Chapter 3 A Father’s Rage and Love

“Oh my, I don’t know. I might have done it.”

“Answer me seriously.”

I answered while laughing, but my father had a grim expression. That said, I’m not completely unmindful of the Duke’s family. I began to speak seriously.

“I have no intention of causing trouble to the Duke’s family. As for the “crimes” that Cedric mentioned, none of them are criminal, and even if I admitted to them, I wouldn’t be imprisoned. I don’t think they will be a stain on the Duke’s family.”

“My image may be tarnished for unfairly oppressing someone of a lower status, but that’s the extent of the damage.

In the first place, harassment is not a valid reason to break off an engagement in public.

But my father still didn’t seem convinced.

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Are you talking about the appearance of the Duke’s family in high society? If so, how about banishing me from the Duke’s family for admitting my crimes? I think the Duke’s family will be praised and sympathized for punishing a wicked woman.”

The words came out naturally and fluently.

 It’s not that I didn’t consider the damage it would cause to the Duke’s family when I accepted the annulment of my engagement.

It was conceivable that accepting the annulment of the engagement could lower the Duke’s reputation in high society.

The first thing the Duke’s family should do to avoid that is to “expel the wicked woman.” By doing so, they would be able to claim that I have no connection to the Duke’s family.

Besides, I had already decided to “do it” at the place where I was exiled…

“I have an excellent brother, and the royal family wouldn’t be so stupid as to end the Duke’s family, which has made such a great contribution to the country. I don’t think it’s something that Father would be worried about.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“You mean the connection to the royal family through our engagement? It was my fault that my connection to the royal family was severed. But I hadn’t been able to gain Cedric’s favor since we first met, so it was only a matter of time anyway.”

“That’s not it! I’m saying that I can’t even protect my daughter!”

My father raised his voice.

 “Huh?”

Surprised by his sudden rage, he clutched his head and let out a distressed voice.

“Anyone can see that such a charge is a lie if they think about it for a moment. If Lydia were to admit it straight away, it would be much harder to protect you.”

“…”

“There must have been a way to deny the charges and then break off the engagement with that stupid prince. There must have been one…”

I had expected to be scolded, so I was stunned by my father’s words.

I had no idea my father had been thinking such things.

 “…Isn’t father angry that I accepted the annulment of the engagement?”

“There’s no reason to be angry. If I should be angry at anyone, it should be at that stupid prince and the stupid royal family that allowed him to run wild.”

“Isn’t that disrespectful?”

“In the first place, I didn’t want to go ahead with this engagement eight years ago.”

“Really?”

“Of course. With Lydia having been so humiliated, how could any parent be happy about that engagement?…But if I had refused the marriage proposal from the royal family, there was a possibility that other good matches would be ruined.”

“…”

Perhaps my father was being threatened by the royal family. Maybe he kept quiet about it so that I wouldn’t feel uneasy. That’s what I somehow thought.

 “Besides, if we look at the conditions alone, the royal family was the perfect match for Lydia to be engaged to. Cedric was still young at the time, and I thought there would be plenty of opportunities for him to change… I’m truly sorry that I was so naive.”

“That’s not something father should apologize for.”

“No. It’s my fault.”

I really didn’t know father was thinking something like that. He’d always been busy and strict, so we hardly ever spoke, and he never made an effort to talk about it.

The only time we’d had a proper conversation was when I gave the presentation about the bath.

So I never got to know what my father really thought.

My father still had his head bowed.

I wasn’t angry at him about the engagement because I thought the Duke’s family had their own reasons. But it would be wrong to continue to deny his apology here.

 “I understand. I accept your apology.”

“Thank you for accepting my apology, Lydia.”

“But it wasn’t all bad, right? You can’t really learn about queenship unless you’re the prince’s fiancée.”

“Lydia…”

“Also, men’s ideal standards have gone down, so it’s easier to get married.”

“L-Lydia…”

I giggled. The tension from before had completely disappeared, and a relaxed atmosphere flowed between us.

“Even so, Lord Cedric was incredibly unwavering.”

Just as he had declared when we first met, he got the blonde, blue-eyed beauty.

In a way, he stuck to his original intentions. I should learn from that. As I was thinking about that, my father spoke up without hesitation.

 “What are you talking about? Even Lydia won’t waver.”

“Eh?”

“You were thinking about taking a bath when you broke off the engagement and you took a bath as soon as you get back to the mansion.”

“…Ah, haha.”

“Well, that’s beside the point. I’m thinking of filing a formal protest with the royal family about this matter. Leave the rest to me. Lydia, stay at the mansion and rest for a while.”

Father tried to finish the conversation with that. However, I hurriedly shook my head.

“No, wait. I want you to banish me.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Fighting the royal family head-on is hard for father, right? In that case, banishing me, who has admitted my guilt, will be the best solution.”

“But…”

“Besides, there’s something I want to do after leaving the dukedom.”

“Something you want to do?”

Just as I accepted the annulment of the engagement after considering the pros and cons, I didn’t propose “banishment” without thinking about it at all.

 “I want to open something called a bath cafe.”

“Bath cafe?”

Yes. I was thinking of opening a “bath cafe” in the place where I am to be banished. A cafe that would provide a place to take a bath and light meals.

The reason why I chose a “bath cafe” and not a “bathhouse” is because I thought that a cafe would be easier for first-time visitors to enter.

“I want to spread the culture of bathing more. I want more people to know about it. To do that, I want to leave the duke’s house and open a shop.”

There is no culture of bathing in this world. That’s why no bathing goods have been developed at all. I’ve been making everything myself.

But there are limits to making things yourself, and I can’t make new discoveries. Plus, I want bath salts and bath bombs made by other people.

So I have no choice but to spread the culture of “baths” and encourage others to make them, right?

 “Will you forgive your unfilial daughter, Father?”

“…You really are unwavering.”

My father smiled a little and nodded.

“I understand. I’ve been forcing you to do things that are too much for you as the daughter of a duke. From now on, do what you want to do.”

“Thank you.”

“I will also personally support you as you start your own shop.”

My father said, but I shook my head.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“What do you mean?”

“It should be here soon.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door to the office. The maid entered and handed me a letter.

“A letter has arrived from His Majesty the King.”