It Feels Like I’m About to be Divorced, But my Husband is My Favorite

Episode 57

Delano decided to stop engaging in the foolish thought process of wondering whether the Madam wasn’t as bad as the rumors claimed—or perhaps even a good person.

‘The Madam is, as the butler said, the distinguished benefactor of the Rudion Ducal House and our new hope itself!’

Though he had knelt to apologize for doubting her sincerity and treating her like a moneylender, Delano had inwardly worried whether she even knew how to read the ledgers.

When the head maid suggested she take a break while the long-neglected office of the Duchess was being cleaned, the Madam instead insisted on crossing over to the Duke’s office. Upon seeing the mountain of ledgers piled there, she let out a sigh, further deepening Delano’s suspicions.

However—

‘Truly… It’s just as the Madam said. The debt situation is laid out so clearly.’

Now, he was genuinely astonished.

As soon as the Duchess’s office was tidied up, Delano, following Evgenia’s orders, personally transferred the accounting ledgers, associated certificates, and monthly interest repayment reports.

The sheer volume of documents was so massive that there wasn’t even enough space on the desk that the head maid had polished until it gleamed; many had to be placed on the floor!

Even a brief glance at the pile was enough to overwhelm anyone. Yet, the Madam sat with her usual sharp, composed expression, without so much as raising an eyebrow. She stayed up all night reading and organizing every single report.

The result was astonishing.

“How did all those documents turn into just one page…? I can hardly believe it even after seeing it with my own eyes.”

Delano, staring at the summarized ledger—revolutionary in its simplicity, easy to replicate, and clear enough to quickly identify errors—asked in a daze,

“Is this how the Basilian Ducal House organizes their ledgers?”

“…Let’s just say it is. It would be good to prepare the internal financial reports in this format from now on, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, Madam!”

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask anytime.”

“Understood, Madam!”

Delano replied with the fervor of a knight pledging loyalty. His heart was brimming with joy.

‘Indeed, heaven has not forsaken the Rudion Ducal House.’

Surely, the benevolent God had taken pity on their Duke, the most virtuous man in the world. How else could they have been blessed with such a capable lady of the house?

‘But why on earth do such ridiculous rumors exist about the Madam?’

At this point, the baseless gossip that had caused him so much needless worry felt absurd and infuriating.

The Madam, sitting confidently at the desk and reviewing the documents, exuded professionalism.

She was far from the image of a vain, frivolous noblewoman indulging in daily extravagances.

“There’s much to be done, but repaying the debt must be the top priority. Afterward, we can gradually plan to develop the Ducal estate using income from the mines and other assets, as well as restoring the mansion and supplementing manpower.”

Just look at her now! How clear and reliable her instructions were—enough to earn the unwavering trust of her subordinates.

“Yes, Madam!”

“I believe in you, Madam!”

Delano’s eyes practically shouted his loyalty as Evgenia glanced at him with a faintly exasperated expression before turning her attention to the newly compiled property inventory report.

Though she was slightly taken aback by the dire financial state of the Rudion Ducal House, there were two points of solace.

The first was that the properties transferred from the Basilian Ducal House included lucrative mines and fiefs. Without the debt, they could at least breathe.

‘The problem is that the debt is far greater than I had imagined.:

Even though the interest rate wasn’t particularly high, the sheer amount of monthly interest payments was staggering.

It seemed that the Basilian Duke hadn’t anticipated such enormous interest payments either. Instead of providing easily liquidated assets, he had opted to transfer sources of long-term income generation.

‘It must have been influenced by my input.’

In the original story, the debt was repaid not long after their marriage.

But disposing of such substantial assets couldn’t have been easy, and the original Evgenia wouldn’t have used her dowry to clear the debt. The only explanation was the influence of her own actions.

The second point of solace was—

“Most of my dowry consists of assets that are easy to liquidate. The key now is how to dispose of them quickly and efficiently.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Delano, nodding as soon as Evgenia finished speaking, scratched his cheek awkwardly. “But… how exactly should we proceed…?” he trailed off.

Evgenia didn’t think of him as incompetent.

Just as there were those who lost their sense of reality due to vanity and luxury, there were also those whose value judgment eroded from being overly burdened by harsh realities.

Just as someone with no interest in art might struggle to estimate the price of a painting, the Rudion Ducal House, having neither operated a trading company nor made frequent purchases, naturally lacked a keen sense of valuing items.

“Researching market prices is a task in itself, after all.”

In a situation where the debt needed to be repaid as soon as possible, there was no need for such a waste of manpower and time.

After a moment of deliberation, Evgenia made a decision.

“Let’s handle the sales through my maid.”

Anne had been closely observing Evgenia’s shopping habits, so she would be familiar with various channels.

‘Just from how she immediately contacted the merchant guild when I mentioned needing new shoes last time, she’s clearly resourceful.’

Moreover, Anne would undoubtedly manage to sell the items at a good price.

“Your maid, the one you brought with you, ma’am?”

Evgenia nodded at Delano’s curious question and turned her head absentmindedly.

“Can you manage it, Anne?”

But then she stopped, realizing the seat beside her was empty.

“Oh, that’s right. Anne isn’t here.”

– Ma’am, I’ll need to step away briefly to tidy up the bedroom. Please bear with the inconvenience in my absence.

It wasn’t surprising that Gressel, her escort knight, hadn’t shown up since the first day at the duke’s estate—he had been wandering around somewhere.

However, Anne had been by her side everywhere since Evgenia regained consciousness, so she was a bit startled by her absence.

At any rate, Evgenia had been touring the duke’s estate with just the butler when she suddenly headed to the study. On the way, she called Anne to fetch the dowry list.

Anne, who had been busy organizing the duke’s ledgers and paperwork, had looked at her with a strange expression but excused herself, saying she would finish tidying the bedroom after delivering the documents.

Even though Anne wasn’t there, there wasn’t much for her to do, and paperwork wasn’t really something Evgenia usually dealt with anyway, so she felt oddly more at ease without her.

‘But what kind of tidying takes two whole days?’

It wasn’t like they had brought a lot of luggage.

Feeling strangely bothered, Evgenia tapped her desk lightly with her fingers and shrugged.

“Anyway, don’t worry too much about the sales.”

“Yes, ma’am! I’m not worried! In fact…”

Delano responded energetically but hesitated briefly before speaking with determination.

“If possible, I’d like to assist and learn during the process. Would that be alright?”

For a nobleman to want to learn from a maid like Anne was a remarkably humble statement.

However, considering that understanding purchasing processes and routes would be essential for developing the estate and expanding exchanges beyond the Basilian Merchant Guild, it could indeed be helpful.

“Very well, let’s do that.”

As Evgenia nodded readily, Delano’s face lit up.

“Thank you, ma’am! I’ll work hard, ma’am! How could someone like you even—”

Sensing another overwhelming wave of gratitude coming her way, Evgenia raised her hand quickly to stop him.

Knock, knock.

A sound came from outside the door.

From the measured, precise rhythm of the knock, Evgenia immediately knew who it was.

Her lips almost curled into a smile, but she composed herself and responded firmly.

“Come in.”