The Scorned Noble Lady Picks Up The Path of Alchemy in Her Second Life
Reporting to Father
Translated by: S3
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*****
That evening. After returning home from work, as I was drafting the paperwork for the engagement annulment, I was called to Father’s study—a rare occurrence.
The news of my fiancé’s infidelity must have spread and reached him. Although there were circumstances, deciding to annul the engagement without consulting him might have been ill-advised.
Mustering my courage, I visited the study, where Father stood with his arms crossed, a severe look on his face.
Father, who once excelled as the Kingdom's Vice-Commander of the Knights and takes pride in his title as a Viscount, tends to value aristocratic honor highly.
During his active years, he was called the "Ogre God," and now, as he's involved in training knights, he's called the "Ogre Sergeant." I only hold a fearful impression of him.
「Sit.」
His terseness and tendency to speak only the necessary business made him all the more frightening. Since I actively avoided him, our relationship now consisted of talking about once a year.
「Excuse me.」
Consequently, I was reserved. I behaved with politeness that suggested I was not speaking to a family member.
Of course, our relationship wasn't always this awkward. When I was a child, my parents and brother were around, and our home was much brighter.
But after Mother passed away from illness and my brother joined the Knights and moved to the barracks, our emotional distance naturally widened.
Wondering when we last spoke, I offered a graceful curtsey and slowly lowered myself into the chair. Then, I was astonished by what lay on the desk.
Documents concerning the engagement annulment were spread out.
And they were the ones already signed by the Voitos family.
「Explain.」
Cold sweat wouldn't stop. The presence of the annulment papers here meant that Lord Zeel had handed them over to Father.
I never imagined the cheating party, Lord Zeel, would thrust the annulment papers at us. It was already difficult enough to tell Father about it... Ugh. How should I handle this?
Feeling as though I was being pricked repeatedly by needles, I decided to honestly explain the situation.
「Two days ago, I happened upon Lord Zeel intimately embracing another woman in the Adventurers Guild's warehouse...」
「And that led to the annulment of the engagement.」
「Since he showed no remorse, I immediately proposed the annulment.」
A thunderbolt is definitely coming! I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself.
「I understand.」
However, he accepted it with a surprising lack of fuss, which completely threw me off. I blinked and watched him, but Father remained standing with his arms crossed.
What was with this atmosphere? It was different from what I expected. Father should never permit such a shameful action as an engagement annulment.
Perhaps this was the calm before the storm. Father, silently reading the documents, was probably preparing to transform from a man into an ogre.
Before he turned into an uncontrollable entity, I should try to appease his anger with a preemptive apology attack.
I stood up from the chair and bowed deeply.
「I apologize for having stained the name of the Hopewell House.」
「Hm? How did you stain it?」
My jaw dropped in a foolish expression—this was the second time today I'd been utterly wrong-footed.
「Um, well, by having my fiancé cheat on me and letting harmful rumors circulate, the Viscount House's image will suffer... won't it?」
「Let me rephrase my question. Did you stain it? Did you commit an act that would dishonor the Viscount House?」
「...No.」
「That's right. The honor of the Hopewell House was damaged, but you did not damage it. You have no need to apologize. Rather, I, who arranged the engagement, am the one who must apologize. I have truly done you a disservice.」
I doubted my own ears. That stubborn Father had apologized to me.
「When I was fighting on the battlefield, the potions made by Count Voitos saved my life many times, so I couldn't refuse the offer of marriage. Please forgive your inadequate father.」
Now, I doubted my eyes. The Father, whom I only thought of as an ogre, was bowing his head.
For me, this was a sight as unbelievable as my fiancé having an affair.
Naturally, it was understandable that I panicked when confronted with such a scene.
「No, um, I am not angry. I believe I also bear some fault for this situation, as I couldn't keep my fiancé's affection. I am truly sorry.」
「You bear no fault whatsoever. If you observe the way you’ve conducted yourself, I can understand that much.」
The document Father took out from his drawer wasn't the engagement certificate, but a second copy of the annulment application, signed by the Hopewell House.
「I had decided that if you ever showed the slightest sign of distress, I would pay the compensation and annul the engagement. There wasn't a day I didn't agonize over whether to live as a noble or as a father.」
If the annulment papers had been brand new, I might have doubted Father. But since there were obvious finger marks indicating they had been taken out multiple times, it must be the truth.
In his own quiet way, Father had been worried about me. That fact stirred up a painful warmth inside me.
「To be honest, I'm relieved that I don't have to persuade you, Father. Since we have the annulment papers, I’m glad things seem to be moving forward smoothly.」
「No, we'll redraw the documents. The paperwork that Count Voitos's son brought doesn't include compensation.」
For a moment, I didn't understand the meaning of Father's words. However, checking the document, I realized it meant exactly what he said.
The section for compensation was crossed out.
Ehh... Does he intend to process this as a mutual, amicable annulment? No, Lord Zeel has a high degree of pride, and he might want to use this to assert that he was the one who discarded me.
It was likely his way of saying, I wouldn't have you even if you begged. After all, he didn't even recognize that he was the one who cheated.
If I were to demand compensation from Lord Zeel, it would undoubtedly turn into a nasty quarrel.
The kindness Lord Clein showed me would be for nothing, so I suppose I have no choice but to overlook it...
「This document is fine. Please allow me to not claim compensation.」
「What are you saying? This affects your career prospects. If you don't claim compensation, it looks as though you're admitting fault yourself.」
Father's argument was sound, and fighting for compensation is generally the norm. The focus isn't so much on getting the money as it is on protecting one's honor.
But this case is different. Thanks to Lord Clein’s assistance, my honor has already been protected, so there's no need for a pointless dispute.
「The truth is, I received an offer to be the Court Alchemist's assistant. I was hired starting today, and we have formally signed the contract. Therefore, I don't want to cause any trouble over this annulment.」
「The Court Alchemist's assistant...? Surely that's just because of your experience working for the Voitos family. Who exactly made this offer?」
「Lord Clein of the Augusta House.」
This was the first time I had ever seen Father gape so widely.
Perhaps I looked just as foolish when I was first offered the assistant position.
「How did that happen? He’s the genius who broke the record for the youngest Court Alchemist by a large margin.」
「I thought I was just acting normally, but for some reason, he evaluated me highly. There's already been a commotion at the Adventurers Guild, and I've even been allowed to work as an apprentice alchemist, so I wish to continue living peacefully like this.」
Whether it was beyond the scope of Father's comprehension, he sighed deeply and then buried his face in his hands on the desk.
This was news that couldn't be compared to the engagement annulment—it was so much better. However, even I, the person involved, don't fully understand it, so Father's confusion is understandable.
Why? What does this mean? I have no idea no matter how much I think about it. This must be what he’s feeling.
After pondering for a while, Father sat back up as if coming back to life.
「The intentions of the Augusta House's son are unclear, but he must have had his reasons. I've never seen someone so intellectually sharp as him.」
「That’s certainly true. He quickly overwrote yesterday's bad rumors with good rumors.」
「In that case, I will stop the claim for compensation. Though it pains me, we will prioritize cutting ties with the Voitos family quickly.」
「Thank you. I also have no intention of involving myself with Lord Zeel again.」
「Understood. Just in case, I will send letters to the nobles we have ties with.」
Watching Father start moving briskly, immediately beginning to write letters, I felt a strange emotion.
It's like we're a real family. Well, we are a real family, but...
「Father, you didn't dislike me?」
「...I’m just not good with women. Even though you are my daughter, I still don't know what to call you.」
「No, you can just call me by my name.」
「If I could, I would have already. Go now. You're interrupting my work.」
I decided to revise my opinion of Father: he really was a clumsy man.
*****
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