I Became the Daughter-In-Law of the Righteous Mad Dog

 

“I would like to invite Miss Isabella Schwires to Lodgemund.”

 

“Isabella?” Yuta tilted his head.

 

“I don’t know much about Miss Schwires, but the deceased Viscount Schwires and my master, Duke Lodgemund, have developed friendships through regular interactions.” Rodolph spoke softly, as if he had greased his tongue.

 

I bit my lip hard.

 

I wanted to shout that Rodolph was a liar right away, but what he had just said was true to some extent.

 

The Duke of Lodgemund provided financial support for Schwires’ research.

 

In the first place, the reason why the Emperor thought of Lodgemund as a family for me to marry was because of Father’s sponsorship.

 

However, the sponsorship was only the trick of Duke Lodgemund to obtain treasures. While sponsoring, he was looking for an opportunity to trade the treasures of my parents.

 

I vividly remember how many times he offered to send someone to my parents’ laboratory to sell a treasure called the ‘Crown of Radgrun’. However, my parents always turned down the offer, and Duke Lodgemund became angry at my parents for this.

 

So, there is no way he would kindly call me directly to comfort me.

 

But I couldn’t argue with Rodolph just because I know that.

 

If I said that Duke Lodgemund wasn’t serious, it was enough for Rodolph to deny it.

 

“So let’s go to Lodgemund together, Miss Schwires.” Rodolph reached out to me.

 

I stood still, not knowing what to do.

 

No one can help me. I have to get through this crisis alone.

 

But how?

 

Should I use my body that is a child’s to whine that I’m not going?

 

I didn’t want to use it that way.

 

As it would harm the people of Barmuth.

 

Now that I’m under Barmuth’s protection, if I declined Lodgemund’s invitation, it would be Barmuth’s disrespect towards them.

 

I didn’t want to disappoint Barmuth’s servants, including Magda and Harold. I wanted to become a good child worthy of the warm hospitality they showed me.

 

I also have no choice but to go.

 

A future in which Duke Lodgemund would threaten me was drawn in my eyes.

 

Maybe Kellerhan would secretly beat me.

 

Even though I’m under Barmuth’s protection, I’m not yet officially a member of Barmuth, so there will be plenty of holes for Duke Lodgemund to get through.

 

But it’s still fine. As long as I don’t give in.

 

Even if Duke Lodgemund threatened and beat me, if I didn’t give in, I would one day be able to return to Barmuth.

 

Because Kellerhan said he would accept me.

 

Unlike my previous life which I had nothing, I have hope now.

 

Yeah, that’s why I have to endure it.

 

It was the moment when I had finished worrying and was about to extend my trembling hand to Rodolph.

 

“Wait, Isabella.” Yuta’s voice was heard.

 

“Why is it, Young Lord?” Rodolph intervened and tried to get in between Yuta and me.

 

But Yuta raised his hand to stop Rodolph. He unconsciously stopped at Yuta’s orders, then frowned upon realizing that he had obeyed the orders of a barely nine-year-old.

 

“I will take good care of Miss Schwires. So please do not worry… ”

 

“I will go too.” Yuta cut Rodolph’s words halfway and made a decisive declaration.

 

Rodolph and I looked at him at the same time and he blushed. He then returned to the shy boy I used to know as he said.

 

“…Isabella is my bride, and I can’t send her out of the mansion alone.”

 

“Young Lord, I…”

 

“Ho, hoho! I understand the meaning of Young Lord. But exactly what I’m saying. It’s between Lodgemund and Schwires… If the Young Lord goes, you will only be bored.”

 

I was about to answer Yuta’s words, yet Rodolph interrupted.

 

“I don’t care.” Yuta frowned and said.

 

“Oh my, that’s…”

 

Rodolph was sweating profusely to find an excuse to separate me from Yuta. If he followed me to Lodgemund, they wouldn’t be able to threaten me outright.

 

But…

 

I looked at Yuta with his worried eyes.

 

Yuta is a young child who’s only nine years old. On the other hand, Duke Lodgemund has reigned as a great aristocrat for ten years, and has ruled the political world.

 

I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if Duke Lodgemund took the risk of Kellerhan and had done some secret tactics against Yuta.

 

I finished thinking.

 

From the beginning, the answer was already decided.

 

“Young Lord, I’m fine.”

 

At my words, he tilted his head.

 

“I can go alone, so Young Lord here…”

 

That was the moment I was going to say,

“Please wait.”

 

“What business do you have with my son and daughter-in-law?”

 

A familiar voice was heard.

 

Yuta, me, and Rodolph turned our heads at the same time. There was Kellerhan, who was staring at Rodolph with a look of severe discomfort.

 

“H-How did you get here…” Rodolph was so startled that he forgot to mention honorifics as he was referring to Kellerhan and muttered.

 

I was also surprised by his appearance.

 

Obviously, he was out to calm down the disturbances in the border area, though?

 

I looked at Kellerhan to see if, by any chance, I was mistaken, but as I predicted, he was dressed in the Gottfried Knights uniform. Besides, his boots were covered in dirt and he had no gloves, so he was right from a fight.

 

Kellerhan smiled at me, whose eyes were wide open.

 

“My rabbit-like children are waiting at home, so surely I have to come quickly.”

 

“Border disturbances… You mean you suppressed it in half a day?”

 

There is a gate, so returning to the capital once the suppression was over wasn’t a problem. But it’s easier to say it, battling dark magicians in half a day isn’t something one can easily do…

 

“You haven’t answered my question yet. What business do you have with my son and daughter-in-law?”

 

Kellerhan said as he approached Rodolph.

 

“T-That…” Rodolph, who was acting like a sly snake to Yuta and me, was stiffened like a mouse in front of Kellerhan.

 

He bowed his head.

 

I noticed that he was racking his head. Once he raised his head, Rodolph had a mean smile on his face.

 

“I would like to invite Miss Schwires to Lodgemund. Will you give your understanding?”

 

It seems that he was planning to go out shamelessly. Since Lodgemund’s image isn’t bad yet, he thought it was a worthwhile attempt.

 

“If Miss Schwires interacts with Lodgemund, it will be of great benefit to both Barmuth and Lodgemund. But if things go wrong from the start… I’m not sure. I don’t know what people will think about it.”

 

Secretly, Rodolph put pressure on Barmuth’s reputation to deteriorate if he didn’t let me go.

 

However, unfortunately, the words twisted Kellerhan’s temper.

 

If he had only said that he would invite me, Kellerhan would have pretended to be agonizing, but it seems that adding that nonsensical comment had hurt his self-esteem.

 

“Should I care about what other people say about me and my family behind the scenes?” Kellerhan was now looking down at Rodolph with haughty eyes. “Say it to the point. What is the reason the Empire’s best Lodgemund wants this child so badly that they let out this attitude?”

 

Kellerhan placed one of his hands on my shoulder.

 

“W-What attitude. Lodgemund…” Rodolph was bewildered by Kellerhan’s outspoken remarks. “Barmuth and Lodgemund are both duke families, so you shouldn’t talk like that.”

 

“Is there a problem that I think so?” Kellerhan tilted his head.

 

“For your information, I have never liked Herbert for a long time.” Rodolph was on the verge of fainting because of Kellerhan calling the head of another family by name. “I can’t send Isabella to such a suspicious invitation.”

 

For a moment, an unbelievably great sense of relief enveloped me. At least in the Berkel Empire, Kellerhan doesn’t like Lodgemund!

 

“Suspicious, you say. Where the hell is that suspicious?”

 

“It just feels like that.” Kellerhan replied sternly.

 

At his answer, Rodolph put on a puzzled expression.

 

The answer surprised me too.

 

I was wondering if he didn’t like it because he smelled Lodgemund’s evil deeds, but it was just a sense?

 

Is it the animalistic sense that has been developed while dealing with criminals his whole life?

 

Anyhow, it turned out, it’s a relief.

 

I grabbed Kellerhan’s hand on my shoulder. Then I felt him flinch.

 

“You’re really…”

 

It was the moment he was about to say something as he looked down at me with red eyes that couldn’t be understood.

 

“It’s unfair! We just want to comfort Miss Schwires, who is heartbroken!”

 

“Hey.” Kellerhan ruffled his hair with one hand, giving him an expression that he was dying of annoyance. “Do I have to tell you twice?”

 

He spoke in a threatening voice that terrified those who heard it.

 

“I’m not going to give you what you want, so get out of there.”

 

Rodolph’s face turned pale.

 

It’s understandable. If he returned empty-handed, he would be scorned by Duke Lodgemund.

 

But there was nothing more Rodolph could do.

 

“…Please remember one thing that Lodgemund cares for Miss Schwires. I would like to clear up the misunderstanding. I’ll be going now.” Rodolph greeted him politely, then he turned around.

 

Kellerhan and Yuta stood in front of me and watched Rodolph until he left the mansion.

 

I, too, watched him get into the carriage and disappear. As I witnessed Lodgemund’s carriage move away, I sighed in relief.

 

It was a moment when I thought,

“I’m glad it’s going this way again this time.”

 

“Isabella, now explain to me.”

 

Kellerhan lowered the hand that was on my shoulder and said in a calm voice.

 

“Why is Lodgemund targeting you?”

 

My body, which had been relaxed, stiffened with tension again.

 

“How… did you know?” I looked up at Kellerhan and asked in a tight voice.

 

He raised his lips. It wasn’t that he laughed because it was fun, it was because my question was ridiculous.

 

“Lodgemund has supported many magicians and scholars. However, he has never personally interacted with anyone he sponsored. But when he calls you all of a sudden, of course, there is something inside.”

 

I stopped breathing.

 

I didn’t know that Kellerhan would deduce so far.

 

He looked at me with his curious expression and then placed his hand on my head.

 

“Hey, I’m not scolding you, so don’t be scared.”

 

Still, my stiff body rarely became comfortable. I could feel Yuta gently touching my hand next to me.

 

“And what you said.”

 

Kellerhan pulled Yuta apart from me with his glance as he said.

 

“You told me you wanted to live. I figured it out with that. That you fear Lodgemund.”

 

Did he know everything with just one word?

 

As if he had read the thoughts on my face, Kellerhan smiled bitterly. And he opened his mouth in a bitter tone.

 

“How many victims do you think I’ve seen under threat?”

 

In an instant, the strength in my body was released.