Chapter 54
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 54
"I hope you're pleased with your purchase. Please visit us again."
Selena's face flushed with excitement as she received the carefully wrapped item in a simple wooden box.
"I made inquiries, but I never truly expected to find it. This is wonderful."
Once settled in the carriage, Selena clutched the box to her chest, her voice trembling with barely contained delight.
Grace found herself charmed by Selena's enthusiasm and smiled warmly.
"May I ask what it is, madam?"
"It's a mysterious object said to grant the most beautiful dreams. There are only a handful in existence, and scarcely anyone knows of it. I've been searching for years, and apparently it appeared at an auction about a year ago."
What on earth could make her so excited?
Selena leaned close, speaking in hushed tones as though sharing the world's greatest secret.
"Are you curious, Grace?"
Selena's expression suggested she would be disappointed if the answer were no.
Grace nodded with an amused smile.
As if she'd anticipated this, Selena's face brightened as she untied the lace ribbon on the wooden box.
"The unfortunate part is that this item originally came with a key. Fortunately, it functions perfectly well without it, but I still wish the key had been included."
The neat wrapping fell away, and the box's lid opened.
Selena carefully withdrew the object with both hands and presented it to Grace with a flourish.
"Here it is—the Dream Incense Burner. It's said to grant whatever dreams you desire. Isn't it exquisite?"
"...!"
Grace's gaze trembled as she stared at the object Selena had revealed.
She gasped, her lips quivering with shock, unable to suppress a shuddering breath.
'How... how is this here?'
Grace blinked repeatedly.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Though she'd forgotten about it, she could never mistake it.
'This is...'
"Grace? What's wrong?"
"This... so it appeared at an auction?"
"About a year ago, they said. Why, Grace? Do you know this item?"
The carriage lurched.
The incense burner resting on Selena's palm trembled with the movement.
A faded white ivory incense burner.
An antique red gemstone adorned its lid, and its base was shaped like a delicate flower.
Beautiful yet distinctive, this object was unmistakably not from the Kingdom of Zeronum.
Grace's trembling eyes fixed on the flower-shaped base of the burner.
'It's there.'
The moment she found the groove she'd been searching for, she squeezed her eyes shut.
This was her possession.
She was certain.
"You know what this is, don't you?"
Of course I did.
I knew it far too well.
How could I possibly not recognize it?
"Yes, perhaps."
Grace's trembling fingers brushed against the incense burner's smooth surface.
It was a sensation I could never forget.
The exact same feeling I remembered.
"It was my late mother's keepsake."
After Mother passed away, I had clung to this very incense burner through countless tearful nights.
'Grace, let your father keep this for now. I'll return it to you when you marry. Come, hand it over.'
'But Father, this is something Mother gave to me.'
'I know. That's precisely why I'm returning it when you marry, isn't it? Now, give it here. There's something I need to examine.'
'Father, no. I don't want to.'
'How dare you! Don't you understand that everything you own belongs to me? Mind your manners, Grace!'
Grace's hands clenched into tight fists.
'Did you... did you sell that item you promised to return, Father?'
* * *
"What...? Two hundred thousand grans?"
Marquess Capren's hand froze as he adjusted the tax rates for Oellin Territory.
True to his nature of personally verifying every trivial document, hundreds of papers were stacked before the Marquess.
He irritably threw down his fountain pen and glared at the Butler.
"We already paid the Temple, didn't we? Now they're demanding more money?"
"Well..."
Kashan, the Marquess's longtime trusted servant, wiped the cold sweat dripping beneath his spectacles.
"It appears the young master has laid hands on something belonging to the Temple."
"...What?"
"He was caught attempting to touch the sacred water. A fine of one hundred thousand grans was issued, and another one hundred thousand grans for repairing the vessel that held the sacred water, which became contaminated."
Marquess Oellin's face twisted.
"Why on earth would Norman do something so foolish...?"
He simply could not believe it.
That his brilliant and capable son would commit such an idiotic act was beyond comprehension.
To touch the Temple's sacred water out of boredom?
If Norman had actually attempted to steal the sacred water, the fine would not be two hundred thousand grans—it would be two million.
Temple matters never remained confined to the Temple alone.
Because the Temple maintained close ties with the Royal Palace, damaging Temple property or assaulting priests could result in immediate imprisonment in the Royal Palace dungeons.
Yet Capren found it utterly unbelievable that Norman would recklessly touch anything despite knowing this.
'...Could he have injured his head at that time?'
It had been strange enough that he fearlessly approached that enormous black horse, but since being struck by the horse and hitting a tree, his behavior seemed distinctly off.
'This is serious trouble.'
If the condition of my only eldest son deteriorated, the future of the Oellin Marquessate would be bleak.
Capren Oellin's expression grew grave.
Norman was the heir who would lead the Oellin Marquessate that I had built throughout my lifetime.
He was a child destined to accomplish far more than I had, yet I could not stand idly by while his future became uncertain due to this unfortunate accident.
My proud son could never become a fool, but I still needed to prepare for any unforeseen dangers.
'I must hasten Norman's marriage as soon as the treatment is complete.'
If any unsavory rumors spread and made his marriage difficult, it would be a loss for the Marquessate.
It was unlikely, but I couldn't afford to take chances—I needed to move even faster.
There was nothing to gain by wasting time.
"Pay the Temple immediately."
If the incident occurred at the Temple, settling it for two hundred thousand grans was actually a bargain.
Yet the thought of spending money that need not have been spent twisted my insides.
"Blast it all—where in the world did that black horse come from?"
Everything stemmed from that cursed black horse.
Norman's need to go to the Temple for treatment, the outrageous sum extorted in Hiss—all of it traced back to that wretched black horse.
Yet despite all my inquiries, I could not locate the beast.
Such an extraordinary animal surely would have been seen by someone, somewhere, yet it vanished without a trace.
"Begging your pardon, sir. The Temple has sent word requesting that you retrieve the young master at once."
"What?! I've already paid for a full month's treatment—why would they—?"
Marquess Oellin's bewilderment was evident, and Butler Thomas regarded him with visible discomfort before carefully speaking.
"They say they cannot continue treating someone who poses a risk of damaging Temple property again. They also report that his wounds have nearly healed, and that he need only convalesce at the Estate."
"They took my money and now they won't do their job properly?!"
Marquess Oellin could not contain his fury and rose abruptly.
The frustration in my chest demanded relief—I craved a cigarette.
I withdrew an expensive Eastern Continent cigar and lit it.
The acrid smoke burned down my throat.
My head spun slightly, and the roiling anger within me began to subside.
Exhale—
After smoking for some time, my pupils slightly dilated as I spoke.
"...And Grace—what has become of her?"
Exhale—
The acrid smell of cigar smoke quickly filled the room.
The Butler made an effort not to grimace as he answered.
"...Her leg has recovered well, but her arm—ahem, well, I understand she injured her arm. The Duke's Residence will continue her treatment for a few more days. And, well, the Previous Duke's wife has returned to the Town House, and it seems Grace has become friends with the young lady—ahem—and they have requested that Grace remain at the Duke's Residence for a few more days."
The Butler's lungs were not robust.
Each time the acrid smoke stung his nose, he barely managed to suppress the urge to cough.
No matter how difficult it was, he could not show discomfort before the Marquess.
"Ha, women gathering together with nothing better to do than gossip. Idle creatures—whenever they congregate, all they scheme about is amusement."
The Marquess's tongue was slightly slurred from inhaling the smoke.
The Marquess lounged for a moment before waving his hand dismissively at Thomas, gesturing for him to leave.
The Butler departed without hesitation, slipping through the smoke-filled room.
Whoosh—
After burning through his cigar for some time, the Marquess staggered toward the safe beneath his desk and opened it. The moment he glimpsed the contents, his eyes widened with unbridled delight.
Each glance at the glittering hoard filled me with satisfaction.
There were a full twenty gold ingots. Alongside them lay numerous collateral documents obtained through various unsavory methods.
Merely gazing upon this was enough to satiate any hunger.
The Marquess smiled with contentment and withdrew several of the weighty gold ingots.
"Those filthy swine... I'll feed them this, and then hasten the marriage. Yes, the marriage must be expedited. Kekeke."
The Marquess extracted five blood-red gold ingots before closing the safe door with trembling, weakened hands.
But in that very instant, just before the door shut completely, a document appeared between the papers—one that should never have been visible.
A start.
Startled, my hands instinctively wrenched the safe open again.
My clouded eyes snapped wide.
"No... surely not... again...?"
Disbelieving, I stared with wavering eyes at the yellow paper hidden among the documents, now unmistakably clear.
It couldn't be. It was impossible.
...It had to be impossible!
The haze of cigar smoke that had clouded my mind dissipated entirely.
I frantically retrieved the yellow paper and examined it.
"...!"
A gasp.
Shock seized my throat. A terrified voice escaped unbidden.
"But... I destroyed it... I burned it in the fire... so how, how is it here again...?"
The yellow paper was a contract.
A formal contract bearing his name and seal.
The other party to the contract was the Previous Marquess's wife—Grace's mother, Elenoa Rothesa.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org