The carriage began to roll.

The secretary pulled Ian Camellia out and threw him down on the seat across from Marquis Luden.

Then, the floor lid was closed and the carpet was laid back.

“Fu-ha!”

Marquis Luden removed the gag from Ian’s mouth.

Ian, who was gasping for breath because his mouth was covered, barely sucked air into his lungs and then coughed.

“You worked hard.”

Marquis Luden patted Ian on the shoulder and said intimately.

The secretary poured some fine brandy into a long glass.

Marquis Luden was about to hand it over to Ian, he saw his hands tied and scolded the secretary.

“What are you doing? Without releasing Marquis Camellia Heir Apparent.”

“Sorry.”

The secretary quickly cut the rope that bound Ian’s wrist with a knife.

His hands, which had turned white because the blood did not pass through them, were circling blood. Ian shook his wrist. He was out of his mind.

Marquis Luden handed him the glass again. Then Ian looked at him in shock.

It must have been Marquis Luden himself who ordered them to tie his hands and feet and gag him, to kidnap him. And his ankles are still tied.

Still, there was a gentle smile on the face of Marquis Luden, as if seeing his nephew whom he had not seen in a long time.

Had it been Ian before he came to the capital, he would not have noticed that his eyes were not smiling at all.

But now, Ian knew what kind of human beings were called great aristocrats.

“Oh my, are you suspicious of me?”

Marquis Luden moistened his lips a little with the brandy from the glass.

Ian then took the cup. After hours of being trapped under the floor of the carriage, his body was cold and unbearably thirsty.

After passing a sip of brandy, he felt a little better.

“What are you doing?”

Ian said, staring fiercely at Marquis Luden.

He had already guessed that Marquis Luden might use assassinations, threats, and various other illegal means.

Because of that, he spent a lot of money and stayed in a luxury hotel. He was also using a reliable escort.

But in the end it was impossible to completely block the hands of Marquis Luden in the capital.

Ian wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. Considering that he was kidnapped while he was sleeping, it is highly likely that the entire hotel fell into the hands of Marquis Luden.

Ian tried to calm his mind.

If he hadn’t heard Skyla’s warning in advance, he would have been more perplexed.

“You were still young when you were in the capital, and it seems that Marquisate Camellia at the time of the previous Marquis has faded quite a bit, so you may not realize it. Most nobles do not hesitate to resort to violence. In fact, in many cases, I think that cruelty shows one’s dignity.”

“I know.”

“I’m relieved if that’s the case.”

It was clear that Skyla thought Ian didn’t understand. So Ian felt uncomfortable.

But Skyla was right. He really didn’t think people would kidnap him so openly.

And to smile and hand him a drink.

“I tried many things to meet you, but you rarely meet me.”

“What did you try? How many call letters from the secretary? Am I crazy? Will I come to you because you call me?”

“This young friend is not polite. Do you know how much money and effort is being put into my house and the salon of Marquisate Camellia?”

“That’s the people who want to flatter you. I don’t.”

“You have quite a bit of spirit.”

Marquis Luden narrowed his eyes and looked over Ian.

When they were thrown into the carriage floor, most of them were terrified and trembled for life.

Ian was also shaking. But his eyes were burning with hatred.

Marquis Luden thought it would be troublesome. But he wasn’t bad either.

In any case, Ian’s mother was the eldest daughter of Marquisate Camellia, and his father was the second son from County Dorell.

Both were families that did not understand the new era, stuck in the old ways, and collapsed.

In other words, Ian was unquestionable if it was only by blood.

Isn’t that the most important thing? He’ll just have to leave a seed anyway.

“What are you talking about? If you kill me, a petition will be sent to His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t care about things like me, but it can be used as an excuse to accuse you, Marquis Luden.”

“Are you just threatening me with those words?”

“It is you who is threatening, and I am trying to survive.”

“…… Well, that’s good. Even though you didn’t learn it properly, you’re a descendant of Marquis Camellia, so you’re not a very thoughtless person.”

Ian couldn’t even guess what he was trying to say.

Marquis Luden said.

“I’ll give you Maideline.”

Not knowing who it was, Ian thought for a moment. And after thinking through the Marquis Luden’s family tree that he memorized, his eyes widened.

Maideline was the name of the second daughter of the eldest son of Marquis Luden.

“She’s 17 this year, so first of all, if you just get engaged, get married next year and inherit the Marquisate of Camellia, it would be perfect.”

“Are you crazy?”

“What is so surprising? The way to get rid of an enemy isn’t just to kill it.”

If it is an enemy that cannot be eliminated by killing, there is also a way to attract it as an ally.

Marquis Luden looked at Ian with a twisted smile.

“What’s wrong? After all, isn’t your aim not to take revenge, but to reclaim titles and property?”

“Not like this.”

“Neither do I ever intend to leave Marquisate Camellia to the lowly ones.”

At the time, the most important objective was to first create a suitable status for Marchioness Camellia to become the chief lady-in-waiting of Grand Duchess of Roygar.

It was not an easy task in itself to infiltrate and take control of the family of a stranger.

So he created a strife within the family and secured dominance by supporting the weakest link; the present-day Marquis Camellia.

But now things are different.

Marquisate of Camellia was almost in the hands of Marquis Luden.

If they faithfully performed their role as vassal, there was nothing he could not continue to acknowledge in the future.

Grand Duchess Roygar believed and relied on them too, so he was willing to accept it as collateral.

But seeing the arrogant Skyla and her trust in her aunt’s favor, it wasn’t meant to be.

‘Tsk, we need to change at this point.’

Even if Ian wasn’t there anyway, Marquis Luden had no intention of making Skyla Marquis Camellia.

Rather than the rebellious Skyla, her younger brother Luca, who resembled his father and was passive and docile, was easier to deal with.

He was going to marry Maideline to Luca so she would inherit Marquisate Camellia. Then, in the next generation, the low blood will be a little diluted.

But he didn’t care if it was Ian, not Luca.

Although Ian grew up lowly, his bloodline is a true noble.

So he might as well be Maideline’s husband. In the meantime, if a child is born, Ian can be removed, change the child’s surname to Luden, and inherit the Camellia family.

Of course, he didn’t mean to reveal that.

If Ian is obedient, he can stay there for long.

Ian looked at him with a tired face.

“What are you going to do to your daughter and granddaughter?”

Marquis Luden’s brow furrowed. Marchioness Camellia was publicly his daughter.

But never once did he ever think of the illegitimate child, born by touching a maid, as his real child.

It is the result of a mistake and nothing more than excrement.

And even if it is his own excrement, it was dirty.

“They can retire. If you give them a decent pension and retirement work, they’ll gladly step down.”

Marchioness Camellia may have complied, but the Marquis might not.

“Skyla and Luca just need to find a suitable marriage mate and marry them.”

“What if I say no?”

“Well, that wouldn’t be a wise choice.”

Marquis Luden grinned.

There was only one thing he liked about what happened at the Harvest Festival.

The topic was so big that Ian’s disappearance wouldn’t even be a topic of discussion.

Marquis Luden’s carriage stood in front of a small farm in the suburbs.

Inside, Ian’s face was covered and he got down. Marquis Luden’s secretary took him to the back door.

Outside the back door stood a small carriage. It was a cheap rental carriage with no features.

Ian rode there. The carriage soon departed.

Count Brennan and Marchioness Camellia were watching it from afar.

“Follow him. If you think he’s going to be killed, bring him back alive.”

Count Brennan said. The subordinate gently bowed his head to greet and set off quickly.

She then turned to Marchioness Camellia. Marchioness Camellia had turned white.

“With this, the information I have given you has gained considerable plausibility.”

Until now, Marchioness Camellia was Count Brennan’s greatest rival.

She was not yet an enemy. This is because Marquisate Camellia and County Brennan are from the same faction of Grand Duke Roygar.

But they wouldn’t be together for a long time. Marquis Luden valued small traditions and ancestry, and Count Brennan was a person who succeeded in transforming the enormous wealth her family had accumulated during her grandparents’ time into power and status.

Although they are compelled to cooperate now, they will become enemies at the moment Grand Duke Roygar ascends to power.

It was only natural that Count Brennan had established an information network against Marquis Luden.

Marchioness Camellia knew it. So she visited Count Brennan to get information about Marquis Luden.

“I’m glad that you still have a mind to be vigilant.”

Count Brennan said, welcoming Marchioness Camellia.

“I’m going to share with you some surprising news that I recently learned. Marquis Luden is considering marrying Ian Camellia and Maideline.”

Marchioness Camellia could guess what Marquis Luden was doing just by that.

“No way…….”

It couldn’t have been that simple.

Marchioness Luden, or her eldest son, who loves Maideline, would oppose the marriage.

Even if it was made possible by pressing it with the authority as the Master, that alone could not replace Marchioness Camellia.

Above all else, Grand Duchess Roygar would object to her replacement. And she was also the strategist of Grand Duke Roygar.

“Marquis Luden must be looking further than Marchioness. Anyone can see that Ian Camellia is the easiest to remove, so there is no pressure to leave it alone.”

Count Brennan said so.

“If Marquis Luden had made up his mind like that, there would be no better opportunity than now. With the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess are in the far south.”

“…….”

“If Marchioness becomes the chief lady-in-waiting of the Empress, he will then be told that touching you is treason.”