Of course, what they did didn’t reach a very deep level, so it was an incorrect metaphor, but that was how he felt.

Being abandoned too many times, too often, even the thought of waiting for him gradually became twisted.

Under that gaze, Jade was stammering nonsense.

“Haha, you’re good at… joking too…. Then, well, if you go to the capital… let’s meet… once…. I’ll definitely contact you when I, no, when I get my thoughts sorted out, no, when I’m done with my busy work….”

“Really?”

“Well… um…. Yes….”

It sounded insincere to anyone who heard it.

Axel had a strangely fierce smile on his lips. Of course, Jade, who had his eyes fixed on the ground, couldn’t see it.

“Yes, let’s definitely meet.”

It was a voice that seemed to warn of some future.

Jade quickly pulled the reins and turned the horse around, as if running away. It seemed impossible to make eye contact until she decided what to do.

She wanted to scream into the void. Aaargh!

The arrived territory was peaceful, and the returned family was unexpectedly free of major incidents. The reason was because Mabel had raised her voice at Felix, whose gambling addiction had worsened.

“He squandered his private wealth enjoying card games. Then, after hearing about the textile farm business plan, he even sold the jewelry that Lady Asela had….”

Bernard, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, said with a sigh.

“And that was one of the few heirlooms left by Lady Asela’s mother. Lady Mabel, who found the crying young lady, figured out the situation and personally visited the town’s gambling house.”

“It must have been a shock, especially since she’s not in good health.”

“She was repeatedly disappointed. That textile farm was already a place that had lost its value….”

When Jade tilted her head, Bernard hesitated and continued.

“Sir Felix, who was drunk, pushed Lady Mabel when she came to the gambling house.”

“I said he was crazy, crazy, but he’s really gone mad. Can’t even tell who’s feeding and raising him.”

Jade said coldly.

“Well, it’s good for me. She’s gradually becoming convinced that there’s no alternative but me, right?”

“The more that happens, the more Lady Mabel will try not to let go of what she’s tightly grasping. She’ll try to manipulate even you, Jade, as she pleases.”

That’s not good.

Although she received regular contact through letters, there were naturally gaps. After checking this and that, Jade finally moved her steps to Mabel’s room.

Mabel was having a meal on the bed. She had been completely leaning against a thick pillow, but when Jade came, she straightened her back.

“Ey, don’t do that. You were eating well.”

“You didn’t even greet me as soon as you returned, your manners are getting worse.”

“Oh, my goodness. I left the horses and people behind and arrived first alone by magic. Our grandmother is quick to get news.”

Jade answered glibly and pulled a chair to sit next to her. Of course, inwardly, she was thinking of identifying the person who conveyed the story.

Jade was slowly isolating Mabel, whose body was uncomfortable, over several seasons.

The old servant who was the eyes of the elderly was sent home to recuperate, and the housekeeper who was the hands and feet of the elderly was made to quit by spreading other stories.

But there were still ears left.

“Then isn’t that obvious?”

“Well, the wind will still bring news to Grandmother. Oh, I had a good trip. You’ll know this too, right?”

Jade gave an update that Mabel didn’t even ask for. Mabel nodded, moistening her throat with water.

“You went all the way to the Kingdom of Jisen. His Majesty has a lot on his mind.”

Because he’s young. Mabel muttered softly. Jade smiled brightly.

“It was good to be able to help a kingdom that has always been our ally.”

“It’s a place whose momentum has run out.”

“Haha, that’s right. Knowing that, His Majesty is working so hard.”

During the time when Mabel ruled, the Broen territory was not very favorable to the royal family.

However, after Yannick took over that position, it maintained a moderately neutral position, and after Jade became the heir, it gave the impression of being completely on the king’s side.

Mabel knew that Jade was trying to escape her grasp, so she was not happy with the relationship with the king.

However, objectively, the young king was ruling the Kingdom of El Cion well, so she couldn’t criticize him, so she expressed her displeasure like this.

Of course, Jade did not accept it. The old woman was gradually fading away, unlike her strong younger days.

Perhaps due to the many worries about Felix, her sunken eyes under her eyes were more prominent. How shocked she must have been that he even pushed her.

“How is your health? I heard you’ve been neglecting your walks these days, but you need to get proper sunlight. What’s better for your health than that?”

Mabel, who had a strong self-esteem, coldly said,

“Who dares to interfere with my business?”

“Everyone is just worried, so don’t take it badly. I feel the same way.”

“They must be very interested in my will.”

Mabel, who spoke bluntly, reached out to the pile of papers on the side table, grabbed them, and threw them in front of Jade with a thud.

Only when Jade grabbed the envelopes placed on the bed did she realize. The white envelopes tied with silk and the papers with the family name written with great care. They were courtship letters.

“Choose from here.”

Yes, she was right that Mabel had become impatient.

“Oh my, there’s still plenty of time. You know I just got back, right? They’re all in such a hurry. Courtship letters already! I haven’t even met a few of them yet.”

“Before you left for the subjugation force, you said it yourself. That you would find a fiancé. I made some progress while you were gone. So choose now.”

Jade picked up the courtship letter envelopes in one hand, smiling.

“Well, I’ll have to check the contents a bit….”

“Is there a need to check the contents? It’s a useless thing to do. They’ll just have a bunch of false words written.”

Mabel put down her teacup with a face that looked like it would freeze just by looking at it. The tray on the small table on the bed made a clear clinking sound.

“Choose from the best families.”

Fortunately, she didn’t lose her smile and wasn’t suffocating yet. Jade rang the bell placed next to her, continuing to recall the ash-gray eyes. The servants quickly entered and cleared the table in front of Mabel.

“That’s not a bad method either. But there could be many problems.”

“You just have to endure it. If you don’t have that kind of patience, how can you lead the family?”

“Of course! I don’t have any expectations for marriage in the first place, so it’s easy. But it’s good to filter them out once, right? It could be a guy who’s trying to sell off the Broen family’s assets, or a guy who only targets parasites with no abilities.”

“It’s better if he has no abilities. Guys with unnecessarily big heads are annoying.”

Mabel, who had ruled the Broen family, said coldly from her experience.

“That could be true. But what if he’s a guy with illegitimate children? I can’t tolerate that.”

Mabel frowned at Jade’s cheerful voice.

“…Yes, that won’t do. Dirty blood….”

“Right? I don’t think I could stand it either. And no matter how good the family is, it’s over if they get divorced! Haha. Anyway, I’ll do some background checks first.”

Jade stuffed the envelopes thickly into her bosom. And she stood up straight. With the most kind and trustworthy eyes.

“Rather than that, can’t I finally hold my coming-of-age ceremony now?”

Mabel was silent.

“Now that I’ve even received courtship letters, if things go well, I’ll probably have an engagement ceremony within a few months at least. There probably won’t be a single decent person among these? The families of these people are overall not bad. I kept my promise, Grandmother. Am I still lacking to you?”

At that moment, her voice almost trembled.

It was because the suppressed greed, anger, and resentment were mixed together when she thought of what she had given up and what she had to give up.

The sofa stretched out together in front of the fireplace, the backs leaning against each other, the laughter that loosens even after grumbling, the soft warmth and sturdy hands. The smile of a child, a bottle full of honey, warm eggs and tree fruits.

Now that she had tasted it, she knew. That the position of the lord of Broen wasn’t so great compared to the price of such warm things.

It wasn’t that she had little affection for the territory, but wasn’t it human instinct to want a greater affection that one could directly feel and exchange? She craved an abundant affection that she could feel firsthand.

The reason she wanted it was in the past, and the reason she wanted to throw it away and leave was in the present and future, so she wavered.

However, she couldn’t erase the goal engraved over a long period in an instant. That’s why she was agonizing like this now.

Still, with that attitude, the little affection that wasn’t there in the first place fell away even more. How much more, what more did she have to do, for this position to be given as if it were natural?

The inside that had already been turned over several times was a mess, so the traces weren’t prominent.

So Jade was able to smile again without being noticed. She quickly caught her trembling voice and made it firm.

“I want to hold the coming-of-age ceremony at least before the engagement ceremony. It’ll be a bit of a burden to proceed with both at the same time, but I think that would be good. If we keep pushing it back, the rumors will get worse.”

“…What rumors?”

“You know everything. I can tolerate anything else, but I hate the rumor that my nose is crooked. I’ll have to do more social activities when I become the head of the family. Anyway, what do you think? Is it okay with you? If you just give me permission, I’ll take charge and report to you neatly.”

Strictly speaking, it was a matter that Jade couldn’t decide alone and Felix had to be involved in, but everyone present knew that he wasn’t in a state to do so.

Mabel knew that too, so she subtly curled her lips.

The old woman narrowed her eyes and weighed various things.

She had given birth to two children. Yannick and Felix. Yannick, who was perfect in every way. Felix, who was so ordinary that he was full of only an inferiority complex towards his brother, although he hid and hid it.

However, Yannick brought a woman whose background he didn’t know and married her without listening to Mabel’s words. He disappointed her only once and died in an accident.

So what was left was one successor with impure blood.