Jeanette and Claus watched fixedly as the carriage faded away into the distance. Leila vacantly slumped to the ground. She didn’t cry, nor did she seem relieved that her debt was paid off. She simply stared after the disappearing carriage.
“She’s gone...” Jeanette whispered, then felt a weight around her shoulders. Claus had embraced her. She looked up at him, and in a worried tone of voice asked, “Is this really okay? Ariel will be married to Marquis Balladur... Well, I suppose I should say the new Marquis Balladur.”
Claus slowly nodded. “Yes. The previous marquis was another matter, but his son, the new marquis, is an upstanding man in most respects—aside from being a hardcore misogynist—so it’s a gamble as to whether their marriage will go well.”
In truth, shortly before Leila had abducted Jeanette, the lecherous Marquis Balladur had had a heart attack in his bedroom and died. The one to succeed him as the new Marquis Balladur was his son. The son had been carrying out all the noble responsibilities in his father’s place for years anyway, so the father had been marquis in name only.
On top of that, the son’s personality was the exact opposite of his lecherous father’s, as he loathed women. Annoyed at the thought that even more women would compete for his attention upon learning he was the new marquis, he still hadn’t announced his father’s death. All this to say, Ariel’s new husband wasn’t the lustful old man but rather his son.
Based on how Leila and Ariel had acted today, it seemed like they still weren’t aware of the truth. Jeanette hadn’t said anything because Claus had argued that the new marquis was still just as eccentric as his father, so he didn’t want to give Ariel a false sense of relief.
“By the way... You said he’s a hardcore misogynist, so then why did he accept a bride in place of the debt repayment?” Jeanette asked curiously. From what Claus had told her about the new marquis, she wouldn’t have been surprised to hear him say, “I want my money back no matter what. I don’t care if you have to sell your organs to do it.”
“Well...” Claus smiled dryly, looking slightly exasperated. “Since he’s the marquis, you’d expect there to be lots of women vying for him and his fortune, right? So he wanted a wife in name only—a woman-repellent, you could say. That’s why the idea of taking Ariel as collateral was appealing to him. Also, when he heard how bad her reputation is, he deemed that it was fine because he wouldn’t have to feel bad about ignoring such a wicked woman and having a marriage blanc...”
“Um... He sounds like a pretty difficult person...” Jeanette said with a groan. He might’ve been better than his senile, lustful father, but it didn’t sound like he and Ariel would have a typical happy marriage.
“I can’t deny that he’s quirky. However, he doesn’t drink alcohol or gamble, and he’s an honest man,” Claus reassured her. “Though whether he’ll be to Miss Ariel’s liking is another matter entirely.”
Jeanette nodded. In high society, marriages based on true love between the nobles, like that of Duke and Duchess Pablo, were rare. Ariel and the new marquis weren’t far apart in age, and the fact that he was an earnest person was a big plus.
“Besides... I think it’s best for Miss Ariel to keep some distance from Leila,” Claus added, narrowing his eyes at Leila, who was rooted to her spot on the ground. “She was poisoning Ariel. The way she tried to make her daughter complicit in kidnapping you...and then sold Ariel off to pay her debts... It’s not something you’d expect a mother to do to her own child.”
That was something Jeanette had been wondering about for a long time. Though she had no right to interfere with her stepmother’s actions, Jeanette was certain that her father would’ve never asked her to help kidnap someone or tried to coerce her into complicity. He wouldn’t have plotted an abduction in the first place.
“You could say this was perfect timing. Miss Ariel is leaving the nest, and she will finally be apart from Leila,” Claus concluded.
“Right... Now all I can do is pray that the marquis will be a good marriage partner for Ariel,” Jeanette wished softly, turning to look in the direction where the carriage had vanished.