There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Characters (1)

The arrogant Sir Robain looked at the rising sun over the Rotenheim Mountains.

The light of the sun peeking through the dawn air seemed to symbolize some kind of hope. Feeling as if some turning point had come in his life, which had been like rolling waves, he put down his blood-stained sword for a moment and took a breath.

The monsters were exterminated, the family’s crisis was over, and life would go on.

In the end, all he held in his hand was a blood-stained sword and a little bit of honor. He pondered where his own happiness lay in that life.

The young and arrogant noble finally realizes.

Every time he wanted to take a break from the journey of life, the humble girl who always patted his back with a confident look seemed to keep coming to mind.

Walking unsteadily with his wounded body among the corpses of monsters stained with blood.

The arrogance that had soared to the sky was now put away, and at the end of this long and dark ordeal, he wandered in search of the tiny woman he had wanted to hold in his hands.

He recalled the time when they laughed together under a blanket in a hut on a stormy night, and his own image of pushing her away because he couldn’t overcome the difference in status.

At the end of the battlefield, he found the girl covered in blood lying among the corpses of trolls, and he collapsed in front of her.

Sir Robain’s chin trembled, and he began to sob as he held Tracy’s body.

As he held the girl’s body with trembling arms, the blood flowing from her belly ran down Sir Robain’s arm. As an experienced warrior, Sir Robain could tell from the wound that it was already beyond the point where first aid would be meaningful.

Miraculously, Tracy opened her eyes and saw the arrogant nobleman shedding tears. The girl, with her weakening body, somehow managed to stroke Sir Robain’s face and gave a faint smile.

“I’m glad I could see you one last time,” she whispered.

Sir Robain, shedding tears, spoke to her.

“I’m sorry for pushing you away. I’m sorry for raising my pride because of the difference in status and forcing you to sacrifice.”

“I hesitated to marry you because of the family’s will, and I pushed you away. Despite that, you stayed on the battlefield for me.”

As Sir Robain poured out his apologies to Tracy, she just smiled beautifully even as she bled.

“Instead of saying sorry, please say you love me, Sir Robain,” the girl whispered.

“Although my life’s journey was short, I want to hear you say you love me when I leave.”

At those words, Sir Robain, shedding tears, told her over and over again. “I love you, Tracy. You were the only meaning left in my dull life. It wasn’t because of the family’s will or the gap in status that I let you go. You were the only woman I truly loved in my life.”

At those words, Tracy finally smiled as if she was happy, and slowly let go of his hand.

Sir Robain looked down at the completely weakened Tracy with trembling eyes.

Soon, the vitality disappeared from her eyes, which had been smiling as if she was happy.

Nevertheless, the softly upturned corners of her lips seemed to tell Lord Robain, “It’s okay”… That smile pierced Lord Robain’s heart like a thorn.

Lord Robain sobbed several times, burying the small corpse in his arms.

The war with the monsters was over. The sun rose brightly, driving away the horrific air of the battlefield that had passed overnight.

In the midst of it all, a man was left alone, sobbing.

＞

– Tak

“…..”

Late at night. Ebelstein noble district, Denis’s private residence.

Denis put down her quill with a snap, leaned back in her chair, and pursed her lips in thought.

She was in the midst of writing the final volume of her self-proclaimed epic, “The Arrogant Lord Robain,” after years of research and contemplation.

Lord Robain, who was tormented between his status, family, and love for Tracy. In the end, he wasted time in his agony and let Tracy go, a tragic love story rushing towards its conclusion.

When she envisioned the scene in her mind, she was quite satisfied, but when she actually wrote it down, it felt lacking. She wondered if she was ending the story in too gloomy an atmosphere, but then again, if she didn’t do it this way, what she wanted to convey wouldn’t come across properly.

“…”

Denis crossed her arms and fell into thought. Thinking about it, it was something she had forgotten in the long run.

What she wanted to convey.

When she asked herself what she wanted to say through “The Arrogant Lord Robain,” a somewhat embarrassing answer came out.

She didn’t really know what she wanted to say, she just wanted to write a story about a handsome, capable, cold-blooded noble who was warm only to his woman, and their heart-fluttering love story.

How much profound philosophical reflection or inner message could be included in such a process? If she started to attach strange meanings to something that was just an expression of her desires, her back would heat up.

So, when she thought of the white-haired mercenary who read this seriously, she couldn’t help but feel chills down her spine.

If it were a distant reader she had never met, it would be one thing, but to show this to her teacher, whom she faced every day, was more embarrassing than showing her naked body.

Nevertheless, the girl couldn’t help but fall into deep contemplation again, staring at what she had written. It was because of her desire to explore a better direction.

Though she acted lazy and indifferent in everything, when she held the quill, her eyes were more serious than anyone else’s. However, it seemed difficult to find a clear answer.

Lord Robain’s agony and inner conflict were not so much a result of deep insight, but rather a collection of things that seemed impressive, gathered from here and there and shaped into something plausible.

However, it was said that characters in a story inevitably reflect the mind of their creator in some way.

In the tragic love story between the noble’s agony, the family’s will, and the lowly status of Tracy, Denis couldn’t help but ponder what to show and what to hide.

Eventually, Denis sighed deeply, pulled her silver, glossy hair back, and buried herself in bed again.

The night was long, and there was plenty of time, so there was no need to worry immediately.

Come to think of it, it was time to use Aiseline’s visit as an excuse to spy on Baron Ravenclaw’s mansion.

“…”

Immersed in creation and wandering in another world, when she finally returned to the present, the heavy weight of reality seemed to hang on her chest, pressing down on her body. It was a frequent occurrence.

It was a matter that had already been concluded through several family meetings.

As an agent of the Beltus family, Denis seeks a way to bring down Baron Derek Lydorf Ravenclaw.

It would be good to grasp his weaknesses, catch trivial faults, and if possible, inflict significant damage. Ideally, it would be best to drive him to ruin and turn him into a commoner who can be used again.

If that happens, Grand Duke Beltus will embrace Denis with a more satisfied smile than ever. In that case, Denis’s peaceful life will be maintained, and his authority within the family will be sufficiently guaranteed.

Although Denis had received great help from Derek during a time of deep anguish and wandering, there was no choice. Betrayal and collusion are all too common in this ruthless aristocratic society.

Even the children of prestigious families suspect each other and engage in psychological warfare, let alone a rural baron from the outskirts.

Denis took a deep breath, covered his face with his hands, and exhaled heavily.

“I didn’t originally plan for such a scene…”

Is it a story of the work, or a story of reality?

Even Denis himself could not clearly distinguish which it was.

*

After the significant decline of the Duplain family, the noble power in the southwest of Ebelstein was divided between the Belmiard and Beltus families.

This fall, Countess Rodeia, who was directly granted the title of count by Emperor Guttrel, rose anew, but she was still a new force and could not compare to the authority of the other two families.

It would take at least 5 years, or at most 15 years, to stand shoulder to shoulder with them, and until then, Belmiard and Beltus would act as the rulers of the southwest of the continent.

This situation was reflected in the central city of Ebelstein in the southwest of the continent, and the Rosea Salon was practically the domain of Elente and Denis.

Elente was born with the temperament of a ruler.

He has a natural talent for leading followers and guiding groups, and although he is still young and immature in some aspects, it seemed certain that it would not take long for him to grow into a lord like his father, the Marquis of Belmiard.

On the other hand, it is difficult to grasp the character of Denis.

She is not entirely uninterested in the situation, but she does not actively step forward either.

Occasionally, when important issues arise, she actively expresses her opinion, but fundamentally, she adheres to a laissez-faire attitude.

As a result, Denis has few followers, and her authority within the family is insignificant compared to Elente. Elente is considered the real power of the Belmiard family, but Denis is just a pretty and smart daughter.

The incident where she lost the position of successor to her timid and small-minded older brother, Robenalt, is symbolic. Even though Grand Duke Beltus is obsessed with primogeniture, he must have realized that Robenalt was not capable of leading the Beltus family.

By this point, the key power players in the southwest of the continent had already realized.

Denis does not have the temperament of a ruler, and she is smart and quick-witted, making her more suitable as a chess piece.

In fact, Denis tends to be lazy and tries to do things as simply as possible when she has a task, but she always produces results.

Being diligent and being competent are not always synonymous concepts.

Rather, being lazy and achieving results is the kind of person who is good to have under you. An incompetent but diligent person is more dangerous.

In that sense, Denis could be considered one of the most valued individuals in the Beltus family.

She has no ambition for power, does not intend to rebel against the family, has no ambition, but has a strong desire for a stable life.

It was indeed ironic that Elente and Denis, who had completely different temperaments and inclinations, were dividing the power of the Rosea Salon.

“At the last Rosea Salon gathering, there were so many people worried about Lady Aisellin. Truly… building good relationships is important. The Duplain family has already started to fall from power, but it feels like the number of people concerned about Lady Aisellin has only increased.”

Denise, who had come by carriage from the Ebelstein mansion early in the morning, looked quite tired.

At the Rosea Salon, she played the part of a pretty noble lady, but she didn’t seem to want to do such tiring things in front of Derek… She sighed deeply, her weary eyes drooping.

Her beautiful silver-gray hair was glossy. Bella had put a lot of effort into grooming her from early in the morning.

However, the person herself was behaving in a casual manner, quite unlike her elegant and pretty attire.

In fact, it had been quite a while since she had bothered to maintain her dignity in front of Derek.

“I see. But I didn’t expect Miss Denise to come in person.”

“Well, it’s not like I wanted to cause a commotion from this early morning. Since Baron Ravenclaw had turned away all the ladies who wanted to visit Lady Aisellin, I received a lot of requests to check on her condition.”

“…Lady Aisellin needs to rest, so it was difficult to grant permission easily.”

“Yes, I understand. It’s not easy being a daughter in a powerful family. Sigh.”

As she let her arms hang down and descended the carriage steps, Derek extended his hand to her.

Denise looked at Derek’s face as he extended his arm, then let out a snort and laughed, grasping his hand firmly as she got off the carriage.

“Wow. It looks like there are more buildings now. This is about half the size of our Beltus main house, isn’t it?”

“Most of them are newly built facilities funded by donations.”

“Well… even if they are frontier nobles, they are still nobles. They wouldn’t tolerate shabby facilities for their daughters.”

Denise chuckled as if she found it amusing and walked towards the main building of Baron Ravenclaw’s mansion with Derek.

“How is Lady Aisellin’s condition? If I don’t find out, there will be an uproar at the Rosea Salon.”

“She is much more stable now. But just in case, I advised her to rest for the entire week.”

“Yes. It’s really something. I thought she was as strong as steel. Even at the salon, I was amazed several times at how diligent a person could be…”

Denise crossed her arms and fell into thought for a moment.

From Derek’s perspective, who had been dealing with Elente until last month, she was an unfamiliar figure.

Elente always seemed to be mindful of authority and prestige, even in casual and informal conversations, but Denise seemed to genuinely regard Derek as an equal.

However, Derek’s keen eye, honed from dealing with the nobility, noticed something different.

The comfortable and casual feeling was the same as before, but he sensed a subtle anxiety or worry in Denise’s behavior.

It was definitely different from the way she used to wander around the Ebelstein mansion. It was hard to explain it simply by saying she was in a foreign place.

Occasionally, she would glance sideways at Derek or stare intently at various parts of the building, which was unusual.

But it was also difficult to pinpoint the exact reason. Derek was not a mind reader.

So, Derek asked directly.

“Is there something bothering you? You seem… uncomfortable…”

“Huh, what?”

Denise shuddered and swept her lush silver-gray hair back, twisting the ends.

“Did it feel that way? No, actually. The mansion is bigger than I thought, so I feel quite overwhelmed…”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. When I first met Derek, he was just a mercenary without a fixed residence, right? It feels like only a few years have passed, but seeing him succeed like this, it can be somewhat poignant for someone who has watched closely.”

“Thank you for thinking that way.”

“Well, it’s nothing.”

Denise shook her head roughly and looked towards the main building of the Ravenclaw Barony.

“My throat is parched from the long journey. Let’s unwind over a cup of tea.”

“Yes.”

As she said that, she quickly overtook Derek, feeling that she wasn’t quite the same as before.

‘She’s lying.’

Derek thought, resting his chin on his hand and narrowing his brows.

‘But why?’

Noblewomen were inherently unpredictable.

It didn’t seem like something to worry about, but it was still good to be aware of it.