I Grabbed the Tyrant’s Heart - Chapter 191
The issue was not yet resolved.
“You caught me off guard by asking to meet so suddenly.”
I saw a visibly uneasy Carin Heights as I went to the parlor.
“I was a bit surprised, but you did set up a proper appointment, didn’t you?”
I asked, hinting at what the problem might be, which seemed to calm her down somewhat. As I offered her tea, she began to speak.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“It wasn’t me who started that rumor about the Lady and Professor Blest.”
Carin’s hands fidgeted nervously, crumpling her dress.
“I like Dr. Blest. I confessed and was rejected, but yes, I still have feelings for him.”
“I see.”
“I may have envied you for spending time with him, but I never started any rumors.”
Her eyes and the tip of her nose began to redden.
“I have been bothersome to Dr. Blest and even offensive to you, and I worried you might think that was typical of me.”
People can be cunning in hiding their emotions, making it hard to tell if they’re telling the truth. However, Carin was clearly not one of those people, she was clearly expressing her feelings.
“I love Dr. Blest and truly wish him well. Yes, it hurts that he has bluntly rejected me…”
She began to tear up.
“I would never spread slander about him or involve Lady Hardland in such talk.”
Though Carin’s emotions didn’t particularly affect me, I decided to offer her some comfort.
I signaled a maid to bring a handkerchief and handed it to Carin myself.
“Thank you for sharing that with me, lady.”
Carin Heights seemed deeply moved by the gesture and began to sob even more loudly.
“Even though I momentarily hated Lady Hardland, sniff. For the rumors that you had discarded Dr. Blest for a better man. It hurts to see him with someone else, but being abandoned is worse.”
“You were worried about Dr. Blest being caught up in gossip?”
“Yes.”
“And that it involved me being seen as juggling multiple men.”
Surprised by my blunt choice of words, Carin’s eyes widened. I wiped away her tears, which made her face turn instantly red.
“Oh no, I’m sorry. It must have been a shock when I suddenly approached you like that.”
“No, no, it’s okay.”
Carin Heights squeezed the handkerchief until it was nearly shredded as she exhaled deeply and continued the conversation.
“To be direct, yes, it’s true. There are rumors that you are weighing your options among several men. There’s also talk about Louise Hitty, who was exiled, and rumors that you like to wield power.”
I recalled that unpleasant rumors about me had circulated when Louise Hitty was driven out. Had the seeds of these rumors been sown back then?
“Actually, my brother first heard these stories and was going to come to the Duke’s residence himself, but it’s good I came instead.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s impulsive and would have reacted angrily without understanding the situation.”
Carin Heights seemed to forget why she had come, chattering away about the discussions she had had with her family. As something suddenly clicked, I asked,
“Is he an imperial knight by any chance?”
I remembered Ethyl once mentioned that a colleague had asked about my relationship with Weathering.
“Yes! He’s our family’s pride.”
Her eyes were still moist, but Carin Heights smiled brightly. I consoled her a bit more before seeing her out.
At the doorway, as Carin Heights hesitated, she cautiously spoke up.
“Could you come to a party hosted by our family next time?”
“If it fits my schedule, I will attend. Will I be welcomed?”
“Of course!”
The naive lady left the mansion feeling uplifted by the small kindness.
* * *
“Sister, are you still seeing the emperor?”
I momentarily panicked, wondering if Gael had seen Tess in my room the night before. However, I maintained my composure, and fortunately, my sister didn’t pursue it.
“Yes. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“I heard Sister has been seeing other men. Not Professor Blest this time, but another man.”
“Another man, who?”
“I don’t know. Just another man. It was so absurd that I pressed the person who told me this. And you know what they said? ‘Really? It seems like the only men are the senior wizard and His Majesty.’”
My sister wiggled his eyebrows.
“I thought it was just a rumor at first, but it’s strange that it keeps circulating.”
She frowned.
“From my perspective, Dr. Blest isn’t so bad.”
Surprisingly, it was a vote of approval. Was Tess really that disliked? What exactly had been said about him?
“How do you know him?”
“If you score well in certain subjects, you can take advanced classes at the Concium. I enrolled in one of his courses.”
Gael had a few subjects in which she excelled, apparently.
“Anyway, I’m in favor.”
“Um, I’m not interested in that. Anyway, Gael, where did you hear that story?”
“Villo told me about it.”
Villo, the son of the Hitty family, thus Louise Hitty’s brother. Although his sister was exiled, it seems her brother was doing well.
“From a men’s social club, he said?”
“Is it the chess club you’re talking about?”
“Not chess. Um, something like the Glory Eagle? He said he heard it at a club where only a few Count families and Marquis family above can attend.”
Glory Eagle then was more of a salon for men, a regular meeting with a twist, only accessible to direct male members of certain noble families.
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