Chapter 161: The Marquis’s Daughter
For once, the old master drank himself deep into drunkenness and let it slip.
"But Lord Shiao Yi is already here! Of course that proposal failed!"
Eline had snapped in anger when she heard of it.
Yet Lambard also understood—Lord Gabrant had his own reasons.
For those of them who only wished for Lord Dominic and Lord Shiao Yi’s happiness, the matter was troubling indeed.
And so, the cause of the current quarrel was, as expected...
Another marriage proposal for Lord Dominic.
The old master had barely stepped into the mansion when he called for Jude and in a booming voice that echoed through every corridor, he declared as if the matter were already settled.
"Dominic’s bride has been decided! We’ll be busy from now on. Preparations for the wedding, of course, and the mansion must be properly arranged to welcome the bride. Perhaps we should even expand it. The young couple should have their own wing, after all."
Jude who is stunned by the sudden announcement naturally asked in a trembling voice: "My lord... what do you mean? Whose daughter are we speaking of?"
The old master, looking extremely pleased with himself, explained. He truly looked delighted.
"The daughter of Marquis Londonderry. Her mother, the marquis’s lady, is the younger sister of Quintus. Status, lineage—everything is perfect."
It was the first time Lambard had ever seen the old master wear such a smug face.
And it was also the first time he had heard Jude cry out in such a high-pitched, cracking voice, completely shaken.
"M-Marquis... Londonderry? The Prime Minister himself? You mean that marquis’s daughter?"
Of course, if it was a proposal tied to the Prime Minister’s house, the shock was natural.
But was it really something so outrageous that it would shake Jude like this?
"S-So... that means, it is Lady Camilla?"
"Who else could it be?"
"Th-that is...!"
Ignoring Jude, who stood there speechless, Lord Gabrant went upstairs to his private room on the second floor.
As his back disappeared from sight, Lambard, Eline, Midas, and the others all crowded around the stunned Jude, who still looked completely dazed.
"Jude, what’s wrong with you? This isn’t like you at all! What’s the problem with the marquis’s daughter?"
Eline pressed him impatiently.
As a capable butler, Jude was not only skilled in management but also well-informed about rumors and circumstances among the nobles of the capital.
Snapping out of his shock, Jude quickly instructed Jenomis to attend to the old master and told the maids to prepare tea.
That was the mark of an excellent butler, Lambard thought.
He had to learn from that composure himself.
Only after making sure Jenomis and the others had gone to work did Jude finally begin to speak.
"Lady Henrietta, the wife of Marquis Londonderry, is the younger sister of Lord Quintus himself. But she is infamous for her fiery temperament. Despite being siblings, they are on poor terms. If Lord Quintus says right, she will choose left, without fail. Some even claim that her marriage to the much older Marquis Londonderry was done only to spite her brother, who leads the military faction."
"Wow... Jude, you really know your stuff," Eline remarked.
"No, this is common knowledge in noble society," Jude corrected her. "The marquis’s daughter has unfortunately inherited her mother’s strong-willed nature. She is said to be very headstrong—ah, I mean, very determined. People even lament that it’s a pity she was not born male, since she has such a bold and forceful character."
Apparently, she had first met Lord Dominic at a royal gathering when he was still very young.
Since then, she had pursued him single-mindedly and those who knew the story were not surprised.
Because of her lively and open personality, she even declared her love for him publicly without hesitation.
Lord Dominic, however, had always maintained his cold attitude and distance from others.
Everyone assumed her affections were impossible and simply watched in silence.
But now, things had suddenly taken a turn toward becoming reality.
"Considering the status of the family, if things have already reached this stage, Lord Dominic may not be able to refuse," Jude concluded heavily, his eyes dark with worry.
Everyone present felt the same uneasy weight in their chest.
If Lord Dominic learned of this arrangement, what kind of disaster would erupt?
And, as expected, that disaster did indeed come.
...
"Where are you going?"
Shiao Yi called out to Dominic, who had stormed out of the mansion still in the heat of his anger and striding quickly down the street.
Clearly, Dominic wasn’t even thinking about a destination.
He was simply walking wherever his feet carried him, his blood still boiling in his head.
Evening had already settled in and the lights began to glow in the houses and mansions nearby.
When asked, Dominic seemed to snap back to his senses.
He stopped and looked at Shiao Yi with a troubled expression.
"Ah... Forgive me, Shiao Yi. I stormed out of the mansion."
"Yes, I figured that much. You’re not planning to go back, are you?"
"That man is no longer my father. I’ve cut all ties with him."
His tone carried the bitterness of anger, spitting the words out as if they burned his mouth. But soon after, his eyebrows lowered, showing guilt and regret.
"I acted on impulse. Now I have no home, no money, nothing."
Shiao Yi laughed softly, then leaned forward and tapped his forehead gently against Dominic’s forehead.
"It’s fine. I’ve never had a coin to my name either. As long as you and I are together, Dominic, we can live anywhere and survive anything."
"Shiao Yi... you’re strong."
"And so are you, Dominic."
Shiao Yi glanced around.
It seemed they had wandered to the edge of the district where the nobles’ mansions stood.
"I could handle sleeping outside if I had to... but it’s still a bit too cold, isn’t it?"
Although spring was slowly approaching, winter still lingered.
With no preparations, freezing to death was a real possibility.
"For now, how about the knight order’s barracks? You haven’t been dismissed yet, have you?"