Chapter 71

None of the high-ranking nobles in attendance said anything, but attendants and servants of each nobleman were also present at the engagement ceremony.

The word leaked out in just a few hours as many people had paid attention to it since it was about the royal family. Some aristocrats had been watching the Adelia family’s movements since the announcement of Rowena’s engagement to the crown prince.

The nobles knew that Paul Adelia and his two other sons had never been to the palace. In addition, rumors were circulating that Count Adelia might have abused Lady Adelia.

They were not sure where the rumor came from, but because of this, aristocrats who decided to invest in Paul Adelia began to distance themselves from him.

It was due to the speculation that Rowena, who had become a princess, would pretend not to know her family.

“Right. It’s called the debut date, but the dress she wore then…”

“Oh! I still remember. The lady gets slapped by her older brother…”

In fact, this was not a rumor from the crown prince’s side.

It was an apt rumor to instill prejudice in Rowena, and they could not take it lightly. Cecil would not have allowed it if he had not used the excuse to stop Count Adelia’s nonsense.

It could be someone in Rowena’s honor.

Count Adelia, who had been politely rejected before he could receive a large number of business funds, turned red and denied the rumor head-on.

“She’s my daughter! Who’s pretending not to know her!”

Then a nobleman he knew advised.

“You can show that there is no problem in your relationship with the lady without getting angry here. Putting in a letter and calling the lady to a party is one way!”

The advice was given in the judgment that she would not be able to disobey her father because she hasn’t gotten married yet. Paul wanted to do the same.

If it weren’t for the terrible prince in the palace!

The shameless pariah was the one who broke his future father-in-law’s hand to this point. Paul was not confident about standing in front of Cecil. He was scared.

The way he looked at me… He meant it when he said he wouldn’t leave me alone. I was scared to look him in the eye at the engagement today…

He was used to his own violence, but that day was the first time he was devastated. He still remembered the hands of the knights who held him and the ashtray he wielded.

The moment he was hit, Paul realized. It was no use trying to resist this man. From the very beginning, it was a different force. His hand was badly broken.

Paul changed the subject like he was upset without a proper answer. Matthias was only wheezing with an angry face.

When Matthias withdrew to one side of the banquet hall, he immediately became irritated.

“What are you going to do now?! Aren’t you going to ask her to come out?”

Paul would have been upset at this moment if he had been really nice to Rowena. But he was not so conscientious.

“Matthias! Are you yelling at me?”

When he responded coldly, Matthias closed his mouth with a fearful look. Paul looked pitifully at his beloved son, Mathias.

The lion, who had to fly with wings, was defeated by the wicked tricks of the young lady, which made him feel sick.

Paul’s pods were colorful. To him, Matthias was brave as a lion, but he had to be protected as a newborn.

The future of his own family, the Adelia family. A son who couldn’t help but look like him and made him love him.

“Father, she’s already forgetting her place and acting up! At this rate, our family will not even be given the right to enjoy it!”

That was what Paul was expecting. He knew Rowena wouldn’t leave them hanging, but he didn’t expect her to answer because she was afraid of him.

On top of that, if the capricious crown prince threw her out, she would eventually return to the Adelia family if she thought she would last on her own.

But that arrogant attitude! The rumor that the crown prince had fallen on Rowena seemed to be true.

“At this rate, we will not gain the benefit of our family, but we will be offended by her! We must not leave the girl alone.”

“You can’t just leave her alone. What do you want me to do?”

Paul looked curiously at Matthias. He wanted to discipline Rowena repeatedly, but he was afraid of the crown prince.

“You can make a weakness that she can’t tell the crown prince.”

“Weakness? What’s that?”

Rowena’s life was nothing.

It was the result of taking a liberal arts class as a lady, drinking tea and playing at home, and thoroughly managing it so that no dirty rumors or stupid things were done. Rowena had also been living a quiet and meek life until now, knowing her position.