I Don't Know the Original, I'm Too Busy Trying to Make a Living-Chapter 188

Penelope, caught off guard by the question, answered hastily and cleared her throat again.

Saying, "It just sort of happened," was a pitiful excuse, and even Rianel seemed to think so, as he appeared at a loss for words.

It was Carla who broke the silence.

“Rianel, I’m not sure why you’ve come all this way, but it’s best if you leave immediately. Staying here any longer will only stir up a scandal in the social circles.”

The statement was clearly aimed at Penelope. If word got out that Rianel had visited the Halo estate, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) it would undoubtedly cause a stir.

Carla continued.

“And besides, Ivetta isn’t suitable as your bride. I misjudged her.”

“Duchess, you can’t mean that...!” Countess Corindel began, her voice trembling, but she quickly fell silent under Carla’s icy glare.

“Here’s some advice,” Carla said coldly, fixing the Countess with a stern gaze. “If you want to marry your daughter off to someone respectable, you’d better start teaching her properly. Her manners toward her elders are atrocious.”

The Countess’s expression crumbled into despair. Ivetta had fallen out of favor with the Duchess—a crushing blow. With that, the last hope of repaying her gambling debts had vanished.

Rianel, looking weary, turned to Carla. His expression was so cold and detached that it was hard to believe he was addressing his own mother.

“My business here is unrelated, Mother. Please leave immediately. I suggest Countess Corindel accompany you.”

“What are you saying?!” Carla’s gaze wavered as if shaken by an earthquake.

For Rianel to treat her so coldly in front of Penelope—it was unimaginable. Her pride felt as if it had been shattered into pieces.

Carla raised her voice, trembling with fury.

“How dare you humiliate me like this in front of others!”

“Perhaps you should have heeded my warnings when I treated you with respect,” Rianel replied, his tone firm and unyielding. “I’ve let you overstep your bounds countless times. I won’t overlook it anymore.”

“Rianel!” Carla’s voice echoed so loudly it seemed to shake the ceiling, but Rianel didn’t so much as flinch.

“My knights will escort you to the edge of the Halo estate,” he said coldly.

“Rianel! Do you realize what you’re doing?” Carla demanded.

“Do you understand the situation you’ve put yourself in, Mother? If I don’t escort you, the knights of Halo will. Do you intend to provide the pretext for a territorial conflict?”

Carla’s sharp intake of breath broke the tension. The implications of Rianel’s words were dire.

A conflict between territories could spark a war, and Carla had no desire to escalate matters to such a level. She had only come to reclaim Rianel’s intended bride, not to ignite a battle.

“I-I didn’t mean for... I only...”

“Walk out on your own before the knights are forced to intervene,” Rianel said flatly.

Carla staggered, her face pale. She couldn’t believe how recklessly she had acted. She had underestimated Penelope, thinking a young widow managing the Halo estate would be easy to intimidate. She had assumed a slight show of force would make Penelope bow her head.

Instead, Ivetta had rejected the marriage, Penelope had ordered her out, and Rianel had firmly reprimanded her.

Rianel’s reasoning was sound: stepping onto the estate without permission was akin to an invasion.

"I miscalculated from the start. This was no place to come without proper preparations," Carla thought bitterly.

Despite realizing her mistake, Carla struggled to let go of her belief that she was in the right. She was, after all, the former Duchess Consort and the current Dowager Duchess of Rahinsel. She had never been treated with such indignity before.

At that moment, Ahwin’s voice cut through the room.

“Better think carefully about your next move.”

“...!” Carla flinched as if burned. She finally noticed Ahwin, who had been silently observing the scene.

There he stood, as if it were only natural for him to be at Penelope’s side, his sharp, otherworldly features impossible to ignore. Carla was startled to realize she had overlooked his presence entirely.

Rianel spoke again, delivering a final warning.

“It’s time for you to leave.”

Carla stiffened, lifting her chin as she walked toward the door. Her body burned with humiliation, but she forced herself to ignore it. Countess Corindel hesitated before hurrying after Carla, throwing nervous glances behind her.

Once the two troublemakers had finally exited, peace returned to the parlor. Penelope stared blankly after them for a moment before turning to Rianel.

“How did you even get here? And—wait—territorial conflict? Are we starting a war?” she asked, her voice rising in panic.

“Calm down, Penelope,” Ahwin said, patting her back gently. He seemed unusually affectionate today.

Penelope glanced at him, feeling a bit calmer as she remembered who her boyfriend was.

"Ah, right, my boyfriend is the Tower Master."

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

No matter how skilled Rianel was as a Swordmaster, he couldn’t compare to someone who could summon a meteor to obliterate an entire region.

In other words, starting a war with Penelope was equivalent to erasing oneself from the map. No one in their right mind would challenge her.

Rianel approached Penelope and bowed gracefully.

“I never imagined my mother would act so recklessly. I apologize on her behalf. I also ask for your forgiveness for bringing knights and retainers onto your estate without permission.”

“I forgive you. It’s fine,” Penelope replied. As long as there wasn’t going to be a war, she was willing to forgive just about anything.

Rianel chuckled softly at her easygoing response.

“You haven’t changed, Penelope.”

“Oh... I suppose not?” Penelope said hesitantly.

Suddenly, Ahwin grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers. His lips curled into a faint smirk as he glanced at Rianel, almost as if he were showing off. Was that pride in his eyes?

“Ahwin?” Penelope asked, confused.

Ahwin looked Rianel up and down before speaking.

“Seems like nothing serious happened while you were away. You do look thinner, though.”

“Thanks to your concern, I’ve been fine,” Rianel replied sarcastically.

“I’d never waste my dreams worrying about you. I swear, not even once.”

“I never expected you to,” Rianel shot back, his tone equally biting.

“...”

“...”

"What kind of childish exchange is this?" Penelope thought, her gaze wavering.

Watching the North’s most powerful Swordmaster and the Tower Master bicker like schoolboys was enough to make even Pablo and the Dot sisters flinch.

"Is this real life...?"

Penelope couldn’t bear to let anyone else see this embarrassing display. She was starting to feel secondhand shame over the fact that Ahwin was her boyfriend.

“Ahwin, didn’t you say you had work to do? Ahem, and Rianel, perhaps it’s time for you to leave as well...”

“Work? What work? I don’t recall saying that. What is it?” Ahwin asked cluelessly.

Penelope’s urge to pinch him was overwhelming. Clutching his hand tightly, she muttered through gritted teeth,

“You told me you had something important to do.”

Take a hint, you troublesome magician.

“Ah, did I? Come to think of it, maybe I did,” Ahwin said, avoiding her gaze as his cheeks reddened slightly. Penelope sighed internally.