"Young Master Anmond! Be quiet!"
"Even though he's only been away from the wandering for a while!"
"...Hey, Ah, Young Master Anmond!"
"Why? Ah, the Duke is here!"
Duke Hessmann, who had been staring coldly at the unsuspecting Young Master Anmond, hardened his expression.
"It's noisy."
His words instantly chilled the atmosphere. He stood in front of the huge magic stone in the center and raised his voice. "I'm going to give a short presentation."
In the presence of all the nobles, Duke Hessmann neatly outlined his new business plan, specifically targeting children. He demonstrated the amount of money to invest, showcased advanced prototypes, and discussed where the product would first be unveiled. The presentation ended quickly, and all the nobles present clapped.
"Again, the name of House Hessmann will spread throughout the empire!"
"I truly admire the Hessmann family's enormous financial power."
"Collaboration with the Babaloa family is an unprecedented situation."
People who heard about the business plan, which seemed destined for success, began to flatter him. Meanwhile, the Duke of Babaloa, the other host of this gardening party, approached Duke Hessmann.
"Ah, Duke Hessmann. Speaking of which, I have something to say."
"...What is it, Duke?"
He didn't usually discuss business much with the Duke of Babaloa. Sheria and Hildegard were clever, but the Duke of Babaloa was a foolish man. Duke Hessmann spoke with a sullen face. "I have to go down to the territory for a while, so I don't have time."
"Oh, that's what I mean. I think I should talk about this. Meldenique is also your fiancée."
"...Is this about Meldenique Babaloa?"
"Hahaha, yes."
Duke Hessmann raised his eyebrows at the smiling Duke of Babaloa.
"I'll see you in a private room for a moment." He had a bad feeling. An ominous premonition suddenly struck him.
A short while later, in a small, private room at the gardening party venue. In the space where a wizard had personally blocked out all noise, Duke Hessmann and the Duke of Babaloa met.
"Oh, you know that Meldenique has left the family now, right?"
"Yes."
"My family has taken action to tame that cheeky woman."
"What kind of action?"
"I submitted a letter of excommunication to His Majesty the Emperor."
The Duke of Babaloa's words made him frown. "You excommunicated my fiancée without consulting me?"
"Haha, you. Who caused the excommunication? And since when did you care so much about Meldenique...?" Lennox contorted his lips as if looking at a man feigning remorse.
"...That's right. So... what is the story behind the excommunication? You will have to tell us explicitly."
"I submitted the excommunication letter to the imperial palace out of anger, but I truly don't intend to excommunicate her. I'm going to cancel it naturally."
"I understand that if you file a letter of excommunication with the Imperial Palace, it is impossible to cancel it without a mutual agreement."
It was a sharp point, but the Duke of Babaloa couldn't suppress a smile. "No, do you really think Meldenique will be excommunicated? Oh, don't you still know her? How hard she tried to cling to the Babaloa name!"
The words were true. Meldenique worked tirelessly to gain recognition from his family. One day, when the Duke of Babaloa threw her out, she knelt, starving for three days. Isn't she a stubborn villainess who stood firm even though no one reached out to her? There's no way Meldenique Babaloa could give up her family.
The Duke of Babaloa declared firmly, "I'm sure she'll apologize, I'm sure she'll come back with tears in her eyes."
Lennox's reason told him that the Duke of Babaloa was right. But why? His mouth felt dry, and he was nervous. Perhaps this was because of Meldenique's recent assertiveness?
"After all, if you are a great nobleman, you need His Majesty's decision."
"...Oh, I suppose so."
The excommunication of a direct relative of a great noble family was not so easy. If it went to an excommunication trial, it could put mental pressure on the Emperor, who was a mere figurehead. But why did he feel uncomfortable?
"Don't worry, Prince Hessmann." The Duke of Babaloa tapped Lennox on the shoulder. "And well, if she is excommunicated, why not marry Sheria?"
"..."
"Then the bond between our two families will be eternal, even without Meldenique."
Duke Hessmann, who was about to assert that it was not possible, laughed softly. 'After all, I was going to get a child from Meldenique and then discard her, and then marry Sheria.' He couldn't give up Meldenique, who would be his best tool, but he also couldn't give up on his lover, Sheria. He hid his feelings and replied with a gentle smile.
"First of all, I don't feel sorry for Meldenique either. I understand that the excommunication will be canceled." His eyes contorted in a despicable way.
The Duke of Babaloa laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder. "Yes, go find her. Isn't she a child who would die if you just spoke kindly to her?"
"..."
"If Prince Hessmann goes and says a few kind words, she will run barefoot."
He was right. Not long ago, she was a woman who smiled brightly when he gave her a piece of trash to throw away.
'...I think she's changed.' Meldenique's eyes, which had told him to "shut up and be dirty," naturally came to mind.
The Duke of Babaloa, who was looking at Lennox with his brows narrowed to the fullest, smiled and said, "Hehe, if she has changed, my love for you will last forever. What are you so worried about?"
Yes, that was Meldenique. A foolish woman who didn't know what to do because she was grateful when he approached her. All he had was the castle of Babaloa.
'I'll have to go find her soon.' For the sake of his future, Meldenique should never be excommunicated.
Lennox turned to the Duke of Babaloa with a brief salute.
The Duke of Babaloa looked at Lennox's back as he walked away and clicked his tongue inwardly. "Duke Hessmann, he doesn't know the inside story." He seemed to hate Meldenique, and when he initiated the excommunication, he thought Lennox would go on a rampage. He was planning to break off his engagement with Meldenique and marry Sheria.
'Well, what will happen?' Either way, there was no loss to himself.
The Duke of Babaloa stepped back into the gardening party. However, it was quite subtle that his vassal kept coughing next to him.
"Why are you coughing so much?"
"Oh, sir." The vassal with a gleam in his eyes spoke cautiously.
"Did you hear the rumors?"
"What kind of rumors?" He had not been able to appear in official events recently because he had been suffering from pressure ulcers. He liked gossip that could be consumed briefly, and he was very happy with new rumors.
"This is a story about Princess Meldenique."
'I even initiated an excommunication without anyone knowing, but did she lose her mind again?' He had never heard any good rumors about Meldenique. The Duke muttered to himself, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Did you say it was ruined again?"
"What?" Duke Babaloa's green eyes contorted with a disapproving glow. "I thought so. Anyway, I don't have a single quality I like, and you're embarrassing me again?"
The embarrassed aide shook his head and spoke cautiously. "No, I didn't. It was about her doing business in front of the academy."
"...How did it go?"
"I don't know exactly..." He looked at the aide with suspicion.
"My son said that it was a 'stationery store' and boasted about it, so I was curious and asked him to investigate. And Princess Meldenique was there." Many of the children of the Babaloan family's vassals attended the academy. The aide's child who spoke to the Duke of Babaloa was one of them.
"Hah! Does she want to run a small shop for commoners?"
"...But she was nice to the children like never before, sir." This vassal was one of the few people who favored Meldenique. His words stunned the Duke of Babaloa.
'Could she really have changed?' She was rumored to be a bad girl. However, the information he received upon entering the gardening party was different from the child he had known so far. He had never had a good opinion of his daughter. He married Meldenique's mother to absorb the territory of the Marquis of Kinnoah, and Meldenique was a cursed daughter born of a loveless marriage. She was even a disgrace to the family, having ruined their businesses one after another, and was something he didn't want.
"That's enough. Go." The vassal was worried that he might have gone against the Duke of Babaloa's wishes, but his expression brightened.
"Yes, sir."