Chapter 9

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 9

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I wondered why you'd come to greet me in person, and sure enough, someone had already spun my injury into a juicy tale involving Nils.

The details were probably not far off from the truth.

"Or did you scar your brother yourself! Have you got any sense at all? Staining the family name like th―"

Iona finally stopped in her tracks upon reaching the third-floor corridor.

She slowly turned around and looked down at Hayden. He flinched noticeably and promptly clamped his mouth shut.

Iona had never gone around spreading word of who had struck her like this.

It was simply that Nils was infamous enough as a pathetic fool seething with inferiority for the rumors to spread on their own.

Iona sneered at Hayden as he fussed over his worthless son.

"If I cover up the scar on my face perfectly, does that restore the family honor?"

"……."

"Is this the kind of house where it's fine to beat people as long as no rumors spread? Who's the one really dragging the Modroff name through the mud right now?"

At Iona's pointed remark, Hayden coughed awkwardly to cover his fluster.

He scrambled for a rebuttal to assert his authority, but no suitable response came to mind.

"Well, Nils has put both you and me in quite a bind, hasn't he? In two days, we have to meet the Duke, and now the prospective bride shows up looking like this……."

She had already crossed paths with the Duke that very morning, but Iona feigned ignorance with a sympathetic tone.

"If I go to the meeting like this, won't the Duke take offense at this ridiculous sight and call off the marriage?"

Of course, Iona knew Leroy wasn't the type.

By 'the type,' she meant a man who judged his success by the appearance of his female companions.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Hayden was very much 'the type,' and at that moment, the thought that his daughter might actually carry out the threat terrified him.

'That stone-hearted girl wouldn't know the first thing about a man's feelings. She won't sweet-talk her way out of it, so I have to at least dress her up to look presentable.'

The Duke was already plenty displeased with this forced betrothal.

If the bride-to-be showed up at their first meeting with a bruised face to boot, how grave a rudeness would he consider it?

If he used it as an excuse to raise an issue, it could even thwart the imperial will in the worst case.

Hayden forcibly smoothed his crumpled expression. A benevolent smile curved his lips, and kindly wrinkles formed around his eyes.

Iona watched the dramatic change with great interest.

"Iona, that's enough joking around. Yes, I can see why you'd be upset over Nils. He's always been immature and hot-tempered since he was little. Family should hide each other's flaws and comfort one another, but you're cutting him off so coldly—it's just that I felt a bit hurt."

Iona nodded indifferently, her expression bored.

"When I saw you dismissing even your maids and making things hard on yourself, I worried constantly. It was all out of concern for you, but my clumsy expression caused a misunderstanding—I'm sorry."

It was a glimpse into how he'd managed to cling to the imperial family as a sycophant all these years. His skill at whitewashing his past behavior was impressive.

Of course, not a speck of sincerity could be found.

"There's no need for you to apologize, Father."

Iona replied in a mild voice.

Hayden brightened as if relieved.

"Then―"

"Nils is the one who hit me, isn't he? So it's only proper that he, not my innocent father, comes to apologize in person."

"Iona! His tooth is broken! Can't we call it even here for both your sakes?!"

"How can the issue be settled when the siblings involved haven't reconciled? If there's wrongdoing, we apologize and move on."

Iona countered innocently, as if it were the most obvious thing.

Unable to find a retort, Hayden ground his teeth.

After catching his breath for a moment, he finally threw up his hands in surrender.

"If Nils comes and apologizes in person, will you really make peace? ……And take back your personal maid too?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"……Go wait in the study first. I'll fetch Nils."

Iona agreed and silently descended the stairs.

She heard Hayden snort in wounded pride but kept her scoff to herself for now.

She was about to enjoy quite the spectacle— no need to ruin it by jumping the gun.

Thinking about it, it was absurd.

What was so dire about a little visible scar that it had this lone wolf bowing his head first?

Iona found Hayden's hysterics laughable because she didn't see the facial scar as her own fault.

Though Hayden seemed to interpret it differently, her half-hearted attempt to cover it with makeup had been more for her pathetic family's sake than the wound itself.

"Duke Leroy will think it's an even more disgraceful house if he finds out."

Iona muttered with a smirk as she opened the study door.

'Come to think of it, this is where I first realized I'd returned to the past.'

Iona slowly surveyed the room with fresh eyes and took her seat.

The furnishings resembled their later versions so closely that she hadn't fully registered the changes back then, but now she saw that everything she'd replaced after becoming family head had reverted to the previous owner's tastes.

She leaned back against the chair, soothing her prickling nerves.

How long did she wait like that? Suddenly, shouting erupted from beyond the wall.

"Dad, I hate that bitch. Why should I? No, if I apologize, it'll look good later, right?!"

Hayden had apparently failed to persuade his son with kind words.

Realizing gentle coaxing wouldn't work, Hayden raised his voice too.

"Shut your mouth, you little punk. It's just an apology and done—what's with the fuss?"

"Dad!"

"You keep disappointing me like this! At this rate, I'm starting to think it'd be better to put Ivonne in your place!"

"H-Huh, huhu……. That's too much."

Nils's ugly sniffling accompanied the approaching footsteps.

After a pause—likely to compose himself—they finally opened the door and entered.

Nils, seated across from Iona, glared at her with his mouth clamped shut. Hayden shot him a meaningful glance.

Nils muttered reluctantly.

"Sorry."

"You left out what you're sorry for."

At Iona's listless reply, Nils's face twisted in anger.

But under Hayden's silent pressure, he deflated.

With evident wounded pride, Nils mumbled.

"For raising my voice and…… sorry."

"See, Nils is reflecting on it now, isn't he, Iona?"

Judging this the limit, Hayden hurriedly intervened as mediator.

"You said earlier that if there's wrongdoing, we apologize and move on, right? So hurry up and say sorry too. Then we can put this mess behind us cleanly."

For Hayden to personally orchestrate reconciliation when his firstborn's tooth was broken was quite the concession.

Though of course, she had no intention of apologizing properly to the likes of Nils.

Iona crossed her legs leisurely and drawled on carelessly.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, so sorry if it did, Nils. So why didn't you dodge properly? But you started it anyway."

Ignoring Nils's slowly reddening face, Iona lightly blew over her nails.

There was no particular dust, but she knew full well this pose infuriated people.

It was the exact attitude Nils always showed when forced to apologize publicly.

"Iona, what was that attitude just now! Is this the time for games?!"

"I apologized just as you wanted, didn't I? If it fell short, Nils, as the elder, should graciously overlook it."

Iona met Hayden's scolding with calm composure and flashed a crooked smile.

She hadn't realized it before, but mimicking Nils's delinquent act was surprisingly convenient—and fun.

Look at those gaping mouths in disbelief. Wasn't it a rare, entertaining sight?

Unable to contain his rage, Nils shot to his feet right on cue.

"You keep going on and on, and even you don't know when to st―?!"

Iona looked up at him briefly with a dull gaze.

Turning to Hayden, she said regretfully.

"Nils doesn't seem to want to reconcile with me at all…… What should we do, Father?"

She could feel Hayden grinding his teeth behind his sealed lips.