The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around
Chapter 123: Mereoleona is Not Happy

Chapter 123: Mereoleona is Not Happy

___

At the d’Armand Household

Training Grounds

Around 4:00 PM, just before sunset

The clang of steel echoed across the training field as the golden rays of the setting sun bathed the yard in a warm glow. Mereoleona d’Armand, the first daughter of the d’Armand family and a proud knight-in-training, stood in the center of the field, her uniform drenched in sweat, her breath steady but sharp.

–Shuush!

Her hands gripped her sword tightly, movements precise and fluid. Sweat dripped from her brow, but her amber eyes were laser-focused—burning with the kind of intensity that dared anyone to interrupt her.

Watching from a respectful distance stood her personal maid, Lilian, dutiful and composed, as always. She held a clean towel in her arms and observed her lady’s solo training session in silence, like she had done countless times before.

Then, a familiar voice called out, breaking the focused atmosphere.

"Mereoleona."

She stopped mid-swing, lowering her sword with controlled grace. "Yes?" she replied, glancing toward the voice.

It was her instructor—Knight Commander Carlos.

"Your father wants to see you," Carlos informed her curtly. "In his office. Immediately."

Mereoleona blinked, her expression flickering with subtle surprise. That wasn’t a normal request.

Lilian rushed to her side, offering the towel like a battlefield medic. "Here, my lady," she said politely.

"Thanks," Mereoleona muttered, wiping her face and neck, then handing it back.

Without time to bathe or change, Lilian began casting minor cleaning spells to freshen her up as they walked. The young knight remained in her red training uniform, but the magic helped tidy her appearance slightly.

As they made their way toward her father’s study, Mereoleona’s thoughts wandered back to the chaos of the last few weeks.

A short Flashback of what happened.

The name Eren Valmont floated up in her mind like an unwanted ghost.

Her utterly lazy, good-for-nothing fiancé.

It had been nearly a month since his disappearance. News of it had rocked not just the noble circles, but the entire Aisman Kingdom. The Marquis of House Valmont—Marquis Edric Valmont—had gone on a borderline maniacal spending spree, hiring adventurers, mercenaries, even foreign trackers to locate his missing son.

It became the hottest gossip in the Aisman.

After all, this was House Valmont, the wealthiest noble family in the kingdom. Every move they made sent waves across the political ocean. Nobles, commoners, merchants—everyone wanted in. Some leapt at the opportunity to curry favor with the family by assisting the search. Others, the jealous and scheming sort, used it as a chance to undermine the Valmonts, calling the Marquis reckless for wasting so much wealth.

The political battlefield ignited.

Mereoleona let out a sigh, her brow furrowed. She had no sympathy for the chaos. When she first heard the news about her fiancé disappearing, her first reaction had been...

Relief.

Genuine, unfiltered relief.

And maybe a bit of joy.

Of course, she didn’t have all the facts. But Eren had sent her one final letter—a "Hateful love letter," if you could even call it that—saying he would be gone for a month or two. That was it. No explanation. Just the usual insults.

Just a casually written.

Now it had been two full months, and she hadn’t received a single new letter.

She had assumed—hoped, even—that he had finally disappeared off for good.

"Just stay missing and disappear from my life already..." she muttered under her breath as they approached the door.

But her wish was about to be shattered.

....

Inside the Viscount’s Office

"What?" Mereoleona froze in place, staring blankly at her father, Viscount Gregor d’Armand, a stern and well-built man known for his rigid adherence to tradition and duty.

"I said," he repeated with a big smile, "there’s a report that your fiancé is back. Isn’t that wonderful news?"

The viscount folded his arms with a proud look. "One of our scouts spotted the Valmont carriage arriving with their second young master inside. It’s all but confirmed."

Mereoleona stood still, her mind buffering like a broken magic crystal.

’He’s back?!’

She barely registered the rest of her father’s explanation. Her brain filled in the rest with dramatic thunder and imaginary screaming.

’That lazy, annoying, letter-sending rotten black-haired brat is back?!’ she thought, grimacing internally.

"Hm? Mereoleona?" Gregor raised a brow. "You don’t seem thrilled."

"Ah—no! I’m just... overwhelmed by happiness! So happy I can’t even process my joy right now!" she replied, plastering on the fakest cheerful tone but with a stoic twitch face.

Inside her head?

’Of course I’m not happy. That means that as whole is going to bother me again with his annoying letters!’

Seeing his daughter’s odd reaction, the Viscount chose not to comment further and smoothly shifted the conversation.

"Anyway, the reason I called you here is because there’s another matter I want to discuss with you."

Mereoleona’s expression turned serious the moment she saw the shift in her father’s tone. She straightened her posture slightly.

"It’s about the... partners who left."

At those words, Mereoleona’s eyes widened in surprise. Her brows furrowed almost immediately in growing displeasure.

Over the past month, ever since her infuriating fiancé, Eren Valmont, mysteriously vanished, the entire kingdom had been thrown into a frenzy. The uproar caused by Marquis Edric Valmont’s wild spending to search for his son had rippled across the noble landscape—and the d’Armand household was no exception. In fact, they became collateral damage.

Their family had gained significant backing and prestige thanks to the engagement between Mereoleona and Eren. Many merchant groups and suppliers had formed contracts and alliances with House d’Armand, hoping to curry favor with the Valmonts by extension. But once Eren disappeared and rumors spread that the engagement might be void, those same so-called allies turned their backs on them.

Jealous nobles who had long resented the d’Armands took this as an opportunity to strike, spreading malicious gossip and mocking them openly. Even worse were the merchant partners—those cowardly opportunists—who began withdrawing support and retracting deals they’d previously promised. Trade agreements were canceled, supply lines cut, and investments halted.

After all, if Eren Valmont was truly gone, then the engagement would be considered null and void. And without the connection to House Valmont, there was no longer any incentive to stay allied with the d’Armands.

The news of Eren’s disappearance sent those economic backers running. Viscount Gregor had felt the blow deeply. He was furious, stressed, and utterly betrayed—not just by those merchants, but also by the greedy rival nobles who had been waiting for an excuse to undermine him.

With no new supplies or funding, the d’Armand knights were left vulnerable. Their ability to suppress monsters and defend the surrounding territory was in jeopardy.

Thankfully, Mereoleona didn’t let that happen.

Despite calling him a lazy good-for-nothing, her fiancé had kept sending money to her. Like he promised. Even after vanishing into thin air. And Mereoleona, rather than tell her father, had taken matters into her own hands. She used that money to secretly purchase a massive cache of weapons, armor, and supplies—through a completely separate network of merchants her father didn’t know about.

It was enough to sustain their forces and secure the city’s defenses during the sudden economic fallout. And it saved their house from ruin.

Then, of course, there was him—Mr. Lockworm. remember that guy?

The man responsible for managing the d’Armand household’s finances. Or more accurately, the parasite who had been embezzling funds and gambling away the money Mereoleona had received from Eren.

After uncovering Lockworm’s scam, Mereoleona exposed everything. Her father, furious beyond reason, personally cut off both of the man’s arms before exiling him from the estate. It was brutal... but just.

In recognition of her actions, Viscount Gregor appointed Mereoleona as the new financial overseer. With ruthless efficiency, she paid off the family’s debt in full, then allocated the leftover money to stockpile even more supplies, weapons, and backup provisions for the knights. A smart precaution—and one that proved to be a lifesaver when their former partners abandoned them.

And now, those same shameless leeches wanted to come crawling back?

Utterly despicable.

"So... what are your thoughts?" her father asked, wanting to hear her opinion directly.

Ever since she had exposed Lockworm and salvaged their household’s standing, the Viscount’s respect for his daughter had grown—if only slightly. He had even allowed her to participate in three live expedition trainings with the knights, fighting real monsters in real battles to gain proper combat experience.

Thanks to those missions, Mereoleona had earned a significant amount of EXP. Her Signet Status was close to leveling up. All she needed now was one more major opportunity, an achievement—the dungeon raid scheduled five days from now. She was already itching to dive in.

Taking a deep breath, Mereoleona responded.

"Although I despise the idea of accepting those backstabbers after they turned their backs on us..." she said, her voice calm but laced with bitterness, "...I believe we should still allow them to return."

Viscount Gregor blinked in surprise at her words.

She continued, her tone firm and mature. "Yes, they betrayed us. Yes, they only cared about our connection to the Valmonts. But the truth is—we still need them. We can’t manage our entire territory’s logistics on our own."

Even with her efforts, the current situation was still strained. Supplies were finite. And reality was harsh. Without external support, their territory’s long-term stability could suffer.

Gregor clenched his jaw and nodded in grim agreement. He didn’t like it either—but he knew she was right. The people came first.

"Also," Mereoleona added with a sly smirk, "to ensure they never pull the same stunt again... we’re changing the terms."

The Viscount tilted his head. "Terms?"

"We’ll double the deal," she explained confidently. "If they really want to work with us again, they’ll pay the price for their disloyalty. This way, we’ll see how committed they really are."

Gregor’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected such a bold and cunning proposal from her. After thinking in silence for a moment, he eventually gave a nod.

Truth be told, he wasn’t much of a businessman. He was a knight at heart, not a merchant. But if this was his daughter’s plan—he’d trust her judgment.

"Alright. We’ll proceed with your idea," he said.

A wide grin spread across Mereoleona’s face. She hadn’t expected her father to agree so easily. As ever since she took control on managing the funds, she began to change their territory and the knight’s situation little by little, with her father approval.

But then, in the back of her mind, a curious thought crept in.

’Since when did I start thinking like this...?’