Chapter 60
“The day the garnet ring disappeared, Miss Susan did visit the bedroom. But she would never have taken the garnet ring, right? That’s why I told His Grace that I had lost it,” Rachel explained calmly, her blue eyes glimmering throughout her explanation. Stefan’s confusion only deepened.
Stefan seemed like someone who couldn’t believe that Susan, who lacked for nothing, would steal her sister-in-law’s ring and give it to Aileen. Rachel added more to clarify.
“However, three days ago, Miss Aileen came to me and handed me the garnet ring, saying she had found out that the ring Susan gave her as a gift was actually stolen from me.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Well… she showed me a letter she had received from Miss Susan. It said she needed money urgently and asked her to sell the garnet ring and send the proceeds.”
“Wait, wait!”
Stefan shot up from his chair and rushed to the window. He flung it open, as if trying to cool his heated thoughts.
Outside, the sky was as black as Stefan’s racing mind. If not for the sound of rain pattering down, one might not even notice it was raining.
Taking a deep breath, Stefan closed the window and returned to stand beside Rachel at the table.
“So, are you saying you asked Miss Aileen to sell the garnet ring?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know its value, and I’ve never conducted such a transaction before. That’s why I entrusted the matter to Miss Aileen. I thought that if Miss Susan was in unavoidable trouble, I could at least help her in this way.”
“Ha…”
Stefan let out a sigh of frustration. He knew all too well how much emergency money Rita had sent to Susan in the past.
Unaware of this, Rachel spoke in a more pitiful tone, revealing her own perspective.
“To be honest, married women need some emergency funds of their own.”
“…”
“But after marriage, it’s embarrassing to ask one’s family for money, and it’s not easy to bring up the topic of money with one’s husband either.”
“…”
“That’s why I wanted to offer some help to Miss Susan, however modest it might be…”
Rachel, who was unusually rambling on, struck Stefan as odd. He cautiously asked, “Do you, perhaps, need an emergency fund yourself?”
“W-what?”
Her eyes widened in surprise, as if Stefan had hit the nail on the head, and he gave her a small smile. It seemed he had greatly misunderstood her simplicity all this time.
“Didn’t Mother transfer the duchy’s operating funds to you?”
“…”
Seeing the obvious answer in her silence, Stefan chose not to press further. It was his fault for overlooking the fact that Rita would never hand over the enormous operating funds of the duchy, which rivaled the empire’s annual budget.
“Just tell me the amount you need. I’ll write you a draft right away.”
“Aren’t you going to ask what it’s for?”
“It would be impolite to question such matters between a married couple.”
“…”
For a moment, Stefan noticed Rachel gripping the napkin on her lap tightly. He realized his comment might have inadvertently hurt her pride and chose to stay silent.
But what Rachel said next was something he hadn’t expected at all.
“I’ve been planning to send Remington to the academy for a long time. If both Leopold and Remington leave the Courtney, I intended to rent out the manor to another noble to cover the tuition fees.”
However, there were no nobles interested in using the large estate as a vacation home, leaving her unable to secure funds for Remington’s tuition.
“If Your Grace could lend me the tuition fees for Remington, I’ll repay you as soon as the rental of the mansion is confirmed.”
Recalling Bell’s words, Stefan smirked bitterly. Though Leopold was said to be quick with numbers and skilled in calculating gains, it seemed he was still far behind Rachel.
“Renting out the mansion might tarnish the honor of House Burke.”
“…”
“Instead, why not place Burke Trading Company under the protection of the Edmond Guild?”
“Pardon?”
Rachel’s blue eyes, filled with waves of emotion, looked up at Stefan. The next moment, her expression shattered like waves crashing against a large rock. It was a pitiful sight.
‘Protection sounds nice, but doesn’t this mean the Edmond Guild wants to swallow Burke Trading Company whole?’
Moreover, this wasn’t a decision she could make without consulting Leopold. To hide the sweat dampening her palms, Rachel gripped the napkin in her hand even tighter.
Fully understanding her hesitation, Stefan gently tried to persuade her.
“My lady, I have no intention of taking over Burke Trading Company. Please don’t worry. Burke Trading Company will continue to operate independently, but under the Edmond Guild’s protection.”
“…….”
“Of course, you should discuss this with Lord Burke as well. Take all the time you need to think it over carefully.”
It was an offer she had never imagined. But since it wasn’t a bad one, Rachel hesitated.
“The Edmond Guild wouldn’t be taking a loss either, so you needn’t worry.”
“…….”
“If Burke Trading Company joins the Edmond Guild, the guild’s reach would extend to the provinces, which would be mutually beneficial.”
Only then did Rachel’s grip on the napkin loosen slightly. Her tense expression softened noticeably.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll discuss this with my brother tomorrow.”
“Shall we finish our meal, then?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The two of them sat back down, each lost in their own thoughts.
Stefan was concerned for Susan’s well-being. She had never before had a secret she couldn’t even share with their mother.
‘Does Susan really need money?’
He was also curious about why she needed such a large sum. Moreover, he wasn’t confident that Aileen, who wasn’t trustworthy in the slightest, would deliver the full amount to Susan.
Rachel, too, was flustered by Stefan’s unexpected reaction. That he would so readily agree to lend her the money for Remington’s tuition. And on top of that, he even suggested placing Burke Trading Company under the protection of the Edmond Guild.
‘Does he genuinely care about the well-being of the Burke family? Why? Could it be… because of me?’
She stole a glance at his face. His expression was unreadable. The way he cut his steak into bite-sized pieces and brought them to his mouth with his fork seemed almost mechanical.
The dining room was so silent it was almost suffocating, and the sound of the rain urging on autumn outside seemed unusually loud. Yet, to the two of them, lost in their own thoughts, it was likely inaudible. Like a couple sharing the same bed but dreaming different dreams.
***
As on any other morning, Stefan made his way to the Bayton Guild. The rain from the previous night had left the sky clearer, and the autumn air, carried by the sea breeze, felt exceptionally refreshing.
Perhaps it was because the misunderstandings about Rachel had been cleared up the night before. Or maybe it was because he was grateful for her honesty in confiding her situation.
“Autumn has already arrived,” Stefan remarked suddenly.
Rachel, who had been staring out the window, was startled. She was riding in the carriage with him to meet her brother.
“…Indeed.”
“Autumn is an exceptionally busy time for the Bayton Guild.”
“I see.”
Stefan’s faint smile appeared and disappeared as if amused by Rachel’s absentminded reply.
“Do you know why the Bayton Guild is so busy in the fall?”
“I’m not sure…”
“It’s because of preparations for winter.”
This piqued Rachel’s curiosity, and she turned toward Stefan, away from the window.
“Bayton Harbor is an ice-free port. Does it still need to prepare for winter?”
“Do you know what an ice-free port is?”
“Of course, it’s a harbor that doesn’t freeze and remains operational even in winter. I’ll have you know, I’m the daughter of a trading company’s head.”
Stifling a chuckle, Stefan continued his explanation.
“Having a major harbor like Bayton as an ice-free port is a blessing for the Merwin Empire. Many empires without ice-free ports become isolated in winter.”
Rachel nodded earnestly.
“Most merchant ships are barges. Barges that shuttle back and forth to deliver goods can’t operate efficiently when ports freeze over in winter. That’s why preparations for winter include establishing new trade routes and repairing ships before the season arrives.”
“I see…”
“There are two main types of winter preparations…”
Rachel found herself gazing at Stefan, who seemed particularly talkative today. Perhaps it was because of their conversation the night before, but he seemed unusually warm to her today, drawing her attention naturally.
Her heart began to race as an unexpected sense of anticipation washed over her.
‘If I told him I wanted to learn about trade, would he teach me himself?’
