Restart:Untalented Man-Chapter 421: Duke’s Trouble

The conversation began to meander away from the young lady's marriage rumour to another topic.

The trio had become entangled in a typical gossiping phenomenon.

While the three of them were so engrossed in gossiping, none of them noticed that someone was eavesdropping except for Oldman Dunn, of course.

If the three people in front of him right now pay more attention to their surroundings, they should notice it too since the eavesdropper isn't doing an excellent job.

However, because the person eavesdropping was not a typical egoistic young master or arrogant noble, he pretended like he didn't notice.

The eavesdropper doesn't stay for too long.

After a few minutes, Oldman Dunn notices a subtle movement once again.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the eavesdropper discreetly move away.

....

The butler, having discreetly eavesdropped on the servants' conversation, now found himself standing before the Duke's office.

He raised his gloved hand and knocked on the ornate door.

"Enter," came the deep voice of the Duke from within.

As the butler stepped into the room, he noticed someone else on the verge of leaving.

The individual who was slightly older than the duke and dressed in rather lavish attire, was about to exit the room.

The butler executed a subtle yet respectful bow as he allowed the person to pass.

Once the visitor had left, the butler turned his attention to the duke, whose face bore the weariness of a man grappling with troubles. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Duke Percival Klover, seated behind his grand desk, acknowledged the butler's presence with a nod.

"Is everything alright, Your Grace?" asked the butler as he reflected a genuine concern for his lord.

The duke sighed.

"No," he replied tersely.

"Is it because of Count Demin, Your Grace? What did he want from you this time?" asked the butler.

He doesn't need to take a long time to connect the dots since he saw the said person leave a moment ago.

"Who else but him?" sighed Duke Percival again. He looked tired whenever he spoke about his cousin. "He came to pressure me about the marriage thing."

"Seems like he wants to make it happen."

"Of course, he would. He wants to put his son as a successor."

He was not willing to entertain that idea. It was an absurd proposal to begin with.

"What a joke! A toad trying to taste a swan's meat," the Duke scoffed.

Gnashing his teeth in anger, the Duke expressed his disdain not only for the audacious proposal but also for their blatant disregard toward him.

Not only do they selfishly try to establish a marriage without his knowledge, but they even choose a wastrel with no positive qualities.

There's a stark contrast between his esteemed family and the lowly status of the proposed match.

"Those bastards no longer try to hide it!"

They want to strip his daughter's rightful position as his successor and chase her out of the duchy.

As if that wasn't enough, they went to great lengths to ensure her life would be ruined.

As mentioned before, Count Demin Klover was a cousin of the Duke who harboured ambitions for the seat of power within the Klover family.

In a situation where power struggles were not uncommon, Demin was not the sole aspirant, but he held a prominent position, being the closest and possessing the highest chance of realizing his dream.

"Why not let the young lady assist you in governance? To rule over a territory, it's not only about military prowess," suggested the butler.

"I already did, but they sabotage her at every single turn, purposely trying to make things harder for her. I didn't give too much help because I want her to learn to deal with it."

To be honest, Sarika has proved her worth in the war and showcased exceptional skills.

Even though Barlia ended up losing, her excellent performance can't be ignored.

However, most people don't look at the process. Their eyes are more fixated on the result.

The duke thought that all of his vassals wouldn't dismiss the process.

But in the end, they are all the same.

Barlia's defeat was the first spark of disagreement over Sarika's competency as his successor.

Now, it transformed into a full-fledged struggle for control and influence within the Klover Duchy.

No. The struggle for control and power was always there. It just becomes more apparent.

"How about we get the prince to help us in this matter?" suggested the butler.

"The prince?" The Duke snorted. "Forget about it. He won't get involved since the way he got his bride was also not very honourable either. It would only make him look like a hypocrite if he interfered. To him, it doesn't matter who succeeds who, as long as they swear loyalty to him."

While the commoners might be oblivious to the details, the nobility was well aware of the unique means by which the prince had acquired his bride.

Initially, there was little interest in the so-called princess among the elite.

Hailing from one of many noble families in the south, she wasn't deemed particularly significant and only needed to serve her role of proving heir.

Never did they think that her family would rapidly ascend in status, influence and strength in a short period.

In a way, their current respect for her is originated from fear.

A fear that her family may set their eyes on the north for revenge.

Whenever the Duke thought about such a possibility, a chill would run down his spine.

Shaking off his unease, the Duke redirected his attention to the butler.

"To what extent has the rumour spread?" he asked.

"Your Grace, even the servants know the whole story."

"Since the servants know, other noble families should know about it as well. It's going to be tiresome to suppress that rumour," remarked the Duke.

"We can still suppress it if you want."

The duke nods, "Let's do that. And investigate all the noble families Demin had contact with."