No Need For Regrets

Chapter 12 

 

A few days passed.

 

During that time, Seriniel sent someone to the Marquis’s mansion. Unfortunately, the response came back that Belles had been away on business for some time, so the mansion was empty.

 

Calian’s days of being absent from home became more frequent. It seemed he no longer cared, especially after assigning Seriniel to handle the affairs that had previously concerned Belles, making her responsible. He probably felt there was nothing more to worry about.

 

The only fortunate thing was that Calian was properly reporting the progress of the mining operations to Seriniel.

 

Of course, it might just be an excuse for him to spend time with his child and Leraie at the mansion, fearing Belles, but…

 

Seriniel considered it a blessing.

 

Seeing their faces was too painful for her.

 

Although outwardly the days seemed peaceful, Seriniel’s mind was far from it.

 

“I’ll never… give in to anything.”

 

Just as she had refused unjust treatment before dying, she had no intention of maintaining her marriage with Calian now.

 

And she had no intention of disappearing without taking anything.

 

The mines belonged to Seriniel, but Calian took care of all matters related to mining operations. Not because she lacked interest in business, but because she understood Calian’s intentions.

 

He wanted to prove his abilities somehow. Especially to Belles.

 

But now, that was over.

 

The first thing Seriniel did was to find out who the noble investors in the business were.

 

After all, mining required a significant amount of money. Since Seriniel hadn’t touched her dowry, the only way to secure funds was to attract investors.

 

First, she needed to understand the current situation.

 

Who was the biggest source of funding, and who might Calian be wary of.

 

Both Leraie ad Calian… initially thought of her as ignorant noble heir who grew up in luxury without knowing anything, but she was quicker in her thinking than they had thought.

 

Unable to participate in social activities due to poor health, she spent her time reading books and listening to countless stories from her father, who had cultivated intimate relationships with the nobility.

 

If one of Calian’s sources of funding was someone who had some connection to the emperor.

 

Then… perhaps it would be possible to unite everyone involved in the business, including Calian, and push them towards the emperor.

 

It was already a well-known fact that Seriniel was merely the owner of the mine and had no involvement in the business.

 

Moreover, there were countless reasons to bring forth.

 

“There’s even talk among the merchants that the emperor is planning to use the marquis to deal with the troublesome nobles.”

 

Calian ignored Leraie’s words, saying that if that were the case, he shouldn’t be participating in battles, but in the end, didn’t he actually listen carefully to Lexion’s words?

 

The ones about not going to battle anymore.

 

If indeed the emperor was planning something with Lexion… Seriniel could easily get involved.

 

For example, if those who invested in the mining business were financing the gathering of troops.

 

Even though Calian, the person responsible for the business, knew about it, he turned a blind eye. That could be seen as a form of complicity.

 

But there was something strange.

 

“Just investing money, and yet, they conducted it secretly like this?”

 

Despite trying to find out the information of the investors, Seriniel couldn’t find anything. It was as if they were deliberately concealed.

 

The list she managed to obtain was full of pseudonyms, interspersed with the names of commoners. They were probably the ones hired to lend their names.

 

So it was even more incomprehensible.

 

“…How can I find out…”

 

She needed to know somehow, to have at least a glimmer of hope.

 

“Sigh…”

 

Seriniel let out a heavy sigh and massaged her temples.

 

Her mind was too cluttered. What if there was no progress despite the passage of time?

 

She’d have to talk to her uncle after all.

 

She had tried her best alone, but it seemed futile.

 

Moreover, Belles’ return was imminent. Soon, she would go to the Marquis’s mansion to talk to him.

 

“Do you really think your parents died in an accident?”

 

Suddenly, Lexion’s meaningful words flashed through her mind.

 

“Of course, no one couldn’t even suspect it, given how neatly it was handled. But sometimes, what you see isn’t everything.”

 

…Surely not.

 

No way.

 

It couldn’t be.

 

Despite trying to dismiss the thought, the unease that had surfaced wouldn’t disappear.

 

“…Are you okay, milady?”

 

Kina, who had just entered the room, looked at Seriniel with a worried expression.

 

“Yeah… It’s nothing.”

 

“…”

 

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

 

A lie.

Kina intuitively knew that Seriniel was deceiving her.

 

Seriniel had always been like this since she was young. Whenever something bothered her, she would stew in it alone without telling anyone. It was not a good habit.

 

And whenever a situation like this arose, Kina always did her best within her limits to bring a smile to Seriniel’s face, by any means necessary.

 

“Madam, would you like to see what I found?”

 

“…”

 

Kina smiled slightly before setting down the bundle she was holding.

 

“First, this.”

 

She then pulled out a large box from the bundle.

 

…What’s this?

 

Seriniel widened her eyes and slowly opened the box.

 

Inside were piles of letters.

 

Seriniel picked up an old letter with faded ink first. It was from her father, written when she was very young.

 

– To my dear Seri, heartfelt congratulations on your birthday. I always wish you overflowing happiness.

 

Though it was a short letter, a faint smile appeared on Seriniel’s face.

 

“It’s been so long, hasn’t it? I found these while cleaning, and I thought you might like them.”

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

The kind voice of her father seemed to echo in her ears, making her feel a little better for no reason.

 

But it didn’t last long.

 

Underneath were countless other letters.

 

– To my beloved Seri.

 

Seriniel’s expression began to cool as she read through letters painstakingly colored with colored pencils.

 

“I couldn’t see you last weekend, and I was very disappointed. I actually waited a lot. But it can’t be helped. Our situations are completely different, you and I, with me always having to kill time in the orphanage.”

 

The owner of the letters was all Leraie.

 

For a long time, Seriniel and Leraie exchanged letters. While Seriniel tried to visit the orphanage where Leraie was as often as possible, it wasn’t easy due to the distance from the Marquis’s mansion.

 

She must be very lonely there. Alone.

 

That was the gist of the letter, with Leraie expressing such innocent thoughts.

 

“Sometimes, I imagine that I wasn’t an orphan in the orphanage like you. Even if you tell me not to say that, I can’t help it.”

 

“…Is that so?”

 

“I occasionally think about it. If I were a noble like you instead of being in the orphanage. Even then, would you have been as warm and affectionate to me?”

 

She hadn’t known at the time. Why Leraie was saying such things.

 

She just thought it was because Leraie was too tired, lonely, and therefore exhausted.

 

So she wanted to take care of her even more lovingly…

 

“Anyway, before these useless words get too long, I’ll cut it here. But please come see me next week. Your true friend, Leraie.”

 

[Do you know that? I’ve never considered you my friend even once. You always looked down on me, Seri? Since my days in the orphanage, always.]

 

[You might say that, but I know. I knew!] Suddenly, before facing death, it seemed like Leraie’s words whispered in my ear.

 

[Pretending to be naive, pretending to care… disgusting wench.]

 

And that twisted expression, as if it was extremely disgusting.

 

[It’s better to know clearly, Seri. I didn’t kill you, it was your damn innocence and stupidity.]

 

No, this isn’t my problem.

 

I gave you flowers, but you just saw them as a knife.

 

I’ve never once thought of Leraie like that. She was a beloved friend. So I wanted to do anything for her.

 

But what swallowed Leraie was nothing more than her inferiority complex.

 

Since when? When you were devoured by that vile monster.

 

So, did it become like that with Calian too? Wanting to feel superior by trampling on me?

 

“…”

 

As Seriniel’s expression darkened, Kina hesitated for a moment. Then quickly pulled out something else.

 

“Please look at this too. It’s what the madam wore during her debutante.”

 

“Debutante?”

 

What Kina held was a slightly worn-out dress.

 

It had been several years since the debutante. Although Seriniel hadn’t been actively involved in social activities, her parents insisted that she experience everything others did, including her debutante.

 

She remembered the first time she wore a glamorous dress and trembled alone.

 

“You’ve kept things like this too.”

 

Kina smiled and handed her a carefully crafted earring.

 

Seriniel held the sparkling earring in her hand and examined it quietly.

 

“But why is there only one pair?”

 

“Do you not remember? You were very upset because you lost one of the earrings back then.”

 

Now that she heard it, something faintly came to mind. She had complained to her mother about losing one of the earrings that they had chosen together.

 

But why…

 

Did she lose it?

 

In a debutante, where she had nothing else to do but dance?

 

[So many… suffered.]

 

“And also, your hair and dress were all messed up when you came back.”

 

[One person… tormented…]

 

“I thought my heart would drop at that time. It felt like we had a fight just because it looked like we did.”

 

[…Get out of the way!]

 

And then, at that moment. The loud scream she let out on the debutante day resurfaced.