<h4>Ch. 156 Terrible, Perfect Proposal (1)</h4>


    “ire!”


    ire blinked at the person calling her name.


    “Brother?”


    It was her brother, Count Iris, the young man who led the Iris family. He wore his usual angry look on his face. What shocked her was that it was directed towards her fiancé.


    “What disrespect is this!”


    Count Iris came up to ire and began inspecting her body, as if to check if his product was damaged. She was horrified by that unpleasant look. When he finished his inspection, he spoke in a grim voice.


    “Nothing happened?”


    His face was identical to when her fiancé asked, “Where did you go?” It was the same question, only the asker had changed.


    “Nothing happened, Brother.”


    “Good. Very good. The engagement to this family is over. I’ll take you back to the Academy.”


    ire looked astonished.


    “Over?”


    “Yes. We can’t go ahead with marriage after this rudeness.”


    How strange, considering it was her brother who pushed ire’s marriage harder than anyone else. All he knew was profit and loss, and there was no way she thought he would let her out of this.


    “Count Iris! What’s the meaning of this?”


    Her fiancé came in and red at them, and Count Iris pointed to ire with his chin.


    “You did this and still expect to keep the marriage contract? Nonsense!”


    He grabbed ire’s arms to show her bruises.


    “Ah...”


    ire gave a small moan of pain, but it fell on her brother’s deaf ears. Her fiancé whirled on them furiously.


    “Damn it! Then do as you please! If it weren’t for me, would there be a family that would give money in exchange for a boring little girl?”


    Count Iris froze, then turned to her fiancé with a sneer.


    “Do you even have money?”


    “...!”


    “Once you were married, you nned to file for bankruptcy. You wouldn’t be able to take a noblewoman as a bride otherwise.”


    ire gazed up at her brother. Fortunately, he wasn’t disappointed at her. How ire was treated wasn’t important to him, but it gave a good excuse for an annulment.


    “Count Müller won’t receive a ransom, right?”


    “Yes.”


    Her brother started pulling her away quickly and answered in a calm voice.


    “You don’t have to worry. We’ll look for a better match from now on.”


    ire stumbled forwards as she struggled to keep up with her brother’s swift pace. She managed to keep her bnce, but a loose shoe fell off.


    “Next time will be better. I wasn’t satisfied with you being a Müller.”


    “Ah, Brother, slow down a little...!”


    At ire’s request, he finally stopped, right before the front door of the mansion. No, it wasn’t because of ire. He seemed to have something to say.


    “In truth, I didn’t expect you to do so well in the Academy.”


    He ced his hands on ire’s shoulders and offered her a rarepliment.


    “You’re one of the Crown Prince’s closest aides, aren’t you?”


    “I...”


    “Thanks to you, your value has risen. Now more families will want you.”


    Did he think ire Iris’ life was up for auction?


    “This time, I will connect you with the most influential and reliable family in the capital. If you do well, perhaps Duke Hird may be interested.”


    ire had a question. Why did she first learn the term “crazy bastard” in the Academy? There were many great examples in her family.


    In any case, she would no longer marry into the Muller family. As fortunate as she was, what would happen now? Would she go back out in front of everyone wearing beautiful dresses and makeup? Sit on a pedestal waiting for customers to make high princes? And Dean would always get a terrible deal.


    “I’ll go in.”


    “I’ll follow you anywhere. I don’t care if it gets messed up.”


    “Take hold of me. ire Iris.”


    Though he was a fool, he was sincere.


    “My D is the only beautiful memory in my mind...when sometimes I feel like I’m sinking in the mud...”


    Her words were sincere as well. She didn’t want to leave him in the mud.


    ‘I need to be in the right world.’


    When she reflected on it, Dean had always followed ire’s back since they were children. It was ire who first held out her hand to him, and so she was responsible for leading him to the right ce.


    “Brother.”


    ire pulled away from the hands on her shoulders.


    “As you said, my value has risen.”


    She took off her other shoe.


    “I have a good reputation among the professors and my grades are excellent. So—”


    “I know. I’ll leave out the small tadpole families. It would be best if we could move up as soon as we can with your reputation.”


    “That’s not it!”


    ire yelled at him for the first time in her life.


    “I n to use that value for myself.”


    “Yes, so a good family and—”


    “I don’t need a good family. I’m going to take the opportunity of everything I’ve umted.”


    “Opportunity?”


    “Opportunity to live as ire Iris!”


    Her words rushed out of her mouth. Her breathing was harsher, and her face was probably scrunched up.


    “It is a waste to sell everything about me in a single marriage sale. I can do other things...”


    Jjeut.


    The sound of her brother’s tongue clicking stopped ire’s words.


    “Education is a double-edged sword.”


    “...”


    “I sent you to the Academy because I thought I couldn’t sell you to anyone, but you came back with useless ideas.”


    He roughly pulled ire’s shoulders, and her hairpin fell out, causing her hair to tumble down. Her brother’s eyes looked frightening at this proximity.


    “The fake equality of the Academy is a fantasy. The world isn’t easy just because you’re a little smart!”


    “You won’t even give me a chance to fail!”


    “Why should you take such a risk? You can livefortably with a good family for a lifetime.”


    “Even if that life is a failure to me?”


    Count Iris gave a barkingugh.


    “Don’t make selfish arguments because you don’t know what the real world is like. Do you remember the broken Count Lapis? If you want that fate for your whole family, I won’t stop you.”


    “...”


    “I will have to fire all the people who served us for generations. The creditors wille into the mansion looking to collect debt.”


    ire clenched her fists. It wasn’t her fault that the family affairs became difficult.


    “You wanted to force the business to expand in the first ce...!”


    “That’s why it’s your duty.”


    “You’re just sacrificing me!”


    “I’m also making sacrifices. What’s wrong with making sacrifices between family?”


    ire felt as if she were being suffocated. The words family, sacrifice and duty seemed to have gained a strange meaning and tied up ire’s throat.


    “Let’s go back to the carriage. I’ll tell you the situation at the Academy.”


    The count pushed open therge door, and cold air rushed into the wide hall. ire frowned into the wind as she saw a carriage waiting for them in front of the mansion. She wondered if her brother prepared it, but it looked too modest to be his. Count Iris, who focused on outward appearance, would never use a carriage looking like that.


    More importantly, the man standing in front of the carriage was not a driver waiting for them. In this cold season, there was only one person who wore such a thin coat.


    “...Your Highness.”