The discussion of marriage between the Lawrence and Dmitry families had begun a month ago.
Flora's father, Count Lawrence, sat her down with a troubled expression and spoke.
"My daughter, I don’t need to explain to you, my wise child, how dire the situation of our territory is right now. We need strength—whether it’s financial power or military might, the more, the better. The only way to secure the resources we need to overcome this crisis is to offer you, the treasure of the Lawrence family, as a candidate for a political marriage. I’m truly sorry. Because of this incompetent father, you’re forced to make such a choice."
That day, Flora’s world crumbled.
While most noble daughters were married off in political alliances, Flora had her own values.
She believed in marrying someone she truly loved.
Even if the other person wasn’t a prince on a white horse, as long as there was mutual love, they could overcome any obstacles.
But Dmitry? This was a disaster.
"The Dmitry family was just a commoner family twenty years ago. I don’t expect a prince on a white horse, but to spend my life with Dmitry, whose estate is filled with miners? No way."
While she believed that material conditions weren’t the most important, that was only true if the other person was someone she truly loved.
No matter how she thought about it, Dmitry wasn’t that person.
She didn’t want to sacrifice her lifelong dream of marriage to Dmitry’s miner.
And that wasn’t the only problem.
Initially, the marriage was proposed with Dmitry’s promising second son, but at some point, the target had shifted to Dmitry’s eldest son.
She had heard rumors about him.
How pathetic he was.
Even within Lawrence, Roman Dmitry was known as "Dmitry’s fool."
"I really don’t want this."
It was horrifying.
Dmitry’s fool.
A man with no talent in either martial or scholarly arts, who, even in his mid-twenties, had never dreamed of advancing to the capital.
Instead, he was holed up in a remote territory, indulging in luxury.
From what she heard at a recent noble party, even his appearance was unimpressive.
There was nothing about him that aligned with Flora’s romantic ideals.
So she agonized.
Flora had lived as a wise and obedient daughter, but there were limits to what she could accept.
"This just isn’t right."
The territory’s situation? She knew it well.
But even so, she didn’t want to be sold off to Dmitry’s fool.
Contrary to what her father thought, she wasn’t as wise or self-sacrificing as he believed.
She decided to leave the aftermath of breaking off the engagement to fate.
The official reason for visiting Dmitry was to spend time with her potential fiancé before the marriage, but her real intention was to formally break off the engagement.
And so, she met Roman Dmitry.
And she was convinced.
"Just as the rumors said, he’s an unimpressive man."
He was of average height, with black hair and sharp, masculine features, but his poor complexion diminished any charisma he might have had.
What stood out most was the strong scent of perfume emanating from Roman.
While nobles often used perfume, Roman seemed to have overdone it.
Unaware that Roman used it to mask the smell of blood, Flora assumed, like the rumors suggested, that he was drenched in the scent of women due to his indulgent lifestyle.
Meeting him only confirmed her suspicions.
In a firm voice, Flora said, "Let’s pretend this marriage never happened."
She expected him to resist.
Given that he had actively pushed for this political marriage, likely captivated by her beauty, she thought it would take considerable effort to persuade him.
Flora clenched her small fist.
No matter how he reacted, she was determined to annul this marriage.
But then...
"Alright, let’s do that."
Roman’s response.
Caught off guard, Flora’s eyes widened.
"... You’re really agreeing to break off the engagement?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
She tried to maintain her composure, but her awkward expression betrayed her shock.
"I’m human too. I know what people are saying about this marriage. You’re called the flower of Lawrence, the ideal marriage partner for any man. But I, known as Dmitry’s fool, am far from worthy of having you. So I’ve thought a lot about it. I’ve agonized every night over whether this marriage was right, but since it was already decided, I couldn’t annul it on my own. But now that I know your thoughts, I’ve made my decision."
Roman spoke calmly.
In truth, from the moment Flora mentioned breaking off the engagement, Roman felt the situation was proceeding as he had intended.
Flora Lawrence.
She was as beautiful as the rumors said.
But for Roman, judging a woman wasn’t solely based on appearance.
In his past life as Bai Zhongxue, countless women had offered him their hearts and bodies, enough to fill an ocean.
With his status as the pinnacle of the martial world, his striking looks, and his humane treatment of others, women had gone to great lengths to win him over.
Of course, there were also schemes from rival factions.
Having to constantly be on guard, Bai Zhongxue naturally placed little value on appearances.
She’s beautiful.
But that’s all.
Roman was now designing a new life, and he had no intention of taking on the burden of Flora Lawrence.
Flora asked, "Are you really serious about this?"
"Why would I lie?"
"But wasn’t this marriage pushed forward because of your insistence? I heard that originally, the engagement was with Dmitry’s second son, but you strongly desired me, which led to this situation. And yet, you’re agreeing to break it off without any conditions? I find that hard to understand."
Roman chuckled.
What a strange woman.
Just moments ago, she was determined to persuade him to break off the engagement, but now that he agreed, she was questioning him.
"So, do you want to marry me after all?"
"... That’s not it."
"Then let’s not make things more complicated than they need to be. I respect your opinion, and since we’re in agreement, let’s proceed with breaking off the engagement. I’ll take full responsibility for it. After all, being known as Dmitry’s fool, adding the title of ‘divorced man’ won’t make much difference. But for you, the flower of Lawrence with a bright future ahead, it’s different, isn’t it? Let’s just say the reason for the breakup is my notorious reputation with women. That should be a satisfactory answer, don’t you think?"
This wasn’t out of consideration for Flora.
The title of "divorced man" would serve as a convenient excuse to cut off any future marriage proposals.
It was entirely for Roman’s benefit, but Flora, unaware of the truth, could only interpret it differently.
‘What kind of man is this?’
Flora’s eyes widened in shock.
It was one surprise after another.
According to the rumors, Roman should have been as unimpressive on the inside as he was on the outside, but his words and actions didn’t match the nickname "Dmitry’s fool."
He had his own clear principles and the ability to act on them.
At the very least, someone with these qualities wouldn’t be called a fool anywhere.
Her mind was a tangled mess.
But the deed was done, and the engagement was broken.
"Important matters should be handled quickly. Please wait here and have some tea. I’ll go speak with my father about this."
She couldn’t keep Roman any longer.
As Roman walked away, Flora watched his retreating figure with a complex expression.
Bang!
"What do you mean, breaking off the engagement?!"
It was the expected reaction.
The moment the word "breakup" was mentioned, Baron Romero Dmitry, the lord of Dmitry, couldn’t contain his explosive anger.
"As I said, I cannot go through with this marriage. I’ve already spoken with Lady Lawrence, and there’s no turning back."
"This... this is outrageous!"
Baron Romero’s face turned red with fury.
This was a notification, not a request for permission.
Roman had already made his decision and was unilaterally informing him.
"You foolish child! Even if people call you Dmitry’s fool, as your father, I’ve tried to provide you with a good environment. You’re different from my other children. They were born into nobility and enjoyed wealth and honor from the start, but you experienced the days when we were commoners. That’s why I understood when you acted out. The environment changed, and you had many desires as a young man."
His mustache quivered.
As Baron Romero said, when the opportunity arose to supply weapons to the Cairo Kingdom, he had only one son—Roman.
A child who had been a commoner, now a noble’s heir.
Roman’s childhood was marked by that transition.
Seeing the children who once looked down on him now bowing their heads, Roman’s character took a turn for the worse.
And now, Roman had become Dmitry’s shame.
A symbol of Dmitry’s commoner past, something they didn’t want to show to others.
"The union with the Lawrence family is crucial for Dmitry to fully establish itself as a noble house. Did I expect much from you? All you had to do was marry the beautiful noble daughter you so desired, and yet you couldn’t even do that, ruining everything."
"I’m sorry."
"This isn’t something you can just apologize for!"
Thud!
Baron Romero threw whatever was in his hand at Roman.
The strong impact hit Roman’s head, but he calmly bowed his head, even as blood streamed down.
This was a matter of responsibility.
He had broken a promise, and he had to accept the consequences.
"If this had gone well, I would have tried to resolve your military obligations. But since you’ve ruined it, you’ll have to go to the battlefield in six months. Do you have anything to say about that?"
"No."
"And I heard there was an incident with Blood Fang. Witnesses say you punished them, but I don’t believe it. How could someone who can’t even wield a sword properly punish them? You must have had help. The problem is, even I can’t mess with Blood Fang lightly. Son, the moment you failed to fulfill your duty as a child, you gained the obligation to solve your own problems. So, you’ll handle this yourself. I won’t offer any help."
This wasn’t a rational judgment.
Baron Romero, in his anger, lashed out with every punishment he could think of.
Military obligations.
Blood Fang.
These were problems Roman couldn’t handle under normal circumstances.
Baron Romero naturally expected Roman to kneel and beg for forgiveness, as he always did.
‘If the breakup hasn’t been made public yet, there’s still a chance to fix this.’
That was his judgment.
He intended to completely break Roman’s spirit and handle things as he saw fit.
But then...
"Understood. I’ll handle it myself."
"What?"
"This is my responsibility. As you said, it’s only right that I deal with it."
Baron Romero was stunned.
This was an unexpected turn of events.
Roman bowed his head, then stood up and said one last thing.
"Then I’ll resolve everything and return."
He left.
Baron Romero, too shocked, couldn’t stop him.
As Roman walked out, wiping the blood from his forehead with his sleeve, he found someone staring at him intently.
It was Flora Lawrence.
Having overheard the entire conversation, she couldn’t help but blurt out her thoughts.
"Are you really crazy?"