Chapter 3
A day had passed since Layton left.
And there was still no answer to the proposal I had thrown his way.
When Ailee returned to the drawing room and handed him the chef’s special cookies, his expression had been pretty good back then.
“Hm… I wonder when he’ll tell me.”
It might have caught him off guard.
Marquess Zynes was, without question, the head of his marquessate.
Inviting someone like that to come live at the grand duke’s estate out of the blue—
“Does he think I’m some crazy brat?”
But there was no other choice.
Money-crazed, damnable idiots were showing up at this house day after day!
“Miss, Count Daisyphe has arrived.”
“He’s back again? That damn pig.”
“Miss!”
The butler rushed toward me in a panic, sweat pouring down his face as he shook his head frantically.
He earnestly warned me that I absolutely must not speak like that, but I had no intention of listening.
People blinded by the wealth and power of the grand ducal family, abandoned after the grand duke left behind only two young girls.
Was there any need to be nice when dealing with people like that?
You choose who deserves courtesy.
Until now, I’d let things slide after warning them once or twice—but three times crossed the line.
I tugged at the corners of my mouth, practicing my battle-ready smile.
“Nice. Even the ‘who do you think you are, daring to approach’ smile is perfect.”
“Miss, even the naming sense of that smile is terrifying.”
“Don’t worry, Butler Hile. I’ll go show them the terror of the grand ducal family. Let him in.”
The restless butler squeezed his eyes shut and opened the door.
A count waddled in, his belly folding over itself, his clothes stretched so tight they looked ready to burst.
“Ah! Greetings, young lady!”
Despite no one welcoming him, the shameless man kept a greedy grin plastered on his face.
Without being invited to sit, Count Daisyphe plopped himself down in a chair in the drawing room.
“Haha, I saw you just a few days ago, but it’s a pleasure to see you again like this.”
“I’m sure it is. There’s plenty here to fatten you up.”
“What do you mean by that! I came here purely out of concern for the young ladies!”
Ridiculous nonsense.
I folded my arms and nodded as if telling him to go on.
As if that were a signal, the count’s loose mouth began spewing nonsense.
“Ah, something occurred to me on the way here. I thought it might be difficult for two young ladies to manage such a large estate, so I had an idea. Would you like to hear it?”
“Go on.”
“I have a son. He just turned twenty-five. Hahaha, right in his prime. He’s obedient and so gentle.”
I could already guess where this was going.
Was he trying to stick that son to me? Or to Ailee?
Most likely me—I was the eldest daughter of the grand ducal family now.
In the original story, Selena ran away and Ailee was left to lead the family, but things were different now.
Annoyance made the “who do you think you are” smile form on its own.
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—the count didn’t notice my smile and babbled on until he delivered the final blow.
“So, how about you become engaged to me?”
“…What?”
“If you become engaged to me, I’ll make sure you never have to lift a finger for the rest of your life. My son being kind is a bonus. You’re close in age, so you could get along well, couldn’t you?”
I stared at the greasy count in disbelief.
What did this pig just say?
The insane nonsense he spouted was completely beyond my comprehension, and before I realized it, a curse slipped out.
“You lunatic.”
“Pardon? What did you just—”
As the saying goes, the correct response to a lunatic is to beat him.
I instinctively scanned the room for something that could be used as a weapon.
Should I smash a teacup over his head?
Or throw a saucer like a boomerang?
After considering several options, I nodded in satisfaction at the best idea and stood up.
The count, who had been watching me, stood up as well.
“Why are you standing? Is it because you dislike my proposal?”
“Oh? You’re surprisingly perceptive.”
“…What?”
“Then this should be done before you catch on.”
Crunch—
I stepped close and stomped down on the count’s foot with my heeled shoe, using all my strength.
Enough to shatter the bones on the top of his foot—utterly pulverize them.
Three seconds after finishing my wholehearted revenge, a thin scream erupted.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“Tsk. I’ve really seen every kind of lunatic in this world.”
“T-this is absurd!”
“Hile! Hile!”
When I urgently called his name, Hile rushed in, flinging the door open.
“What is it, Miss? I was just about to tell you that the marquess has—good heavens!”
He stopped mid-sentence, eyes going wide as he took in the sight of the count clutching his foot and groaning.
The miserable sight suited him perfectly.
How dare he spew nonsense here without knowing where he stood.
I lifted my chin arrogantly and spoke.
“Get rid of that. And use gloves while you’re at it. He’s sweating all over.”
“Pardon? Y-yes, understood. Ah, and there’s something I need to tell you—the marquess—”
“I heard there was a guest ahead of me, so I was waiting… but it seems there was some commotion.”
Through the door the butler had opened, a familiar face appeared.
A gentle voice and a languid smile.
Marquess Layton Zynes slowly entered the drawing room.
His relaxed gaze swept over me, then shifted to the count being dragged to his feet by Hile.
And then—smile.
“Oh, it seems you were busy with a guest.”
“He’s not a guest. He’s a pest. No honorifics needed.”
The count trembled with humiliation at my words, but I didn’t care in the slightest.
Being humiliated after spouting nonsense at the grand ducal estate wasn’t something he could boast about anywhere.
More important was the man standing before me.
Had he come back after just one day because he’d accepted my proposal?
That was what mattered.
“I should’ve added that I’d treat him like an older brother,” I regretted fleetingly.
If Layton refused, I was prepared to say it even now.
I walked toward him with light steps.
He was even taller up close—I had to look way up at him.
“Did you come to give me your answer?”
“Yes.”
“So? What’s your answer?”
“As you wish, Lady.”
He gently took my hand, lifted it, and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
His brown hair fluttered softly, clouding my vision.
A warm, comforting scent drifted from him now that he was close.
Unlike my earlier anxiety, his answer was positive.
With that successful start, the filthiness of earlier vanished completely, replaced by a refreshing feeling.
I smiled gracefully.
“Then I’ll have the best room in the estate prepared for you right away.”
“Thank you.”
“It looks like getting rid of those annoying idiots will finally be easier.”
“Ah, I’ll take care of all of that myself.”
“Perfect.”
Layton’s gaze, which had stayed on me, shifted briefly to the count struggling weakly against Hile.
For a moment, a cold, flashing chill seemed to pass through his eyes—but that couldn’t be right.
He was polite, warm, and kind. Unlike the rumors.
I brushed off the fleeting sense of déjà vu and smiled, feeling at ease.
“I can finally relax.”
What I looked forward to most about Layton becoming our guardian was shaking off the leeches clinging to the grand ducal family.
And that seemed like it would be resolved quite easily.
Once rumors spread that Layton had become the guardian and would be staying here—
Those who mistakenly believed him to be a villain would be terrified.
And then, dealing with irritating people like this would finally be over.
“Then, Lady, I’ll go fetch my belongings. Please rest comfortably in the meantime.”
Pulled from my thoughts by Layton’s gentle voice, I nodded.
He patted the top of my head as if I were a good child.
That feeling…
“…isn’t bad.”
It felt like being praised for enduring bravely without crying after my parents passed away.
“I finally have someone I can rely on.”
Why did my heart feel so at ease?
Suddenly, exhaustion washed over me.
He wouldn’t solve everything—but just knowing he would help felt like setting down a heavy burden.
As the tension melted away, I spoke.
“Then, Marquess, let me know when you return. I’ll go rest for a bit.”
“Yes.”
Leaving him in the drawing room, I headed straight for my bedroom.
When was the last time I took a nap?
It felt like I could finally sleep peacefully.
* * *
Silence lingered in the drawing room after its owner left.
And Count Daisyphe stood speechless at the appearance of someone he’d never imagined meeting here.
“W-why is he here…?”
Layton Zynes.
The head of the Zynes marquessate—the devil’s house—was standing in the grand ducal estate.
There was no way to know how they were connected. Nor any reason he should know.
Daisyphe shoved away the butler who was trying to haul him up with a finger.
These damned grand ducal people were treating him like a bug.
Just as his noble pride hit rock bottom and he tried to raise his voice, he froze.
Cold blue eyes were fixed on him.
It felt as though he’d been dropped into a frozen wasteland.
His entire body began trembling, and he hurriedly spun his thoughts.
He needed to leave. Now.
“H-ha ha… it’s fine, Butler. I’ll get up myself.”
“Very well. Please do. Using just one finger would’ve been a bit difficult.”
The butler’s rude tone, treating him like trash, made his blood boil—but he endured it.
Ignoring the pain in his right foot, he forced himself upright.
But standing wasn’t enough to escape this situation.
As he planned to offer a brief greeting and flee, Layton strode toward him.
“Hm…”
Tilting his head and stroking his chin, Layton let out a small laugh.
That smile wasn’t born of amusement or humor.
It was the look one gave to worthless dust.
The count froze.
“A… devil.”
Just as the rumors said.
The gaze of a devil.
Overbearing, crushing, sharp.
Facing that suffocating aura, as if it were innate, the count went pale and bowed deeply.
“M-Marqess! I am Count Daisyphe. My apologies for the late introduction.”
“Daisyphe? Sounds vaguely familiar.”
“I-it’s an honor.”
“An honor, you say. If I remember your house, it won’t be for a good reason.”
The cold voice rang like a death sentence.
The count collapsed to the floor in terror.
“I was wrong!”
“No. Let’s say we’re both at fault.”
“…What?”
“Whatever you said to the young lady, I have no intention of leaving your family intact.”
There was no room for discussion.
Layton smiled gently.
The smile Selena once thought kind now felt strangely alien.
Trembling, the count collapsed completely.
“As expected—pathetic.”
“M-Marqess…”
“I’ve handled it as the young lady wished, so that should suffice. I should go fetch my things. Butler, throw this one out.”
Hile nodded obediently, having just witnessed the true face of the Zynes family he’d only heard rumors about.
And he lamented inwardly.
“A villain has arrived.”
He didn’t know what misunderstanding their young lady had,
but this man was a villain.
A terrifying one.
