Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Trial (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was truly a troubling situation.
I couldn't remember what gift I had prepared until we arrived at the duke's mansion.
"Then I'll go talk with the duke."
Millium, stepping down from the carriage, pulled out his watch.
The ticking second hand.
He read his time from it.
"We'll meet back here in 42 minutes. If you're late again, I'll go ahead without you."
He moved off first, without even waiting for a reply, as if that would waste his time.
With perfectly even strides.
Was he really human?
As I was thinking that, the Izarkhel butler approached.
The seasoned old butler greeted me.
"Welcome. Have you come to celebrate Lady Bella's birthday?"
I silently extended my left hand to him as he bowed politely.
More precisely, the black ring on my left finger.
It was an obsidian ring engraved with a black lion symbolizing the Ruelverta family.
Any notable noble in the empire would have at least one item symbolizing their house.
It often served as a form of identification.
The butler's face lit up at the sight.
"Ah...! From the Ruelverta family! Welcome! We've been expecting you!"
"Nice to meet you. I am Bastian, the head butler of the Izarkhel household. From here, I'll escort you to the young lady myself."
Hmm?
The old butler's eyes even sparkled.
It was strange.
'To hear the Ruelverta name and welcome me instead of being wary...'
Was there another family as infamous in the empire as Ruelverta?
Cursed for generations, unable to use magic.
The family heads died young for unknown reasons.
And the current head, Millium, was known as an eccentric.
The Ruelverta name should definitely warrant caution.
Or was there some backstory I didn't know?
For now, I decided to follow the head butler quietly.
He led me to the back of the massive mansion.
There was a beautifully landscaped garden.
A garden that seemed to hold the scenery of spring within it.
In the midst of that spring, nobles my age were having a tea party.
"...What are those kids doing?"
"Ah, they are guests invited to Lady Bella's birthday. They're enjoying their meal over there."
Hm?
Hadn't I been invited too?
Reading my confusion, Bastian smiled and said,
"That's the 'waiting room.'"
"'Waiting room'?"
"Yes. They're all waiting for their 'turn.' Of course, Lord Tristan, you don't need to go there."
I was about to ask what that meant when I felt eyes on me from behind and turned.
Several nobles in the garden were staring at me.
I could read the emotions in their eyes.
Jealousy, envy, inferiority, and hatred.
'...What?'
My confusion was brief. Bastian opened the back door of the mansion.
"Please come in."
I entered through the back door under the glares of the various nobles.
It felt uncomfortable, like I was receiving special treatment.
But soon, the sight before me left me gaping.
'This is insanely luxurious...'
It was like a space prepared for a special guest.
Gold-plated decorations and furniture made from high-end wood.
Even the floor tiles were made from the finest stonean ultra-luxurious room.
I marveled inwardly over and over.
My traits 'Tycoon' and 'Calculation' were appraising an enormous sum.
This was the discomfort I'd felt since arriving at the mansion.
Not quite on the level of Ruelverta, but excessively opulent.
'The Izarkhel of this era was still in their wealthy days...'
At the time I possessed this body, the Izarkhel family was so poor they couldn't maintain their dignity as a duke's house.
If Tristan hadn't loaned them a fortune, they might have vanished long ago.
The reason Duke Fred couldn't stand up to Tristan was that massive debt.
Because Tristan held the duke's family by the throat, he could force the engagement with Bella.
"Please wait here a moment."
After Bastian left somewhere, I was alone in the luxurious room.
Everything in the room felt unfamiliar, but what especially caught my eye was the gift pile in the center.
There were hundreds of gift boxes there.
It almost felt like Christmas had come early.
But today wasn't Christmas.
Looking closer, the nobles' names were written on the gift boxes.
They were all birthday presents for Bella.
It was a scene that showed the duke's house standing and how many nobles had feelings for Bella.
'Hm?'
I spotted one torn gift box.
I absentmindedly picked up the contents poking out.
It was a teddy bear with no sender's name.
I took the teddy bear out of the box.
Indeed, it was the cheapest-looking gift among those here.
Name: Cheap Teddy Bear.
Description: A teddy bear made from low-quality cotton and scrap fabric. Crude, but infants will love it.
Appraised Value: 5,000 Kaels.
Far too shabby and unfitting as a birthday gift for the duke's daughter.
Who on earth had left such a gift?
But my questions ended there.
"I've been waiting so impatiently for you, Tristan."
I set the teddy bear down and turned around.
There stood a silver-haired girl with twin pigtails.
"Why did you ignore all my private invitations before, and what wind blew you here this time?"
"...I just came to celebrate your birthday."
Sapphire-blue eyes that sparkled.
Legs stretched long like a child model.
Aside from her young age, she was exactly like the current Bella Izarkhel.
No, there was a difference.
"Hehe. You're not just using that as an excuse because you wanted to see me?"
Bella giggled.
That smile was far from the cliff flower...
"You're lucky. Most guys don't even get to see me on my birthdaythey just leave their gifts and go."
Nor was it that of a noble saintess.
"So be grateful. That someone as beautiful as me is meeting you."
She was just a spoiled brat relying on her prettiness.
Such a Bella stared piercingly at my face and said,
"Hmm... Up close like this, you're pretty decent."
"'Decent'?"
"You're handsome. You."
Ugh.
It gave me chills somehow.
For Bella, who usually despised me as the pig count, to call me handsome.
Not only that, she was giving me the eyes of a girl in love.
Only then did I realize one fact.
At this time, Bella had no bad feelings toward Tristan.
In fact, she liked him.
Stunned by this unknown backstory I'd just learned, I didn't reply, so Bella changed the subject.
"Ahem, so what did you bring? It's my birthday today. Hurry up and wish me happy birthday."
She stuck out her hand expectantly.
It was obvious she was demanding a birthday present.
It wasn't rebellion, but I didn't particularly want to give her one.
However, I couldn't refuse if I wanted the story to progress.
"Got it..."
Steeling myself, I reached into my jacket pocket.
I pulled out what my fingertips touched and handed it to Bella.
Her brows furrowed upon seeing it.
"What's... this?"
"A blank check."
It was the simple result of elimination.
It was the only thing I could give right now.
"You think I don't know what it is!? Why are you giving this to me?"
"It's my gift."
"...Are you joking right now?"
"I'm serious."
Bella said in disbelief.
"Tristan. A gift is something given with sincere feelings."
"It's given with my sincere feelings."
"This is basically just money...!"
Hm. Was it?
Annoyed, Bella threw the check back at me.
"I refuse this gift. Even if Ruelverta is rich, Izarkhel is no less. Do you think our family is some beggar house?"
I almost said yes but held back.
I felt sorry for her family, which would soon be destitute.
No, though she didn't know it, Izarkhel was already drowning in debt.
I couldn't tell the fuming her that in the future, the duke's house would barely survive on the money I loaned them later.
Even if I did, she wouldn't believe me, and her pride would take a huge hit.
"If you don't like the gift, nothing I can do."
I decided to back off gracefully.
I gave the gift, but you didn't accept it.
That should be enough to pass.
But Bella said triumphantly,
"Hehe. Don't lie. Think I didn't see?"
When I tilted my head, Bella lifted the teddy bear I'd touched earlier, with a know-it-all expression.
"I'm disappointed, Tristan. Were you hiding it because it's too shabby as a gift from you? Well, no one would think it's from the count's family with something like this."
I had no reply.
I truly couldn't think of anything to say.
But Bella seemed to like my reaction.
"Are you embarrassed? So cute, Tristan."
Bella placed her hand on my cheek.
Chills ran down my spine.
It was something unimaginable from the current Bella's attitude.
No, actually, Bella wasn't the weird one.
It was because the young Tristan had a devilish charm as a boy.
Checking the wall clock, I said,
"Time's up. I'll head back now."
I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
Dealing with this princess-diseased young Bella was incredibly taxing.
But surprisingly, Bella let me go easily.
"Fine. Hehe... I saw a lot of your good sides today, so I'll let you go."
Her cute smiling face was indeed the childhood version of the peerless beauty Bella Izarkhel.
I shrugged and turned to walk away.
Then, Bella called to my back.
"By the way, what's this teddy bear's name?"
Of course, I'd never thought about it.
I was about to make up any name when something strange happened.
Like under a spell, only one name circled in my mind.
I uttered that name.
"Dmitri."