Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Home Visit (5)

“We greet the Saint and the Grand Duke’s daughter.”

I gave a polite and practiced greeting.

At the same time, I kept my expression composed and calmly ran through my thoughts.

How did these people find our house, and what was their purpose in coming to me like this?

‘At this time, the Saint should be attending the capital council, and the Western Grand Duke’s daughter would have returned to Bern in the western region.’

Yet they were here now...

Which meant they must have rushed here as soon as they finished the meeting and heard some news.

In other words, their goal was to recruit me, someone who had left the Grand Duke’s house...!

‘No, but still—how did they manage to find me barely half a day after I quit...!!’

“Lord Roger is so very well-mannered.”

“Indeed. He’s been bowing for quite some time now, hasn’t he?”

When I raised my head, I saw the Saint had approached right up in front of me.

Each time her silver hair swayed, it carried the gentle scent of milk soap.

“Shall we shake hands?”

“Of course.”

I gently took her hand and gave it a shake.

During that brief exchange, I quickly picked up on the changes in the atmosphere of the house.

It must have been the work of the maid I met earlier—somehow, the entire house had been made neat and orderly in an instant.

It now felt as clean and polished as the villa we used to stay in before the family’s decline.

‘And what’s that outside the window...? A lion?’

Sensing my gaze, the Western Grand Duke’s daughter crossed her legs and gave a slight smile.

With the poised expression of someone born into a noble family.

“By the way, shouldn’t you be at the Grand Duke’s house working right about now?”

Helena asked me casually.

To that, my father answered in an awkward tone on my behalf.

“Well... it seems he quit his position as a secretary trainee.”

“Oh dear, whatever happened...!!”

Helena reacted a bit too quickly for someone who supposedly didn’t know.

Istina, still holding my hand, did the same.

She let go of my hand and covered her lips with one hand.

But I knew the truth.

Behind her supposedly concealed palm, the Saint’s lips were curled in a sly grin.

“We had no idea something like that happened... how impolite of us.”

“Indeed. We came to offer our regards and ended up hearing such unfortunate news.”

Regards, my foot.

I looked at the two women with a flat expression.

But the young ladies, seasoned in the political games of high society, were unfazed.

Perhaps because they knew how pretty they looked, they shamelessly turned their charm toward my father first.

“You both must be going through so much.”

“Haah... yes, that’s exactly what’s been weighing heavily on my mind lately.”

It seemed my father had already fallen for their scheme.

Well, for a man who once dreamed of a noble’s life, the young ladies’ gift offensive must have been irresistible.

Though he was doing his best to maintain a stern knight’s expression—

The black onyx fountain pen they gifted him was proudly tucked into the pocket of his dress shirt.

“Since he’s left the Grand Duke’s house, I’m truly worried about who will be willing to hire him now.”

“I can imagine. If he’s fallen out of favor with the Luton family, it’ll be hard for him to find work anywhere.”

Helena responded to my father in a smooth, sly tone full of sympathy.

Istina joined in, glancing at me as she added to the pressure.

“She’s right. In this kind of case, it might be better to work in a ‘different field’ altogether.”

‘Is she talking about her cathedral right now?’

I rubbed my tired eyes and sat down across from the two women.

Right then, the maid standing by smoothly set down a cup of coffee in front of me.

As if she were already part of our household.

A savory aroma rose up and tickled my nose.

It was certainly comfortable to be on the receiving end of hospitality for once instead of always offering it.

“Now that it’s come to this, how about working for us instead?”

As if sensing the shift in my mood, Helena casually made the offer.

She sipped her tea, sweetened with plenty of sugar, as if she were merely making light conversation.

“Y-you really mean that…?”

Hiring the son who had just lost his post at a prestigious workplace?

A direct offer from the eldest daughter herself was enough to tempt my father.

“Of course. I heard he was treated like a secretary trainee during the Erian Hotel acquisition, too—”

Helena uncrossed her legs.

Then, gracefully covered them again with her elegant black dress as she continued,

“We value that kind of experience very highly on our side. I’d even offer him a more senior position.”

She had likely already estimated the extent of wealth I’d accumulated.

Even if I had quit both the Grand Duke’s house and the hotel, she must have realized that I still held wealth befitting such positions.

“A family executive position in the Western Grand Duke’s house.”

An executive of the family.

Not in some subsidiary company, but directly embedded as one of the core figures in the main house.

To toss out such an offer right in front of my father—

Istina, who had been listening, momentarily dropped her benevolent smile.

She stared coldly at Helena, her eyes flashing like a silver wolf lurking in disguise.

In contrast, my father’s reaction was immense.

His lips parted, and the area beneath his eyes trembled—a fallen head of a noble family.

He knew very well just how high-ranking an executive position in the Grand Duke’s house was.

It was the kind of post that might even be recorded in history.

And his eldest son was being offered such a post!

The mere thought made his heart swell with excitement, and a faint chuckle escaped his lips.

“Would it really be appropriate for my son to hold such a position…?”

Of course, it was something to be happy about.

But at the same time, perhaps he felt concerned, and so he cautiously asked again.

“I appreciate the high regard you have for Roger, but an executive role is typically reserved for those with extensive experience and a long history of service to the family.”

Robin Julius, who had seemed to be swept up in the young ladies’ shower of gifts—

When it came down to business, he immediately cooled the atmosphere with a sharp question.

“It seems placing my son in such a position would be a burden for both sides. Is there a particular reason behind the offer?”

Even in decline, he drew a firm line between public and private matters.

Realizing more clearly now whose son I was, Helena looked surprised.

“So you really are Roger’s father.”

The Western Grand Duke’s daughter set down her teacup.

Perhaps she understood that mere wordplay wouldn't be enough to snatch me away, and she let out a deep breath.

“I can see exactly who your son takes after.”

Her eyes gleamed with the haughtiness of an empress who had always gotten what she wanted.

“I understand your decision-making well. You’re worried you might be sending off someone who knows nothing, only for him to suffer.”

Helena placed a hand over her chest.

Then, with the dignified air of someone destined to rule her family, she spoke.

“But you don’t need to worry. I take full responsibility for anyone I personally place.”

A leading candidate for power, declaring she’d take responsibility herself.

That was not something to say lightly, yet she said it without hesitation.

“I’ve already planned everything I’ll be doing with Roger. As long as we follow that plan, he’ll be able to settle into his role properly.”

So she had already made plans involving me.

I thought I’d tied things up neatly with her—giving proper compensation using the money I squeezed from Freya, thinking that would be the end of our involvement.

But instead, she seemed to have found a new opportunity in that closure.

‘What on earth could she want to do with me…?’

In the near future, Helena was set to take control of the Yekaterina Grand Duke’s house without difficulty.

Except for the fact that she would still be unmarried ten years from now, everything else about her was flawless.

As expected, the children of Grand Duke families seemed to be insatiable in their ambitions.

“Hm… If you put it that way…”

My father glanced sideways at me.

At my disheveled appearance—an old t-shirt and unkempt hair.

He had no idea that I currently held 50% of the Erian Foundation’s shares.

To him, I must have seemed like a thoughtless fox who suddenly quit a promising career and came home.

So it would be understandable if the offer from the Western Grand Duke’s daughter—who came all this way to promise she’d take care of me—felt appealing to him.

But this time, just as if to overturn that line of thought, Istina stepped in.

“Is there any need to make a hasty decision?”

Until now, she had silently listened to Helena’s proposal without interrupting.

Even though it was obvious she had come with the same intention as Helena, she had held back. The reason was simple.

“Why not hear our proposal as well, and take time to decide?”

Because she had prepared an offer that could rival anything the West had to offer.

“I don’t know what reason Lady Helena has for pursuing Mr. Roger so keenly. However, as Baron Robin knows, our side has also received tremendous help from him.”

Istina slowly pulled back the hood that had been covering her head.

And at that moment—

The silver hair, bathed in the warm sunlight, blossomed beautifully.

And within it—those gleaming blue eyes.

“So, I’ve come to offer a very reasonable proposal.”

The woman who dreamed of freedom even as she aimed for the position of Archbishop looked straight at me and spoke.

“I heard that Mr. Roger finds it burdensome to work within the realm of faith.”

As expected, Istina had come thoroughly prepared.

She had taken into account the fact that I had refused the position of Cathedral Administrator and brought a new card to the table.

“That’s why I’d like to appoint you as the head of Silver Star, a company established by the Silver Truth Church.”

Silver Star.

A subsidiary company with its headquarters in the capital, founded by the Silver Truth Church.

It was a leading force in the capital, spearheading various state religion-related businesses.

“Th-the head of the entire company?!”

My father, experienced in navigating social circles, broke out in a cold sweat at the successive shocking offers.

His expression asked what on earth I had been doing all this time.

No longer did he see me as a thoughtless child who quit a promising job out of laziness.

“It wouldn’t be as president—at least not for now. There are too many eyes watching. But I plan to appoint you as acting executive, and once public opinion warms to it, you’ll take the official title.”

With a gracious smile, Istina offered me a small, elegant nod.

At the same time, she shifted her blue eyes briefly toward Helena.

‘You can’t offer something like this, can you?’

That’s what her gaze seemed to say.

“But… is something like that even possible? I’ve heard there are many bishops within the state religion.”

I immediately countered her sweet proposal, which was swaying my father.

However, as if she had already anticipated the question, Istina looked at me with a gaze that said I was adorable.

As if she wanted to take me under her wing herself.

“It’s alright. I’ve already discussed it with the Archbishop.”

The Saint lightly folded her pale hands.

“All you need to do, Lord Roger, is take your seat and begin your work immediately.”

She claimed she had even secured the permission of the state religion’s highest authority.

Her blue eyes held a smile of pure benevolence and innocence—but I knew better.

The moment you fell into those eyes,

You’d find yourself swept into an even greater whirlwind than before.

‘Sure, I’d definitely make a ton of money. No—more than just income, I’d become an immense figure of power.’

But what if I ended up tangled in a religious faction war?

There were plenty of ways to make obscene amounts of money without ever taking such a high seat.

But why…? Why are both Helena and even Istina so eager to go into business with me…?

The Saint, too, maintained a firm place in the future.

Although she never became Archbishop, she surely continued to be loved by the people.

“What do you think, Roger?”

My father, who had been silently watching this unbelievable situation unfold, finally spoke.

He looked at me with sincere eyes, as if to say he would respect whatever decision I made.

“……”

I exhaled deeply.

No matter how many times I returned to the past, I never could’ve predicted a development like this.

These two women were ambitious figures who had each built their own empires.

But right now, they hadn’t completely secured their power yet.

And it seemed they saw me as the final piece of their puzzle.

Certainly, both offers were sweet as honey.

If I had been the same person as in my previous life, I might’ve even tried to do both.

But—

Having already tasted power once, I didn’t find their offers all that tempting.

No, it made me feel even more uneasy.

Because the more I tried to escape from this fate, the more irresistible the trials that came after seemed to be.

“……”

I held the now-cold coffee in my hand, untouched.

And just as I raised it to wet my dry lips—

I noticed the surface of the coffee tremble slightly.

———.

The source of the vibration was outside the mansion.

When I turned my head toward the entrance—

A powerful sound of hooves rang out from the garden.

“Please wait a moment. The Saint is currently inside…”

I heard the voice of one of the loyal attendants stationed outside, trying to stop someone.

But that voice was cut short in a single, sharp sentence.

“Move. Unless you want to die.”

A voice, wild like a beast and dangerously seductive.

Bang—!!!

The front doors were flung open.

And then, the sound of sharp military boots echoed as she appeared.

“Roger. Just where do you think you’re trying to run off to?”

The Empire’s Black Lion.

“I’m sure I told you—you belong to me.”

Echina, the Grand Duke’s daughter of the North, had arrived.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.