The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

News that the princess had visited twice brought one more person rushing out.

Naturally, it wasn’t the Duke of Lindbergh. A man of his stature would require a prior appointment before meeting with anyone, even if they were a princess.

Protocol would have the princess be of higher rank, but politically speaking, the title of Duke is not something easily dismissed.

But this was only true when referring to the Duke himself.

Even though a royal family member like the emperor has immense power, the same cannot be said for those who are far removed from the direct line of succession. Most of them live leisurely, enjoying their family’s wealth, and when they meet a person with a distant lineage, it’s laughable to even bring up the royal family’s name.

If this is the case for the royal family, what about the Duke’s family?

The Duke already has a legitimate heir, and unless something truly monumental happens, such as the heir being disabled or dying, it is nearly impossible for anyone else in the Duke’s family to take the heir’s place. I mean, it’s not just “unlikely”; it’s absolutely impossible. The royal family would never acknowledge it.

So, the Duke of Lindbergh, George Lindbergh, unlike his cousin, is in a position where he has no choice but to come out to greet us whenever we arrive, regardless of how or when.

“It is an honor to have you visit.”

Normally, when royalty or nobility visits late at night, it’s not considered a pleasant thing. When members of the royal family or nobility come at night, it usually means there is something urgent to address.

However, for someone who senses themselves slowly drifting away from the political scene, especially someone concerned that their children might no longer fit into it, the situation is different.

“This is a humble place, but I hope you can feel at ease and stay as long as you need.”

Compared to the Duke’s mansion, it was a smaller residence, but honestly, it wasn’t what I would call humble.

Well, it was probably just a polite remark.

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

Alice’s tone was formal, though she didn’t exactly convey genuine gratitude for the welcome.

However, the person before us didn’t seem to notice that we weren’t particularly impressed with the reception.

We were escorted into the splendidly decorated parlor.

Unlike the maids at the Duke’s mansion, these maids weren’t white. Most were of colonial native descent, with some occasionally appearing to be mixed race.

Alice’s gaze briefly lingered on the maids. She seemed to wonder if they might be in a similar situation to Roti, but I doubted it.

In the original, this was a rather striking detail, and it’s likely the same here. This man likely didn’t meddle with anyone else besides Roti’s mother.

“Would you mind leaving us for a moment?”

As soon as we sat around the round table, Alice spoke.

George Lindbergh immediately gestured to the servants in the room.

Once the servants left, Alice took out a white piece of paper from her sleeve and placed it on the table.

It was a check.

A check guaranteed by a local bank.

“This is...”

The amount written on the check was enough to make even someone from the Lindbergh family falter for a moment.

Originally, this would have been a quest that Leo would have handled—interrogating, digging for weaknesses, and possibly making a scandal. But now it had come to this, where a princess could handle it with money instead.

“Through this, I would like to pay off someone’s debt. Is that possible?”

“Debt?”

Naturally, after hearing the story, George Lindbergh had no idea why we were here.

“Roti’s mother, Lydia’s debt.”

When he heard this, George Lindbergh’s face first went blank, then pale.

“Where did you hear this from?”

“To be precise, I’ve known since the very beginning.”

I answered in Alice’s place, and George Lindbergh’s face turned from pale to almost blue.

In truth, it was common for a white person to have relations with a native and have children. Of course, this was usually limited to white men and native women. In a world without women’s suffrage, children would follow the mother’s lineage, but the wife followed the husband’s. That doesn’t mean the native women became nobility... it’s just one of those common stories.

So, technically, this could be considered a scandalous story, but it wasn’t necessarily a huge stain on anyone’s character. From the noble’s point of view, it was just a matter of indulging in some entertainment.

However, there was one person in the Lindbergh family who hated this kind of story more than anyone.

He was even the type of person who employed only Empire citizens in his household, rejecting anyone of mixed blood, and viewing the mixing of blood as something disgusting. He had a somewhat positive view of colonial natives but believed that they should never mix with the Empire’s blood. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

—To be precise, this was the outward “persona” that George Lindbergh, the Duke, put on.

George Lindbergh jumped to his feet and began pacing the room.

Of course, it wasn’t that the Duke didn’t know about Roti’s existence or her true nature. If he didn’t know, there would have been no reason for him to keep Roti’s mother in his mansion.

The reason he kept her there was precisely because he feared that if he let her stay any longer, she might give birth to another mixed-race illegitimate child.

“...That’s not possible.”

George Lindbergh, pacing, said.

“Why not?”

“...Now that you know everything, there’s no point in hiding it anymore.”

With a solemn look on his face, as though he were a nobleman in an impossible love story, George Lindbergh said:

“I love Lydia.”

It was an impossible love.

But it wasn’t because of class.

“Ex—”

Even I, who had already met with Lydia and heard her story, was shocked by this man’s nonsense.

“Love, you say?”

“Yes. How could I mix with someone I don’t love?”

“...Then, what about the time at the banquet when you were angrily yelling at Lydia?”

“That couldn’t be helped. Our love was forbidden by the Duke of Lindbergh. We had to have some pretense to even speak to each other.”

Alice looked at me, mouth agape.

I silently dropped another sugar cube into my tea.

Noticing that I wasn’t planning to speak, Alice wiped her face with her hand. George Lindbergh, however, was too lost in his delusions to notice her expression.

“I can tell. Every time I see her, I see the sorrow in her eyes. The longing in her movements! One day, when we overcome all these walls, we’ll be together under the name Lindbergh. And that day, Roti will be called Roti Lindbergh!”

“So, is that why you gave her the name Roti? The name ‘Freeborn’?”

I couldn’t hold back anymore and finally asked.

“...If it weren’t for the Duke of Lindbergh, yes, that child could have been freeborn... if it weren’t for that Duke...”

George Lindbergh answered, his eyes burning with passion.

“Do you know Lydia’s real name?”

Alice then asked.

“...”

A brief silence.

“No matter how you call someone you love, it doesn’t change the love, does it?”

This was a terrible excuse.

“Then, let’s make one thing clear.”

Alice spoke, her face twisted in frustration.

At this point, it was easy to see that George Lindbergh was a madman, but I guess Alice, as a princess, felt the need to hear his story before passing judgment.

“You and Lydia... no.”

Alice closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and stood up. After taking a few large breaths, she spoke.

“On the day Roti was conceived, did Lydia really sleep with you? What did Lydia say that day?”

“Of course, our relationship was blocked by class barriers, so Lydia rejected me at first. But in the end—”

“What the hell are you saying, you insane man!”

Unable to take it any longer, Alice threw her chair at George Lindbergh.

“Ex.”

I never expected Alice to act like that, and I let out a sound of shock.

But as I stood up to stop her, Alice had already jumped up and kicked George Lindbergh.