The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 36: What Just Happened?

BANG!

The loud slam of his palm against the desk made Mereoleona flinch involuntarily, her shoulders tensing as the force of the impact echoed through the study.

"I don’t want to hear your excuses!" her father snapped, his deep voice reverberating off the walls. His piercing gaze bore into her, sharp with fury. "You were supposed to meet your fiancé, have a simple conversation, and get to know him. That was all. But instead, you let your knight run out of control and didn’t stop him!?"

His words struck like a whip, each syllable laced with growing frustration.

"You let him get humiliated by a weak boy who has never held a sword in his life!" The Count’s voice grew louder, his hands balling into fists atop his desk. The veins in his temples pulsed with barely restrained anger.

Mereoleona remained stiff, biting the inside of her cheek so hard she almost tasted blood. Her nails dug into her palms, but she refused to flinch again. It wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t done anything wrong. It was that fool Bolder who had acted recklessly. She had done everything in her power to keep the situation under control, suppressing her emotions to prevent a greater scene. And yet—

Her father exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple as if her very presence exhausted him.

"I really don’t know what to do with you," he muttered, shaking his head. "I thought you had changed. That you had matured. But I was wrong."

His disappointment cut deeper than his anger ever could.

Mereoleona’s breath hitched. A sharp pain lanced through her chest at his words. It was always like this. No matter the circumstances, whenever something went wrong, the blame fell on her.

It didn’t matter that she had done everything she could. It didn’t matter that she had tried to keep the situation from escalating. It didn’t matter that Bolder had acted of his own accord.

None of it mattered.

She could feel her body trembling—an unbearable mix of anger and hurt swelling inside her like a tide threatening to drown her. But she refused to let him see it. She swallowed it all down, just as she always had.

Then came the final blow.

"As punishment," her father said, his voice like ice, "you are suspended from joining the next expedition team."

Silence.

Mereoleona’s eyes widened. For a moment, she thought she had misheard him.

The expedition team—the opportunity she had been waiting for, the chance to prove herself on the battlefield, to fight real monsters alongside seasoned knights—was taken away just like that.

Her body froze, her mind struggling to process his words.

Then, as the weight of his decision sank in, something inside her snapped.

A violent surge of emotion roared inside her like an inferno, white-hot and uncontrollable.

She couldn’t hold back this time. Her fists trembled at her sides, her breathing turned ragged.

"Y-You can’t do that! It wasn’t even—"

"This will be a lesson to you," her father interrupted coldly, his tone final, his decision absolute.

"Whether it was your fault or not doesn’t matter. You will take responsibility for what happened and ensure it never happens again."

Mereoleona felt the ground beneath her crack.

It doesn’t matter?

That’s not fair!

Was that all her efforts were worth?

Her hands curled so tightly into fists that her nails threatened to pierce her skin.

She wanted to scream, to protest, to fight—but the words died in her throat before she could force them out.

All she could do was stand there, trembling with suppressed rage and despair, as her father’s judgment sealed her fate.

Then, a voice echoed in her mind.

A memory.

A single word.

"Weak."

Her mind spiraled into turmoil as she recalled Eren’s mocking face, his crimson eyes gleaming with amusement as he laughed at her powerlessness.

Was her current situation... proof that he had been right?

Am I really—

Just as she was about to break down, the door burst open.

A butler hurried inside, shattering the suffocating tension in the room.

The count’s eyes darkened at the sudden disturbance, his irritation flaring. "Didn’t I say no one was to disturb us?" he growled.

"S-Sorry, Sir! But it’s urgent," the butler stammered, his voice slightly shaking as he approached with quick strides.

Gregor’s frown deepened. "What is it?" he demanded, voice sharp.

The butler stepped forward, presenting an envelope sealed with the Valmont crest.

Gregor’s eyes widened in recognition.

Without hesitation, he snatched it from the butler’s hands and tore it open, his gaze scanning the contents rapidly.

Mereoleona stood silently, confused. She watched as her father’s expression shifted with each passing second.

Then, his eyes snapped up, filled with disbelief.

He turned to the butler, his voice low and urgent. "Did the messenger say anything else?"

The butler nodded, leaned in, and whispered something into his ear.

Gregor’s face twisted in shock.

"100,000 gold—!" he began to shout before abruptly cutting himself off.

Ahem.

He cleared his throat, visibly forcing himself to regain composure.

After a tense pause, he waved a hand dismissively. "Come back later," he instructed, his voice now noticeably calmer.

The butler bowed and exited, leaving them alone once more.

Silence stretched between father and daughter.

Then, to Mereoleona’s utter bewilderment—her father smiled at her.

A warm, almost affectionate smile.

"My dear Mereoleona," he said in a tone so sweet it sent chills down her spine.

He continued, voice dripping with newfound kindness. "About what I said earlier... I believe there was some misunderstanding on my part."

Mereoleona’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

Her father nodded to himself, stroking his chin. "So, I want to say that your suspension from the next expedition is canceled."

Her jaw nearly dropped.

’What?’

Before she could question him, he waved a dismissive hand.

"Anyway, you can leave now." His tone returned to nonchalance. "And remember to behave properly next time, okay?"

He turned back to his desk, still smiling as if the heated argument from moments ago had never happened.

–SLAM!

Mereoleona stepped out of the office, the door shutting behind her with finality.

She stood frozen in the hallway, her face completely blank.

Her mind spun with confusion.

’What just happened?’

Her eyes turned dull, filled with an almost hollow disbelief.

Just then, footsteps approached.

The butler, who had been waiting nearby, stopped before her and bowed respectfully.

"Miss, this is a message from the Valmont household," he said, extending another sealed letter.

Mereoleona hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

Her fingers brushed against the wax seal, her stomach twisting with unease.

A single image flashed through her mind.

The boy with black hair and piercing red eyes.

A knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

She exhaled slowly, gripping the letter tighter.

The Count’s sudden change in attitude. The absurd sum of money. The name "Valmont."

All of it made her uneasy.

And deep down, she already had a feeling about who was behind this.

.....

As she arrived at her chambers, her personal maids immediately sprang into action, assisting her with a quick bath to wash away the remnants of the exhausting day. They scrubbed her skin gently, ensuring she was refreshed before helping her change into a clean set of comfortable clothes. The warm water eased her tensed muscles, but it did little to calm the storm raging in her mind.

Once dressed, she sat in front of the mirror, her damp crimson hair cascading over her shoulders as she reached for the letter she had received from the Valmont household. Mereoleona took a deep breath, her fingers hesitating slightly before breaking the wax seal. She unfolded the parchment and began reading.

But as her eyes scanned the first few lines, her expression darkened.

---

"To my Not dear Brat lady with Red hair."

Mereoleona’s eye twitched. Her grip on the paper tightened.

---

"What? Did you expect me to start the letter with something sweet and cliché? After what happened before? Pfft, yeah right."

---

A vein popped on her forehead. She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to remain composed before continuing.

---

"Anyway, no need for formalities between us. So you don’t need to torture yourself. The reason I’m sending this message is to help you and convince your Dumb parents that there is no issue between us or our arranged marriage."

---

Mereoleona let out a scoff, her brows furrowing. Help? What kind of twisted game is he planning?

---

"You must be scoffing right now, thinking I’m joking. But I’m being serious here. So stop being stupid and listen carefully before you judge someone, you muscle head."

---

Another vein appeared on her forehead. Her fingers dug into the parchment as she fought the urge to crumple it on the spot.

---

"So, why am I helping you? Like I told you the last time befor you left, I said I would fix the parts of this engagement you didn’t like. I know you don’t want this marriage. Good for you, because I don’t want it either. Spending my entire life with you will be a Hellish torture for me. And it will be more torture for you."

---

Her teeth clenched audibly as more veins began to appear.