Chapter 63
However, what awaited her at the pawnshop was not the gold boxes but the owner’s furious outburst.
“Don’t you dare set foot in my shop again, you thief!”
The pawnshop owner, who had forced Aileen out of the shop, dumped a bucket of water on her. This drew the attention of passersby, who turned to watch the commotion.
“You had the audacity to use the duchess’s name to make me handle stolen goods? If it weren’t for the duke, I’d have already handed you over to the authorities!”
The pawnshop owner, who didn’t care about her being a count’s daughter, was too worried about getting dragged into trouble himself to hold back.
But clueless as ever, Aileen insisted on speaking.
“B-but at least return my gold boxes.”
“Why would the gold boxes be yours? They belong to the duke!”
“W-what? Don’t tell me…”
“Starting to connect the dots, are we? The duke already came and took them. Now get out of my sight!”
The cold autumn wind mercilessly pierced Aileen’s soaked body. The chill cleared her mind, and she hastily climbed into a passing carriage, heading toward the Blanche estate.
By now, rumors must have spread throughout the capital that Lady Blanche had stolen the Edmond duchess’s garnet ring. Rachel’s prediction that she would soon become the most infamous woman in the capital was well on its way to becoming a reality.
***
“‘Assistance,’ you say? Sounds more like Edmond Guild wants to swallow up the Burke Merchant Group whole!”
Leopold’s sharp reaction wasn’t entirely unreasonable. However, the option I presented was the best choice for us siblings.
“It’s not like that. It just means they’ll help since the Burke Merchant Group can’t manage independently right now. They’ll even lend us funds for Remington’s tuition.”
“Why is it so necessary to send Remington to the Capital Academy?”
“…Because I want him to be properly educated.”
“The academy in Courtney is more than enough. The faculty there is excellent—I can vouch for that since I’m an alumnus myself.”
“There’s no one left in Courtney anymore. Since both of us are in the capital, it only makes sense to bring Remington here, too.”
“But if I move back to Courtney soon…”
“Leo, that’s not something you can decide on your own.”
Leopold fell silent. It seemed he couldn’t argue against my point.
Since our parents’ accident, the three of us had lost the freedom to make independent decisions. It was no different from when Leopold, with no other choice, decided to marry me off to Stefan.
“It’s a bit early, but Remington needs to learn independence too.”
“He’s only thirteen. He still needs our care and guidance.”
“We’re hardly capable guardians ourselves, stumbling through life as we are. That’s why we need to rely on educational institutions to help.”
“Even so, the Capital Academy is too much. The aristocratic cliques in the capital are brutal. A timid boy like Remington won’t last.”
“Why are you the one deciding that?”
“What?”
“It’s Remington’s life. It’s not our place to make that decision for him.”
My firm words left Leopold speechless. Perhaps he was beginning to see me not as the little sister he had to protect but as a mature sibling. It was time to drive the point home.
“You’re the one who proposed my marriage to Stefan, but I was the one who decided to go through with it. Finn offered to teach us about the merchant trade, but it was you who let him into our home.”
“……”
“There will undoubtedly be moments when I regret my choices. But living a life where I resent others for decisions made on my behalf is far less meaningful than living one where I take responsibility for my own.”
As I spoke with conviction, my meaningful gaze caused Leopold to smirk.
“Seems like life in the capital suits you. In just a hundred days, Rachel’s grown up so much.”
“And you’ve grown too, Leo.”
“Me?”
“You haven’t run away despite the tedious tasks I’ve been giving you.”
“If I can’t handle even this, I don’t deserve to be the family head.”
His smile seemed unusually bitter. Both of us, for now, had to devote ourselves to our duties, leaving no room for comforting words.
I could only hope our efforts would bear fruit. Someday, when we stood at a crossroads of vital choices, we would finally make decisions for ourselves alone.
“Leo, once Remington starts at the Capital Academy, I’m thinking of learning the trade myself.”
“Why would you? Isn’t managing the duchy enough to keep you busy?”
“I’ve always wanted to live like Mother.”
“Rachel, I understand your admiration, but Mother’s life might have been too difficult for any woman.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Mother always felt guilty about not spending enough time with us.”
“But she always gave her best—to us, to the merchant group, and to managing the estate.”
“That’s true.”
“Isn’t that amazing? Living like her means you can overcome any hardship.”
“What kind of hardships could the Duchess of Edmond possibly face?”
I smiled lightly at my brother, who tried to downplay my aspirations.
‘Leo, you never know what life holds. I certainly didn’t expect to experience a regression or to return to the Edmond family as a daughter-in-law.’
I then declared that I would continue preparing for Remington’s admission to the Capital Academy from the ducal estate.
“Rita—the Dowager Duchess—won’t allow it.”
“She will. Don’t worry about it, Leo.”
“…Then that’s a relief.”
Though he said that, knowing Rita’s personality, Leopold’s gaze remained filled with concern as he looked at me.
“I’ll handle Remington’s admission, so focus on learning your duties. Stefan is meticulous about the merchant trade, so don’t give him any reason to criticize you.”
“He’s already dumped a huge burden on me, and I’ve been extremely careful.”
“A burden?”
“He assigned me someone to train, even though I can barely manage myself. And it’s a woman!”
“Don’t tell me her name is Hazel?”
“You know her?”
I bit my lip to stifle a laugh. It might come across as mocking to my overly serious brother.
“Don’t bully her—be kind to her.”
“Do you think I’m the kind of guy who picks on women?”
“I didn’t mean that, but…”
“By the way, how do you know her?”
“…She’s a distant relative of Stefan. She’s been through a lot, so she’s thoughtful and tenacious.”
I chose to keep the fact that Hazel was Stefan’s former fiancée to myself. Sharing too much could create unnecessary biases against her.
“That explains a lot…”
“Explains what?”
“She’s a bit reserved, but she’s pretty good at her job.”
“Really?”
“She doesn’t shy away from difficult tasks and seems determined. She’s got a knack for work, too.”
It seemed his first impression of Hazel wasn’t bad. I felt relieved, thinking they might push each other to improve as rivals.
“Hazel will catch up to you in no time.”
“That’s impossible. I’m the head of the Burke Merchant Group.”
“Put your pride aside and start learning from the ground up, Leo.”
“I’m already doing that. Don’t worry.”
“I’ve taken up enough of your time. I’ll head back now.”
“Take care, Rachel.”
“Don’t overwork yourself, and if you need anything, ask Stefan or Finn.”
“Don’t worry about me—just take good care of Remington.”
Leopold’s embrace was as warm as ever. No matter how many times we said goodbye, parting from family was always heartbreaking.
***
“Who did you hand the bag to?”
A furious man grabbed the tavern owner by the collar and shook him violently. The rugged-looking owner pleaded desperately, his expression pitiful like a child’s.
“I didn’t know the boss himself would come! The person gave the correct passphrase, so I thought they were the messenger and handed over the item…”
The man, his purple eyes glinting dangerously, shoved the tavern owner aside, clearly frustrated.
“How did the passphrase leak? There’s no way Aileen would’ve betrayed me.”
Elliot had taken it upon himself to handle this personally since it involved a significant payout. Moreover, he needed to send a threatening letter to Rita, so he had come to the capital himself. Yet nothing was going as planned.
The carrier pigeon sent to Rita had returned with its emerald cufflinks removed and an empty message capsule. Rumors about Aileen stealing the Duchess of Edmond’s ring were rampant on Bayton Street.
And now, the gold boxes had been taken by some unknown party. The trip to the capital was proving entirely fruitless, and Elliot’s anger boiled over.
“I’ll head to the Blanche estate and meet Aileen. She’d better explain what the hell is going on.”
