On a lazy afternoon, Count Castro had tea with a person on the sunny terrace.
“So everyone was a fail?”
“Don’t even ask. Even when I said gold and silver treasures would be given and a title of nobility too, not a single person blinked an eye.”
The person on the opposite side was Count Fabius. He, who had been on his feet till yesterday, complained about the situation, which didn’t result in profit.
“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t understand. It isn’t that I told them to betray Roman Dmitry right away, it is clear that he will be joining the nobles later, so I told them it would be like scoring extra points with a head start, but everyone rejected it right away. That is why I hate dealing with commoners. Nobles have a hard ti calculating what they need by looking at them. These guys don’t even want success when the path is wide open?”
“Be patient, Count. If they are born lowly, they must be unable to see even an inch ahead.”
Both the Counts were mbers of the sa noble side and had a good relationship. Since they had similar personalities they were able to get close pretty fast and t often.
Count Castro said,
“But is Roman Dmitry that great? Despite his actions, I can’t help but see him as soone who isn’t too much, and the Count’s obsession with getting his subordinates baffles .”
“Are you asking that? There is no need to say.”
Rumors were floating around. People believed that rumors of battlefields were exaggerated. Those present, including Count Fabius, were aware that the current rumors were lacking.
“In this war, actually, it wasn’t strange for us to raise a white flag. Hector had captured the rear in less than a day, and with the Warp Gate captured, there was no way for us to win. It was Roman Dmitry who turned the situation around. He went to the enemy camp alone and defeated Butler, and then the Warp Gate… wow, it cannot be retold, you have to witness it to know how great he is. And at the sa ti, it was his subordinates who made significant contributions.”
“Is he that good?”
“Yes. Would Marquis Benedict risk his life to sign Roman Dmitry for nothing? I am saying this because I know you Count, but there are also talks about making him his son-in-law.”
“Huh?”
He was shocked. Marquis Benedict considered his daughter a treasure. If he was arranging for her to get married to Roman, then his value couldn’t be less.
He took a sip of the sweet tea and smiled.
“Then I need to et Roman Dmitry in person soti. If he is a person who will later beco a powerful person in the Central Governnt then there is nothing wrong with getting a few good points in his eyes. If you have a chance, set up on a eting with him.”
“I will. Hahaha.”
It was a friendly atmosphere. In the noble world, friendship was important. These small interactions eventually developed into a relationship that attracted and pushed each other.
And right then, the sound of soone knocking on the door made Count Castro turn his attention.
“What is it?”
The door opened. Before the guards could even say anything, a man with a familiar face pushed himself inside.
“Father!’
He was William Castro.
At first, they couldn’t understand the situation. His son looked angry, and the man who followed could be recognized imdiately as Roman Dmitry, whom he saw at the feast.
‘Why is Roman Dmitry here?’
He looked at his son with suspicious eyes.
And William Castro said in a voice brimming with anger.
“Father! Do you know what that man, Roman Dmitry, did to ? He grabbed by the face and threatened to kill . Look at this! My face still has his handprints on it! Roman Dmitry, that damned bastard was trying to aim for my throat!”
At that mont, the atmosphere turned cold, and the anger wasn’t directed at Roman. As he listened to his son, Count Castro couldn’t hide his shock.
‘This.’
Just a while ago, he heard from Count Fabius about how great Roman was. Even though he was from the outskirts, in a situation where his favor was the most important, his only son decided to sabotage it. He felt dizzy.
Normally, he would not have forgiven any man who touched his son, but it was a different story if the opponent was Roman Dmitry.
“Right now, make sure Roman Dmitry…”
“Shut up!”
His words were cut short, making William look at his father in shock. His father had never been this angry towards him till now.
“… Father?”
“William, do you know who you are talking about? Roman Dmitry is the hero who saved Cairo. Even if you don’t have the utmost respect for him, how dare you say such nonsense? Apologize right now. If you don’t want your chin to be smashed by your own father, apologize!”
It was a different situation from what he expected. William Castro was shocked. Count Castro grabbed him by the neck and dragged him alone.
And…
Thud!
… threw him in front of Roman. It was too much.
He deliberately threw his son and said, looking at Roman,
“I really apologize for these actions. I don’t know what happened, but I will make certain that this does not happen again and that he is severely punished. Please let go of any anger. If you have so ti to spare, how about a cup of tea with ?”
This was a slick way to change the topic. Having done this, no man would refuse the apology. And Count Castro had a smile, knowing this was a chance to make a connection with Roman.
But Roman responded with a cold expression,
“What are you doing right now? Be it an apology or not, that is for to decide, not you.”
Silence lingered. Count Castro looked bewildered, and Count Fabius held his breath at this. Count Castro was expecting his apology to be accepted.
Even when such a noble bowed his head first, Roman Dmitry spoke in an aggressive voice,
“This is a problem that stems from the mistake made by your son, William Castro. William bullied my brother for no reason. If it was decent bullying, I wouldn’t have gotten involved in their business. But today, he said he would break the arm of my brother, Lauren Dmitry, right in front of . What do you want to do? What will you do if a man threatens to break your son’s arm right in front of you?”
He was speechless. No, he didn’t think that his son had touched his younger brother. Count Castro broke out in a cold sweat as he couldn’t co up with an answer.
“Words exert their power the mont they are uttered. William was ready to put those words into action, and I can no longer stand by.”
“… So what will you do? You can’t possibly break my son’s arm, can you? In order to maintain a good relationship in the future, we must find a middle ground.”
Count Castro looked a bit angry. His son’s mistake? He understood that if the opponent was Roman Dmitry, he was fine with apologizing. But Count Castro didn’t like Roman’s attitude, which was cornering a noble of the Central Governnt.
Didn’t he already apologize a few tis? Having said this, it would be normal for one to step aside in consideration of the other, but Roman Dmitry didn’t.
And he said,
“Do speak. What do you want to do?”
Roman laughed.
Kids resembled their parents. Well, not everyone. But at least William Castro took after his father.
“William must go to my brother, get down on both knees, and apologize. In front of everyone, speak about his wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness. After that, he should also drop out of the academy. I don’t want scum like this guy in the sa room as my brother.”
This was the statent that crossed the line.
As Count Castro’s anger was about to explode, Roman said one thing,
“If you don’t like it, I am willing to go to war. Either go to war with my family or apply for a Battle of Great Warriors right away. The choice is yours, Count Castro.”
It felt like his mind had stopped working. The emotions swirling within were far too much to handle, and Count Castro doubted if he was really hearing this.
‘War with Castro?’
The Castro family belonged to the Central Governnt. Since the family was strong enough to stand on its own, it was rare for anyone to show such hostility.
And wasn’t this the Dmitry family? Even though Roman Dmitry was being called the Hero of War, it was absurd to think a noble from the far outskirts was looking down on them.
Count Castro said,
“This is why you low-born bastards are a problem. Roman Dmitry, do you think you beca so great person just because you had the attention of Maquis Benedict? You are the eldest son of Dmitry, and just because you defeated Butler doesn’t an you can even reach the toes of the Castro family. Being a part of the Central Governnt ans having a lot of power.”
His attitude changed. Well, the opponent crossed the line. No matter how friendly he wanted them to be, it wouldn’t make sense to be patient now.
It was a matter of pride for the nobles, and Marquis Benedict was soone who had been on his side longer than Roman.
“Count Fabius. Since you have been watching this situation from the start, I’d like to ask you sothing. If I harm Roman Dmitry right now, explain to Marquis Benedict how things happened. Roman Dmitry had crossed the line, and I had to punish him appropriately.”
In the world of nobles, justification was needed. His opponent was a person in whom Marquis Benedict was interested. It wasn’t difficult to trample the opponent, but he had to prepare for what might happen next.
And if it was Count Fabius, then he was the right witness. Not only did he have a way with words, but he was also close to him.
But…
“Ahem.”
Count Fabius looked away after a couple coughs.
“As I watched the situation, it was clearly William’s fault. Do you still want as a witness? Count Castro, this isn’t how things happen. If your son does sothing wrong, isn’t it right to not hide behind wealth but make him receive the right punishnt? I support Mr. Roman Dmitry’s side.”
At that mont, his heart sank. Count Castro looked at Count Fabius with a puzzled face.
‘What is this?’
This was the most unexpected developnt.
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