Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.-Chapter 244: Fear of the duke.

Later that very day, as ordered by his father, Isak was making his way toward the site where he could find Lord Dorian and have a one-on-one conversation with him.

Actually, a huge part of the reason was because he wanted to be as far away from the royal castle as possible.

After the near-death experience he just faced from his father, he would not dare to remain in the castle a moment longer.

As such, Isak was seated inside the moving carriage and heading toward where Dorian was.

But that wasn’t all...

The sound of the moving carriage climbing against small bumps on the ground echoed. Each time, Isak’s body would shake from the impact.

He was staring out the window, a small frown on his face as the wind blew against his skin.

"What are you doing here?" he finally spoke out loud, though his gaze was still directed toward the window.

Seated right beside him on that very bench was his little sister, younger than him by a single year, Elizabeth Sualan.

She had long blonde hair that was packed in a perfectly sized bun, and she wore a beautiful, flowy red gown that hid every part of her legs.

If that wasn’t enough, she also wore long, transparent red gloves that covered her arms all the way to her elbows.

She also carried with her a white cat, sleeping peacefully on her thighs.

"Aww, what is this? Is dear old brother hating on his cute little sister for wanting to follow him on his little work trip? I must say you are rather lame. Most elder brothers love these kinds of things, you know. You should be grateful."

The mere sensation of her voice entering his ear in that moment annoyed him so much. If he had the power to, he would toss her out of the carriage to fend for herself.

That was how much he truly hated his younger sister.

Glancing her way, he uttered, "Let me guess, Mother put you up to this."

Upon hearing those words, Elizabeth adopted a somewhat serious look on her face. It was almost like she found it disgusting that her brother would even guess that.

"Wow. There you go again. Trying to prove that you are smart in some way." Elizabeth placed her hand on her chest, a smug look on her face.

"I’ll have you know it was Father who sent me, and he made sure to give me the orders in a way that I can understand."

"What did he say?" Asked Isak, unable to hide the fact that he was curious to know what his father could have asked of her that he didn’t ask of him.

At first, he assumed his mother, Lalatina, had deceived Elizabeth into following him to meet the Duke and find a way to destroy him from the inside. That was why he chose not to engage with her to begin with.

However, if his father was the one who gave the order this time, there was no ounce of doubt that could clear his mind.

Elizabeth chuckled a bit, then she swept her hair behind her.

"Normally, I am not supposed to tell you secrets like this. But Father wants me to get close to the Duke and make him fall in love with me."

"What?" Isak looked both distraught and disgusted.

"That was the order Father gave me. He told me to get as close as possible to the Duke and ask for his hand in marriage. Something about love being able to take control of people."

Isak understood what she meant. And yet, even he could see the absurdity of the plan, especially considering he was the only one to have met Dorian Aurelian face to face.

"Do you really think a man like that cares? He gets attention from hundreds of women, many of whom are willing to do anything just for a chance to be with him."

Elizabeth frowned.

"What are you trying to imply? That I am not good enough?"

"Yes." Isak glared at her. "Have you seen his wives? All three of them just so happen to be Lord Rank. Capable of enslaving an entire kingdom if given the chance."

But he didn’t stop there.

"His wives would never let you near him. And if that wasn’t enough to scare you, you should also know they will kill you before you lay a single hand on him."

"..."

Elizabeth’s cheeks puffed up in annoyance, her lips forming a thin line. She clutched the white cat on her lap tighter.

"You’re just jealous, Isak. You’re jealous that Father trusts me with a delicate mission like this. Besides," she huffed, lifting her chin, "I’m a royal princess. Those three noble wives of his might be powerful, but they still have to show deference to the Royal Family. They won’t dare lay a hand on me, not while I have Father’s backing."

Isak let out a short, humorless laugh.

"Deference? Elizabeth, you clearly don’t understand who you’re dealing with. The Duke’s power—and the power of his wives—far exceeds simple court politics. Dorian Aurelian doesn’t care for your ’royal deference.’ He cares about strength, and you have none."

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low, intense whisper.

"And his wives? They are known as the strongest women in the entire continent. They didn’t marry him for love, Elizabeth. They married him to consolidate their power and protect their own families. They view every other woman near him as a threat to their carefully constructed structure. Your father’s ’love will control him’ plan is a foolish fantasy built on fairy tales. You are a pawn being sent to a slaughterhouse."

The fear in his words, despite his underlying hatred for her, was palpable. Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably, the bravado fading slightly. The cat, sensing her tension, stirred and opened one golden eye before going back to sleep.

"But... Father said that even if the marriage doesn’t happen, getting close to him is the first step," she murmured, her voice less firm. "He said that if I could get the Duke to trust me, I could find out his weaknesses. He said you were too stiff and too obvious, but I could use my charm."

Isak sighed, leaning back against the plush seat.

"Our father is a fool blinded by fear and ambition. He sees the Duke as a target, not a person. And he sees you as a disposable tool too. If you manage to get close enough to find a weakness, that same closeness will be what the Duke uses to crush you and our entire family. This isn’t a game, Elizabeth."

He didn’t need to look at her to know she was scared now. The silence in the carriage thickened, broken only by the rhythmic clatter of the wheels on the road, carrying them steadily toward the Duke’s estate and whatever fate awaited them both.

Finally, the carriage came to a halt.

They had arrived at the site.

....

[A/M]

I had to write this half asleep; please pardon the errors if there are any.