Chapter 334 (1/2)

A few weeks after I had a coming-of-age ceremony, the High Priest, who I was waiting for earnestly, finally arrived at Marquis Monique’s mansion. And Tia, who might have lost her life, barely regained consciousness in three months.

When I saw her golden eyes whose light came back, I could also go back to my normal life.

Hugging her warm body after a long time, I was deeply moved. I felt as if I got some heavy stuff off my chest finally.

I wished she could take some more rest, but she was very busy after perking up again.

She was busy even before she was poisoned, but after she got well again, she was much more busy. When I stopped by her house on the pretext of coaching her fencing skills every day, I often didn’t see her there.

Then one day, I heard a shocking story from my elder brother who just returned from the Imperial Palace. He said all the members of the pro-emperor faction deserted her.

I was really upset and frustrated to know that even my father gave her up. As I was worried about her who must have been hurt a lot, I went to see her after deep thinking.

My heart was crushed by the words that even my believing father did, but I was worried. No matter how much she wanted to cut off her ties with the imperial family, she must have been offended when she heard such insulting words as a woman.

But her response was much harsher than I expected. She said calmly that the Monique family would take a different political line from my family’s. Hertone was very icy.

My heart sank all of a sudden. My little girl, who resembled a sword, had a tender heart, but at the same time she had a cool, sharp look like a sword. Tia was the type of woman who could reject anything right away if she felt it was not in her interests, no matter how painful it was. So, it’s no wonder that she didn’t treat me as comfortably as she used to because I was a member of the Lars family.

I returned home, feeling like I was going insane, and met my father. When I thought about how he would react if I mentioned it, I felt sad a bit, but I took a deep breath and declared, “I will move out.”

“…What? Did you say you’re going to move out?”

“Yeah.”

“What is the reason? Is it because of that girl?”

“That’s right.”

“How stupid!”

Once again I took a deep breath and knelt before him who was upset. Although I thought that I had tried my best, I had no power except that I became a full-fledged knight. I was powerless in a situation where I had to wage a complex political struggle.

“Please allow me to move out.”

“Get up! What are you doing to me because of that girl?”

“I am not behaving like this because of my affection for her. She won’t definitely hold out if nobody defends her.”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“I swore at the Monique family’s estate that I would never let her space out. I promised her that I would protect her, so she could smile all the time. I can’t sit on my hands like this when I know clearly that she will collapse while struggling alone.”

“…”

“And, and…Oh, yes! And, if she collapses like that, Marquis Monique won’t look on idly. You know what kind of personality he is, right? Are you going to turn against him?”

When I appealed to him desperately, he said after being silent for a moment with a pensive expression, “… Got it. So, stand up now.”

“Then, are you allowing me to move out?”

“I told you I got it, but I didn’t say I approved it. Your moving out is a separate matter.”

“Daddy!”

“I am saying this because I care about you. Let’s say that I approved your decision. Even so, what could you do for her? Do you think you can exercise enough influence to help her on your own? ”