128.

“Why? Have you come to collect my price again?”

By the time I realized what I’d said, I had already lashed out at Viscount Lepherian… as if I really were Elze.

“You’ve been obsessed with selling me off to the highest bidder for as long as I can remember. I see you haven’t changed.”

“That’s all you have to say after seeing your father again after so long?”

Clicking his tongue, the Viscount looked at me in disapproval. I clenched my fists tightly.

“No matter what you do, the Duke won’t fall for your sweet words…”

“Oh, he already has. The Duke has graciously agreed to support us.”

What?

I froze on the spot as the Viscount continued, clearly pleased.

“Unlike you, who seems incapable of gratitude, the Duke appreciates the virtue of respecting one’s parents. We’re fortunate for that.”

“What… are you saying?”

“Well, we were the ones who created such beauty, after all. Shouldn’t we receive some compensation for it?”

Grinding my teeth, I retorted.

“Don’t lie.”

“Why would I lie about this?” He shrugged smugly.

“The Duke agreed to provide us with fifty thousand derks. It’s a relief, truly. We’ll finally be able to cover your brother’s tuition…”

The world around me spun. I had warned Lucian, explicitly, to give them not a single coin. Their only interest was money, not love or family bonds, which had long since faded.

“…Get out.”

“What?”

The Viscount’s face twisted in irritation. Glaring at him, I raised my voice to a near shout.

“I said, get out!”

“How dare you speak to your father that way!”

“Father?” I spat.

“When have you ever acted like a father to me?”

Anger clouded my vision, turning everything red. Why… why did I feel this way? I wasn’t Elze. There was no reason for me to feel the betrayal so sharply.

“…I was the only one by her side when Mother died!”

“Elze!”

“You were too busy tangled up in bed with your precious mistress on the day she passed!”

I could taste blood in my mouth.

“How does it feel now? Proud to call yourself the Viscount Lepherian?”

I pointed a shaking finger at the Viscountess.

“To grant the title of Viscountess to your precious mistress!”

“My lady!”

Thud!

A hand grabbed my wrist, and I stumbled. Turning, I saw Lucian looking at me, his expression filled with concern.

“Calm down. Why are you so agitated?”

“Your Grace.”

I stared at him in a daze for a moment, something deep and festering within me clawing its way to the surface—bitterness that had lain dormant, hidden from everyone.

“I told you I didn’t want this!” I shouted.

“What?”

“I said I never wanted to see the Lepherian Viscount and Viscountess! And if they ever came begging for money, I told you to refuse them!”

My voice was frenzied, raw with a fury I could no longer contain.

“I told you so many times!”

“But my lady, I only did it for your sake…”

“For my sake?”

I snapped, my words like a blade. This was the first time I’d ever let him see this unfiltered side of me. All this time, I’d held back, watching his moods, tiptoeing around him to secure the one scrap of freedom he had promised.

“You always say that. Everything is always ‘for my sake,’ Your Grace.”

“My lady…”

“To protect me from the Marquess of Offenheir, to keep me from ruining relations with my parents…”

Letting loose every word I’d bottled up, a wave of liberation surged through me.

“Where in all of this is my opinion?”

“…”

“You never listen to what I actually want!”

Lucian’s face twisted in pain, and I continued, enunciating each word with precision.

“I don’t even know what difference there is between you and the Marquess anymore,” I spat, shaking off Lucian’s hand.

Then, as if fleeing, I hurried back into the townhouse.

But… where could I go?

There was nowhere for me. I bit down on my lip hard enough to taste blood.

‘Damn it.’

A part of me wished I could just disappear from this world altogether. I pressed my hands against my face, darkness consuming my vision. That darkness seemed to mirror the bleakness of my future.

* * *

The Lepherian Viscount and his wife left with a considerable sum of money. Meanwhile, discontent simmered among Lucian’s vassals.

“Because of that woman, the Duke’s household is taking hit after hit.”

“What is she that we’re even giving money to the Lepherian family?”

In the past, when they gossiped, they’d at least lower their voices or keep silent when Elze was nearby. But now, they were practically shouting it, making it clear just how much they despised her.

Then came the commotion.

“This is urgent!”

A vassal rushed in, breathless.

“What could be more urgent than this mess? The lord’s blinded by a woman’s skirts and can’t see straight,” one sneered, only for his expression to turn stony as the vassal explained.

“The Schmaikel Merchant Guild has raised the prices of all goods supplied to the Kalleid Duchy by fivefold!”

“What?!”

“And that’s not all! Look at this!”

He thrust a document, freshly arrived from the Duchy, into their hands. As they scanned it, their faces turned pale.

“Why would Count Luneburg do this?!”

Benedict had mobilized his guild to exert pressure on the Kalleid Duchy. Shops in remote areas of the territory were being shut down, local crops weren’t being purchased, and trade routes were blocked. As Kalleid’s wealth depended heavily on its fertile lands, the impact was devastating. And with Schmaikel withholding grain supplies, other nearby territories that relied on Kalleid for grain were now suffering as well.

“Quickly, we must inform the lord!”

The vassals rushed to Lucian’s office.

“My lord! This is a disaster!”

“The Schmaikel Guild is—”

They stopped short, sensing something was amiss.

Lucian sat at his desk, staring down at a letter with an expression as hard as stone. His gaze was fixed on the crest stamped on the torn envelope on his desk.

‘Luneburg… Count Luneburg?!’

The sender was none other than Benedict Luneburg Schmaikel, the head of the guild that had brought Kalleid to its knees.

“…Your Grace?”

One of the vassals asked hesitantly.

In response, Lucian crushed the letter in his hand.

“So… this is how he dares to play?”

A razor-sharp smile curled on his lips, though his eyes were glinting with rage. The words from the letter burned in his mind:

‘Send Lady Lepherian to me immediately.’

Just one, single line.

* * *

Benedict sat in his study, absorbed in the myriad documents before him.

Knock, knock.

The gentle knock was followed by Marguerite gliding into the room, setting a warm cup of tea beside him. She looked at him with a touch of worry in her eyes.

“Benedict, aren’t you overdoing it?”

At the moment, Benedict was retracting every trade route he had set up in Kalleid. In the short term, this would devastate Kalleid, especially since they depended on selling their stockpiled grain from the autumn harvest. However, in the long run, the Schmaikel Guild would also suffer. After all, Kalleid was one of its most significant clients.

“No, if I’m going to do it, I need to see it through,” Benedict replied calmly, his face unwavering. Signing off on the final document, he glanced up at Marguerite.

“Are you all right with this?” he asked.

“With what?”

“You have connections with the Duke of Kalleid too. If he realizes you advised me, it could strain your relationship with him…”

“Benedict, I care deeply for both you and Lucian.”

Marguerite reassured him, gently patting his shoulder.

“This time, Lucian’s acting selfishly, and I’m only trying to curb that.”

“…Marguerite.”

“You and Lucian saved Elze together, didn’t you?”

Her soft voice brushed his ears like a gentle breeze.

“Then shouldn’t Elze at least be given the chance to choose whom she wants?”

Her emerald-green eyes sparkled, a mysterious glint hidden within. Benedict’s gaze softened, lulled by her words.

“You’re right,” he agreed, nodding.

“Just give it a little time. Lucian is a responsible lord, after all, isn’t he?”

Marguerite’s smile deepened, carrying a hint of something unfathomable.