Chapter 46. A Small and Pitiful Animal
Cassel had been in a good mood at that time.
"It seems the Count doesn't intend to show up after all."
It was because Count Laurel decided not to attend the evening banquet, leaving the seat beneath the Wisteria empty.
"He is quite blatant about it, don't you think?"
Cassel tilted his wine glass with a pleasant expression.
The Count, who had been constantly watching Evie, disappeared as soon as Evie did not show up at the banquet hall.
Cassel found it amusing that such a fearsome Count was so utterly devoted.
The fact that it was his adorable puppy that managed to toy with the Count was also particularly entertaining.
"By the way, where has Evie gone? She said she would come all dressed up."
"You would have heard by now, I suppose."
As Cassel was looking for Evie, he received a brusque reply from beside him.
Earlier that morning, Cassel had announced that he would endorse Rio as the Saintess.
Thus, Evie likely would have heard the news.
Despite knowing this, Cassel unabashedly sought Evie, prompting a weary response from his friend, yet Cassel giggled, unrepentant.
"Surely she's not crying alone, is she? That would pointlessly break my heart."
Feigning concern, Cassel downed the rest of his wine.
No one would believe it, but Cassel actually liked Evie quite a bit.
Unlike the haughty ladies of Thienda, she resembled a small, pitiful animal that always prompted a mischievous urge to tease when seen.
This left Cassel rather excited due to Evie.
He was terribly curious about how such an obedient girl would react to discovering she had been abandoned.
Perhaps she'd show a hint of distress, unable to say a word, and avoid him?
If so, chasing her while tormenting her would be quite fun.
Unexpectedly, she might confront him with betrayal-filled eyes and start whining.
In that case, he'd have to gently instruct her on reality.
Whatever her reaction, Cassel found it delightful enough to feel more satisfied with his decision to support another Saintess.
It was during this euphoric moment that things took a turn.
"Cassel!"
Suddenly, a shout echoed, and a man lunged at Cassel.
Had his friends not intervened, the man would have surely grabbed him by the collar.
"Be honest."
The man shouting was Cassel’s maternal cousin.
He looked as if he was ready to devour his older cousin as he asked.
"Breaking my engagement, was that your doing?"
At his cousin's question, Cassel's eyes, which were usually filled with a gentle smile, widened in surprise.
'How did he find out?'
As his cousin suspected, Cassel had indeed secretly crushed his love.
His only cousin had thrown a fit about marrying a girl from a modest family.
Cassel had hoped to have a more substantial relative.
However, that had been over a year ago, and he had cleaned up the aftermath neatly.
So, what had his cousin heard to make such a fuss now?
As Cassel wore a dumbfounded expression, the man screamed for an answer.
Cassel responded with a dry laugh.
"Oh dear, he seems quite drunk. What are you all doing? Escort my cousin to a room before he embarrasses himself further."
Cassel feigned ignorance and nodded towards his cousin, who was promptly dragged away by others.
'Where did the word leak from?'
Cassel simply tilted his head, dismissing the incident as a minor concern.
But shortly after that little commotion ended, three women approached him.
"Cassel, can we talk for a moment?"
They were cruelly abandoned old flames that had no reason to speak with Cassel Montera anymore.
Cassel pointed at them in surprise.
"Was this group always together?"
"We weren't on bad terms, at least until we met you."
"But having talked today, we realized we had a major misunderstanding."
"We don't even want to say what the misunderstanding was. Would the Marquis care to explain?"
The three women, dressed in splendid gowns, retorted coldly.
Cassel, however, had no idea what they wanted him to explain.
'What are they here to argue about?'
Did they find out he had been seeing this lady while also meeting that one?
Did they hear about him lying that one was cheating to charm another?
Or did they learn that he had asked one to meet again because another was clinging to him too much?
Cassel couldn't figure out what his former lovers knew or how much they knew.
Cornered, he looked at his friends, but even his loyal friends couldn't come to his rescue this time.
"Well, it's been so long I barely recall..."
As Cassel laughed it off, wine was suddenly thrown in his face.
With a refreshing splash, water dripped down his face, and Cassel froze in place.
In the meantime, the woman who had drenched him gritted her teeth furiously.
"You claim you don't remember playing with three people? Becoming the head of the Montera Marquisate with such memory would be quite an undertaking."
With those words, the three women turned coldly and left.
Cassel watched red droplets of wine drip from his bangs, then forced a smile at the hand offering a handkerchief.
"Ha, what is today?"
Cassel brushed back his sodden bangs as if nothing had happened.
His friends forced laughter, deliberately ignoring his humiliation.
"Think of it as a badge of honor."
"To be scolded by three young ladies; it’s something others couldn't achieve even if they wanted."
Cassel laughed along with the group, barely shaking off the embarrassing feeling.
But with the attention they had drawn, it was uncomfortable to stay there any longer, so they moved to a villa.
They continued to drink and play cards in the hall.
When Cassel finally got a good hand, another visitor approached.
"Marquis, may I intrude for a moment?"
This time it was Viscount Verde.
He was a business associate of Cassel's, prompting Cassel to set down his cards and step aside.
"I would normally set another date, but I won't sleep until I clear this up, so I may appear indiscreet."
"Haha, why do you speak so dauntingly?"
Cassel sensed something off.
Viscount Verde was normally a gentle old man.
"I lent you the mountain in my territory to tame the wild horses of the western mountains. Did you force local residents into helping capture the wild horses?"
Damn it.
Cassel cursed inwardly before responding with the most sincere face he could muster.
"Forced involvement? That's news to me. Where did you hear such things?"
"I was investigating strange rumors. It's good to hear your surprise. We'll soon verify the truth since we'll have people check on it."
Viscount Verde remained courteous but his words were threatening.
"Until the suspicion is resolved, all activities on my lands are suspended."
"Wait, Viscount. What prompted this? What did you hear that you'd go so far as to sever ties with the family? You're overreacting; let’s set a time to discuss this further."
Cassel urgently held onto Viscount Verde at his thunderous declaration.
Viscount Verde halted, glancing back with pity before muttering.
"I will advise you out of loyalty to the late Marquis. The elder generations refrain from commenting on your ways not because they are ignorant, but because they are waiting. The Montera Marquisate serves as the Chancellor of Thienda. Just as Bayen commands the army to defend the lower continent, the Monteras are obligated to manage its affairs. Yet instead of addressing their struggles, you're imposing tyranny on someone else's land for a mere wild horse? If all you care about is profit, you should consider becoming a merchant."
Cassel could say nothing to the Viscount's rebuke.
It wasn't because the old man’s lecture cut deep, but because it felt entirely wrong.
Everything he experienced today could have been inevitable, but the way it all lined up felt deliberate.
Cassel, though notorious, wasn’t unintelligent.
He was therefore certain this was orchestrated by someone.
"Find out what's going on."
When Cassel returned to his card game, he growled menacingly.
"Find out why these people are lashing out at me."
At Cassel's urging, three or four of his friends dashed outside.
Meanwhile, Cassel threw his cards and continued to drink wine.
Yet, he didn’t get drunk in the least.
During that time, three more people came to see him, each revealing his misdeeds and venting their anger.
That made six people in total who had confronted Cassel.
But there weren’t many bold enough to protest directly to a major noble like him, so plenty of others were probably seething silently.
As time passed, Cassel only grew more anxious, feeling as if he stood at the gates of hell.
Eventually, Cassel's friends returned with a servant in tow.
"What is this?"
"I was just asked to pass it along. I’ve done nothing but deliver it to the name written here."
With irritation, Cassel snatched the paper from the servant.
The note, neatly folded like a letter, only bore the recipient's name on the back.
Inside, Cassel's misdeeds relating to the recipient were detailed meticulously.
It even guided whom to ask for verification.
The note seemed to have captured Cassel's every move, written as if someone had watched and recorded them from his side.
With an instinctive snarl, Cassel eyed his friends, who frantically shook their heads.
He then resumed interrogating the servant.
"Who asked you to do this?"
"It was Lady Evie Ariate."
"Evie?"
At the servant's revelation, Cassel’s fury vanished, replaced by disbelief.
'What nonsense is this...?'
It seemed impossible for that clueless girl to orchestrate something like this.
Cassel perplexedly eyed the paper in his grasp and then recognized the elegant handwriting.
The gracefully curved script belonged to Evie Ariate.
Cassel stared at it and then, in frustration, shattered a wine bottle against the floor, flipped the table, and hurled a few chairs.
The scene was chaotic, with a restrained display of violence as Cassel strove to maintain his demeanor without shouting.
Finally, he sat on the couch, panting.
His friends stood in a corner, watching him like frightened chicks, while the servant had long fled.
Cassel loosened his constricting shirt collar and gestured lightly.
One of the quick-witted friends handed over the crumpled paper to Cassel.
Staring at Evie Ariate's handwriting, Cassel let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha, she's really something."
"Could it really be Ariate's doing?"
"She must have been manipulated, that fool."
'Clearly, fueled by resentment, someone approached her, duped her, and struck at his back. That fool dared without fear.'
Cassel had no doubts.
He reached this conclusion without even questioning it.
Flashing a vicious smile, he held back his anger, keeping his cool as he habitually grinned and rose from the sofa.
"I suppose it's time to pay Evie a visit."
He intended to deliver a stern reprimand to the audacious creature.
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