"You're irresponsible as a Count."
Isabelle von Gracefall.
Her voice was cold—it felt as if a metal dagger had been driven straight into my chest. Which was strange. This body reacted oddly whenever it came to Isabelle.
My breathing grew heavy, my throat tightened as if craving water, stuffs that always surfaced whenever I came into contact with her. The previous owner of this body, Ren von Gracefall… just what kind of relationship had he shared with his sister?
"I understand your concern, sister. However, I only took leave after consulting my secretary, Evelyn, and ensuring that all duties for the next two months were completed in advance."
I replied calmly to Isabelle. Yet her eyes remained sharp, as if she were trying to pierce me with her gaze alone.
Such coldness toward a Count.
It only made me wonder even more about what kind of person the previous Ren truly was.
Isabelle was one of the highest-rated prodigies when it came to Sun Art. Needless to say, for someone only twenty-three years old, she was unparalleled in strength within her pears.
Which only made me more self-aware whenever I interacted with her. I feared I would be found out.
"This is your third two-month break within a single year. Do you think that just because you fulfilled your duties for an extra two months, you can simply disappear somewhere? Is being a Count just some part-time job to you?"
Someone who usually wouldn't even say a single word, she was oddly talkative today.
"I apologize for being an irresponsible Count, sister. I vow to work harder and improve myself further as a Count."
There was nothing more I could say to convince her otherwise. It was the truth, when a Count takes leave for as long as two months, it significantly affects the balance of power. And on top of that, my aunt's faction had recently begun eyeing my authority.
"You…"
Isabelle was about to say something, but she stopped herself, letting out a quiet sigh of defeat.
"If this subject is over, let's move on to another one."
"Yes, Count."
Evelyn replied, nodding at my words as she handed both Isabelle and me what appeared to be a document.
The document was a few pages long. It contained a brief explanation regarding an upcoming ball, where representative figures from each family were required to be present, attendance was mandatory. But that wasn't what the document was truly about.
"Why would the Sweet Lotus Temple want the complete extinction of the Snow Moon Temple?"
I asked Evelyn.
"For the Timeless Monolith."
Isabelle answered instead of Evelyn.
Now that I thought about it, I had received a letter from the Snow Moon Temple requesting financial assistance. Not long after, another letter arrived, this time from the Sweet Lotus Temple, explicitly asking me not to provide any help.
That made things clearer.
The Timeless Monolith. One of the rarest treasures of the Forgotten Gods.
But still… both temples were devoted to the same deity—the God of Light. So why would the Sweet Lotus Temple gain anything from eradicating one of their own? They had been allied for centuries, sharing relics among themselves.
"So we, the Gracefalls, are expected to betray the Snow Moon Temple?"
I asked.
"As per the request of the Sweet Lotus Temple, yes."
Evelyn replied.
The relationship between the Gracefall family and the Snow Moon Temple wasn't particularly deep. The previous Count, Noah von Gracefall, had supposedly maintained a close relationship with one of the Higher Moons of the Snow Moon Temple. Or at least, that was what the rumors claimed.
It was never confirmed—neither publicly nor within the family itself. As far as anyone truly knew, the matter remained completely shrouded in uncertainty.
'Ah, it's going to get a little annoying.'
"Our family no longer holds its former glory. Since the death of the previous Count, the family has been steadily declining. I believe supporting the Sweet Lotus Temple will be more beneficial in the long run, especially since we don't have any personal ties with the Snow Moon Temple."
Isabelle said this softly. Still, both Evelyn and I had expected this answer from her.
After all, she was particularly close to my aunt. Of course she would support whatever my aunt supported.
But I hadn't expected her to be this blunt.
It made me feel a little bitter. Even my own supposed sister wasn't on my side.
I thought I could trust her.
"Well, as the Count, I believe we should remain neutral for now."
It wasn't as if the Snow Moon Temple was so weak that it would be completely wiped out.
"You know very well that every other family from the North has already allied themselves with the Sweet Lotus Temple. Even Marquis Jen de Vold is openly supporting them."
Isabelle was right. Remaining neutral here would practically be seen as supporting the Snow Moon Temple. But still… my instincts were strongly telling me that it wasn't time yet.
"This is my decision as the current Count of the Gracefall family."
"Do whatever you want!"
With those words, Isabelle turned and left the room, the door slamming lightly against the wall behind her. As she departed, the blue window hovering above her head disappeared as well.
[QUEST ACTIVATED: FUCK ISABELLE VON NATHANIEL]
[REWARD: LIFESPAN INCREASED BY THREE YEARS]
[FAILURE: DEATH]
I let out a sigh at the sight.
"I do think Lady Isabelle was right in this matter,"
Evelyn said.
"Yes, I know."
"So why would you—"
"Haaaaa. Stop with this already. I'm tired."
Training in the morning and then handling Count duties afterward, it was an exhausting schedule. That was exactly why I preferred spending my time in the Lost Lands rather than here.
Hearing my little tantrum, Evelyn stepped closer and gently hugged my head while I remained seated in my chair. Her heavy chest pressed down, blocking my view of the world, but in its place, I was seeing something far more magnificent.
The bond between Evelyn and me had deepened significantly over the past year, especially compared to when I had first woken up in this world. To the point where, sometimes, she would hug me like this without hesitation.
By the way, I still hadn't done anything weird with her other than that one single time. I was far more focused on getting stronger, anyway.
[NAME: Evelyn Ashborn]
[FAVOURITY POINTS: 80]
[AGE: 25]
[RANK: SS+]
[DOMINANCE: 30%]
[SEXUAL AROUSAL: 14%]
Just within a single year, Evelyn had a breakthrough from [SS] rank to [SS+]. She was indeed highly talented.
I had also reached [A+] rank. All of this happened within a year, something that would normally take years, even decades, for an ordinary person. Even Isabelle took more than three and a half years to reach this rank after she awakened, but because of the limitless talent pill I received from the system, I was able to advance faster than anyone else.
The time to conquer Evelyn was also closer than I had expected.
[CONQUER EVELYN ASHBORN.]
[REWARD: LIFESPAN INCREASED BY TWO YEARS, ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE & TRUST FROM EVELYN]