Kyle had not said this just to show affection as an ‘engaged woman’ in front of the Earl.

He was truly signaling for me to speak my sentiments as I felt them today.

‘Can I really say that?’

Until now, the Kyle that Aelfrie had known was gentle when he needed to be, but drew a clear line when it came to matters affecting the profits of the Ash Corporation.

A person who wasn’t swayed by emotions when it came to the corporation’s interests.

‘He must have a reason.’

Surely, he signaled me this way because my sentiments would somehow benefit the corporation.

Moreover, although there was nothing to say about future plans, Aelfrie herself could speak at length about her impressions of the territory, just like a lesser knight.

“I…”

Aelfrie recalled the territory she had seen during the day.

White coastal cliffs, gentle hills covered in soft grass, flocks of sheep wandering over them. And most beautiful of all, the house atop the hill that embraced the sea.

It was a peaceful land that made her smile just to think about it.

Aelfrie slowly recounted the impressions she had felt during the day.

How beautiful the wildflowers had looked as she climbed the hill, how comforting the distant sound of waves had been as she walked beside the sea, and how mysterious the whales must have seemed to those who lived in the small, ancient house at the end of a narrow forest path.

Calon listened intently to her sentiments, not taking a sip of water the entire time.

The territory that Aelfrie had toured was just a fraction of the entire estate, and she had only seen it for an hour.

It was hardly a gripping story, merely a simple tale of a walk she had taken.

Yet, for some reason…

Calon found himself deeply engrossed in her sentiments.

And he wasn’t the only one. The Earl and his wife also seemed entranced, wearing faint smiles as they listened to Aelfrie’s story. Even the lesser knight and his wife had astonished expressions, as if to say, ‘Was it really such a land?’

There was nothing extraordinary in Aelfrie’s sentiments. But there was genuine emotion there.

A heartfelt appreciation for a simple flower, for the daily downpour of sunlight.

“Have you been to that house? We asked the local farmers to look after it after the scholar left, but it’s different when people live and take care of it daily. His research papers are in our library, too. You should take a look.”

At the mention of a library, Aelfrie’s face brightened significantly, and the Earl and his wife smiled again.
Feeling humiliated even in areas where he thought he was confident, Lord Jun’s face was flushed with the color of defeat.

Oblivious to his surroundings, he quenched his burning thirst with wine.

The butler standing behind him refilled his glass each time it emptied, but Lord Jun merely gulped it down without savoring the aroma or taste.

As if to say, if the deal couldn’t be struck, he would at least indulge in the house’s wine.

His face quickly turning red, he slammed down his glass and raised his voice.

“Earl! I still believe it’s wrong to sell our Denertum land to foreigners!”

The alcohol had impaired Lord Jun’s rationality.

The pent-up dissatisfaction burst forth from his lips due to the Earl’s preference for treating Aelfrie well.

“Foreigners, and lowly commoners at that. Their fine words are likely all a façade! Yet how can you treat them better than me, a noble of the same Denertum?”

“Darling!”

His still-rational wife hurriedly tried to stop him, but Lord Jun irritably shook off her arm.

Crash!

Due to this, a wine glass on the table fell and shattered on the floor.

A flying shard seemed to graze the back of Lady Jun’s hand, and she flinched, nursing her hand where a small drop of blood had formed.

As Calon and Aelfrie rose in alarm, Lord Jun scolded his wife with a tongue click.

“How many times have I warned you not to interrupt important business discussions! Who taught you this terrible habit of interfering when your husband is speaking? Those foreigners? Don’t get close to them. They’ll corrupt the virtuous women of Denertum with their rebellious behavior. It was absurd for a woman who hasn’t even accepted her husband’s family name to intrude in the first place.”

At Lord Jun’s words, Aelfrie halted her steps.

Ah, that’s right. This was the language typically spouted by men.

She had momentarily forgotten, as Kyle had consistently treated her well and the Earl and his wife had been kind.

The room quieted for a moment. Lord Jun looked relieved, having vented, but soon realized he had raised his voice in front of the Earl and glanced at him.

‘Well, what can be done? I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?’

Just when he thought of further disparaging the Ash Trading Company and the Empire.

Rumble.

A low rumbling was felt, like distant thunder. The sound disappeared, and the Earl rose.

“Lord Jun.”
The Earl neither yelled nor moved abruptly. He simply called the Viscount in a low voice.

But that alone was enough to make everyone in the dining hall shut their mouths, such was its oppressive force.