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The Marquis of Branford inwardly let out a faint laugh. He was almost impressed by Ghislain’s shamelessness.

Under normal circumstances, if anyone had even hinted at such intentions, he would have immediately lashed out. But the situation is different now.

Tap… tap… tap…

The Marquis of Branford drummed his fingers on the armrest.

Everyone present in the hall remained silent, waiting for his response.

The Marquis of Branford had never before offered to be anyone’s patron.

It was a risky move that could potentially cause the honor and authority he had built over the years to crumble in an instant.

Watching the marquis contemplate, Ghislain inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘Didn’t he say he’d grant me anything I wanted? So why is he hesitating like this?’

With a slight smirk, Ghislain muttered under his breath, while the Marquis of Branford looked down at him with a detached expression.

‘He’s got quite the ambition. Becoming a patron will certainly bring a lot of headaches.’

The marquis closed his eyes, sinking further into thought.

‘However… among the young nobles I’ve seen lately, he is quite exceptional.’

He had heard reports that Ghislain had made some contributions after the war, but he had thought it was just a favorable contrast to his former days of debauchery.

However, after witnessing Ghislain’s peculiar behavior firsthand, the marquis felt that those reports had, in fact, underestimated him.

‘There are some bothersome aspects, but… I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad idea to support him.’

Given the success of his cosmetics venture, it was clear that Ghislain would grow into a formidable power within a few years, one that no one could ignore.

Moreover, Ghislain’s father, the Margrave of Ferdium, had already absorbed the territory of Digald.

With just a little more support, this could significantly benefit the royalist faction.

After a period of deliberation, the Marquis of Branford slowly nodded.

“Very well.”

Everyone in the hall was stunned by his unexpected answer.

Despite the promises made, who would have thought he’d actually agree to such an outrageous request?

Regardless of their shock, the Marquis of Branford straightened up and spoke firmly.

“I declare before everyone present as witnesses. I, the Marquis of Branford, will stand as the patron of Baron Ghislain Fenris, and I will support him. The enemies of the baron shall also be my enemies, and anyone dealing with him should remember that I stand behind him.”

With a sharp gaze, the Marquis asked one final question.

“You must also consider my honor in all your dealings. Do you agree?”

“Yes, I will always act in a way that does not tarnish your honor, Marquis.”

Lowering his head, Ghislain flashed a meaningful smile.

‘It’s done!’

Now that he had received the Marquis of Branford’s support, it was time to take care of the important matters he’d been putting off.

‘There’s no way someone like him would have agreed just because of a promise. He must have seen some advantage in joining hands with me.’

The Marquis of Branford was a seasoned politician who had been through all sorts of ups and downs.

If he truly hadn’t wanted to accept Ghislain, he was in a position to come up with any number of excuses to refuse.

Yet, he deliberately chose to back him, which meant there had to be a reason.

‘He’s probably planning to use me as a leading figure for the royalist faction.’

There was a possibility that he intended to place Ghislain directly against the Duke’s faction.

However, Ghislain had already ended up at odds against them.

Even if the marquis planned to use him, there was no reason for Ghislain to avoid it.

In fact, it gave him a perfect excuse to openly seek help from the marquis in the future.

If the Marquis of Branford openly supported Ghislain, it would make it considerably difficult for the Duke of Delfine to interfere with the Ferdium territory.

‘This buys me a little more time. Those bastards will be quite flustered, won’t they? Heh.’

He wouldn’t be able to hold out forever. In his previous life, the royalist faction had eventually been swallowed up by the Delfine Duchy.

But for now, the Marquis of Branford would be a reliable shield.

The Marquis glanced around and spoke.

“Let it be known to all the retainers that, from now on, whenever you deal with Baron Ghislain Fenris, you must remember that I stand behind him. Butler, inform the royal family and the other noble houses of this fact.”

“Yes, Marquis.”

The butler bowed his head as he responded.

Ghislain casually glanced around at the marquis’ retainers nearby.

Their faces displayed a range of negative emotions—shock, disbelief, and displeasure.

As he carefully studied their expressions, a grin spread across Ghislain’s face.

“Looking forward to your support. But, judging by your expressions, it seems like you’re not quite happy with me…?”

Before he could finish speaking, the retainers bowed their heads in unison.

“Oh, you don’t even want to make eye contact with me?”

Ghislain asked playfully, and the retainers, now pale, quickly raised their heads again.

“So, that wasn’t it! I thought all of you might dislike me!”

“H-Hah… No, of course not.”

The retainers forced awkward smiles, hiding their dissatisfaction.

It was quite a sight, seeing people who used to hold their heads high even in front of the capital’s nobility just because they served the marquis, now reduced to this.

Ghislain, satisfied, smiled and arrogantly nodded his head.

The Marquis of Branford saw this and couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

‘What an interesting fellow.’

He had never seen someone so shamelessly blunt in his entire life.

‘Still, if he’s got that kind of boldness, he’ll be worth supporting.’

If he was going so far as to request a patron, it meant he had a lot of expectations from him.

As they were about to discuss that matter, a soldier guarding the door spoke in a trembling voice.

“The L-Lady has arrived.”

The Marquis of Branford raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

“…Didn’t I tell her to come later?”

“I did convey your message…,” the butler replied, looking flustered.

“Well, since she’s already here, there’s no need to send her back. Let her in.”

Creak.

The soldier carefully opened the hall door.

Standing at the entrance was Rosalyn, dressed elegantly in a refined gown, her chin held high with an air of dignity.

Ghislain slowly turned to look.

Whether she had applied makeup recently, Rosalyn’s face was clean without a hint of redness.

Her cold gaze and tightly pressed lips conveyed a strong-willed personality.

That demeanor was strikingly similar to that of the Marquis of Branford.

Tap, tap.

Rosalyn gracefully stepped into the hall.

The butler, delighted, hurried forward to greet her.

“Oh my Lady! You’re already up and about. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so dressed up, with makeup on as well. You look truly beautiful!”

“Why are you saying such embarrassing things… No, thank you. You’ve been through a lot.”

With a faint smile, Rosalyn briefly replied and then offered a respectful greeting to the Marquis of Branford.

“Father, I was so caught up earlier that I couldn’t greet you properly. Have you finished your conversation with Baron Fenris?”

“Yes, as a reward for treating you, I’ve decided to become that lad’s patron.”

At those words, Rosalyn’s eyes widened as she turned to look at Ghislain.

He was the first person ever to have managed to secure such a reward from her father.

‘He really is no ordinary man.’

With a subtle smile, she approached Ghislain.

As Rosalyn drew closer, Ghislain’s expression grew suspicious.

That enigmatic smile was unnerving.

‘It’s strange that she’s not reacting like usual. She doesn’t look like she’s here to offer her gratitude, so what’s she thinking?’

Ghislain suddenly recalled the words she had gritted out during her treatment.

— “You quack bastard!”

— “I’m going to kill you, no matter what.”

— “You will not die peacefully. I guarantee it.”

‘Hmm, she seemed pretty serious back then. Surely she’s not really planning to attack me, right?’

Even without the power of her father, the Marquis of Branford, Rosalyn’s influence was formidable.

Now that she had regained her vigor, if she still harbored a grudge against Ghislain, it could become quite a nuisance.

It was a world where there were plenty of lunatics who would kill their benefactors simply because their pride had been wounded.

Besides, Ghislain himself was known for his fiery temper, often going beyond the level of insults she’d thrown at him.

‘Well… I’ll allow her to slap me once, at least.’

Thinking back, she was still a nobleman’s young lady, and I might have been too harsh.

While it wasn’t in my nature to care about such things, it was probably different for her.

‘But even so, it was all for the sake of treatment. Besides, the mood was okay in the end….right?’

Everyone remained tense and silent as Rosalyn began to move.

In an instant, Rosalyn took control of the atmosphere and looked at Ghislain as she spoke.

“Baron.”

She paused for a moment, then placed her hand on her chest and slowly bowed her head.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to free myself from the illness that had been binding me like a curse.”

Everyone watching was stunned by her sudden expression of gratitude.

‘The lady… is actually being kind!’

Ghislain also pulled his head back slightly, wearing a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

‘Why is she acting so out of character?’

Rosalyn raised her head and looked around, her face appearing pure and innocent.

“Oh my, why is everyone looking at me like that? Is something wrong? Ah, I suppose it’s been a while since you’ve seen my face. Oh dear, this is so embarrassing.”

With a brazen attitude as if she truly didn’t understand anything, people could only blink in confusion.

Unable to hold back, Ghislain cautiously asked, testing the waters.

“Um… are you really okay?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Just yesterday, you said you wouldn’t let me off the hook…”

“When did I ever? I don’t say such harsh things.”

“You even said you’d definitely kill me…”

“Oh my, it seems like the treatment was really tough on you. I think you might have been hearing things.”

Rosalyn turned to the maid who had followed behind her and asked.

“Did I ever say anything like that?”

The maid responded with a blank, expressionless face, not even blinking.

“No, you did not.”

“See?”

Ghislain’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

‘The image of her trying to stab my head with a dagger is still fresh in my mind, and yet she’s denying it like this? Is this her new way of tormenting me?’

He spoke in a voice full of indignation.

“No, you called me a quack and said you’d tear me to pieces!”

Swoosh!

Before he could finish speaking, Rosalyn snapped open her fan, covering her face.

With the fan hiding her twisted lips, she looked at him with only her eyes visible and said,

“Oh dear, I never said that, did I? Why do you keep saying things that would make people misunderstand? Even if you’re my benefactor, you shouldn’t tarnish a lady’s honor like that.”

Her tone was gentle, but a terrifying menace flashed in her eyes.

Seeing those blazing eyes, Ghislain forced an awkward smile and replied.

“R-right. I must have heard wrong.”

‘I understand, you want to act like it never happened… but does that even make sense? I doubt that is all.’

Swish!

Satisfied with his response, Rosalyn closed her fan and spoke kindly.

“If I acted rudely during the treatment, I ask for your forgiveness.”

“…It’s fine. The pain must have been intense, but the fact that you endured it to the end is commendable.”

He had to acknowledge her for enduring a treatment that even most sturdy men couldn’t withstand.

Rosalyn seemed pleased with his answer, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“I will repay the favor of your treatment. I’ll use all of my abilities if I have to. If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

“No, there’s nothing.”

Ghislain refused without hesitation.