Chapter 157
Before leaving the principality, I summoned the butler and reviewed old account books based on Ascart’s words.
I wanted to check how much money the countess had spent during her visits to the principality.
And I was truly shocked.
‘No matter how much it’s someone else’s money…’
The countess was incredibly extravagant.
Amber County wasn’t a small noble house by any means, yet there were days when she spent an entire year’s worth of the county’s budget in just one day.
‘Someone like that hasn’t been able to visit the principality for nearly ten years…’
She must have been holding back and restraining herself a great deal during that time.
Taking that into account, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how tempting those earrings I showed her must have seemed.
Of course, if she found out I never intended to give them to her from the start, she’d probably faint from shock. But since she had no idea, she was likely regretting her harsh words toward me while desperately longing for the earrings she couldn’t have.
And instead of badmouthing me, she was probably fantasizing about getting those earrings, or something else, from me in the future.
Or maybe, she’d go even further and start praising me, flaunting her connection to me?
***
…That was what I thought just a few days ago.
Yet now, she was going around claiming that she had refused the earrings after merely getting a glimpse of them. I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
Honestly, I expected the countess to stay quiet for a while out of fear of my mother.
I thought she’d visit the marquis’ residence again in a few days, either to apologize or to insist that everything had been a misunderstanding while trying to win me over.
But to think she’s already out there, happily receiving gifts disguised as bribes and enjoying herself…
In a way, she was a truly simple-minded person.
She’d been in high society much longer than I had, so she surely knew that no kindness came without strings attached. Yet she was chasing immediate pleasures without considering the consequences.
She probably just isn’t thinking too deeply about it.
From what my mother had told me, the countess had a rather reckless personality.
Perhaps she had also brushed off my mother’s near-final warning as mere words.
“If she had come back to apologize, I would’ve considered treating her as my aunt again.”
After sending Jane away, I clicked my tongue and turned toward my desk.
Let her enjoy herself for now. She’d be in trouble soon enough, but that was her own doing.
“More importantly, I think it’s time to start moving.”
The three-day-long Founding Festival was right around the corner.
With foreign envoys and tourists flocking to the capital to celebrate the founding of the Raksten Empire, it was the busiest season of the year.
It was also when noble families enforced their strictest security measures.
But I was aiming for the period right after the festival ended…
The time when security would be at its weakest. And given the current decline of the Pettier family, their security would be even more lax.
Fortunately, over the past few days, I had gradually pieced together old memories and managed to redraw a complete map of the count’s residence.
Kenneth Pettier’s father, the Count of Pettier, was a talkative man who loved to boast.
When drunk, he would often blabber about things people usually wouldn’t discuss, such as the internal layout of his mansion or the treasures he had acquired.
That had proven to be extremely helpful.
I tapped my fingers on the spot next to the staircase leading to the mansion’s third floor, deep in thought.
‘He said this was connected to the underground vault where they stored their treasures. Would they have put it there?’
Or perhaps, failing to recognize the artifact’s true value, they might have tossed it into the storage shed by the annex instead.
“I need to gather more information.”
***
That evening, I was in the middle of getting dressed as I had promised to go out with Diana.
Just as I finished putting on my bonnet over my braided-up hair, I heard a familiar voice and the sound of movement outside my door.
“Sis, it’s me, Diana! Can I come in?”
“Of course, come in.”
“Wow…”
The moment Diana stepped inside, she cupped her cheeks and murmured in a daze.
“Sis, you look so pretty!”
“You too, Diana.”
“No way! You’re the prettiest in the world!”
Diana shook her head furiously and clenched her fists with determination, looking so adorable that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“But is it already time for our outing? I thought I was hurrying…”
“Nope! I came early. I wanted to see you!”
Giggling, I asked, “What about the others?”
Diana said they were waiting in the lobby on the first floor.
Hearing that Allen and Jack were downstairs, I quickly made my way down, only to find my parents there as well, seeing us off.
The moment my father saw me, his face lit up with emotion.
“My daughter, you look absolutely radiant today!”
“Dad, come on!”
He complimented me the same way he always did, but for some reason, it felt even more embarrassing today—perhaps because we weren’t at the Grand Duchy, or because Jack and Allen were present.
“What? I’m just stating the truth. Don’t you two agree?”
“Uh…”
“…Yes, Your Grace is absolutely correct.”
Allen nodded blankly, while Jack hesitated for a moment before responding.
My face burned.
But my father’s doting didn’t stop there.
“Oh! Jack, was it? You seem to have good taste!”
He even slung an arm around Jack’s shoulders and looked like he was about to start praising me again, so I quickly stepped in between them.
“Dad, that’s enough! Jack, why were you nodding along with him?”
There was a time when I thought Jack could never tell a lie…
‘Sigh. Socializing really is tough, huh.’
“Huh?”
I gave Jack a light pat on the arm as he tilted his head in confusion, then shot my father a small glare.
His face instantly turned pitiful, making it impossible for me to stay mad.
Instead, I burst out laughing.
At least the atmosphere seems good. I had been a little worried that Jack might feel uncomfortable meeting my parents.
As I stood there, I recalled their first encounter a few days ago.
⟨Your Grace the Grand Duke, Your Grace the Grand Duchess, it is an honor to meet you for the first time. My name is Jack Sedian.⟩
⟨Ah, I see. Nice to mee— Wait! Jack? As in the one Adriana wanted to introduce to us?!⟩
Suddenly, my father’s eyes widened in an uncharacteristic way, and he scrutinized Jack from head to toe.
Jack stiffened, looking completely at a loss, and I had to hurriedly step in to defuse the situation.
Still, it was truly baffling.
When my parents had asked about my childhood, rather than telling them about the bad experiences I had in the orphanage, I often talked about how kind and good of a friend Jack was.
And I even praised him, saying he would become an incredible knight someday.
Of course, I knew my father didn’t mean any harm, but staring at someone so intently that they became flustered? That was a bit much.
The whole thing seemed strange, so I later asked my parents if Jack had done something wrong.
But my mother only smiled knowingly, while my father just wiped his sweat and failed to give me a proper answer.
Still, seeing the atmosphere today, I felt relieved that things didn’t seem bad.
As I nodded in reassurance, a large hand suddenly reached out toward me.
“Let’s go, Lia.”
It was Jack.
I blinked at his outstretched hand and his face, then smiled.
“Jack, this reminds me of the past. You’ve really become a true knight now.”
“…I was a knight back then too. Even if I was just a squire.”
“Yeah, you were.”
I nodded and smiled, just about to take his hand…
“Sis, let’s go!”
Diana suddenly appeared behind me, linking her arm through mine and pulling me forward.
Before I knew it, I was stepping through the doorway, so I waved back at my parents.
They returned my wave.
Fortunately, they didn’t ask if we needed guards.
I suppose it helps that my companions are among the few Sword Masters on the continent…
Even though my parents knew of my abilities, they always worried about me like I was a child left alone near water. But with Allen and Jack around, they must have felt reassured.
Of course, Jane, my maid and personal guard, seemed a bit disappointed that she couldn’t come along. But I had assigned her a different task, so she would have to endure it.
With a light heart, I stepped out of the marquis’ residence.
***
The moment the door closed, the smiles disappeared from the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’s faces.
The Grand Duchess quickly patted her husband’s hand and whispered.
“You held back well.”
“Did you see that just now? He was about to hold hands with our daughter… right in front of us!”
“It was just an escort.”
“Even so!”
The Grand Duke clenched his fists, trembling with frustration.
“Luckily, Lady Elard interrupted, so we didn’t have to witness that… But is it really okay to let our daughter spend time alone with such a big and… suspicious-looking guy?”
“What else would you do? Follow them in secret?”
“Would that be allowed?”
“Of course not!”
The Grand Duke pouted at his wife’s firm response.
The Grand Duchess shook her head in exasperation.
“Unbelievable. You were so clueless when we were dating, but as a father, your instincts are razor-sharp.”
“…What?”
“Nothing. More importantly…”
Lowering her voice, the Grand Duchess spoke gravely.
“Lia’s friend might not be the real problem. The real danger might be Lady Elard!”
“Huh? Why Lady Elard…?”
“Did you already forget what I told you?”
The Grand Duchess, who had initially looked exasperated, soon became indignant.
“I told you about one of the gifts sent from Duke Elard’s household!”
“Ah, you mean the sapphire bracelet, which was said to be a family heirloom?”
“Exactly. And that bracelet was also a keepsake from the late Duchess!”
The Grand Duchess vividly remembered how, after Dominique overthrew his father, the former Duke, the first thing he claimed was the late duchess’s keepsake—the family heirloom bracelet.
He had treasured it deeply, only to later give it to Edel when proposing to her.
So when that very bracelet arrived as a mere gift, she had been utterly dumbfounded.
“They’ve clearly set their sights on Lia as their daughter-in-law! They’re trying to sneak our precious daughter away!”
The Grand Duchess glared fiercely in the direction of the duke’s residence.
She had long since forgotten the playful childhood promise they had made. 1And she was the one who forced it 😂. Taste your own medicine, madam.
