Chapter 18
“I’m about to go bankrupt, and you think this matters? Is this stupid piece of bread important?!”
Pierre’s furious shout made the old woman flinch. Terrified, she quickly joined the other workers.
Seeing this, Pierre let out a sneering laugh and slumped onto the only clean and fancy sofa in the factory, still gripping his bottle of alcohol.
After a while, as he kept a sharp eye on the workers, he suddenly stood up.
For some reason, he chuckled and grabbed a whip that had been leaning against the wall.
His gaze as he looked down at the workers was not that of a man looking at people—but of someone looking at livestock.
At that moment, as the workers hurried to avoid his wrath—
Thud.
Someone collapsed.
Pierre twisted his lips in irritation and raised his whip, ready to strike.
But before he could, a young boy ran over and covered his mother’s body with his own.
Pierre sneered at the sight.
“Move. Your mother is useless, so she needs to be tamed—just like an animal!”
The boy trembled, but he held onto his mother even tighter.
The woman pushed her son away and spoke firmly.
“Luan, go over there. Now!”
But Luan couldn’t leave his mother behind.
He fell to his knees in front of Pierre.
“Please don’t hit her! My mother is sick. I’ll work in her place. I beg you.”
Even as he desperately pleaded, rubbing his hands together, Pierre’s eyes glinted like a madman.
“You dare defy me?! Filthy little cockroach!”
Pierre swung his whip.
The woman, limping, rushed forward and shielded her son with her body.
Just as Luan’s vision was blocked by his mother’s embrace—
“Ugh!”
Pierre let out a strangled cry as he was suddenly sent flying forward.
Behind him stood a tall woman with long silver hair, holding a large shovel.
“Are you okay?”
Her voice was as clear and calm as her blue eyes.
“I… I’m fine. But my mother…”
Luan anxiously looked at his mother.
She had a long scratch on her leg, as if she had been cut by something sharp.
‘Thankfully, it doesn’t look deep enough to need stitches.’
Aselin, the silver-haired woman, examined the wound before pulling out a first-aid kit and a bottle of drinking water from her bag.
Since there was a risk of infection, she carefully washed the wound with clean water and dried it.
Then, she sprinkled a medicinal powder on it and wrapped it with a fresh bandage.
Once she finished treating the injury, Aselin handed a small pouch of pills to Luan.
“Give her one pill now, and then two pills every morning and evening. That way, her wound will heal quickly.”
“But… I don’t have anything to pay you with.”
Luan stared at the medicine hesitantly.
After all, medical treatment and medicine were incredibly expensive.
Even at the lowest cost, it could be worth two or three months’ living expenses for a commoner.
“I won’t take payment. She was hurt while working at the factory, so it’s only right that I treat her.”
“…Who are you?”
“My name is Aselin Rondinella.”
“…You’re the Lady Rondinella?”
“Yep. And that drunk fool lying there is my older brother.”
Aselin motioned toward Pierre, who was still sprawled on the floor.
Luan’s eyes widened in shock.
It was surprising enough to meet the famous noblewoman, but to see her knock out her own brother with a shovel?
Aselin simply smiled and straightened up.
She glanced at the shelves, scanning the various medicinal ingredients.
“Punish leaves, Matrinum root… These all seem to be used for making burn ointment. But I don’t see any Polia fruit extract. Where is it stored?”
“Oh… The Duke ordered us to stop using Polia because the price went up recently.”
“They excluded Polia? That’s ridiculous. Polia fruit extract has antibacterial properties—without it, burn wounds could get infected. In the worst case, the wounds could even become necrotic.”
As Aselin confidently listed the dangers, Luan’s eyes widened.
He already knew how important Polia fruit was.
When the Duke suddenly ordered its removal, Luan had tried to convince the factory manager to keep using it, but his concerns had been ignored.
“How do you know all this, Lady Aselin?”
“Me? Because I’m the one who developed all these medicines.”
“…But I thought Duke Pierre created them…”
“Nope. Every single medicine in this factory was invented by me.”
Aselin continued examining the ingredients, her tone casual.
Luan had always wondered how Pierre, who seemed clueless about medicine, could have created such remarkable treatments.
Now, he finally had his answer.
And standing before him was the true genius behind it all.
Luan’s heart pounded in awe.
“…L-Lady Aselin.”
“Hm?”
“I have a request.”
Aselin looked at him curiously as he suddenly dropped to his knees.
“Please teach me how to make medicine! I want to be able to treat my mother myself. Even if you only teach me a little, I’ll do anything in return.”
Aselin blinked in surprise.
Her gaze swept over Luan’s thin frame and the exhausted factory workers.
Judging by their appearance, Pierre had likely been abusing them without proper wages.
The name Rondinella had always been associated with generosity and nobility—but here, Pierre was disgracing it.
It was disgraceful.
She looked around at the unsanitary factory and the poorly mixed medicines before finally speaking.
“Alright. I’ll teach you.”
“…Really?”
“But in return, can you help me with something?”
She patted Luan’s head and winked playfully.
Her smile was as warm as summer sunshine.
Moved by the kindness of the woman who had saved him and his mother, Luan nodded eagerly.
From now on, he would do anything for her.
Later…
“Oh my, what happened to our brother?”
Rachel gasped at the sight of Pierre, completely unconscious and reeking of alcohol.
“He’ll be fine once he sobers up. Not that it matters—he’ll just get drunk again.”
I answered indifferently, watching the servants carry Pierre away.
As I walked toward my laboratory, my mind was preoccupied with one thought:
How can I take over Pierre’s factory?
Women weren’t allowed to own property, so I couldn’t put it under my name.
I’ll have to discuss this with Prince Claude.
After all, even if it was only temporary, I was set to be his wife for the next year.
While I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard Rachel’s whining voice behind me.
“Did something happen? Where did you meet Pierre?”
I ignored her, not wanting to deal with her, but she stuck close to me, acting friendly.
“Are you okay? You’ve been going out a lot lately, and I was just worried about you.”
As she spoke, she glanced at me from the side, pretending to be concerned.
Worried? About me?
I stopped walking and looked at her in disbelief.
“I’ve been busy preparing for the wedding. By the way, your bridesmaid dress turned out just as I imagined. It suits you perfectly.”
“It suits me? The dress?”
Rachel frowned, clearly not liking my words.
“You’ll understand when you try it on.”
I gave her a sweet smile and turned in the opposite direction, leaving her standing there.
The truth was, I had never designed a bridesmaid dress for her.
She would be wearing the same wedding dress as me.
I glanced back to see Rachel glaring at me before turning on her heels.
I wondered what kind of expression Alex would make when he saw both of us in identical dresses at the wedding.
Smiling to myself, I walked into my study and locked the door behind me.
I closed the curtains and sat down in my chair.
[The detective found something incredible. This is a magic device causing a huge uproar in the Western Continent. The evidence is inside. Just press the button on the bottom.]
I recalled Betty’s words and took the object out of my bag.
Peeling away the velvet cloth, I found a transparent crystal orb sparkling in my hands.
What is this? It just looks like a glass marble.
I curiously examined the egg-sized crystal and ran my fingers along its wooden base.
Then—click.
I pressed the raised button.
[Hah…Baron, what if someone sees us?]
[Who’s going to be here? It’s just the two of us… Rachel, I can’t hold back anymore. Spread your legs for me.]
Suddenly, the crystal orb expanded to the size of a large mirror, playing a vivid recording.
Inside what seemed to be a carriage, a man and a woman were tangled together, completely naked.
Their ragged breaths and cat-like moans filled the room.
I let out a dry laugh.
At this point, I wasn’t even angry anymore.
Leaning back in my chair, I watched the scene as if I were watching a play.
As the passionate affair between the two continued on screen, something unexpected caught my eye.
Wait—what is that?
My eyes widened in shock.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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