Episode 127: An Unwelcome Guest (2)
“How can you call someone who’s going to be part of our family insignificant?”
Damian’s mother playfully smacked his shoulder. He protested with a disgruntled expression.
“But it’s true. Compared to my sister, he’s lacking in so many ways.”
“He’s kind, has a good personality, is diligent, and reliable. What’s the problem?”
Despite his mother’s scolding, Damian’s dissatisfaction lingered. His parents believed that as long as someone had a good character, nothing else mattered. Damian, however, thought differently. Good character was a given, but other qualities were important too.
“I’m going to see my sister for a moment.”
“Damian!”
Before his mother could stop him, Damian was already gone.
In the blink of an eye, Damian arrived at the music room. He had memorized the layout of the estate while preparing for the celebration.
“Luise, your music is like a balm for the soul.”
“Oh, come on… Do you think flattery will make me happy?”
“I’m serious. Your playing is truly beautiful.”
As he approached the music room, he heard the sound of laughter. One voice belonged to his sister, Luise. The other…
“Just hearing his voice irritates me.”
The sound of Ballad Hugo’s voice made Damian’s blood boil. When you dislike someone, everything they do seems annoying. He couldn’t leave the two of them alone any longer. Damian flung open the door to the music room and stepped inside.
There, sitting side by side at the piano, were Luise and Ballad.
“Oh?”
“Huh?”
Both turned to Damian with surprised expressions.
“Damian!”
Luise beamed and rushed over to him, checking him over.
“You made it back safely! Was everything okay at the temple?”
“Yes, nothing happened. How have you been, sister?”
“Oh, you know, the usual.”
Luise laughed brightly. Behind her, Ballad Hugo approached.
“That’s right! Damian, say hello. Ballad’s here for a visit!”
“Damian, it’s been ages since I last saw you!”
Ballad extended his hand with a friendly smile. Damian shook it with a reluctant expression.
Luise was renowned for her beauty, unmatched in the west. If she had been more publicly visible, the title of the most beautiful woman in the west would have been hers, not Olivia’s. In contrast, Ballad Hugo was hopelessly unfashionable. He wore shabby clothes and outdated black-rimmed glasses. His unkempt hair covered his forehead and eyes, giving him a messy appearance.
While one shouldn’t judge by appearances, Damian believed Luise deserved someone better to ensure her happiness. Compared to her, Ballad’s looks were severely lacking.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Your exploits are quite the talk of the town. Even our city is buzzing with your name.”
Ballad worked as a bureaucrat in the port city of Ocean, which was quite far from here. As a result, Luise and Ballad, though engaged, couldn’t meet often.
“To think my sister’s fiancé is just a bureaucrat…”
If he were a high-ranking official, it might be different, but Ballad was merely a low-level bureaucrat with a modest salary.
“No matter how I look at it, he’s not right for her.”
Damian couldn’t warm up to Ballad Hugo. Luise was too precious to him. He only refrained from opposing their relationship because Luise genuinely loved Ballad. Deep down, he hoped she would find someone better.
“Oh, sister. I have a gift for you.”
Damian took a bracelet from a box and handed it to Luise, who examined it with curiosity.
“It’s a sacred artifact that protects against external threats. You should always keep it with you.”
“You’re giving me something so precious? You’re the best brother ever.”
Luise accepted the bracelet with a happy smile and put it on her wrist.
“A sacred artifact… How fascinating.”
“Would you like to take a look?”
Luise offered the bracelet to Ballad, who examined it with interest.
“Why is he playing with the gift I gave my sister?”
Damian watched with a sour expression.
“Excuse me.”
At that moment, a maid entered the music room and addressed the three of them.
“The lady of the house wishes to invite everyone for tea, as it’s been a while since Damian returned.”
“Alright. We’ll be out soon.”
With Luise’s response, the maid bowed and left the room.
“Ballad, could you go ahead? I need to talk to Damian for a moment.”
“Sure. I’ll let Mother know you might be a bit late.”
“Thank you.”
Luise saw Ballad off with a smile, but as soon as he left, her expression turned serious. It was a stark contrast to her usual cheerful demeanor. Damian looked at her with concern.
“Sister, is something wrong?”
“Well… sigh.”
Luise let out a deep sigh. It was the first time Damian had seen her so troubled.
“Sit down first. You must be tired.”
Luise led Damian to a table in the corner of the music room.
“I actually need your advice on something.”
“What is it?”
Despite Damian’s question, Luise hesitated to speak.
“You know how Ballad is quite popular, right?”
This was news to Damian. That unfashionable man was popular with women?
“So when he was sent to Ocean, I was really worried. I knew other women wouldn’t leave him alone.”
“Sister, I really don’t think that’s the case. Who would be interested in a guy like that…?”
“I think Ballad might be seeing someone else.”
Crack.
The corner of the table Damian was holding crumbled in his grip. It didn’t just break; it turned to dust and scattered on the floor.
“He’s seeing someone else… while engaged to my sister?”
As if it wasn’t enough that Luise was too good for him, now he was seeing another woman? Damian couldn’t tolerate such behavior. He felt an overwhelming urge to confront Ballad immediately.
“Ah, it’s not certain yet, so calm down!”
A flustered Luise tried to soothe Damian, but his anger was hard to quell.
“How did you come to suspect that… worm, I mean, Ballad?”
“Do you remember when I went to Ocean to see him?”
Damian recalled. It was when a dungeon of corpses had been discovered, and Luise had left the estate to meet Ballad.
“Did you see something then?”
Luise nodded.
“When I got near the city, he usually came to meet me. But when I arrived at the meeting place, he was nowhere to be found.”
“What did you do?”
“I waited. Eventually, he came running, saying he was delayed by some urgent matter.”
Damian took a deep breath. To think he had the audacity to be late for an appointment with his sister. He wanted to rush over and crush him.
“Later, I tried to schedule a date with him, but every time I suggested a time, he claimed he was busy.”
A vein throbbed on Damian’s forehead. His sister had gone all the way to Ocean, and he had left her waiting?
“We finally set a date, but then he received a note from some man and left, saying something urgent had come up.”
Damian’s teeth ground together. He wanted to smash Ballad’s face in right then and there. He barely managed to restrain himself, knowing Luise hadn’t finished speaking.
“If it were just that, I might have let it go… But once, I went to bring him lunch at work, and he wasn’t there. When I asked around, they said he had left with another woman.”
Damian clutched his neck. His blood pressure was skyrocketing, and he couldn’t listen any longer.
“Sister, you don’t need to say more.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m going to drag him here and interrogate him right now.”
“W-wait, what?”
“I’ll make him confess everything, so don’t worry.”
Damian opened a dimensional space and pulled out a hexagonal club. Luise’s eyes widened in shock.
“D-Damian, what is that…?”
“It’s a very effective conversation tool.”
“That’s a conversation tool?”
“This friend here even managed to reform Prince Oliver. It’s guaranteed to work, so don’t worry.”
Damian stood up, gripping the club tightly.
“Alright, sister, I’ll be back. Just give me an hour, and I’ll… extract the truth from him.”
“Ah, it’s just a suspicion! It’s not confirmed, so calm down!”
Luise hurriedly grabbed Damian, stopping him. Reluctantly, he sat back down.
“I just want to know if it’s my imagination or if it’s real… I was hoping you could help me follow Ballad and find out.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to help with that.”
“Really? I knew I could count on you, little brother!”
Louise beamed and pulled Damien into a hug. As he found himself wrapped in his sister’s embrace, Damien thought to himself.
“I was hoping she’d find someone better… and now’s my chance.”
The opportunity had practically presented itself. Damien had no intention of letting it slip away.
“I’ll make sure to get the evidence.”
Determination burned within him.