The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Decided to Divorce

40

Therosa was belatedly regretting a decision she had made in the past.

There had certainly been marriage talks between her family and the grand ducal family.

Of course, being healthy is better than frail, but that doesn’t mean I want to spend my life with someone unattractive.

At the very least, if their face is presentable, I won’t be embarrassed wherever I go, and it would somewhat ease my mind.

Moreover, if they’re also to my liking, I could easily overlook minor issues.

“I’m so aggrieved, I can’t even think about marriage. How could they consider such a person… Ah…”

Theresa, as always, was on the hunt for a marriage partner.

It was an attempt to escape, even slightly, from the arranged marriage her family was unilaterally pushing.

Therefore, she was looking for a noble’s heir who was more to her liking, and the youngest son of the Grand Duke’s family fit the bill.

“But to lose him to Brillié… Ah… It’s driving me mad.”

Brillié, a lady of the same ducal house, lacked the demeanor of a woman.

She was nothing more than a knight, brandishing a sword and acting like the rough men.

Even so, her skills and merits were proven, which only intensified the sense of alienation.

“I can’t marry like this. How am I supposed to endure this?”

Far from lamenting, she felt it beneath her to even blame others.

After all, it was she who had rejected the Grand Duke’s youngest son.

Even if she had accepted the engagement, her father might have refused, but now such speculation was pointless.

“I must find someone who resembles him. Surely there must be one or two?”

Theresa barely composed herself and adjusted her parasol.

She couldn’t wish for a broken engagement, nor did she want to show her petty jealousy.

After all, fate was something that couldn’t be overcome by human will.

“If fate truly aligns, an opportunity will come. Breaking off an engagement isn’t difficult.”

Theresa harbored a faint romantic notion about fate.

Even if it was just a political marriage, she hoped for a partner who would suit her.

For now, she clung to that hope, refining her own grace.

“Whether you are my destiny or not… I shall wait and see.”

***

Clark casually scaled the wall and landed softly.

The soldiers had gone to patrol elsewhere, and only a few rooms in the mansion were lit.

Most would be asleep by now, so it was time to start moving.

“Maybe I’ll just check the interior structure today.”

Clark quietly stepped forward, strolling around the mansion.

Not even a breath or a footstep could be heard.

It was as if he had become one with the darkness, his very presence concealed.

“Quite a spacious place they’ve got here. The duke’s family is certainly impressive.”

Clark was dodging soldiers, looking for a wall to scale.

In principle, one shouldn’t steal from the house of Duke Ilenath.

But principles are often forged by others, and who knows what misdeeds the duke’s family has hidden away.

After all, he was just taking a look around before leaving, so it couldn’t really be considered a crime.

“This looks like a good spot.”

Clark placed his foot on the wall and quickly ascended.

He must not be detected climbing the wall by anyone.

Thus, he moved swiftly, implementing a special technique to make no sound at all.

“First, to get on the roof…”

Clark reached the mansion’s roof and stealthily surveyed the surroundings.

No one would suspect an intruder had climbed up there in just a moment.

Now that he had the high ground, he could observe the soldiers’ movements and move secretly.

“I wonder where the sword-wielding lady might be?”

Clark walked slowly on the roof, searching for the room where his target resided.

Usually, the upper floors held the guest rooms, and the lower floors were for managing the estate.

That meant the family members lived on the middle floor, where important places were also located.

“From my experience, there are usually many ladies’ rooms around here…”

Eventually, Clark followed his intuition and chose a room.

By now, she would be in bed, or already asleep.

Of course, a skilled swordsman would notice even the slightest disturbance, so he had to move carefully at all times.

“The Duke of Ilenath only has one daughter, right? Then this must be the place.”

Clark checked the soldiers’ positions several times before descending the wall.

His senses, honed from years of thievery, were rarely wrong.

From noble mtl dot come

Even if he was mistaken, he could escape before anyone could figure out the direction of his departure.

“Windows are usually not locked…”

Clark stood upright on the wall and tilted his head in curiosity.

No matter how meticulously the nobles managed their estates, they tended to leave their own rooms carelessly unsecured.

The mansion itself is meticulously cared for by the servants, but it’s natural for one to become negligent in their own habits.

Thus, it’s often that not even the windows are latched, leading to rare, unexpected encounters.

‘So this confirms it? A lady skilled with a sword should have such an aura.’

Clark casually took out a slender tool and began to probe the window frame.

A quick glance inside the room revealed no significant movement.

Perhaps deeply asleep or not yet returned to the room.

‘This should do it… open.’

Clark carefully slid the latch and slowly pushed the window open.

Of course, during this process, no noise should be made.

Only then could one truly be called a phantom thief, traversing this world.

‘It seems I haven’t been caught yet…’

Clark, attempting to climb through the window, suddenly locked eyes with someone.

The clear azure eyes were quite striking, yet it was not the Duke of Ilenath’s second daughter.

At first glance, one might mistake him for a woman, but he was unmistakably a man.

It was almost odd that a man possessed such beauty.

“Are you the infamous phantom thief?”

Alter watched Clark, slowly revealing himself from a corner of the room.

He had sensed a change in magic earlier and had taken his position in advance.

He might have guessed it was a thief, but who would have thought they’d meet in his own room?

“I didn’t expect my intuition to be wrong. Or maybe not entirely incorrect?”

Clark stood still, muttering composedly.

Though it deviated from his original purpose, the outcome wasn’t entirely unfavorable.

After all, the youngest son of the Grand Duke also possessed a dazzling appearance.

Perhaps this encounter was a form of fate.

“You didn’t come to see me, did you?”

“That’s true, but… doesn’t this look quite appealing?”

Clark finally entered the room and closed the window.

Even then, Alter showed no particular reaction, just observing Clark.

If caught now, it would be troublesome, so the first order was to restore the surroundings to their original state.

“You don’t seem surprised to see me. Careful, or you might get kidnapped?”

“Do thieves kidnap people these days?”

“Hey now, calling me a thief. Wouldn’t ‘gentleman burglar’ suit better?”

“Gentleman burglar sounds nice, but aren’t you just a thief?”

“Robin Hood isn’t a bad term either.”

“More like playing at being Robin Hood.”

“Aren’t you being too sarcastic? I wish you’d give me some credit for my looks.”

“You want me to be nice to a thief? You should be thankful I haven’t kicked you out yet.”

Alter didn’t harbor any real hostility, despite his openly mocking tone.

The gentleman burglar only stole valuable items and never committed truly vile acts.

In fact, he had never hurt anyone, always maintaining a consistent demeanor.

“So why haven’t you kicked me out yet? Shouldn’t you be screaming for help?”

“I’m a bit tired… and I don’t really want to fight. I’ll let you go this time, but don’t come back.”

Alter knew that Clark had come to the wrong place.

Normally, they should have been facing off in Brilly’s room after an intrusion.

But by chance, he entered a different room and ended up confronting Alter.

“Wow… How magnanimous of you? I guess I’ll retract my request for you to give me some credit.”

“Do I need to tell you to scram to get the message? I’m annoyed, so just disappear quickly.”

“I should consider the kindness of a noble and not come back again.”

Clark glanced out the window, replying with a playful tone.

He usually tied up his hair, but now it was completely let down.

Lacking masculine features, the loose hair drew even more attention.

“How about cutting your hair? You might end up being called a beauty.”

“You should worry about your own appearance. Talking big for someone on the run…”

“I’m not on the run; I’m ahead. Everyone else is just trying to catch up.”

“So the person who’s ahead is still stealing?”

“I’m taking what’s been unfairly gained; is there something wrong with that?”

“With that logic, I could take your stuff and you couldn’t complain, right?”

“Oh, are you provoking me now? If you’re so confident, feel free to try. Lady of the grand ducal family.”

“… You’re really out of your mind.”

Alter murmured softly, his eyes crinkling in frustration.

Even though the intrusion had been detected, he nonchalantly entered the room.

Not stopping there, he closed the window and engaged in conversation with me, and now he’s even cracking jokes that aren’t the least bit funny.

“In a world gone mad, can’t I go a little crazy too? Sometimes, it’s about meeting a beautiful lady like yourself.”

“Ha… Get lost. If you loiter around again, I might just freeze that mouth of yours.”

“As you command, my lady of the grand duchy. I look forward to the day we meet again.”

Clark bowed politely, bending his arm in a formal gesture.

Then, he quietly opened the window and leapt out with agility.

Altaer stared blankly out the window before letting out a sigh.

‘These people can’t do anything right. I should be going to Brilly, why do they keep clinging to me?’