needed time to reflect on her weak past self, which was why she had spent the last few days shut in her room.
Besides.
Silvia had even said this:
“...Cousin, did you really not know about the party? Oh my, Uncle must have kept it from you on purpose because of the canceled engagement. This party isn't hosted by Dmitry, but by Lawrence. Since Lawrence overcame a major crisis thanks to Roman Dmitry, Uncle planned this party to repay our benefactor. He invited me in the process. I was so excited to go with you, but I guess I'll have to go alone.”
It was a deeply grating remark.
Even though she had no interest in the party.
Even though she had no intention of attending in the first place.
She still felt a sudden surge of anger.
Especially since the words came from Silvia, a girl who had always harbored an inferiority complex toward her. Because of that, Flora directed her resentment toward her father.
‘Did he really keep it from me for such a trivial reason?’
The canceled engagement.
She admitted it was an awkward subject.
But if the party was meant to repay Roman Dmitry, she, as a representative of the Lawrence family, ought to attend. After all, hadn't it been her own decision to involve Roman in the first place? Flora forced a smile in front of Silvia, but the moment their conversation ended, she marched straight to her father.
“Father! I heard there's a party being held for Dmitry. Why didn't you tell me?”
She asked point-blank.
Why had he done it?
She wanted to know her father's thoughts.
However.
Her father's response was entirely unexpected.
Viscount Lawrence looked at Flora and spoke with a remarkably solemn expression.
“Flora. Your father has learned a great deal from this incident. That is why I have resolved never to force you into doing anything you dislike ever again.”
That was, indeed.
A baffling response.
The war with Barco.
It was an event that had given Viscount Lawrence much to ponder.
Flora's awakening, in particular, had been shocking.
He had always thought of her as merely a flower in a greenhouse, but she had shown her true colors during the family's crisis.
‘I was foolish. Flora is capable of so much more, yet my narrow vision prevented me from recognizing my daughter's potential. Her choosing to cancel the engagement was only natural. Flora is not meant to live as someone's mere shadow; she deserves to live a life for herself.’
Watching his daughter fight to the very end, Viscount Lawrence had reflected on his own actions.
He had been truly pathetic.
A father who, without even knowing his daughter's strengths, had forced a political marriage upon her just to resolve a family crisis.
He never wanted to do that again.
Now that he had seen what kind of person his daughter truly was.
He resolved to live the rest of his life without regrets.
“My daughter. At the crossroads of life and death, I witnessed a talent that shone brighter than anyone else's. Not just as your father, but objectively, you were truly magnificent. You showed the judgment to discern exactly what was right when no one else could make a decision. Thanks to you bringing Roman Dmitry onto the battlefield, we were able to win the war. So, from now on, live for your own dreams. I will not repeat the mistake of dragging your value down into the dirt, and I am ready to support whatever you wish to do.”
It was a touching speech.
Viscount Lawrence looked at Flora with eyes dripping with affection as he voiced his vow to her.
The problem was...
Flora didn't want that.
‘...But I want to attend the party.’
Apparently, Silvia was going in her stead.
She hated that.
Silvia was a sly fox.
Just imagining her cousin acting coquettishly to seduce Roman made Flora feel inexplicably annoyed.
Honestly.
She, too, wanted to have a proper conversation with Roman.
During their magic communication, Roman had referred to Flora as ‘his person’ regarding the incident with Antony Barco. It had been completely unexpected. She had always thought of him as someone who made cold, purely pragmatic decisions. Seeing him seek vengeance against Antony Barco for touching ‘his person’ had made her see Roman in a completely new light.
Her time of self-reproach was over.
Now, she was ready to face him.
Perhaps that was why Flora spoke differently than usual.
“By the way, why did you invite Silvia to a party I didn't even know about?”
“That was due to my own personal greed.”
“Greed? Don't tell me...”
Viscount Lawrence smiled sheepishly.
He had washed his hands of his daughter's future.
Though he intended to let Flora live her life independently from now on, his ambition regarding Roman was a separate matter.
‘He is truly a coveted man.’
In this war.
Roman's actions had been nothing short of miraculous.
From his bold decision to strike Barco's rear and shift the tide of the war, to proving his potential as a 4-Star Swordsman by defeating Homeros. Recently, people had begun calling Roman Dmitry "the most coveted man." He was desired by everyone in the northeast region, and Viscount Lawrence was no exception.
However.
He had no intention of sacrificing Flora.
Thus, after racking his brains, he had thought of an excellent alternative: Silvia.
“Ahem.”
Viscount Lawrence cleared his throat.
At his silent refusal to answer, Flora spoke up.
“I understand. If that's the case, I will accompany Silvia and act as her guide. After all, this is an occasion to repay Roman Dmitry. It wouldn't make sense for me to absent myself just because of past awkwardness.”
“It is fine. There is no need for you to go out of your way, my daughter. I want you to marry someone you truly love in the future. I will never try to entangle you with Roman Dmitry again, so do not worry about such things.”
Viscount Lawrence was persistent in his dissuasion.
How could he be so stubborn?
For a brief moment, Flora felt a strong urge to give her father a good smack on the head.
*
In the end, Flora decided to attend the party.
It wasn't because of her own stubbornness.
In fact, she had been on the verge of giving up due to her father's obstinance, but then an invitation arrived from Dmitry.
[Although our relationship was strained due to an unfortunate incident, why not use this occasion to prove to everyone that our ties have been restored? Dmitry is ready to put the past behind us and make a fresh start. Therefore, we hope the flower of Lawrence will grace the party held for Roman Dmitry with her presence.]
Baron Romero.
He was a magnanimous man.
Even though Flora Lawrence's past actions had been an outright insult to Dmitry, he had willingly accepted Lawrence's gesture of reconciliation when they offered to host the party.
It was a massive relief for Lawrence.
With Barco's fall paving the way for Dmitry's undisputed dominance, Lawrence's future would have been bleak indeed if Dmitry had chosen to harbor hostility over past grievances.
Fortunately.
Since Flora had already expressed her desire to attend, Viscount Lawrence was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
That afternoon.
Flora, Silvia, and the daughters of other noble families visited Dmitry together. Although the party was scheduled for the evening, they arrived early on purpose.
This was the consensus of the majority.
Except for Flora, they all had the clear objective of snagging Roman, so they wanted to see for themselves what kind of place Dmitry was beforehand.
“So this is Dmitry.”
“It really is as dreary as the rumors say.”
Walking through the city center, the noble daughters showed slight disapproval.
Silvia was particularly vocal.
Frowning at Dmitry's complete lack of aesthetic appeal, she looked around.
“I don't know about anything else, but I can certainly tell that the Lord of Dmitry is a man entirely devoid of artistic sense. I have no idea how anyone lives in a place like this. In the capital, even commoners pay attention to basic aesthetics, but Dmitry is dreary from start to finish. It's as if they're putting on a display, lest anyone forget this is a land of blacksmiths.”
The complaints continued.
After walking for some time, just as they were about to head back to the party venue, an unfamiliar sight caught their eyes.
“Oh my.”
“Are those miners?”
In the distance.
A group of men was walking toward them.
They were covered in dirt and soot, likely having just finished their shift, making their faces barely recognizable.
The curiosity on the young ladies' faces quickly turned to disgust.
As the miners drew closer, kicking up dust, several of the girls pinched their noses and recoiled in distaste.
“Ugh, our pretty dresses are going to get dirty.”
“This is exactly what's wrong with Dmitry. Letting mine workers roam the streets like this.”
It was a hypocritical attitude.
The nobles of the northeast region acknowledged Dmitry's power.
However, knowing that Dmitry was a family of commoner origins, they inherently viewed them as different from themselves.
At least, Flora's reaction was different.
She, too, had once hesitated to marry due to her prejudices against Dmitry, but her experience with Roman had made her realize how foolish and hasty she had been.
She no longer judged people so easily.
For that reason, Flora did not shrink away like the others upon seeing the miners.
She knew that these workers were the true source of Dmitry's strength.
As she observed them with curious eyes, her gaze suddenly widened as she recognized the face of one of the miners.
‘No way.’
It was unmistakable.
A familiar face.
One of the miners was none other than Roman Dmitry.
At first, she thought she was seeing things.
Why on earth would Roman Dmitry appear covered in dirt alongside mine workers?
Shabby clothes.
Skin soiled with dust and grime.
Yet, the face visible beneath the safety helmet pressed down on his head was exactly the Roman Dmitry she remembered.
It was then.
A middle-aged man rushed over to Roman in a flurry.
“Young Master!”
It was Hans.
Hans fussed over Roman's condition, making a scene as he wiped Roman's body here and there with a handkerchief.
“I couldn't stop you from going to the mine, but would it kill you to take care of your body while you work? I told you last time, Young Master, your body does not belong to you alone. Yet you show up every day covered in dirt, breaking this old Hans's heart! Look at all this grime. I barely wiped you, and the handkerchief is already pitch black!”
“That's enough.”
“No, it is not!”
Perhaps because Hans's voice was so loud, Silvia and the other noble daughters perked up their ears.
The young master of Dmitry.
Now that the other sons had left Dmitry, there was only one person who could be the young master Hans was referring to.
Roman Dmitry.
Instantly, the eyes of the noble daughters locked onto Roman.
‘So that man is Roman Dmitry?’
Their gazes were like those of hyenas that had just spotted their prey.