abcnovels
Chapter 127
Chapter 127
Chapter 127
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 127: An Unwelcome Guest (2)
***
“What’s the big deal with a man who’s nothing special becoming our family’s son-in-law?”
Mother patted Damien on the shoulder. Damien protested with a sullen face.
“It’s true. There are so many ways in which he’s lacking compared to sister.”
“He’s kind, he has a good personality, he’s sincere, and he’s handsome. What else is the problem?”
Even with Mother’s nagging, Damien’s dissatisfaction did not disappear.
Father and Mother were of the opinion that as long as a person had a good character, it didn’t matter much else, but Damien was different.
He thought that while good character was a given, other conditions should also be considered.
“I’ll go see my sister for a bit.”
“Hey! Damien!”
Before Mother could stop him, Damien disappeared.
* * *
In the blink of an eye, Damien arrived in front of the music room.
This was thanks to the fact that he had memorized the entire structure of the castle when preparing for the celebration.
“Louise, when I listen to your playing, it feels like my soul is being purified.”
“You too…… Do you think I’ll like it if you say such things?”
“I’m speaking from the heart. Your playing is so beautiful.”
As he approached the music room, he could hear the laughter of two people.
One was the voice of his sister, Louise. And the other one was…….
‘Just hearing his voice makes me angry.’
As he heard the voice of Ballad Hugo, Damien felt his insides churn.
As expected, no matter what someone who you didn’t like did, it would seem annoying.
He couldn’t leave the two of them alone any longer. Damien opened the door of the music room and walked inside.
Then, he saw the sight of Louise and Ballad sitting side by side in front of the piano.
“Oh?”
“Huh?”
The two of them turned to look at Damien with surprised faces.
“Damien!”
Louise ran over with a bright smile. She checked Damien’s body here and there.
“You came back safely! Was everything okay at the Church?”
“Yes, there were no problems. How have you been, sister?”
“I’m always the same.”
Louise said with a giggle. Behind her, Ballad Hugo approached.
“That’s right! Damien, come say hi. Ballad came all this way!”
“Damien, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other face to face!”
Ballad extended his hand with a welcoming face. Damien took his hand with a crooked face.
Louise was a woman of unparalleled beauty in the West. If not for her lack of social engagements, the title of the ‘Most Beautiful Woman in the West’ would have belonged to her instead of Olivia.
On the other hand, Ballad Hugo was a man who was awkwardly unmatched.
He wore old and shabby clothes and had on a pair of outdated black horn-rimmed glasses.
His bushy hair covered his forehead and eyes, making him look unkempt.
Although one should not judge a person by their appearance, Damien thought that Louise should have a better person as her husband if she was to be happy. Compared to her, Ballad’s appearance was far behind.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’ve been doing great, haven’t you? Our city is also buzzing with your name.”
Ballad worked as a bureaucrat in a port city called Ocean.
The city of Ocean was located quite far from here.
So, even though Louise and Ballad were engaged, they couldn’t meet often.
‘My sister’s fiancé is just a bureaucrat…….’
He was not a high-ranking official, Ballad was only a low-ranking official. He was also said to not receive much salary.
‘No matter how I think about it, he doesn’t match my sister.’
Damien didn’t like Ballad Hugo. No matter how he looked at it, he felt sorry for Louise.
The only reason he didn’t oppose the relationship between the two was because Louise truly loved Ballad.
In his heart, he wished for Louise to meet a better man.
“Oh, sister. I have a present for you.”
Damien took out a bracelet from the box and handed it to her. Louise looked at the bracelet with a curious face.
“This is a relic that has the function of protecting you from external threats, so you should always carry it with you.”
“You’re giving me something so precious? As expected, you’re truly my brother.”
Louise happily received the bracelet and put it on her wrist.
“A relic…… It’s really amazing.”
“Would you like to see it too?”
Louise offered the bracelet to Ballad. Ballad looked at the bracelet with a curious face.
‘Why are you playing with the gift I gave to my sister?’
Damien glared at him, even his actions were annoying.
“Excuse me.”
Just then, a maid entered the music room. She spoke to the three people.
“The madam said that since it’s been a while since young master Damien has come, we should all have tea together.”
“I understand. I’ll be out soon.”
At Louise’s words, the maid bowed her head and left the music room.
“Ballad, you go first, okay? I have something to talk to Damien for a moment.”
“I see. I’ll tell Mother that you two are late.”
“Thank you.”
Louise smiled and saw Ballad off. However, as soon as Ballad disappeared, her face turned serious.
It was completely different from Louise’s usual bright appearance. Damien asked Louise with a worried face.
“Sister, is something wrong?”
“That’s the thing…… sigh.”
Louise sighed deeply. It was the first time he had seen his sister with such a dark complexion.
“Sit down first. You must be tired.”
Louise took Damien to a table on one side of the music room.
“Actually, I have something to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
Even at Damien’s question, Louise didn’t say anything for a moment.
“That’s the thing…… As you know, Ballad is very popular, isn’t he?”
It was surprising to Damien. That rustic man was popular with women?
“So when I sent Ballad to Ocean City, I was really worried. Because other women wouldn’t leave Ballad alone.”
“Sister, no matter how I think about it, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Who would like such a man…….”
“I think Ballad has another woman.”
Crack!
The corner of the table that Damien was holding broke.
The table was not just broken into pieces. It was completely pulverized and turned to dust.
‘How dare he… with another woman… while my sister is engaged with you?’
Already feeling devastated about Louise, the thought of Ballad being with another woman was unbearable for Damien.
It was an act he could never tolerate. He felt an immediate urge to confront Ballard and demand answers.
“Ah, it’s not certain yet, so calm down!”
The flustered Louise tried to calm Damien down. However, Damien’s anger did not subside easily.
“How did you come to suspect… Ballad?”
“Do you remember when I went to Ocean City to meet Ballad last time?”
Damien searched his memory. At the time when the Corpse Play Dungeon was discovered, Louise had left the home to meet Ballad.
“Did you see something then?”
At Damien’s question, Louise nodded.
“Originally, he would come out to meet me when I got near the city. But when I went to the meeting place, Ballad was nowhere to be seen.”
“So what did you do?”
“I waited for a while. Then, a while later, he didn’t come running? He said that something came up suddenly and he was late.”
Damien took a deep breath.
He dared to break his appointment with his sister. He felt an urge to rush over and trample him right now.
“After that, I booked a room and asked him when he would be free to go on a date. But he kept avoiding me by saying he had something to do at every time I mentioned…”
Veins popped out on his forehead at those words.
Was she saying that he had neglected his sister, who was like the heavens to Damien when she had made the trip to Ocean City?
“I finally made an appointment and we met… but he suddenly received a note from some man and left, saying that he had something urgent to do.”
His teeth gnashed involuntarily. He wanted to smash Ballad’s face right now.
He could barely hold back because Louise hadn’t finished speaking yet.
“I would have let it go if it was just this… but once, I went to visit him when he was working to bring him a lunchbox.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“But he wasn’t there, so I asked the other people. They said he had gone out with another woman a while ago…”
Damien grabbed the back of his neck. His blood pressure was rising and he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Sister, you don’t need to say anything more.”
“Uh, huh? What?”
“I’m going to capture that bastard right now and interrogate him.”
“Wh, what?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make him confess everything.”
Damien opened a spatial ring and took out a wooden club. Louise’s eyes widened when she saw it.
“Da-Damien, what is that… ?”
“It’s a very useful tool for conversation.”
“Y, you mean that’s a tool for conversation?”
“It’s a friend who even changed the Prince Oliver. The effect is guaranteed, so you don’t have to worry.”
Damien stood up. His grip on the club tightened.
“Then, sister, I’ll be going. Just wait an hour and I’ll bring you the truth… no, I’ll bring you the truth.”
“Ah, it’s still just circumstantial evidence! It’s not certain, so calm down!”
Louise hurriedly grabbed Damien. At his sister’s persuasion, Damien had no choice but to sit back down.
“So I’m wondering if I’m just being paranoid… I want to make sure if it’s real… I want you to follow Ballad with me…”
“Of course, I’ll complete such a request.”
“Really? As expected, you’re the only brother I have!”
Louise hugged Damien, laughing brightly. Held in his sister’s arms, Damien thought to himself.
‘I was hoping you would meet a better man… but this is perfect.’
The other side was giving him an excuse on their own. Damien had no intention of letting this opportunity go.
‘I will definitely find evidence.’
Damien burned with determination in his heart.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]