Chapter 75
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Chapter 75
Wahaha!
It was a place where subtle music thrummed and the pungent aroma of spirits hung thick in the air.
The building was grand and imposing, its interior drenched in the mingled laughter of men and women.
Capren Oellin staggered out from the Salon where noble gentlemen gathered in secret congregation.
His butler, Thomas, who had been waiting, quickly steadied him.
"Khehehehe. I feel magnificent. Absolutely magnificent!"
"You are quite intoxicated, sir. Allow me to escort you to the Estate."
"Hahaha! Yes, let us go. We must return to where my precious Grace awaits!"
He hiccupped with drunken glee as he climbed into the carriage.
His pockets had grown light from settling his tab, yet it mattered not.
After all, he was to become the son-in-law of the Duke himself—what had he to fear?
Even should the Marquess face ruin, he now possessed a formidable backing.
Lucas Black's coffers would flow like an inexhaustible spring, quenching his thirst.
The thought of power, status, respect, and wealth all falling into his hands made his shoulders quiver with delight.
Laughter spilled from his lips like that of a fool.
'Hehe. Hehehehe. Look, Elenoa. I, whom you so despised, have become the most prominent nobleman in this realm.'
And it was all thanks to that woman's daughter.
The very daughter she had fought so desperately to protect.
"...Oh, Grace. Grace. My foolish daughter."
A woman who trembled at the mere touch of a pen nib.
A woman with a docile countenance yet eyes that gleamed with savage intensity when raised.
It had always been thus since childhood.
Even when gaunt and withered, the sight of those eyes raised in defiance sent shivers down his spine.
Though she surely carried his blood, she felt less like his daughter and more like that woman's child.
Perhaps it was because she bore no resemblance to him whatsoever, only to her mother.
He sensed that Grace might one day strike him down without warning.
This very fear drove him to grip her ever tighter, like a man clutching a mouse.
'Hmph. What could she possibly do to me? She bears the name Oellin, after all.'
Upon arriving at the Estate, Capren pushed away Thomas's supporting arm and staggered into the Study.
With unsteady hands, he opened the safe and withdrew the deed of gift for the diamond mine that Lucas had bestowed upon him.
He caressed it repeatedly with his rough palms.
Merely holding this filled his heart with such abundance.
Eager and impatient, the Duke had accelerated the wedding with Grace to within a mere month.
It was unseemly, yet he cared not.
He himself was eager to bind the Black Family to his own with all haste.
'That coercion from before was galling, certainly... but what of it? Now the House of Marquess Oellin and the Duke's Residence are bound together by law as family.'
Capren mused with satisfaction.
He gave no thought to how meaningless such legal bonds could prove to be.
If need be, I could simply ensnare Grace, who had fallen so deeply for Duke Black.
I was confident in that much, at least.
"Hahahaha..."
Once I married Norman to Princess Vivian, my position would become even more secure.
Princess Vivian stubbornly refused to marry, but I had already secured the support of twenty out of the forty-two noble families.
If the majority of nobles in the Nobility Council pushed forward, no matter how much the princess resisted, the marriage would inevitably proceed.
Traditionally, the royal family—especially the women—bore an obligation to marry and produce more heirs.
So what could this wretched girl do if the Nobility Council invoked duty against her resistance?
"Puhihi, hihihihi!"
Capren Oellin, sprawled across his chair, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
His shoulders shook, spittle flew, and the chair beneath him, unable to bear his convulsing form, toppled backward.
Crash!
"Ow!"
As he fell backward, blood gushed from his nose.
Capren Oellin hunched over, clutching his profusely bleeding nose, when a yellow sheet of paper from somewhere on his desk fluttered down and covered his face.
"Damn it, what is this... Aaaaah!"
Capren Oellin grabbed the paper in shock and threw it away.
"Curse it, that, that, that shouldn't still be here!"
I had given explicit orders to Thomas and the head maid.
Whenever that yellow paper appeared, dispose of it immediately.
Burn it, tear it up—make it disappear.
Yet there it was again.
Trembling, I reached out to tear the paper in a sudden surge of irritation, then stopped.
I picked it up again and read it carefully.
No matter how many times I read it, the final sentence troubled me most.
"...Damn it."
[The magnitude of penalties shall be stipulated as five times the discrepancy resulting from the contract's non-fulfillment, or misfortune equivalent to ten million Gran in titles and assets.]
This contract haunted me like a nightmare.
It appeared without warning, as though to blackmail me, pressing down upon me relentlessly.
After Elenoa, the contract's other party, died, I had disposed of this document.
I had believed it was something I no longer needed to honor.
Indeed, when Grace was young, the paper barely appeared at all.
But as Grace grew and her independence drew near, this yellow paper began to torment me like a nightmare.
It appeared without warning, reminding me that time was running out, pressing me relentlessly.
I shot up and muttered curses before quickly summoning the butler.
"Thomas! Thomas!"
"Yes, Marquess."
The butler, who had been waiting nearby, rushed over immediately.
I ground my teeth and issued my command.
"Track down all of Grace's belongings that were sold at auction!"
"...What?"
"Every single one of them—don't miss a thing! Spare no expense on the cost! Blast it all, you need to find them within a month before Grace's wedding!"
At his outburst, Thomas's expression hardened momentarily, but as always, he offered no protest and departed.
Grace's wedding was now merely twenty days away.
* * *
"Are these the ones?"
"Yes, sir. From what I've gathered, there are a few more, but we're still tracking those down. However, I believe we'll have them in hand soon enough."
Haem was meticulously verifying the inventory listed on the ledger, recounting the items once more.
At Haem's words, Lucas broke into a satisfied smirk.
Not long ago, I had learned from Selena about the incense burner.
'It seems the Marquess sold off the late Marquess's wife's belongings without so much as informing Grace. Among them were heirlooms meant to be passed down to her. Unfortunately, it appears they were all seized and lost.'
The moment I heard that account, I immediately set about tracing the Marquess's auction history.
It appeared he had sold off anything of value the moment it came into his hands—the auction records numbered over two hundred transactions.
Haem's secretaries had to labor painstakingly to track down and repurchase each one.
I rewarded their efforts with ten kilograms of premium jerky each.
Proper compensation ensured that servants approached their duties with genuine motivation.
The greater their satisfaction, the higher their loyalty and efficiency became.
Knowing this, I was never stingy when it came to rewarding my attendants and subordinates.
Inside the Estate, a rather spacious room had been filled with an assortment of items.
A dozen or so servants following behind Haem were methodically organizing them.
"These items are for His Lordship and the young lady to use in the Bridal Chamber, so wash them thoroughly. Those over there were specially selected by His Lordship, so pack them carefully and place them in the young lady's former room."
At Haem's instructions, the items vanished in an instant.
Haem handed me the items arranged on the tray and spoke.
"We've collected everything, sir. Though false names were used, fortunately they weren't concealed thoroughly enough to prevent tracking. The hand mirror, hair ribbon, and dress should arrive by tomorrow."
"Hmm, it seems there are some items mixed in that don't belong to her...."
"I've already informed Julie in advance. She's agreed to conduct a preliminary screening herself, so we can place our hopes in her."
"Good."
Only after examining each item on the tray one by one could I prepare to depart.
On my way down to the Lobby to board the carriage, Haem stifled a yawn behind his hand.
"Yawning before your master, no less. Where else could one find a master as magnanimous as I?"
"Isn't it rather barbaric to deny someone even the freedom to yawn? And do you not believe my workload has been excessive enough to warrant such fatigue?"
"Hmm, whoever's servant you are, you're remarkably impudent."
"Come now, don't be like that. I'm still respectful enough in other contexts, am I not? I'm genuinely exhausted right now, so please overlook it this once with the same magnanimity of the sea."
Haem groaned theatrically, exaggerating as he rubbed his lower back.
"Or perhaps reduce my workload. At this rate, I'll retire without ever experiencing romance, let alone marriage. Sigh...."
I suppose I must concede the point.
Work had indeed been rather heavy of late.
His already lean frame, tall as a giraffe's, appeared even more gaunt.
Since this had been weighing on my mind, I had already prepared a reward for Haem.
How should I put it?
The moment I think about getting married soon, my heart keeps growing more generous.
It was a peculiar thing.
As happy as I was, I found myself wanting to share this feeling with everyone around me.
All of this was Grace's influence.
Lucas Black's mood brightened even further as he thought of Grace.
He chuckled softly, rubbing his chin, then pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket's inner pocket and tossed it casually to Haem.
"Take it."
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