LI Chapter 10

‌⁠♡⁩ TL: Khadija SK

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Hazel perused the list of assets out of pure curiosity.

 

As she had heard before, the wealth of the ducal Bernier family was immense.

 

‘All these mines? And they’re scattered across the continent, too. They have more than five feudal estates, and summer homes… you could say they’re present throughout the kingdom.’

 

The scale of the fortune was truly staggering. But it didn’t ignite her greed.

 

Or rather, it piqued her interest slightly, but her rational judgment that it wasn’t hers was stronger.

 

“I’m done reading.”

 

“That’s all?”

 

While Hazel had been carefully examining the list of assets, Theodore’s expression remained calm, but it faltered slightly when she set it aside without hesitation. He stared at her without blinking.

 

“What more do you want?”

 

“Your opinion?”

 

“You’re wealthy. More so than I’d heard.”

 

Hazel lifted her teacup as if she had said all she intended.

 

The tea had cooled a bit, but the taste wasn’t bad.

 

Theodore felt a twinge of confusion.

 

His choice of presenting the list of assets as a marriage proposal had been the result of careful calculation.

 

After noticing that Hazel was unlike ordinary women, he conducted a thorough investigation during the days he didn’t visit the Easton family.

 

Based on information gathered from her boarding school teachers, friends, and even Charlotte and Andre, it became clear that she was highly rational and adept at handling matters of interest.

 

Let’s clarify here that, contrary to what Hazel believed, Theodore hadn’t cut contact with the Easton family over the past five days.

 

He had been communicating with them regularly to gain Charlotte and Andre’s favor.

 

Despite their insistence that “our sister’s opinion matters most,” they answered his questions honestly.

 

Details like her working as a writer at a printing center and saving money despite not needing to work, the subjects she loved in boarding school, and the books she’d recently read helped him understand Hazel’s personality.

 

Based on this, Theodore devised a plan to win her over.

 

Since she was rational, he couldn’t sway her with vague future promises.

 

He needed to offer a prosperous future backed by tangible evidence.

 

Thus, he spent two full days compiling the list of assets.

 

In the process, he even discovered parts of the Bernier family fortune he hadn’t known about. One could say that was thanks to Hazel.

 

Theodore had planned that if Hazel showed interest in the wealth, he’d inform her of the annual budget available to the duchess, the costs for redecoration, and even the compensation she could receive if something went wrong in the marriage.

 

Theodore expected things to go according to his plan. But Hazel, despite her interest in the list of assets, stopped there.

 

“If you marry me, this will become yours, Miss Easton.”

 

“Perhaps nominally. But you know, Your Grace, that nothing would truly be at my free disposal.”

 

Marital shared property, joint assets—beautiful words, but an empty shell.

 

The term “shared” was mere decoration; there was nothing a woman could freely manage.

 

Everything required the husband’s approval, and even when acting on it, the husband had to be present. Meanwhile, a husband could dispose of a wife’s dowry as he pleased.

 

“What is that if not exploitation?”

 

Hazel considered the term “shared property” not just an empty shell, but a scam.

 

Theodore pondered her stance for a moment, rubbing the corner of his lip with his thumb.

 

He hadn’t anticipated her rejection, but he realized his folly after hearing her reasons.

 

Still, he had plenty of ways to compensate.

 

“Let’s draft a marriage contract. After the marriage, I’ll transfer ownership of any land, mine, or business you want to you. It won’t be shared property—it’ll be yours alone, Miss Hazel.”

 

Hazel frowned immediately.

 

“Your Grace, I believe there are no favors without reason. Nor kindness without a price. There may be kindness born of pity or mercy, but if we look closely, that’s also an act for self-satisfaction in return.”

 

“Do you think I’m hiding ulterior motives?”

 

“Aren’t you?”

 

Hazel’s eyes were clear.

 

They were so transparent you could see into their depths.

 

Theodore paused for a moment, then gave a smooth smile.

 

“There’s no ulterior motive in wanting to win a beautiful woman.”

 

For some reason, Theodore didn’t want to mention the will.

 

It was a topic that wouldn’t do any good if it spread.

 

Theodore felt there were other reasons for keeping it hidden, but he couldn’t recall them immediately, so he stopped thinking about it.

 

Hazel frowned.

 

Theodore lightly swirled his tongue inside his mouth to conceal his nervousness.

 

The more he met this woman, the more he discovered about her.

 

‘Even when she frowns, she looks beautiful.’

 

Hazel had a lofty aura, difficult to approach easily.

 

Theodore had called her beautiful, but he hadn’t examined her features closely before.

 

He usually wasn’t interested in people’s appearances, considering it impolite to scrutinize.

 

But today, he wanted to look at her closely.

 

Not to judge. His opinion was already settled—she was beautiful.

 

Theodore slowly observed Hazel’s features.

 

A small oval face filled with large eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

 

It was surprising how all these features fit on such a small face.

 

Her eyes, reminiscent of a cat’s, were long, deep, and dark.

 

Her straight nose suited the phrase “sharp-featured,” and her lively, full lips were a testament to her vitality.

 

Her translucent white skin looked like it might mark with the slightest touch, and her glossy black hair, like ebony, contrasted with her delicate pallor.

 

Her balanced features, where nothing—not even her hair color—stood out, exuded an elegant allure.

 

And among all that, her eyes were what drew Theodore’s attention the most.

 

They were the only place where one could notice shifts in Hazel’s emotions, usually so devoid of expression.

 

When she wasn’t interested, her eyes grew lazy. When sparked by curiosity, they turned sharp. When surprised, small ripples appeared in them. And when angry, they became as sharp as knives.

 

Theodore couldn’t lift his eyes from them throughout the conversation. Perhaps that’s why he liked her.

 

‘They say constant gazing breeds affection.’

 

With that fleeting thought, Theodore’s smile deepened.

 

He uncrossed his legs and rested his arm on the table.

 

When he suddenly leaned his torso toward her, Hazel instinctively pulled back, furrowing her brows. But her back hit the sofa, failing to increase the distance between them.

 

“Your Grace?”

 

Hazel called out to him in a tone meaning “back off on your own,” but he pretended not to understand and leaned closer.

 

As his handsome, smooth face drew near, Hazel unconsciously swallowed her breath.

 

“Let’s meet ten times.”

 

“What?”

 

“Give me some time.”

 

“What benefit would that…”

 

“There’ll be a benefit. I’ll spare you from meeting Miss Charlotte Easton’s suitors.”

 

A spark of vitality flashed in Hazel’s eyes.

 

It was a tempting offer.

 

Listening to monotonous courtship songs was exhausting.

 

Though she’d have to spend time with Theodore instead, that was preferable to being surrounded by Charlotte’s suitors.

 

And perhaps…

 

“I have a condition.”

 

“Name it.”

 

“I want to have Friday afternoons free.”

 

“Alone?”

 

Hazel nodded.

 

Theodore hesitated for a moment.

 

It was frowned upon for a noblewoman of marriageable age to wander the streets alone.

 

They always had to be accompanied—by a fiancé, parents, a male sibling regardless of age, or even a servant—for a lady to move freely.

 

“If you tell me where you want to go, I’ll accompany you like a shadow.”

 

“You can’t be a shadow, Your Grace. Your presence is far too conspicuous.”

 

The corner of Theodore’s mouth twitched.

 

He seemed to be suppressing a laugh.

 

Hazel tilted her head in confusion.

 

She didn’t realize her words sounded like high praise to Theodore.

 

“If you don’t meet my condition, I won’t accept your offer.”

 

Theodore adjusted his posture, then looked at her with a faint smile.

 

He sensed her condition wasn’t ordinary.

 

“Is the destination a secret?”

 

“Yes. But I’ll need your full cooperation. Take me to the place I want, at the time I specify…”

 

“And I should come pick you up from there.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hazel was confident despite her highly suspicious request.

 

Theodore’s thoughts tangled.

 

What place might an ordinary woman want to go to and keep secret even from her family?

 

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a suitable place. Nor a reason for it.

 

Ah, a scene from a novel suddenly crossed his mind.

 

A secret meeting between a man and a woman.

 

But the Hazel he’d seen didn’t seem the type to indulge in secret rendezvous.

 

She wasn’t interested in men.

 

She was far removed from love, romance, and all those sentimental words.

 

If she were interested in such things, she wouldn’t have failed to show any interest in him.

 

It might sound like boasting, but it was a fact proven through years of experience.

 

‘There’s no escaping it. I’ll have to accept Miss Easton’s condition, if only out of curiosity.’

 

Theodore was the one in greater need and haste now.

 

“Fine. But in return, aside from Fridays, you’ll spend time with me.”

 

Hazel smiled.

 

It was a bright, genuine smile, unlike anything before.

 

At the same time, the smile faded from Theodore’s face.

 

For a moment, he felt as though Hazel’s smile had stolen his breath, leaving him helpless.

 

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