CHAPTER 175: THE FALL OF THE THARVIS FAMILY (2)

The letter contained the results of the Austin family’s investigation into the man named Gerald—brief, but clear.

It revealed that Gerald had accepted a large bribe from the Tharvis family in exchange for keeping Elina and her entourage stalled at the city gates.

The bribe was no small matter: one million Sharn and a luxurious mansion on the city’s outskirts.

For a noble—let alone a princess like Elina—a mansion on the city’s outskirts might not mean much.

However, one million Sharn in cash was a different matter entirely. Even for her, it was a hefty sum.

Noticing her reaction, Nolan raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity. Sitting up straighter, he extended his left hand and asked, "May I read it?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Elina gave a small nod. She folded the letter and handed it to him.

Nolan took it and read through the contents. A moment later, he finished—but his expression didn’t change. It was as if he had already expected everything.

Naturally surprised, Rafine blurted out, "Why is your face so flat?"

She had imagined Nolan would react like Elina—but... what was with that blank face?

Nolan rolled his eyes and set the letter down on the table. Crossing his legs, he took a sip of tea, then looked at her with a playful, mocking glint in his eyes.

"Why act so surprised? Didn’t I already tell you Gerald was taking bribes from the Tharvis family?"

Rafine gasped as the memory of what this annoying man had said suddenly came back to her. A wave of embarrassment swept over her, turning her pretty face bright red.

"Pfft!" Elina burst out laughing. "Brother, don’t tease Young Lady Rafine like that. That’s just rude!"

Nolan chuckled softly and nodded. "You’re right. I’m sorry, Rafine."

Hearing that, Rafine’s shyness gradually faded, replaced by exaggerated annoyance.

"Humph! I won’t forgive you," she snorted coldly, turning her face away.

Nolan rubbed his temples in helpless frustration. He had no idea what was going on with Rafine, but ever since his father’s birthday party, she’d been unusually hostile toward him.

He hadn’t done anything to upset her, had he?

If Rafine could hear his thoughts, she would’ve snapped, "You annoying man! Quit acting clueless!"

Unfortunately, she didn’t—and even if she had, there was no way she could’ve said it out loud.

"By the way, Young Lady Rafine," Elina said, curiosity in her voice, "what happened to the Tharvis family? Are they...?"

Her question trailed off, but Rafine understood the implication.

Her expression turned complicated as she replied, "The Tharvis family will lose their title as a Count’s household, and their head, Renald Tharvis, will be severely punished by the Imperial Palace court."

Elina looked shocked and confused. With a slight frown, she asked hesitantly, "Wait a minute... was it Duke Austin who stripped them of their Count status?"

"Yes," Rafine nodded. "My father did it."

Seeing Elina’s puzzled expression, Rafine offered a faint smile before explaining, "You might not know this, but the Tharvis family didn’t earn their Count title through merit or achievement. In fact, the title was granted by one of my ancestors long ago. At that time..."

She then began to recount the history between the Tharvis and Austin families in detail.

Elina listened closely, her expression gradually shifting as if she were gaining a new perspective.

"I never imagined things happened that way," she murmured, letting out a quiet sigh.

The truth was, the Tharvis family’s noble title had been a gift from the Austin family.

Long ago, the ancestor of the Tharvis family had saved the life of the then-head of House Austin.

In gratitude, the Austin family petitioned the palace to grant the Tharvis family the title of Count.

Of course, becoming a Count wasn’t something that could be done easily.

Even a baronial family was required to possess its own territory—let alone a Count family.

To legitimize the petition, the head of House Austin at the time transferred authority over the city of Ostravia to the Tharvis family, enabling the request to be approved by the palace.

Naturally, this decision sparked resentment among other members of the Austin family. However, as the family head, his authority was absolute—no one could oppose him.

In the end, everything proceeded without issue. What they see now is simply the outcome of that choice.

"Actually, both my grandfather and father wanted to reclaim control of Ostravia City for the Austin family," Rafine said with a helpless tone. "But they couldn’t, because of the agreement made by the former head of the family—the one who handed the city’s territory over to the Tharvis family."

Nolan remained silent as he listened to her complaint. Still, from her words, it was clear that every Austin family head since then had been dissatisfied with that decision.

And it was understandable. Ostravia was the heart of the eastern region—every major trade route passed through it.

Controlling the city meant controlling the entire east. But that was the problem—one of the former Austin heads had casually given away that power, all in the name of repaying a so-called favor.

Frankly, Nolan was beginning to suspect that something about the story didn’t add up. It wasn’t impossible that the rescue performed by the first Tharvis leader had been a cover.

After all, it was hard to believe that a Duke could be ambushed—unless it was an attack carried out by a high-level assassin organization.

Yet, according to Rafine’s story, the attackers had only been a group of bandits. That sounded... off—strange and far from convincing.

Shaking off his thoughts, Nolan let out a slow breath and rose to his feet.

"Let’s go see your father, Rafine. He must be waiting, right?"

Rafine blinked in surprise and turned to him. "How did you know that?"

Nolan smiled and raised a finger to his lips.

"It’s a secret..."

***

"Father, how did this happen? Why us?"

Inside the dim prison cell, Richard cast a weary glance at his father, slumped beside him in silence.

The man who once stood tall with pride now looked completely drained—haggard, fragile, and burdened by sorrow. His once-regal purple robe hung in tatters, dirt-stained and faded.

Hearing his son’s question, Renald slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with sadness and frustration.

"I don’t know either, my son," he replied hoarsely. "None of this should’ve happened. Gerald was the one who should’ve been arrested, not us. I even made sure all the evidence was destroyed—there shouldn’t be anything left."

"Then why are we the ones behind bars?!" Richard snapped, his voice rising in anger.

Renald flinched at his son’s outburst but didn’t protest. This was his mistake, and he knew Richard had every right to be angry.

He drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself, then straightened up and spoke more steadily.

"Most likely, Gerald betrayed me. He must have told the Austin family about the deal," he said coldly.

Richard fell silent. That explanation made sense. If someone had set them up, Gerald was the most likely culprit.

"Alright, don’t lose your composure," Renald added, trying to ease the tension. "I’ll speak with Duke Austin later and try to persuade him to release us."