Everyone has their Achilles' heel.
It could be a weakness or perhaps a trauma.
For Yurik Astria, it was people.
Yurik couldn’t trust people.
It hadn’t always been that way.
When he was younger…
No, until the competition for succession, he was more trusting of people than anyone else.
He trusted Perrian, his brother competing for the succession, and the nobles around him.
Even when warned that politics was a mire to be wary of, Yurik couldn’t understand.
It didn’t seem to apply to those around him.
Yurik simply focused on honing his skills.
He thought that a capable person could stay out of politics.
He believed he could act in politics as he did within his family.
But it was not so.
It was all an act.
Perrian, who seemed kind and good-natured.
Perrian habitually told Yurik not to behave like other families or predecessors, but to compete fairly on merit.
However, as the time for deciding the successor approached, Perrian completely changed his attitude.
The primary criterion for deciding a successor was the support of the nobility.
One needed the support of the numerous families under the Astria banner.
And when the support was evenly split, other factors would be considered.
Yurik never got to that stage.
The families that had promised to support him all sided with Perrian.
They were nobles who clung to Perrian and only offered sweet words to Yurik.
“There’s no process in competition, only the result remains.”
With those words from Perrian, Yurik was ousted from the family.
He had nowhere to appeal his injustice.
Even the few nobles who had supported him to the end merely pitied Yurik for being deceived.
After being expelled from the family, Yurik immediately shaved his head.
He couldn’t bear to see the hair that connected him to that filthy and vile family.
Thus, Yurik severed his ties with Astria.
“Is Yurik here?”
At that moment, a man entered Yurik's mansion.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})“It’s been a while. Count Mayer.”
It was Owen Mayer, Karen’s father and the head of the Mayer family.
“Just call me Owen, like old times.”
The two had been friends since before the Mayer family came under the Astria family.
The Mayer family's entry into the Astria family came after Yurik was expelled.
That decision was made by Owen’s father, the previous Count Mayer.
However, Count Mayer felt a sense of responsibility for being under the family that had ousted his friend Yurik.
Even if it was a necessary decision for the survival of his family, he couldn’t bring himself to face Yurik.
“Has it been 10 years since we last met like this personally?”
Count Mayer said, reminiscing about the past.
“Haven’t we seen each other a few times at balls?”
“That was just passing by and seeing each other’s faces. We never really talked properly.”
Yurik chuckled at Count Mayer’s words.
“So, what brings you here after over 10 years?”
“I just thought of my friend and decided to visit.”
“Is it because of Rudy Astria?”
Yurik’s expression hardened suddenly.
He couldn’t trust people.
Not even a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“It seems so.”
Count Mayer didn’t have a reason to come otherwise.
The Astria family was in a busy period.
A lot of changes happen when a generation changes, and they need to be prepared for it.
His visit at such a time allowed Yurik to make some guesses.
The news of Rudy and Yurik meeting had already spread widely across the Royal capital.
It seemed Count Mayer had heard the news and come.
“Did you come to tell me to reject that guy’s proposal? Did Perrian tell you to do so?”
“No, it’s the opposite.”
“...The opposite?”
“I plan to support Rudy.”
“What?”
Yurik looked at Count Mayer in disbelief.
“You're going to support Rudy Astria, even though Ian is already on a clear path? Are you planning to gamble your family's future?”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})“Haha, I am not that bold.”
Count Mayer smiled warmly.
“I believed I had a good eye for people. I thought I could understand someone after seeing and talking to them. But as I grew older and reached this age, I felt my judgment fading.”
When Count Mayer first saw Rudy, he thought him insignificant.
Even when his daughter Karen praised Rudy, he didn’t believe her.
He thought it was just a child's perspective and didn’t take it seriously.
But Rudy was different from the impression he had initially made.
“I have decided to trust my daughter’s judgment. I believe her eyes are more accurate now than mine were when I was younger.”
“...You’re deciding the fate of your family based on that?”
Karen wasn’t the heir of the Mayer family.
The Mayer family had an eldest son who was supposed to inherit the family.
Yet, to think Owen was trusting the words of a daughter unrelated to the family's affairs was absurd to Yurik.
“Father is weak when it comes to his daughter.”
Count Mayer’s laughter was filled with warmth.
Yurik couldn’t understand him.
“It’s a choice that could determine the fate of your family. You’re being swayed by emotion…”
“It’s not just based on my daughter's words. I've also pondered over this decision.”
While Owen was indeed a doting father, he wasn’t so blinded by his daughter's words as to cloud his judgment.
“I said I came here thinking of a friend.”
“...”
“Seeing Rudy now reminds me of you. How you used to chase your goals.”
Yurik, who always did his best even in unfavorable situations and loved people.
It was regrettable to see how broken Yurik had become.
“If you help Rudy, it could be a great help. You could share your network and knowledge of spatial magic.”
“Ha! It’s been decades since I last used it, and now I can’t even use spatial magic. And you think my network, built while I was being betrayed, would be helpful? Do you still believe in people after seeing what happened to me?”
“We don't know that. People might be more ready to help you than you think.”
Count Mayer said this and stood up from his seat.
"The world has more kind-hearted people than you think."
With those words, Count Mayer left the room.
Yurik picked up a bottle of liquor and drank directly from it.
"Damn it…"
"..."
"Hmm…"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})I picked up the cutlery in the chilly atmosphere.
"Shall we eat?"
"Eat if you want to."
Sitting in front of me was Rie, giving me a cold stare.
I, clueless about what had happened, just fiddled with the cutlery in front of me.
Gurgle.
A rumbling sound came from my stomach.
At that, Rie let out a deep sigh.
"You can eat if you're hungry. I won't complain about that."
She spoke in her usual warm tone.
"Then…"
I let out a sigh of relief and picked up the cutlery.
"The reason I'm angry is that you didn't make that proposal to me."
"Cough..."
I choked on my food but managed to keep it in my mouth.
"Did you hear about it?"
My actions at the ball had spread quickly across the capital.
My attempt to seek help from my uncle.
But the part that seemed to anger Rie wasn’t the contact with my uncle.
It was more about why I quietly went with Luna.
That I didn't tell her about it.
It seemed like that was what she was implying.
"Do you think I only know rumors?"
Her words pricked my conscience.
Dancing with Luna in the garden late at night.
Could she possibly know about that?
With Rie’s resources, it was entirely possible.
"Haah... What I'm angry about isn’t that you went with Luna."
Rie glared straight at me.
"It's that you tried to hide it."
"I'm sorry."
Rie sighed at my response.
"What am I going to do with our womanizing husband…"
"I'm not a womanizer."
As I defended myself, Rie flinched and looked at me.
Then, she soon broke into a grin.
"Why?"
"You didn’t deny being called a husband?"
"I'm not your husband yet."
Rie smiled happily.
"Not yet, huh. You could just call yourself my husband. No need to be shy."
"You should be the one feeling shy."
Rie got up from her seat with a coy smile.
"I'd like to stay longer with my husband, but I'm busy and have to go."
"Why don’t you eat something first?"
"No, it's okay. I usually skip breakfast. And I need to get back quickly."
I looked puzzled at her words.
"So, you came here just to say that?"
"Of course. Keeping an eye on the husband is important, especially in the beginning."
"We're not even newlyweds…"
Rie smiled at my words and waved her hand.
"Anyway, don't try to hide anything from me. I know everything."
"Understood…"
Rie then walked towards the door.
Just as she was about to leave through the door, Rie turned her head to look at me.
“Shouldn't a husband give a kiss when his wife leaves for work?”
“…Just go.”
Rie smiled playfully at my response and left through the door.
After Rie had gone.
Just when I was about to have a proper meal.
“Young master Rudy…!”
A maid burst in through the door.
“…Please open the door gently.”
I frowned, feeling like I couldn’t have a proper meal today.
“It’s... A letter has arrived! From Yurik Astria!”
My eyes widened at her words.
