The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Chapter 183

At first, I thought I should stop her.

I actually started to rise a little from my seat and for a brief moment, I even considered shouting "Again!" in my mind, but—

Well, would Alice have stayed seated and calmly listened to the conversation if I rewound time and stopped her from throwing the chair?

Even knowing the situation, and even as a man who's lived quite a long time—if I, with my own experiences, felt disgusted by the story, could I really expect a teenage girl with illusions about love to not be outraged after hearing it?

If I stopped her from throwing the chair, she’d probably end up throwing herself at him.

In the original, Leo, the son of a baron, couldn’t do much to George Lindbergh, who was closely related to the Duke, even though Leo was very familiar with how to leverage weaknesses. Instead, he gathered evidence and pressured George subtly, eventually leading to Roti’s mother being freed.

Hmm.

I thought this over as I looked down at George Lindbergh, groaning from the kick Alice had just given him.

At first, I wondered if it was really okay to beat up someone from the Duke's family, but thinking about it again, maybe this could be seen as groundwork for granting Roti a knighthood, right?

“Your Highness.”

I called Alice’s name, but she didn’t seem to hear me.

“Alice.”

When I called her name again as she raised her foot, she finally stopped moving.

“It would be better to stop here.”

Fortunately, the parlor was well soundproofed, and it seemed the servants hadn’t noticed what had happened inside.

Though, they’d probably figure it out soon enough.

I leaned slightly forward to check George Lindbergh’s condition.

Unfortunately, it looked like the sharp edge of the chair had hit his head, which was now slightly torn and bleeding, and his right eye was swollen. His lips were also cracked, but it seemed like his teeth hadn’t been damaged.

He was clutching his stomach and lying on his side—he’d probably been kicked there too.

“Even so, if someone were to die, it would cause serious trouble. In the future, when the royal family and the Duke’s family exchange words, this might be used to settle a debt,” I said, thinking carefully.

From the way the Duke treated George Lindbergh, it didn’t seem like he was particularly fond of him, but as the head of a family, he wouldn’t just let something like this slide. It wasn’t about the injuries George Lindbergh had suffered; it was about the Duke’s family name being tarnished.

“Lydia... or rather, ‘Asha,’ is a case where you don’t have the authority to make decisions,” I added.

Jake, the Duke’s second son, and Roti, whose bloodline contains colonial native ancestry—just their engagement or marriage would be a huge scandal. But the reason the Duke could allow it was because Roti wasn’t a full-blooded native. It’s because she has the Lindbergh blood in her.

When speaking with me, he showed some leeway, but that was because of who I was. If someone like Leo, a lower-ranking noble, had spoken, it wouldn’t have worked at all.

Still, even so, the mere news of this would cause a slight crack in the Duke’s name. The Duke’s eldest son, who was to inherit the title, marrying someone with a different skin color—how could that not create a stir?

Thus, in order to minimize the damage, the Duke would already be making preparations. Most likely, he would try to frame it as a sign of how close he had become to the royal family by granting his approval for the marriage.

But if this scandal about his cousin raping a native woman and fathering a child came to light before his preparations were complete...

“...”

“If you continue to remain silent, I’ll take that as a yes,” I said, turning to leave.

However, even as I made my way to the door, I heard a voice from behind.

“Even if you try to stop my love...”

I stopped in my tracks at those words.

“If you say anything more, I can’t guarantee what will happen,” I said, turning back.

I approached George Lindbergh, who had barely managed to sit up from the floor.

“I didn’t step in earlier because Alice already moved first. If I had gotten involved and killed you by accident, things would have become far more complicated,” I said, staring at him.

Perhaps noticing something in my expression, George Lindbergh closed his mouth.

“If you, in any way, get any closer to Asha, my ‘friend,’ who happens to be Roti’s mother...” I paused for a moment, locking eyes with him.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were trembling slightly. It was a look I hadn’t seen before, not even when Alice kicked him earlier.

Was he only now realizing that he could actually die? Did he really not understand the consequences of his actions?

“You will die, one way or another. So, you will stay here in the south for the rest of your life. If you ever return to the mainland, I’ll personally come for your throat.”

After a brief pause, I thought for a moment.

“On second thought, that might not be such a bad idea. Please do visit the mainland at least once. When you do, I’ll personally greet you. I’ll even prepare someone for you to share your love with. Just like how you treated Asha, I’ll make sure you experience it properly. I’ll let you feel what it’s like to be beneath someone else, from the bottom up.”

I said that with a slight smile.

I didn’t wait for an answer.