After Frederick and Aiden returned from their audience with the Emperor, the four of them enjoyed a dinner together.
They exchanged casual conversations and paired it with wine. Before leaving, Frederick approached Erin. He was curious about the conversation she had with Claire. Erin, too, had something to say to him.
“Your Highness. You intentionally invited us today, didn’t you?”
“Of course. I wanted to meet Claire.”
Frederick said, smiling. There had been several occasions when Erin had provided solutions to Frederick’s difficulties with Claire.
“No, there’s another reason besides that.”
“….”
Erin realized this fact as she spoke with Claire.
“I wanted to tell Claire the truth, Your Highness. The current Emperor is someone who strongly adheres to traditional roles. If Claire becomes the Crown Princess, she would inevitably be influenced by that. It would mean she wouldn’t be as free as she has been until now.”
So he wanted to show Claire what he wanted to show.
Erin, as the Duchess of Lienster, actively involved in the affairs of the family. Claire also has a way to pursue what she wants even if she becomes the Crown Princess.
He wanted to convey his willingness to support her so she could do that.
“It might feel a bit like being used, but I willingly cooperated.”
“Thank you.”
“Stay strong. I am supporting Your Highness.”
At the very least, it was Frederick’s sincerity. Even though it might not be smooth sailing at first, eventually Frederick would be the master of the time ahead. In the end, if Claire wants, she could do many things.
So, perhaps this was said not for Frederick’s sake, but for Claire’s sake.
***
The response to the letter sent to Zahard last time has arrived.
Naturally, it was about Gael coming to meet, as Erin suggested. Even though it was Erin who proposed the meeting, her face was dark as she checked the letter.
“I need to go out today,” Erin muttered softly. Today, Julia was scheduled to visit.
She was supposed to come in the late afternoon. It seemed like she could go out now and come back before then if she didn’t delay too much.
“If Julia arrives before I come, tell her to wait.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Well then, I’ll be off.” Erin said firmly, putting on her elegant outing hat.
Erin headed to the boutique, her mood as heavy as Mount Monan. The madam who was waiting there briefed her on the situation.
“He’s already here waiting for you.”
“I see.”
Today, she was supposed to meet him here. The room at the end of the second-floor corridor had an entrance in another place, making it a secluded space where they wouldn’t accidentally run into each other.
When I opened the door and walked in, there was Gael Zahard. His usual unpleasant and arrogant expression made him hard to look at.
“Erin. It’s been a while. You didn’t even contact me during that time,” he said.
Erin ignored his words and sat down. There was no minimum sibling greetings exchange between them.
Unrestrained greed was emanating from him. It was clear what he was thinking as he sat in that place.
Erin’s face stiffened even more. “My house is in Lienster,” she said.
“Did you handle what I mentioned in the letter?”
He only said what he wanted to say. Erin restrained the urge to sigh and looked straight at him.
“The Duchess of Lienster,” Erin said with a firm face in response to his arrogant question.
“Start with the proper title.” Erin said firmly.
But Gael continued to twist his lips and make a displeased smirk.
“Ignoring even your roots just because you’re doing well?” He was always like this.
“I have no intention of entertaining such nonsense. It’s tiring to point this out over and over again.” Erin spoke coldly.
“Correct the title properly. Then we can have a proper conversation.”
Erin remained silent. She didn’t consider him even the slightest bit of kin when coming to meet him.
He was always busy demanding something from Erin whenever he had the chance and always emphasized the name of family.
Especially since becoming a Zahard Duke, Gael’s shameless demands had been getting worse and worse.
It was the same this time. If he intended to push Erin even a little into the fence called family, he had made up his mind to draw a line.
Erin received a fierce, unyielding stare as if she would kill without any intention to retreat. A silent standoff occurred.
When Erin didn’t flinch, he glared at her with clenched fists.
However, his anger gradually subsided, and with a fierce glare, Gael reluctantly spoke.
“…Countess Lienster.” His fist trembled.
Seeing his reaction, one corner of Erin’s mouth curved up slyly.
“Now we can finally have a conversation.” She had heard the words she wanted to hear.
Now they could have a proper conversation. Erin finally took a sip of the coffee in front of her.
“…Will the Countess invest in this business?”
“No, I will not.”
“You…!” He stood up abruptly and pointed, but when Erin glared at him fiercely, he closed his mouth again.
Erin decided she needed to get rid of Gael in front of her soon. She looked at him firmly and calmly opened her mouth.
“Let’s finish this conversation quickly.”
“Go ahead.”
“The only business that has been running smoothly until now is the one I collaborated on when I got married.”
“….” His face twisted, but he remained silent, unable to offer a rebuttal.
“Currently, that business is being managed by the elders. Unlike before, they are now given autonomy to conduct the business. The issue now is that I’m not directly managing it.”
“So does that mean you can’t do anything about this?”
“How long are you going to cling to me like this?”
“Hey!”
“Use your head a little. Instead of coming to me without any plan, think about who would be most interested in taking over that business.”
“….”
“There are people in Lienster who would be interested, other than me.”
Erin subtly hinted for him to consider the elders. His eyes narrowed as if lost in thought for a moment. Then, as if something had come to him, he brightened and spoke.
“….What should I do about them?” He asked cautiously.
“You’ll have to figure the rest out yourself. As a potential heir to the Zahard family, you should be able to demonstrate that level of ability, shouldn’t you?”
“That’s not bad, for now.” He adopted a satisfied attitude.
Erin continued to gaze at him indifferently. Mona signaled to Erin that she had something to report.
When Erin tilted her head slightly, Mona whispered in her ear.
“Shart is waiting at the mansion.”
“Is that so?” It seemed to be more delayed than expected.
There was no need to exchange any further information with her current company. Thinking she should leave soon, Erin spoke.
“Well, if there’s nothing more to discuss, let’s get up.”
Erin stood up as if implying that there was no point in listening to his response.
As she tried to leave without looking back, she heard a voice that stopped her.
“Erin Lienster, the Duchess.”
“….?” Erin frowned slightly as she turned back. She didn’t appreciate being detained in that manner.
What on earth are you trying to say? ‘Thanks to your mother, the Lienster family has gained a strong foothold as the host, it’s quite a remarkable transformation.’
Gael muttered. Was that really what he wanted to say? Helena and Gael often spoke in such a manner.
Because of Helena’s push for Erin to marry into the Lienster family, it is thanks to her that Erin is where she is today.
Erin felt like laughing. She was certain that Gael would never change his mindset until the very end.
That’s why he was pitiful. “In the end, you’ll have to make an effort for the Zahard family.”
Erin didn’t feel like responding, so she remained silent.
But Gael, interpreting her silence in a different way, continued to speak arrogantly.
“No matter how high you hold the Lienster name, you’ll realize that the Zahard family must thrive for you not to be disregarded there.”
“……”
“Do well before you regret it.”
He tapped Erin’s shoulder as he got up, flashing a sly smile before gracefully disappearing. Erin looked at his departure with a blank expression before turning away. Finally, the tiresome conversation had come to an end.
“You’re trying to take advantage of me,” Erin muttered as she walked back to the mansion and climbed onto the carriage. As the carriage started moving, Mona cautiously spoke up, “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“No amount of talking would make a difference,” Erin replied casually, wagging her tongue playfully.
“Mixing in words would only make it more frustrating.”
“So, are you just going to let it go like this?”
“Well, what can I do? I’ll just make the return journey a little uncomfortable for now and wait,” Erin shrugged.
“The return journey is uncomfortable?”
At Mona’s question, Erin smiled meaningfully. “Well, for example, imagine if the carriage wheel breaks on the way, and it takes a long time to fix it, but there’s nowhere suitable to sleep nearby except for the stables. It’s those little inconveniences that arise.”
As Mona listened to Erin’s words, she reached out her hand slightly, and Erin clapped it with her own.
***
On the other hand, Gael was on his way back to the mansion. He nodded off for a moment in the carriage, but was jolted awake by a loud thud, causing the carriage to shake violently.
The sudden motion threw him off balance, and as he tried to get up in frustration, he fell back hard, wrenching his back and ending up with a messy head.
He struggled to steady himself and opened the carriage door to check the situation outside.
“What’s going on?!” His exasperated shout startled the knights and servants, who hurriedly replied, “T-The wheel, it came off!” “What? How could that happen all of a sudden?” That day, Gael’s journey was plagued by several unfortunate incidents, making it extremely exhausting and perilous.
