Obviously, It’s My Child - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Translator: Effe

Editor: Yonnee

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Inadvertently, Gray nearly reached out his hand. But, jolting into his senses, he was able to stop it.

He hadn’t been shaken for a long time. However, it was difficult to repair a dam once the water had already burst. Even more so if it had once been full.

He clenched his fist once, then opened it normally, as though the purpose of this motion was to loosen his knuckles. And he said bluntly.

“The Duke is a strong man, so he’ll get up soon.”

“Thank you.”

Claire struggled to smile. She wasn’t sure herself what she was saying thank you for.

She first looked through the report taken from Erich. It didn’t seem like a big deal, so she decided to deal with it quickly.

It was a summary of the gifts Louisa had exchanged over the past year and who the other parties were.

Any sedatives that had not been prescribed by the family doctor would have inevitably been prescribed to her by someone else. It would not have been handed over for free, so she would have compensated it with a gift or something like that.

It would be better to review the ledger later and talk to Maria, Louisa’s handmaid. Claire roughly folded the report and stuffed it into her pocket, then asked Maximilian, who had followed.

“Marquis Belf and his eldest son?”

“Their family lawyer arrived just now. They’re waiting in the waiting room.”

“Alright.”

Claire turned to Gray, who nodded back. Though silent, he expressed that it wouldn’t matter whether or not they’d have a lawyer.

Claire strode towards the parlor. The two men followed her.

* * *

Marquis Belf was exhausted.

When he did not return home earlier this morning, the legal advisor of the Belf Marquisate came running to him, sensing that something had happened at the Klausener residence.

Hearing the circumstances between them, the pale-faced lawyer spoke.

“Even if you didn’t succeed in harming His Grace’s fiancée, hasn’t it been ascertained that you forged Baron Delford’s signature?”

“All this commotion for a mere wench’s signature…”

“Baron Delford is a nobleman listed on the register of the House of Lords. The household is small but they have maintained their name for hundreds of years.”

“What the hell is that?”

Marquis Belf twisted his lips.

In any case, she was just an Arren Baron. Even if her family name was on the list, how many times had she actually attended the general meetings of the House of Lords?

“That house doesn’t seem to have a proper legal advisor anyhow. No matter how much money the Weaving Guild makes, Delford doesn’t even have proper vassals. That ‘lawyer’, he’s just a damn serf!”

The lawyer was astonished. To call a man like Gray Sherwood a serf.

But it wasn’t just a day or two before that Marquis Belf had said something so outrageous.

The lawyer explained as carefully as possible to convince the Marquis.

“Forging a lord’s signature could be seen as an attempt to seize their territory. At the very least, if the other side claims as such, we cannot refute it.”

“So?”

“That is a legitimate justification for territorial dispute. Or it could be seen as an attempt to usurp a territory that’s been rightfully bestowed by the Emperor. The former is a declaration of civil war, the latter is treason!”

The nobles involved may have forgotten to study it, but the laws were still very much being implemented.

However, as centralization progressed after Frederick the Great, private armies were thus disbanded, so everyone naturally forgot about it.

In fact, soldiers no longer shed blood at the borders of the lords’ territory. However, if the territorial dispute was interpreted as a war between houses, the only way to destroy the opponent was to mobilize soldiers.

Moreover, the opposing lawyer is that Attorney Sherwood of the Schultz & Sherwood firm. Going to court against him of all people would make things more difficult.

“Please apologize right now and ask to settle with House Klausener. That is for the best.”

Marquis Belf frowned as if he finally realized the seriousness of his actions. Even so, it still wasn’t enough for him to be frightened.

“Is Duke Erich really persecuting us like this right now!”

Josias answered sullenly.

“Even if we ask to settle, would he accept it since our side had touched his fiancée? Did you see his reaction yesterday? He even had Aunt dragged out.”

At this, Marquis Belf was momentarily rendered speechless.

Still though, he stubbornly went on.

“Yes. I can apologize if Duke Erich wants. But not unilaterally. If he’s going to investigate thoroughly, he’ll also have to answer to why he had locked us up in the Klausener residence.”

Feeling all the frustrations in the world threatening to burst forth within him, the lawyer tried desperately to calm himself, just as he had done for decades now.

When had Klausener and Belf ever been on equal grounds? There’s a reason why the ruling family was called the ruling family.

Knock, knock.

Then came a knock.

Maximilian opened the door, and Claire entered at the forefront.

Only the marquisate’s lawyer stood up to greet her.

He met Gray’s gaze. Gray bowed his head slightly. Anyway, since they were the alumni from the same law school, they knew each other.

Claire stood across from Marquis Belf across the table.

Marquis Belf wouldn’t even look at her directly. When they greeted each other last night, Erich was present and that’s why he remained cordial. But he seemed to have no intention of doing that anymore.

Claire sat down. Rather than speaking to the Marquis as a new in-law, she carried on the demeanor of the Weaving Guild’s master as she faced the Prach Guild’s owner.

“We finally have a chance to talk like this, Marquis.”

“…….”

“Why are you like that? You don’t feel like talking to a vulgar Arren girl who’s a lowly gold-digger?”

Claire looked down at Marquis Belf, with her head upright and only her eyes down.

“Even though you would have to risk the fate of the Marquisate?”

She wasn’t used to acting so arrogantly. However, it seemed doable enough just by emulating the same attitude that Erich had.

Marquis Belf’s face instantly turned red.

But he couldn’t act on his temper and jump at her right then. Maximilian was currently standing behind Claire, as sharp as a sword.

Despite his surging anger, he could still definitely recognize that, the moment he’d ever raise his hand against her, he would be caught and Klausener would thoroughly trample on Belf.

And when Claire noticed that, she smiled. Still, Marquis Belf seemed to only see her worth as ‘Erich’s woman’.

“Gray.”

At her signal, Gray calmly laid down the documents in front of Marquis Belf and the other lawyer.

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