Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 90: Baron (2)

Talking to a drunk was a headache.

But it was unavoidable. Living in the slums or wandering the streets near taverns made it common to run into people swaying under the influence of alcohol.

In fact, in the harsh reality of life, it wasn’t so strange to drown one’s sorrows with a few drinks.

That’s why Dereck didn’t have any particular aversion to dealing with drunks.

“This Linus… Ugh… Uff… I don’t make empty promises… I’ll reward you, Denin… Just one favor… Ugh…”

“It’s Dereck, not Denin.”

“Oh, heavens. What a slip. Yes. Denin.”

“…”

Linus, delighted to see Dereck despite never having met him, put his arm over his shoulders again and raised his beer mug.

Since Linus was thin and not very heavy, Dereck wasn’t too bothered, but he wished this mysterious noble would get to the point.

“Dereck.”

While Linus kept rambling drunkenly and slumped over the bar again, Jayden, watching with a serious expression from behind the counter, quickly approached Dereck and whispered quietly.

“He seems like an unusual person.”

“Really? He just looks like a drunk to me.”

“He introduced himself as Linus, right? As far as I know, there’s only one person in the noble family of Ebelstein who’d use that name.”

Jayden, who managed several clients, usually memorized members of families that placed important commissions.

If Jayden knew him, then he really must be someone special.

“When you say Linus, are you talking about the eldest son who left the Belmierd family?”

“…What? The Belmierd family?”

For a moment, I was thrown by the unexpected prominence and couldn’t help but feel a little bewildered.

However, recalling the Belmierd family’s history, there were certain nuances.

Linus Rugel Belmierd, the eldest son of the Belmierd family, might once have been the heir to the prestigious house of the Belmierd counts, famous for its greatness.

But now he was infamous for having abandoned all worldly authority and indulged in drinking, singing, and lust.

It was said that the only thing the perfect Marquis Belmierd lacked was luck with his children.

Fortunately, Ellen had a good head on her shoulders. If not for her, the descendants of the Belmierd family would be considered a total disaster.

The cause of those rumors was none other than the libertine Linus, now slumped on the bar next to Dereck.

Linus, who in his youth had an intellectual and sharp appearance thanks to his training as an heir, now wore messy hair tied back, and without caring to groom his unkempt beard, had become a loafer wandering taverns.

His body exuded a mix of stale sweat and strong alcohol, and dirt accumulated under his broken nails.

Dereck, tilting his head slightly as he observed him, finally spoke to Jayden.

“I heard the eldest son of the Belmierd family left Ebelstein.”

But the reply didn’t come from Jayden.

“A man’s life is like a gust of wind, going from here to there, and from there to here. Hic…”

“You heard all that?”

“I have sharp ears. Just by hearing the sound of cards being dealt, I can tell if there’s cheating.”

“If I was rude, I apologize.”

“Rude? Our dear Denin is curious, so if you have more questions, ask away! Or was it Deril…? Ah, yes, Dereck. It was Dereck.”

Speaking loudly, he ordered another beer from the owner and then, with squinted eyes, gave Dereck a light pat on the shoulder.

“Kahaha. What’s in a name? Once men clash mugs, they become lifelong comrades!”

“What’s the commission you want to ask of me?”

“Well, it’s hard to say right now.”

“…?”

What the hell was this man trying to say?

While Dereck stared at him in disbelief, Linus, completely drunk, burped again and continued speaking.

“Still, I have a sense of honor. If you fulfill my commission, I won’t let you walk away empty-handed.”

“…”

“You seem skeptical. Well, that’s understandable. Who would trust a libertine who even puts his drinks on credit to pay for a commission? Don’t worry, I’ll pay you upfront.”

Linus, smiling mischievously again, took another sip of his beer.

With a heavy exhale, he set the mug down and patted Dereck’s shoulder again, acting like they were old friends.

“If you pay in advance, I have no objections. But I still need to hear the details of the commission.”

“Of course I’ll pay in advance… but the problem isn’t money.”

“…What?”

Dereck looked at Linus, wondering what nonsense he’d say next. Linus smiled, then waved his hand near his mouth like a talking puppet.

“I’ll give you a horse.”

“…If it’s not money, I won’t accept it. Sorry.”

“No, don’t turn me down so quickly. You’re about to receive the title of baron, right? I heard they sent a letter to Belmierd to ask for opinions on the matter.”

Dereck tensed at those words.

His current goal was to receive the baron title without complications.

“If you’re trying to persuade me with that… well, I don’t know.”

“Haha. I’m not a fool. The decision-making power in the Linus Rugel Belmierd family lies mainly with my sister Ellen. Our father, who has the final say, always respects Ellen’s opinion… so I have no sway. The Belmierd family will support your title.”

Ellen would support Dereck’s title. So, Linus’s thoughts didn’t matter much.

Linus, knowing this well, leaned his arm on the bar and spoke.

“The real problem isn’t me, but that old Deltus.”

“…Are you talking about Grand Duke Beltus?”

“Yes. That old man is so stubborn he won’t be happy about a new noble appearing in the neighboring territory. I’ll make sure he supports you.”

Linus laughed heartily, resting his chin on his fist.

“Deril… I mean, Dereck, you might have connections with the Beltus family, but that girl is just a puppet and doesn’t have much sway with the old man.”

“…Still, it seems unrealistic that you, Lord Linus, could influence the Beltus family’s decisions.”

“True. I can’t. But my best friend, Robenalt, is a different story.”

Robenalt. Dereck tried to recall where he’d heard the name. It was the name of the eldest son of the Beltus family.

Linus seemed to have a separate friendship with Robenalt.

Though it was hard to believe him immediately, Dereck thought it better to listen to the end and adjusted his posture.

“Unlike my father, who ignores the eldest if he doesn’t meet expectations, old man Beltus has an old-fashioned view of primogeniture. He values his eldest son so much that he barely pays attention to the others.”

“…So he gives a lot of weight to that eldest son’s opinion, Robenalt.”

“Yes, whatever happens, the Beltus family plans to give him everything.”

Linus again mimed talking with his hand near his mouth and then took a long drink.

“I’m good at talking. I’ll make sure Robenalt supports you, so just wait, receive the baron title, and dance with joy.”

“That’s what you call an advance payment?”

“Yes. Once you become a baron without issues, you’ll carry out a task for me.”

Dereck, resting his chin in thought, looked back at Linus and spoke.

“Hearing you, it sounds like the task is so complicated that at least the rank of baron is needed to carry it out. If you need someone with influence, don’t you know many others besides me?”

“Well… I won’t deny it. But looking at things now, it seems like you, Deris, are the most suitable… hic…”

“It’s not Deris, it’s Dereck.”

“Sorry, Deril. hic, sigh…”

“It’s not Deril, it’s Dereck.”

“Sorry, Deren.”

“…”

Dereck stared at Linus with a resigned expression.

Linus laughed awkwardly, then slumped back down on the bar counter.

“Oh~ I’m getting drunk~. Ugh, sigh…”

“…And what if I just accept the title and ignore you? Why are you making me this kind of offer?”

“Then I would’ve made a bad bet. Wouldn’t I?”

“…”

As he said, Linus wasn’t an idiot either.

There was probably some certainty mixed into the offer that seemed so one-sidedly in Dereck’s favor. The certainty that Dereck would follow through with Linus’s future request.

And what that request was.

“Ellen will die if left alone.”

“…”

“Help her not be pushed out as heir.”

Though Dereck didn’t know the inner workings of the Belmierd family, this exiled eldest son seemed to anticipate something would happen in the future. Dereck held his breath for a moment at those words.

Though Linus was drunk, his expression turned deadly serious when he spoke of his sister Ellen.

*

“Did something like that happen up north? I knew Dereck had a reckless side, but I didn’t think it was to that extent…”

The following morning.

In a corner of Aiselin’s mansion garden in the noble district of Ebelstein, three people sat together.

One was Aiselin, the mistress of the mansion, another was her younger sister Diella, and the third was Siern—though not her biological sister, she was a sister nonetheless.

“Yes. But Lord Melverot gave us a good amount of cash. We won’t have to worry about the servants’ wages for a while.”

“That’s… a relief, but…”

Diella wore an oddly restrained expression. Anyone who saw her would be surprised, as she always tried to maintain a stern look.

However, she didn’t try so hard in front of Aiselin. After all, Aiselin was her beloved older sister.

“I never expected Lady Siern to come with you all…”

“Ahaha…”

In Aiselin’s arms, awkwardly laughing, was Siern, the young lady from House Rochester.

She looked like a princess sealed in ice, but her behavior was oddly wild, like a feral animal, and she now slept peacefully in Aiselin’s arms.

Diella and Siern.

The nobles of Ebelstein would be left speechless if they saw these girls.

Both had the temperament of rabid dogs that no one could control, but in front of Dereck or Aiselin, they turned into meek lambs.

Even the arrogant Lady Trisha swallowed hard and backed away when facing Aiselin, who had both girls at her side.

“I should’ve slapped that arrogant Trisha a few more times…”

Just thinking about Trisha still made Diella grind her teeth, but she took a deep breath to calm down and sat back at the tea table.

Seeing Diella that upset gave Aiselin a strange sense of comfort, as if she’d finally come home.

“By the way, what were you doing there after the salon meeting ended? Lady Denise and Lady Ellen were also—”

“Oh… now that you mention it, I haven’t told you yet, Diella. There’s some news I thought you should know, since I visited the salon…”

“News? Aiselin, you’re not a messenger—why would you be going around delivering news…?”

Watching Aiselin’s lighter steps tugged at Diella’s heart.

When the Duplain family was at its peak, everyone came to the mansion to see Aiselin.

Now she had to run around just to deliver a piece of news… It hurt, but Diella chose not to show it.

So Diella took a sip of tea to calm herself.

“Dereck is getting married.”

“Pffft!”

Of course, the tea didn’t go down her throat.

In front of Aiselin, who had dropped that bomb so casually, Diella, now a mess, took a deep breath and spoke again.

“I must’ve misheard… surely I misheard…”

“Dereck is getting married. I heard he’s starting a family with Pheline, the mercenary archer from the Beldern Mercenary Corps…”

“What? Dereck? Dereck is dating a woman? It’s hard to believe he’s even seeing someone… but getting married?”

“Y-yeah.”

The Dereck Diella knew was just a man obsessed with magic.

Of course, as a man, he could have the desire to find a good partner and build a happy family, but she never expected him to make such a sudden decision.

First of all, even if he was a commoner, wasn’t he someone deeply involved with high society?

Not just with Diella, but with people like Aiselin, Ellen, and Denise—he was someone who naturally mingled with all kinds of nobles whom the lower class rarely even glimpsed. Naturally, his standards must’ve gone up.

At that point, there was no way a mercenary woman from the slums would catch his eye. Thinking that gave her a strange sense of relief.

At that realization, Diella felt out of place. Relief? Why the hell would she feel relieved? Dereck had his own life.

Still, she couldn’t help being struck by a great shock that felt like her chest had been blown open.

“…”

It seemed like a bad joke, but Aiselin wasn’t the type to make those.

Diella, holding an empty cup in her trembling hands, had no choice but to study Aiselin’s expression.

Aiselin awkwardly avoided her gaze. As if she knew this news would have a strange impact on Diella.

However, Aiselin also hesitated to tell her the whole truth.

The fact that Dereck’s marriage was only a façade to obtain a title wasn’t something she couldn’t share with someone as precious as her sister Diella.

But Dereck had asked her earnestly. The fewer people who knew the marriage was just a fake contract, the better.

After all, it was a deception—and not something to be proud of.

Besides, everyone knew how fast rumors spread in noble society. This contract marriage should only be known to the involved parties.

Aiselin’s deep loyalty was certainly touching, but for Diella, it was like lightning striking from a clear sky.

‘D-Dereck didn’t marry magic, did he…?’

She tried to make that absurd quip, but there was no undoing the marriage now.

As Aiselin had said, it was believable enough, yet Diella still felt the need to see it for herself.

Creak.

Diella rose from her seat.

“…I-I’m going out for a bit. Sister Aiselin.”

“D-Diella… You don’t look well… Are you really okay?”

“T-the name of the mercenary, what was it? Ph-Pheline?”

“…Why are you asking? Y-you’re not thinking of going to find her, are you?”

When Aiselin asked with a worried expression, Diella shook her head without much of a response and left.

Seeing that, Aiselin also felt a strange unease and couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

Zzz.

Only Siern, who was now peacefully sleeping in Aiselin’s arms after a long time, remained in a good state.

*

Swoosh!

Thwack! Thwack!

Screeeech!

The sharp tip of the arrow pierced the goblin’s eye.

The goblin, spitting blood and writhing in pain, finally collapsed on the grass and exhaled its last breath.

Step, step.

Thwack!

A girl in light mercenary gear and a cloak tied back her platinum hair.

She stepped on the goblin’s face, pulled out the arrow, and shook the blood from the tip with her boot.

Around her, the area was filled with goblin corpses. The slim, petite girl had killed them all.

The scene was so surreal that anyone seeing it for the first time would be speechless.

“This side’s pretty much done. I finished a bit early, so maybe I’ll stop by Tears of Beldern for some mead~.”

Pheline, in a cheeky tone, rolled her shoulders, slung her bow over them, and stretched.

The job had been easier than expected, and the sun was still high in the sky.

Getting briefly lost in the warm landscape of the meadow, she finally shook her head and quickly headed toward Ebelstein’s gate.

She was, without a doubt, Dereck’s wife.

Though her status was enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end, at least she was well paid. Thinking of it lightly, Pheline quickened her pace.

“♪♬♪”

At this point, she had no idea.

What it meant to be partnered with the magic master whom Duplain, Beltus, and Belmierd had all fought to claim—she wouldn’t understand until she lived through it.

In short, what awaited her were trials.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet