A heavy commotion arose above the space.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Is what the young lady said really true?”

Among those who were whispering, one person finally stepped forward.

“Sir Tikan, is everything Lavioli said true?”

The nobleman who asked if it was true was Marquis Whistleton, the young lady’s father.

Tikan, who immediately stepped forward, claimed with a greatly aggrieved expression.

“How could I possibly commit such a dishonorable act?”

“……”

“The young lady seems to have some misunderstanding.”

On Tikan’s face, which had turned pale, was filled with anger.

Marquis Whistleton, with his face flushed red, flew into a rage.

“Are you calling that a statement now? Then are you saying that my daughter is acting?”

Tikan opened his mouth after a moment of silence.

“Marquis Whistleton, don’t you also see me that way?”

The hall instantly turned into chaos.

In fact, it was common for the parties involved in a scandal to tie it up with marriage.

Whichever side it was, there would be a blow once a scandal broke out, and it was especially so for the young ladies’ side, so it was the general flow for things to go that way.

But a unilateral act by one side…

It was extremely rare for a young lady, who would suffer even greater damage from this, to claim it so vehemently.

Moreover, the young lady’s appearance was convincing enough.

Naturally, public opinion flowed in a direction unfavorable to Tikan.

“I guess Sir Tikan really did such a thing.”

“I thought he was a gentleman because he always acted gentlemanly, but what is this?”

“They say don’t judge a person by their appearance, and that’s exactly right!”

Tikan did such a thing…?

The Tikan I know would never commit such an act.

Of course, no matter how close the blood relation is, you can’t know everything, and I know that especially for this kind of issue, it needs to be approached carefully.

But it was true that the whole situation was strange.

Marquis Whistleton, who was pressing on as if he had been waiting.

Lady Lavioli, who was trembling until just a moment ago, but now neatly catching her breath and looking around.

But if all of this is intentional, why are they trying to bury Tikan like this?

There was no place for bad blood between Marquis Whistleton, who was in the far southern territory, and the Rosemary family.

It was the same for Tikan.

I investigated his conduct for the past 7 years while he was in the Empress Palace, but there was nothing that could have caused bad blood between the two families during that time.

‘They are taking this action even though there is no grudge?’

That wasn’t the only thing that was strange.

Marquis Whistleton was someone who had a clear calculation of profit and loss.

Looking at his actions so far, the Marquis never took part in things that were a loss and did not hesitate to do things that were a gain, regardless of whether it was illegal or even if it could trample someone to death.

That was applied without fail even to his children, and the Marquis’ eldest daughter was married off to a duke of a foreign country who was more than 50 years older than her, as if she was sold for a huge price.

‘If what the guy wants is the marriage of Tikan and his second daughter, Lady Lavioli……’

That can’t be it either.

What would Marquis Whistleton gain by combining with the Rosemary family?

If this situation escalated, it was clear that Lady Lavioli would have to move with a big disadvantage in her next marriage issue.

There’s no way Marquis Whistleton wouldn’t know that… but the Marquis is not hiding this situation, but further amplifying it.

And if my guess is correct, even manipulating it.

Suddenly, the image of Diarob, who was smiling, flashed through my mind.

When I raised my head, I saw Diarob still in that spot.

On the face of the guy who was laughing as he last stepped out before leaving the banquet hall, there was still a smile.

The image of the guy boldly revealing his ambition to eliminate Tikan passed over it.

My mind was spinning fast.

‘Could it be that Diarob instigated all of this?’

If it was instigated, there must have been some kind of deal between Marquis Whistleton and Duke Diarob.

That’s something that will come out if investigated.

As I stood there with an unsavory result, Tikan’s disgusted face clearly came into view.

At this rate, it was clear that he would be socially buried.

Perhaps, as Diarob wanted, Tikan would lose his position and not be able to be by Casius’ side.

Not only would Tikan step down from his position as the captain of the knight order, but the honor of the Rosemary family would also be greatly tarnished.

While I was lost in thought, the nobles relentlessly drove Tikan into a corner.

As rumors often do, people began to curse Tikan without even verifying the truth.

“I told you from the beginning that I didn’t have a good impression of him, didn’t I?”

“I thought he was gentle, but behind the scenes, he does such actions……”

“Now that I see it, he’s just like Rachel. That fox also went around seducing His Majesty the Emperor behind the scenes, tsk!”

The typical nitpicking of the nobles continued endlessly.

Amidst everyone noisily chattering, Tikan was clenching his fists.

Casius pulled his body forward as if to settle this situation.

In an instant, Tikan took out a piece of paper from his bosom as if something had come to mind.

“The young lady’s words are false.”

“……”

“I came here after receiving this note.”

‘They were determined to drag Tikan into a quagmire from the beginning.’

Marquis Whistleton did not even budge.

“What do you mean by that?”

Whistleton’s composed expression further heightened the sense of unease.

‘What?’

If the note is disclosed, there will still be a big repercussion…

Can he be so nonchalant?

Then, Tikan spoke in a voice that seemed to be suppressing his anger.

“I only came out because I was told there was something to say about my elder sister.”

There was another huge stir in the hall.

“When I came here, the young lady was in this state from the beginning.”

Even after hearing Tikan’s words, Marquis Whistleton’s expression did not change at all.

He turned to Lady Lavioli, who was still covering her chest next to Tikan, and asked.

“Is it true that you sent that note?”

The Marquis’ expression as he asked the young lady was so gentle that anyone who saw it would mistake them for a very affectionate father and daughter.

Well, no one here would be fooled by such an act, but anyway, the Marquis’ nonchalant appearance was enough to make Tikan out to be the bad guy.

Lady Lavioli shook her head, and the nobles soon began to stir again.

Even in the midst of that, Whistleton did not lose his composure and raised his head to gaze at Tikan again.

He spoke leisurely, curving his eyes.

“Why don’t you unfold the note and take a look?”

Only then did Tikan unfold the note in his hand.

At the same time, Tikan’s hand trembled slightly. He seemed to be in shock as he stared at the note and lost his words.

The furrowed brows and dilated pupils were Tikan’s unique expression that appeared when he felt wronged.

‘Is there a problem with the note?’

As Tikan hesitated, there was an even greater commotion among the nobles.

“What are you doing? Why don’t you unfold it and show us?”

When Tikan remained still, Lady Lavioli snatched it away and showed it, saying look at this.

There was nothing written on it.

Tikan’s eyes were stunned as he looked at the blank note.

I clearly remember that expression from my childhood, when another child did something and I got blamed for it and received a slap in the face.

‘Tikan was deceived by Marquis Whistleton.’

Marquis Whistleton began to sway public opinion, pretending to wipe away tears.

“How can you toy with us like this!”

Not stopping there, Whistleton made Lady Lavioli stand up and draped a jacket over her body, creating the appearance of an affectionate father and daughter.

“No matter how much you are in a position to protect His Majesty’s side, Sir Tikan, you cannot disregard our family like this.”

“……”

“You will have to pay the price for what you have done to my daughter!”

With that, Marquis Whistleton acted as if he had finished his business and made Lady Lavioli get up.

As he passed by Tikan’s side, Marquis Whistleton handed the blank note back as if mocking him and moved on.

Casius, who was watching Tikan standing in a daze, stepped forward and ordered the nobles to disperse and end the party.

Tikan, caught by Casius, moved far back immediately.

*

As soon as he returned to the southern territory, Marquis Whistleton immediately referred Tikan to an official trial.

Everything proceeded quickly as if it had been planned.

The imperial family began investigating Tikan and Lady Lavioli.

Tikan, who was identified as a suspect, was taken to a temporary prison according to procedure.

The scheduled period was announced to be 10 days, exceeding the average of 5 days.

It must have been Casius who extended the investigation period.

Since this incident occurred in front of all the nobles and given the nature of the matter, there was no choice but to conduct an official investigation.

He must have extended that period to somehow claim innocence.

If that period passes without revealing anything… Tikan will be executed with dishonor.

No, to be precise, there was one more way.

Tikan and Lavioli, the two of them getting married.

In fact, it was not the first time that such a problem had arisen between a noble man and a noble lady in the long history.

Each time, ridiculously, the conclusion of the matter ended in marriage.

The man’s side would claim marriage to avoid execution.

The woman’s side would reluctantly hand over the daughter, whose value had already fallen in the marriage market and whose life in a convent was confirmed, and take the dowry as if making a concession, as it was considered the most rational ending.

However, the current situation was quite crude.

It was evident that Marquis Whistleton, who was instigated by Diarob, would let Tikan die regardless of what happens to his own daughter.

In short, Diarob had set the trap very well.