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The Marquis of Branford squinted, thinking he had misheard, and glanced around.

Everyone nearby was frozen like statues, their mouths agape.

Even the usually unflappable butler of the Marquis’s household wore a clearly flustered expression.

To dare make a demand of the Marquis!

Not even the Chancellor, the second most powerful figure in the kingdom, would speak so boldly. Other power holders in similar positions would only hint subtly at their intentions.

This was certainly the first time anyone had brazenly demanded something from the Marquis.

The Marquis of Branford turned his body completely to face Ghislain and looked him straight in the eye.

“Say that again.”

Ghislain met his gaze boldly and spoke.

“I understand that the Marquis holds great power within the kingdom. If I succeed, wouldn’t you at least grant me one request?”

“Are you suggesting that a mere brat like you would trade on my daughter’s weakness to strike a deal?”

“Yes, I don’t see why it would be difficult for you to grant me one request.”

Indeed, it wouldn’t be difficult. The Marquis could probably agree to most things.

But he couldn’t stand the idea of someone using his daughter as leverage to make a deal.

A hint of murderous intent began to gleam in the Marquis’s eyes.

“It’s a merchant-like proposal, but it seems you’ve done your math wrong. To demand compensation from me just for treating my daughter… Do you truly believe that’s worth such a high price?”

Ghislain wasn’t fazed by the icy tone.

“Yes, I believe it’s valuable enough. What use is power if you can’t even protect your own family?”

“You insolent wretch!”

The remark, which was no different from a provocation, left everyone shocked, barely able to breathe.

Only the Marquis’s furious voice filled the air around them.

Belinda, her face pale, tugged at Ghislain’s sleeve.

‘You know how fearsome the Marquis is! Why do you keep provoking him?’

Claude pulled on his other sleeve.

‘Please, stop it, you lunatic….’

Sweat dripped from their eyes, like tears.

But Ghislain ignored the feelings of the two and pulled his sleeves free, speaking firmly.

“Ah, let me go. Marquis, what will you do? Are you really going to give up on the treatment?”

Ghislain stood tall and handed the choice over to the Marquis of Branford.

‘Is this guy… really insane?’

The Marquis let out a scoffing laugh. Faced with such an absurd situation, even his anger momentarily cooled.

This wasn’t just provocation; it was provocation on a whole other level.

Since he had gained power, the Marquis had never been caught off guard like this.

“Heh… heh heh.”

The Marquis’s lips twisted into a strange smile.

“Fine. Give it a try. If you succeed, I’ll grant whatever it is you desire. But….”

He glared at Ghislain with cold eyes.

“The price for making demands of me is not cheap. Your life alone won’t suffice. I’ll have to add more weight to it.”

“Say whatever you wish.”

The Marquis of Branford spat out the words as if he were chewing them.

“Put your entire family on the line.”

The faces of those who had accompanied Ghislain turned pale.

It felt as if the Marquis’s words were pressing down on them, suffocating the air around them.

By demanding that Ghislain stake his family, the Marquis was effectively saying he would destroy the entire Ferdium family if Ghislain failed.

This was no longer a situation Ghislain could handle on his own.

But Ghislain spoke calmly, as if he saw no problem at all.

“If that’s what it takes to balance things with the Marquis, then so be it. Let’s do that.”

The Marquis of Branford’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

“How much time do you need?”

“Half a month will be sufficient.”

This was getting more outrageous by the moment.

Solve in half a month what the Marquis’s household hadn’t been able to resolve in over a year?

The Marquis stifled a laugh and glanced over at the butler.

“Butler.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Inform the Royal Treasurer to prepare to cut off Ferdium’s support in half a month.”

Though he wasn’t the king, the Marquis spoke as if he wielded royal authority.

He had the power to back it up.

Unless you were a grand lord with a formidable base, no one could stand in his way.

“Understood.”

The butler nodded as if this was only natural. They were accustomed to such commands.

The grim orders didn’t end there.

“Master of Arms.”

This time, a burly man in armor bowed his head.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Surround Baron Fenris’s residence in the capital. From this moment on, no one is allowed to enter or leave.”

“Understood.”

“Also, restrict the movements of Baron Fenris and his men who are here. No one is to step outside for the next half month. After we see the results in fifteen days, we will decide whether or not to execute them.”

Belinda and Claude’s faces turned ashen in an instant.

They had come without a second thought, and now this calamity had befallen them.

If the royal family got involved, minor lords like Fenris and Ferdium would be crushed in the blink of an eye.

And it was clear that the key figures would be dragged off one by one, like fish strung on a line, only to lose their heads.

‘All because of that insane bastard. What did I ever do to deserve this!’

Claude was on the verge of tears, yet he didn’t dare open his mouth.

This was no joke. It wasn’t something he could brush off with his usual antics.

Even Gillian, who had been quietly standing behind Ghislain, lowered his gaze and let out a long sigh.

‘I’d better find a way to escape the capital in case things go south.’

Whether Ghislain knew his subordinates were inwardly panicking or not, he simply stared blankly at the Marquis of Branford.

The Marquis, seeing that Ghislain showed no signs of fear, spoke in a dry tone.

“Go ahead and do whatever you want, Ghislain Ferdium.”

* * *

With Ghislain’s estate surrounded by the Marquis’s forces, the sale of cosmetics was also halted.

The frightened servants of noble families could do nothing but turn back without even lodging a complaint.

The news caused an uproar among the nobility.

Already, there had been rumors of dwindling supplies, leaving people on edge. Now, who would dare disrupt the events of the nobles?

The capital’s nobles who wielded some influence came directly to the mansion.

“Who the hell are you? Who sent you? Open the gate this instant! Do you even know where you are, you bastards?”

One of the nobles shouted, pointing at the soldiers surrounding the mansion.

But the knights encircling the property didn’t even blink despite the nobles’ outbursts. They simply raised the flag bearing the roaring lion emblem of the Marquis of Branford high.

“…”

The moment the nobles recognized the crest on the flag, they fell silent, startled.

Had they known it was the Marquis of Branford’s forces blocking the mansion, they wouldn’t have come yelling in the first place. In fact, they wouldn’t have come at all.

After a few awkward coughs, the nobles forced polite smiles onto their faces and spoke.

“It seems the Marquis has some business with the Baron. Carry on.”

With that, they quickly made their escape.

Once the nobles had left, not even an ant dared approach the mansion.

Rumors about the wager between Ghislain and the Marquis of Branford spread like wildfire.

Nobles who heard the story all clicked their tongues in disbelief.

A country bumpkin from the provinces daring to provoke the Marquis like that—how foolish.

Given the Marquis’s nature, if Ghislain failed, his head would be the first to roll.

The nobles hoped Ghislain would succeed in this gamble. It wasn’t out of any concern for him, but because they didn’t want to lose access to the effective cosmetics.

Mariel, who was involved in business with Ghislain, was deeply worried.

“What on earth was he thinking? If only he’d sent word through me, this wouldn’t have happened!”

Through Mariel, Ghislain had been introduced to various nobles, gradually building a network of connections.

She had played a sort of patron role, supporting him from behind.

But no matter how much influence Mariel had in the capital, she couldn’t compare to the Marquis of Branford.

“Ugh, that man’s as impenetrable as a needle in a haystack. What was he thinking, acting so recklessly?”

Perhaps if she mobilized all the noblewomen in the capital, she might be able to save Ghislain.

But doing so would mean that Mariel would end up politically indebted to the Marquis of Branford.

That’s how noble transactions worked.

She nervously bit her nails, trying to think of a solution, when she suddenly realized something and checked her remaining stock of cosmetics.

“Only five left?”

The cosmetics Ghislain had given her as gifts had mostly been used up when she was promoting them by handing them out to others. Now, there wasn’t much left.

With a grim expression, she ordered her maids to buy up whatever remaining cosmetics they could, offering extra payment.

Similar scenes were happening all over the capital.

With sales completely halted, other nobles scrambled to find any cosmetics their maids had used but not yet finished.

While the capital was in a frenzy over Ghislain and the cosmetics, Kaor was grinding his teeth, confined inside the mansion.

“Damn it, this is driving me insane.”

Normally, he would have charged straight at the forces surrounding the mansion and broken through, but that wasn’t an option this time.

The reason for this situation was obvious.

“That blockhead of a lord has definitely caused trouble again.”

Kaor was responsible for managing the mercenaries and the mansion’s security, so he hadn’t joined Ghislain this time.

But from what he’d observed over a considerable period, whenever something absurd happened, nine times out of ten, it was the lord’s doing.

“This time, though, it seems especially serious.”

Kaor frowned.

The forces blocking the mansion were not to be underestimated.

Given that such capable men had surrounded the place, it was clear that the lord was in a highly dangerous situation.

The mercenaries, looking worried, approached Kaor and asked.

“Judging by the fact that they’ve come all the way here, it seems the boss has gotten into trouble again. Should we go rescue him?”

“Tsk, what do you mean, rescue? Do you think you can break through those guys out there?”

“Well, no, but….”

“It should be fine for now. They’re just standing there watching and haven’t rushed in yet. Besides… that guy wouldn’t just let himself get caught so easily.”

“…Aren’t you saying he’s already caught?”

“That’s exactly my point. If things are like this, there are only two possibilities. One, the opponent is so strong that even he couldn’t handle them….”

“And the other?”

“That blockhead of a lord is letting himself get caught on purpose, just to mess with them.”

“Ah, I see.”

Having spent a long time with Ghislain, Kaor had managed to come up with a theory that was quite close to the truth.

But a theory was just a theory. Given the situation, they still needed to prepare.

“So, what should we do?”

“Hmm….”

Kaor folded his arms and thought deeply for a while before finally speaking with a serious expression.

“Let’s just drink.”

“Let’s just drink. Ugh, I don’t know. Thinking too much makes my head hurt. The lord will handle things on his own. We’ll think about it if something actually happens.”

The mercenaries, their faces lighting up with delight, nodded at Kaor’s suggestion.

“Let’s do it! For now, let’s drink and come up with our next plan!”

“I’m in! There’s no need for us to stress out too!”

“If things get bad, we’ll just beat up those guys outside and make a run for it! Hahaha!”

The mercenaries decided to enjoy themselves for the day.

Before long, merchants arrived, bringing carts full of barrels of alcohol into the mansion.

The knight from the Marquis’s household, upon seeing this, was left dumbfounded.

“…They’re drinking and having a party when they could be attacked at any moment? Are they insane?”

Regardless of what the men from the Marquis’s household thought, a grand drinking party was underway at the mansion.

Kaor raised his glass high and shouted.

“Who will solve today’s problems?”

“Tomorrow’s me!”

“And who will solve tomorrow’s problems?”

“The day after tomorrow’s me!”

“Then let’s postpone all our worries until tomorrow… and here’s to the lord’s safe return!”

“To his return!”

The carefree men clinked their glasses together, laughing heartily.