Chapter 29
Just then, Peter, oblivious, raised his hand and interjected.
“If you’re looking for a spouse for Sue, I know a few decent families I can introduce you to. There are a lot of families around here who are desperate to find a marriage partner for their children.”
“Just shut up, Peter.”
Eren clenched his fist. He looked like he was about to punch Peter if he said another word. But he managed to suppress his anger, remembering that he was his brother after all.
“Hmph. I’m going to marry Sue off to a noble from the capital, no matter what.”
“A noble from the capital? Hahaha. I wish you luck with that.”
Eren glared at Peter, who was mockingly interjecting. Cheryl, deciding to ignore Peter completely, chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Hohoho. Sue, even though she seems clumsy, might even become a direct attendant to the next Empress. We can’t marry her off to someone with no background.”
‘Oh, come on. That’s a ridiculous dream.’
Sue, who had been silent until now, scoffed inwardly, letting out a sigh.
“You’re saying some dangerous things. The current Crown Prince is still Prince Lawrence. Don’t forget that.”
Eren, who was the only one with a sense of reality, reprimanded Cheryl. Cheryl shrugged and pouted, as if she had heard him.
“Well, that’s true. But you never know. Young Master Shina is very capable.”
“If everyone who was capable became Emperor, then everyone in the world would be Emperor!”
Peter, who had been listening, couldn’t resist retorting. He was holding a half-full glass of wine, and some of it spilled onto the tablecloth.
But Sue knew that Cheryl’s words weren’t entirely delusional.
First of all, Fritz’s paternal grandmother was the current Emperor’s eldest sister, so Fritz, who had inherited her bloodline, also had the right to inherit the throne.
Prince Cedric, the first in line to the throne, had died a few years ago from an unknown illness, and Lawrence, the second in line, had become the Crown Prince.
Since the Emperor had no other children besides Cedric and Lawrence, Fritz was third in line. In other words, if Lawrence gave up his right to the throne, or if he died like Cedric, Fritz would become Emperor.
And most importantly, that’s exactly what had happened in the novel. Fritz had become Emperor. In other words, if the predetermined future unfolded as planned, the next Emperor wouldn’t be Lawrence, but Shina Fritz.
By then, Eren, Cheryl, and Sue wouldn’t be attending to the Empress or anything. They would be thrown into the Wastelands and become a delicious dinner for the monsters.
‘But if Halo and Fritz don’t end up together, doesn’t that mean Fritz won’t become Emperor?’
The thought crossed her mind. In the novel, the reason Fritz became Emperor was because of the female protagonist, Halo.
Moreover, the current Crown Prince, Lawrence, was so incompetent that it was for the best if Fritz became Emperor.
‘…Whatever. I can’t even take care of my own future, let alone worry about the future of the country.’
Sue dismissed the thought. She had to survive first before she could worry about whether the country prospered or perished. So, she wouldn’t think about useless things.
As she was chewing on her tenth potato, Peter, who had been quiet for a while, opened his mouth and stirred up trouble again.
“Oh, right, speaking of Fritz. Sister-in-law, a baby is about to be born into the Lopetrefer family, right? The next head of the family, I mean.”
Peter and Cheryl seemed to exchange letters occasionally, so he often pretended to be knowledgeable about the noble society of the capital.
“Yes, the due date is approaching.”
Cheryl’s tone sharpened slightly at the mention of the Lopetrefer family. But her expression was as gentle as ever, as it was good news.
“Hahaha. The next head of the Lopetrefer family is finally going to be born. A truly blessed event.”
As they had said, this summer, Enzhe’s younger sibling, the next head of the Lopetrefer family, would be born.
Her name was Michaela Lopetrefer Kel.
“So, is she a success?”
Peter pushed up his crooked glasses. His eyes were filled with curiosity.
“Peter, please refrain from making such vulgar remarks.”
Cheryl snapped.
“Ah, my apologies.”
Peter nodded. Then, Eren, for once, praised Peter for asking a good question.
“Yes, this time, she’s definitely a success. The Grand Duke himself guaranteed it.”
A successful product. Or a successful creation.
These were the words that described Michaela Lopetrefer Kel.
The Lopetrefer grand duke family was ‘a family that had reached the pinnacle of offensive magic’.
Enzhe was the child born from the Lopetrefer family’s pursuit of ‘even greater heights’, a failure. But even as a failure, she had been born with exceptional talent. And Michaela was the ‘successful product’ created to surpass even Enzhe’s talent.
But contrary to her impressive background, Michaela’s end was tragic. In the novel, Michaela, who had only been mentioned by name as a baby, was mercilessly killed by Enzhe, who had gone berserk.
Michaela, whether she was a successful product or the next head of the family, disappeared from the world without even having a chance to showcase her talent. She was a truly pitiful child.
“It seems like the results are better than expected. Lady Raphielle is even planning to hold a small party. I’ve already received an invitation.”
“Wow, I can’t even imagine how many gifts we’ll have to prepare for the Grand Duke. Hahaha!”
They were clearly boasting. Whether it was something to boast about was another matter, but even Peter and Elizabeth were listening with interest to the story of the ‘successful product’.
“She’s the next head of the Lopetrefer family. I guess we’ll never get to meet her.”
Elizabeth, who had been listening quietly to Eren, murmured in a flat tone. Eren stared at Elizabeth for a moment, then clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied expression.
“Hmm… If you sent Raphis and Lazuli here, they would be able to see her.”
“Oh my, are we going there again?”
“Liza, when are you going to send Raphis and Lazuli to the capital? I’ve told you I’ll take care of them, but you won’t send them… Doesn’t Mr. Perlman have any ambition?”
Raphis and Lazuli were Elizabeth’s twin children.
Unlike his daughter, Eren was quite fond of his nieces and nephews. Especially the adorable Raphis and Lazuli. That’s why he had been urging Liza to send the Perlman twins to the capital for years. He had even boasted that he would educate them in the capital and make them Skias.
But Elizabeth’s husband, the doctor Perlman, had no intention of sending the twins to the capital. He was worried that his children would end up as Sue’s servants, just like Leo of the Noel count family.
“Hmph. Do you think I would let Raphis and Lazuli become Sue’s servants? They’re your children, Liza.”
Eren, knowing this, had declared that he would never make the twins Sue’s servants, and that he would send them to Full Bloom. But Perlman was still silent.
“I don’t really care where my children grow up. But my husband is very devoted to them.”
Elizabeth replied slowly. Peter chimed in.
“Hahaha. Well, considering that unfortunate incident last year, it’s understandable that Mr. Perlman is worried. The, what was it, the Damon Keron incident?”
The Damon Keron incident.
It was an incident that had shocked the noble society last winter.
Damon Keron, the son of the Keron count family, had been accused of attempting to murder Lady Enzhe of the Lopetrefer family. As a result, the entire Keron family had been thrown into the Wastelands, their magic power drained.
But Sue knew that wasn’t the truth.
‘Everyone was deceived by Enzhe again.’
While it was true that Damon Keron had been disrespectful to Enzhe, he had never tried to kill her. If anything, Enzhe was the one who had tried to kill him.
In the end, it was just Enzhe’s twisted hobby that had escalated the situation. Nothing more.
Later, Enzhe would try to do the same thing to Halo, but she would fail. And the one who would take the blame and face ruin would be Sue Byron.
‘Sigh… There are so many things that are going to happen, what should I do? Enzhe… If I can just stop Enzhe, everything will be fine.’
The adults continued to talk about the Lopetrefer family, Fritz, and Acrea, until the dinner party finally came to an end.
Elizabeth and Peter stayed at the main residence for three days before leaving the capital. Sue had to stay at the main residence until they left. Facing her parents every day was a chore.
***
It was hot.
Summer in Atlantis was particularly hot. Fortunately, most of the buildings in Atlantis had cooling magic. The academy, in particular, was so cold that many students were wearing their winter uniforms.
Life went on, like a hamster on a wheel.
But there were a few changes in her repetitive daily routine.
First, Noel had stopped coming to the academy. He wasn’t skipping classes, he had returned to the Knights and had to prioritize his training.
Second, now that Noel was gone, Hanjee had started calling Sue ‘Clot’ again. This was a bit of a headache.
Third, Sue, who was once again spending most of her time alone, was carrying a magic theory textbook everywhere she went. After the spring evaluations and the Sports Festival, she had decided to start from the basics.
Lastly, she had started interacting with Leo Noel. After their meeting at the salon, they had initially arranged their meetings through letters delivered by Noel, but from the second meeting onwards, they had decided on the time and place of their next meeting before parting ways. Leo occasionally showed his negative side, but they had a lot in common.
Sue realized that most of the changes in her life were due to ‘Noel’. How had the people from the Noel count family become entangled in her life? They were extras who weren’t even mentioned by name in the novel.