At that moment, guided by a servant, Count Lawrence and Flora made their way to the reception room.
“Flora.”
“Yes, Father.”
“This meeting has been arranged to correct our mistakes. Be especially careful with your words and actions.”
“…Understood.”
Flora nodded weakly, her face devoid of energy.
On the day Roman defeated Blood Pang, the common sense that had shaped Flora’s world crumbled.
Roman Dmitri, once called Dmitri’s fool, turned out to be a far more remarkable man than anyone had thought.
The Lawrence family was in such dire straits that they had no choice but to cling to Dmitri.
A moment’s choice.
Flora had thought her decision was the right one for her life, but it had ruined everything.
Now, she realized the truth.
Her father, who had always been so affectionate, who would have plucked the stars from the sky for her, had a reason for proceeding with the marriage alliance even after hearing Roman’s reputation.
It was truly pitiful.
She wasn’t regretting that Roman was different from the rumors.
What she hated was her own actions—failing to face the family’s difficulties and making a mess of things.
How much had her father suffered?
The image of her father, shouting as he revealed the truth, overlapped with the memory of him reluctantly suggesting a political marriage.
Even in such a difficult situation, her father hadn’t forced her.
He had given her a choice, and Flora, having made that choice, had failed to take responsibility.
Now, she faced her father’s angry expression.
‘This is a problem I have to solve.
Not because Roman Dmitri is different from his reputation, but because the Lawrence family needs Dmitri’s strength to survive the conflict with the Barcos.
So, I must accept reality.
I’m an adult, and I can’t remain the flower of Lawrence forever.’
She clenched her teeth.
By then, they had arrived at the reception room.
There was no host to greet them.
Only a cold breeze blew through the spacious room.
The servant said they would bring tea and then left.
“It seems we’ll have to wait.”
This meeting.
Though they had arrived unannounced that morning, the fact that they were a count and the intended party for a political marriage was reason enough to receive them immediately.
Yet, they had been led to an empty reception room.
And the servant’s words about bringing tea first implied that the Lawrence family’s visit was unwelcome.
Thud.
They sat on the sofa.
They had prepared for this.
Both Count Lawrence and Flora knew how Dmitri might react, so they waited silently in the room, sipping tea.
But.
There was a limit to waiting.
One hour, two hours.
As time passed far longer than expected, Count Lawrence’s expression grew increasingly stiff.
They didn’t know how much time had passed.
What was certain was that they had arrived at Dmitri before the sun had fully risen, but now, through the reception room window, they could see the sun setting.
It was a clear snub.
Though Flora had committed an unforgivable mistake, leaving guests in the reception room for so long was not proper etiquette.
Finally.
‘This is unacceptable.’
They had reached their limit.
With anger boiling inside, Count Lawrence abruptly stood up.
“I’ll go find Baron Dmitri myself.”
Baron Romero’s office.
The firmly closed door opened.
Count Lawrence, his face flushed with anger, burst in and spoke in a reproachful voice.
“Baron Dmitri! What kind of family etiquette is this, making guests wait so long? If our visit was unwelcome, you should have sent us away from the start. I didn’t expect the Dmitri family to stoop so low!”
Endless waiting.
His heart was truly hurt.
Thinking that Dmitri was deliberately retaliating, Count Lawrence couldn’t speak kindly.
Tap.
Baron Romero set down his pen.
He had been reviewing documents for approval, but now he looked at Count Lawrence without a hint of panic.
“I understand why you’re angry, but was today’s meeting prearranged?”
“I admit we arrived unannounced. But a week ago, we expressed our desire to meet, and after you rejected that proposal without any further communication, we came here. If you had refused the meeting outright and turned us away, I wouldn’t be so upset.”
“How could I turn you away, Count? However, I must point out that this is a problem arising from an unarranged meeting.”
A week ago.
Roman had entered seclusion for training.
It wasn’t that he was deliberately avoiding the meeting, but Baron Romero had no choice but to refuse.
The problem was.
“But let me ask you this.”
Baron Romero’s expression hardened.
His calm voice twisted, and suppressed anger suddenly burst forth.
“Are you so angry about waiting until sunset? On the day the Lawrence family’s daughter visited Dmitri, Roman came to me and expressed his intention to break off the engagement. At the time, I scolded him and held him accountable, but even a three-year-old child would know that Flora Lawrence’s visit was related to the broken engagement. Yet, I let it go. I thought Roman wanted to handle it that way, so I kept my mouth shut and let it pass like a fool.”
A few days later.
Roman defeated Blood Pang.
Was he simply happy about that?
No.
His heart sank.
He feared his son might have been injured.
Until he received word that everything was fine, Baron Romero couldn’t maintain his composure.
And the root of all this was Lawrence.
Flora Lawrence.
If she had directly announced the broken engagement, Roman wouldn’t have been put in danger.
“We were unilaterally informed of the broken engagement. It was Lawrence who first desired the marriage, but regardless of our wishes, we had no choice but to accept the reality of the broken engagement. Yet, Count Lawrence, you come here to scold me over such a trivial matter as waiting too long. This meeting wasn’t even prearranged, yet you’ve forgotten your own mistakes and come here acting as if you’re the wronged party!”
Bang!
He slammed the desk.
As Baron Romero stood up, his imposing presence overwhelmed Count Lawrence and Flora, who had arrived behind him.
“Are you mocking me now?”
His fierce expression.
It was clear hostility.
The atmosphere turned icy.
Baron Romero.
He had crossed a line.
Though titles clearly indicated a difference in status, he showed no hesitation in expressing his anger.
“Count Lawrence, what do you think this marriage alliance means? A marriage of love? The union of two families? Such lofty words have nothing to do with this alliance.”
The title of Baron.
Baron Romero was a man who had barely stepped into the world of nobility.
But among the nobles who had established themselves in the northeastern part of the Cairo Kingdom, no one could openly disregard Baron Romero.
That’s how the world worked.
Power that transcended status.
The great tycoon of the iron mines possessed wealth.
Thus, Count Lawrence could say nothing.
The other’s words were correct.
Count Lawrence knew Dmitri had power, which was why he had first approached Dmitri about the marriage.
If it had been Dmitri’s second son instead of the fool, it would have been perfect, but even so, an alliance with Dmitri was necessary for the family’s future.
Therefore.
Baron Romero’s anger was justified.
His initially calm voice now turned fierce, as if he wanted to devour Count Lawrence.
“You and I both know the essence of a political marriage. This isn’t just about two families’ children forming a marital bond. The Barcos are eyeing the fertile lands of the Lawrence family, and with the central government’s approval, the two families are in a situation where war could break out at any moment.
A month ago, I was contacted by the Barcos. They said if we proceeded with a marriage to their direct line instead of Lawrence, they would not only provide connections to the central government but also cede some of Lawrence’s lands. Yet, I refused the Barcos’ offer.
Why do you think that was?”
“…Why did you refuse? The Barcos’ offer would have been more beneficial to Dmitri.”
“The reason is simple. The Dmitri family has power, and so we chose what we wanted.”
The Barcos.
A dangerous enemy.
Aligning with them would mean a peaceful future, but those with power don’t seek mere compromise.
“Roman wanted Flora. He said there was no one more beautiful in the world, and in his foolishness, he decided to go to war with the Barcos for that one reason alone. There was no other reason. Even if Dmitri shed much blood because of this decision, we wanted Dmitri’s heir to achieve what he desired.”
This deal.
It was a one-sided loss for Dmitri.
Many in the world said Dmitri made this choice to fully enter the world of nobility, and Baron Romero had even scolded Roman with similar reasoning.
But the truth was different.
If it hadn’t been the marriage Roman wanted, Dmitri would never have accepted such a loss.
Knowing the truth, they still shook hands.
From the beginning, the Lawrence family was in the weaker position, but the sheltered flower didn’t realize this.
And then they spilled the water.
The broken engagement.
A huge mistake.
From the moment Flora Lawrence mentioned the broken engagement to Roman, the Lawrence family had stepped into a quagmire.
‘…We’ve made a grave mistake.’
Count Lawrence’s face turned pale.
Earlier.
He should have endured to the end.
Even if Dmitri had refused the meeting and made them wait until sunset in the reception room, Count Lawrence should have maintained the weaker party’s stance.
This was never a normal relationship.
The Lawrence family had a purpose in seeking the marriage alliance, and having been the first to mention the broken engagement, they had no right to be angry.
Foolish.
In his petty pride, Count Lawrence had thought Dmitri was disregarding Lawrence.
‘I told Flora to be careful with her words and actions, yet I’m the one who made a mistake.
Dmitri’s anger is justified.
We toyed with them unilaterally, so no matter how Dmitri reacts, we have no right to complain.’
A grim reality.
Baron Romero had laid bare the truth.
“The flower of Lawrence, the fool of Dmitri. No one knows better than us how mismatched the reputations of these two are. But Lawrence should have remembered what Dmitri is. Even if the Lawrence family’s daughter is a flower desired by all, the moment Roman’s surname became Dmitri, her value changed. Therefore, it is Lawrence, not us, who should be desperate and clinging to this marriage alliance.”
The fool of Dmitri.
A blacksmith family.
The nobles looked down on Dmitri’s origins, but no one could openly say so.
Why?
Because Dmitri had power.
Even as a baron, Dmitri was the top power in the northeast.
The mood had shifted.
Baron Romero’s cold gaze moved from Count Lawrence to Flora, who stood silently behind him.
“Am I wrong?”
A moment’s choice.
Because of it.
The pitiful reality of Lawrence was laid bare.