The human heart is deceitful.
If Flora had come to know about the grand banquet being held for Dmitry before the issue between Dmitry and Lawrence had happened, she would have made excuses to not go. However, things have changed, even setting aside her curiosity about Roman. For now, she needed time to reflect on herself. Thus, she stayed in her room for just a few days.
Nevertheless, Sylvia said, “…Sister, you didn’t know about the banquet? Oh, I guess uncle didn’t tell you about it because of the annulment of the engagement. This grand banquet isn’t being hosted by Dmitry but by Lawrence. As Lawrence just overcame an enormous hurdle with the help of Roman Dmitry, it seems that uncle has planned a grand banquet for him. He invited me, as well. I was happy, wanting to go to the banquet with my sister, but seeing the current situation, I will go by myself.”
It was a heartbreaking moment. Even though Flora had no interest in the banquet, even though she didn’t have any intention to participate in it in the first place—she somehow felt angry.
In particular, hearing Sylvia’s words, Flora felt as if she was turned down by her own father.
‘Did he not tell me about it for that reason?’
Due to the annulment?
She admitted it was embarrassing. However, considering the banquet was to thank Roman Dmitry for helping them, she had all the right to go there.
Honestly, wasn’t it her judgment that drew Roman into their war?
Flora struggled and smiled in front of Sylvia. However, as soon as their conversation was over, she went straight to her father.
“Father! There is a grand banquet being held for Dmitry. Why wasn’t I told about it?”
She asked it straightforwardly—Why?
She wanted to know what her father was thinking. However, the answer she was given was unexpected.
Viscount Lawrence looked at Flora stiffly and said, “Flora, through this incident, I, as your father, have realized a lot. Thus, I have made up my mind to never force you to do things you don’t like in the future.”
To be honest, this answer was embarrassing to say. However, the war with Barco was something Viscount Lawrence seriously pondered. In particular, most of it was about Flora’s change. He constantly thought of her as a flower he needed to protect, but still, she showed her true self amid the crisis.
‘I was stupid. Flora is a person who is capable of doing so much more, but due to my lack of insight, her full potential didn’t come out. Flora’s decision to annul the engagement was a natural choice. Flora deserves to live more for herself and not as someone else’s woman.’
Watching his daughter fight till the end, Viscount Lawrence reflected on his actions. And what he realized was that he was terrible. He was a father who didn’t know what his daughter was good at and forced her into marriage to solve the family’s crisis. He never wanted to do that again. It was especially because he found out what his daughter was like. Thus, he made up his mind to not let her have regrets about her life.
“Flora, my daughter, at the crossroads of life and death, I, your father, witnessed a talent that shined brighter than anyone else. Even if it wasn’t from a father’s perspective, you looked very cool back then. We were able to win the war because of your judgment and knowledge of what to do in a situation where everyone had given up, by bringing Roman Dmitry into the battle. So, from now on, live your life the way you want to. I will not repeat the same mistake of dropping your value down again, and I am ready to support you in whatever you want.”
Undoubtedly, that was an inspiring statement. Viscount Lawrence looked at Flora with eyes filled with love. Nevertheless, the problem was that Flora didn’t want this.
’…I want to attend the banquet.’
Seeing that Sylvia was going to attend on her behalf, Flora didn’t like it. She knew that Sylvia was a fox. When she imagined that woman flirting with Roman, she felt her mood turning grumpy.
Honestly, she wanted to have a proper conversation with Roman. While speaking through the magic device, Roman said Flora was his person. Obviously, it was surprising for her. That was because she thought of him as cold and pragmatic. However, his action of taking revenge against Anthony for touching her made her want to see that man again. The time for self-blame was already over. Now, she was ready to face Roman.
Was that why? Flora spoke differently than she usually did.
“But why did you invite Sylvia to the banquet I wasn’t told about?”
“That’s because of my personal greed.”
“Greed… no.”
Viscount Lawrence laughed softly. He had already let go of his daughter. In the future, he had planned for Flora to live independently. However, he still felt greedy for Roman.
‘He’s a man to be coveted.’
In the recent war, the actions of Roman were shocking. He had boldly decided to change the flow of the war by attacking Barco’s rear and defeating Homer with just one slash from his sword.
Lately, people have been calling Roman Dmitry the Man of all Men. He was a man everyone in the North-East coveted, and naturally, Viscount Lawrence was no different. However, he couldn’t use Flora for that. Therefore, he decided to invite Sylvia to replace Flora at the banquet.
“Ahem.” Viscount Lawrence coughed.
Seeing the viscount refusing to answer the question, Flora said, “I understand. For that reason, I will help Sylvia and act like her guide. Still, this is an event to repay Roman Dmitry for what he did, and it doesn’t make sense to not even tell me just because we were a bit entangled in the past.”
“It is fine. You don’t have to go, daughter. I just hope you find someone you love in the future and marry him. I will not ask you to get involved with Roman Dmitry in the future, so don’t worry.” Viscount Lawrence didn’t back down till the end.
How can he be like this?
For a moment, Flora wanted to bang her father on his head.
In the end, it was decided that Flora would attend the banquet. However, it wasn’t because of her stubbornness. She was about to give up due to her father’s words, but then an invitation from Dmitry arrived.
[Even though our relationship has deteriorated due to the unfortunate incident, how about proving to people that the recent incidents helped restore our relationship? Dmitry is ready to forget the past and start anew. At the grand banquet for Roman Dmitry, I hope the Flower of Lawrence will shine, as well.]
Baron Romero is such a great man.
Although Flora ignored Dmitry, Baron Romero responded first and told them that he wanted to reconcile their families. And that was a nice thing for Lawrence. With the collapse of Barco and the rise of Dmitry, if Dmitry showed a hostile attitude to Lawrence, then the Lawrence family would crumble to dust. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and Viscount Lawrence was relieved of his worries. Thankfully, Flora was allowed to attend the grand banquet, as well.
Flora, Sylvia, and other noble families visited Dmitry together that afternoon. The party was scheduled for the evening, but many arrived early. Except for Flora, everyone had a clear purpose. It was to snatch Roman, so they wanted to get to the place in advance.
“This is Dmitry.”
“The rumored place.”
Walking through the center, the ladies of noble families showed a dissatisfied reaction, and Sylvia’s was quite bad because no one in Dmitry seemed to care about her beauty.
“I don’t know anything else, but I came to know that the Lord of Dmitry doesn’t know art. I don’t know how they live in such a place. In the capital, even commoners care about aesthetics, but Dmitry looks so dull. I wonder if this isn’t even a mining place.”
And the complaints continued.
How far did they walk? As they were returning back, they saw an unfamiliar sight.
“Oh!”
“Are they miners?”
They could see a series of hordes walking by far away. Their bodies looked dusty, as if they had just finished their jobs, and their faces were so black that they couldn’t even be recognized at all. Instantly, the faces of women, curious at first, frowned. And as the miners approached and created some dust in the surroundings, the women covered their noses.
“Ah, this pretty dress will get dirty.”
“This is why Dmitry is a problem. Even miners can freely roam in the streets.”
It was a dual attitude. Nobles in the North-East region acknowledged the power of Dmitry, but knowing that Dmitry is a family that originated from commoners, they thought Dmitry was different from those of noble births.
However, Flora’s reaction was different. At one time, she, too, hesitated to get married to Dmitry due to such prejudices, but now that she knew Roman a little, she realized how foolish she had been. Now she didn’t judge people so harshly. Due to that, she didn’t walk too far away from the miners, unlike the others. Instead, as she knew that the miners were the source of wealth of Dmitry, she looked at them with curious eyes. Nevertheless, when she recognized someone within them, she was utterly shocked.
‘Surely!’
She was certain of the familiar face—One of the miners was Roman Dmitry. At first, she thought she had seen it wrong. Why did Roman Dmitry appear with these miners? That too in shabby clothes, skin soiled with dirt. However, the face visible under the hard hat was clearly that of Roman Dmitry. And just then, a middle-aged man rushed toward Roman.
“Young master!”
Yes, it was Hans. After glancing at Roman’s condition, Hans wiped his face with his handkerchief.
“I might not have stopped you from going to the mine, but if you work so much, then what about your body’s condition? Will you not feel pained? Didn’t I tell you? Young master’s body doesn’t belong to the young master alone. And my fragile heart will be torn each time you come back covered in dust. Take a look at this. Even after wiping just a little, the handkerchief turned dirty!”
“It is alright.”
“No! It isn’t!”
Was it because Hans’ voice was loud? The ears of the noblewomen, along with Sylvia, heard it—Dmitry’s young master. Now that the rest of the sons had left Dmitry, there was only one person Hans could call young master. And that was Roman Dmitry.
Instantly, the noblewomen’s eyes turned to Roman.
‘Then that man is Roman Dmitry?’
Their eyes were like a hyena that had caught its prey.
