Reincarnated as a Villainous Aristocrat in an Otome Game, So I Bought the Main Heroine with Money - Chapter 43: I Received an Apology Letter from the King, So I Read It

Volume 02

Chapter 43: I Received an Apology Letter from the King, So I Read It

《Cerios’ Side》

Let me get straight to the point.

A letter arrived directly from the king. To summarize its contents:

An Apology.

The king apologized for his foolish son’s disrespectful actions toward me, the Margrave. As compensation, he offered a payment of one billion gold per person as a token of apology.

To put it in perspective, the annual operating budget for my frontier territory is about one billion gold. In other words, they were offering three years’ worth of operational costs as compensation and expecting me to forgive them.

Regarding the Duel Outcome.

Although the terms of the duel were agreed upon, the king requested that it be declared invalid due to Gald Reinhardt’s interference. The duel had been tainted before a proper conclusion could be reached.

As a result, Gald Reinhardt would be disinherited by the Reinhardt family.

Since the duel was deemed invalid, Edward would not be disinherited. However, he would be required to reflect on his foolish actions and undergo re-education.

Regarding Raul, it was determined that he was merely dragged into the situation by Edward and had not directly committed any acts of violence against me. Therefore, his disinheritance was put on hold.

That was the gist of the letter.

In short, the king was asking me to settle things on these terms.

Interestingly, there was no mention of Liese in the letter.

“Was that really okay?”

Faina looked at me with concern after hearing the contents of the letter.

“Yeah. Even if I decided to keep pushing this, it would mean going up against the royal family. That wouldn’t be a wise move. Besides, I won’t have to see those three for a while, so it’s fine.”

“If that’s what you’ve decided, Lord Cerios.”

That’s right. I wouldn’t have to see them for a while.

The academy’s long break was approaching.

After six months of academic life, we would have a three-month vacation. Since I was required to return to the capital to greet the king for the New Year, I planned to spend the rest of the break in my territory.

The entire academy was bustling with students preparing to return home.

I was no exception. Together with Liese and Faina, I was making preparations to return to my domain.

One day, amidst the preparations, an envoy from the royal castle arrived at my doorstep.

He bowed respectfully and handed me a large wooden chest.

When I opened it, the chest was filled to the brim with gold coins.

“…So this is the gold mentioned in the letter.”

The envoy remained silent, simply lowering his head. Without another word, I closed the chest.

It was indeed a huge sum, but was this really meant to settle everything?

“I guess I’ll just have to use this money for the sake of the territory.”

In the back of my mind, the scene from that duel resurfaced once again.

Edward, Raul, Gald.

For me, that duel was a battle to uphold my honor as a noble. And in the end, with the king acting as a mediator, it was settled under the guise of “reconciliation.”

However, I could still sense that the embers of conflict remained smoldering behind them.

That afternoon, I watched as Liese and Faina packed our belongings.

“Is something on your mind, Lord Cerios?”

Faina’s voice carried a gentle familiarity, and I had recently noticed a subtle change in her demeanor.

“…I haven’t seen Clarice around lately. Since her family’s territory borders ours, I thought it might be a good idea to travel together.”

Just as I said that, a commotion echoed from the hallway.

“What’s going on?”

Liese looked up curiously. We listened closely, and soon enough, I could make out whispers mentioning “Clarice von Everett.”

“I heard she’s being expelled.”

“They say she was cast out of the duke’s household.”

“What will happen to her? And the prince and the others are getting re-educated, too.”

It wasn’t just the hallway; if I focused, I could hear similar whispers spreading throughout the academy.

“…Clarice?”

Hearing the rumors, I stood up in disbelief.

Clarice von Everett.

She was the one who stood by me during the duel—why were people saying such things about her? Without wasting a moment, I began searching for her. I walked through the academy, visiting every place I thought she might be.

But she was nowhere to be found. I asked the students passing through the hallways, but their answers were all the same.

“Lady Clarice? She’s already left the academy.”

Why would she leave without saying anything to me? A cold, empty feeling swept through my chest.

When I returned to my room, Liese and Faina looked at me with concern.

“Lord Cerios, what happened to Lady Clarice?”

Liese’s voice was filled with worry. I had already told her about Clarice’s help during the duel, so it was only natural for her to be concerned.

“It seems the rumors about her being cast out of her family are true. If that’s the case, I bear some responsibility. She went through a lot because of that duel.”

Faina spoke up gently.

“Lord Cerios, perhaps you should wait until after we leave the academy to visit Lady Clarice’s territory?”

I gave a small nod to Faina’s words. However, deep inside, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that my decisions had driven Clarice into a corner.

The next morning, we finally finished preparing for our return to the territory. With our luggage loaded onto the carriage, we left the academy behind.

But during the journey, a firm resolve took root in my heart.

(Once I return to my territory, I’ll find out what’s really going on with Clarice. If she’s truly struggling, I’ll do everything in my power to help her.)

As I sat in the carriage, Liese, seated beside me, gently took my hand.

“Lord Cerios, I’m sure Lady Clarice will be alright.”

“We’ll do whatever we can to help too.”

Across from me, Faina reached out and held my hand as well.

“You’re right… Thank you, Liese, Faina.”

I gave them a small smile in return.

(I will definitely help Clarice. I’ll do whatever it takes to see her smile again. That will be my way of repaying her kindness.)

Bathed in the warm sunlight, our carriage slowly made its way toward the territory.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

[Afterword]

Hello, this is Iko.

With this, the second arc begins.

The year-end and New Year holidays are a busy time, but I’ll do my best to make this story something you can enjoy even in your spare moments! (๑>◡<๑)