The revised contract Seraphie had drafted was nearly identical to the original. The mention of ‘new clauses’ was almost meaningless.
“Count Mars,” Seraphie addressed him.
The count, who had been staring blankly at the contract, slowly raised his head. His previously angry and humiliated expression had disappeared, replaced by a vacant gaze that almost seemed innocent, like that of a newborn child. His lips twitched as if he were holding back a reaction.
“Is there something you’d like to ask?”
“N-No…”
“That’s strange. I didn’t think the contract had changed much…”
Count Mars nearly blurted out, ‘That’s exactly what’s strange!’ but quickly shut his mouth. Why point out something that was working in his favor?
Seraphie sighed heavily. “I’m really not feeling well today. Perhaps my demeanor made you uneasy.” She added that she had collapsed just the day before but had managed to attend the meeting because of its importance. “If anything bothered you—”
“Oh, nonsense! That can’t be!” Count Mars hastily denied. “When you’re ill, just taking care of yourself is a challenge. How could I not understand that?”
“You must be under a lot of stress too, Count.”
“Me? Well, I—”
Huh? Count Mars, who had been joking around, suddenly froze. But Seraphie didn’t give him a chance to dwell on it and continued speaking.
“You’ve had a rough time with your children, haven’t you? Please understand them with your generous heart. Of course, sibling rivalry can be a bit intense at times.”
“… It’s my fault for not handling things properly. My lack of virtue.”
“Please don’t say that. You’re an exemplary father.”
Even though it was obvious flattery, Count Mars chuckled and didn’t reject the compliment. Maybe I misheard after all. He looked at the renegotiated contract with satisfaction.
Well, considering she was raised by a father like that… It seemed natural for Seraphie to respect and admire him. For a brief moment, Count Mars even felt sorry for her. If only she had been my daughter, she would have been a great blessing, and I could’ve had the Land Abandoned by God.
“Tsk.” Count Mars clicked his tongue softly. “But what’s this attachment here?” he asked, noticing a new clause. He skimmed through the contract again and saw the added section regarding the termination clause.
“It’s about compensation for the emotional distress I’ve endured,” Seraphie explained, presenting another document. “Given the nature of this situation…” She shrugged lightly, “I thought it best to clarify things to ensure our relationship remains intact.” In other words, Seraphie was implying that as long as she was compensated, she wouldn’t bring the matter up again.
“Of course, that should be settled,” Count Mars agreed, nodding.
Despite her appearance, Seraphie was a shrewd opportunist.
Count Mars, in good spirits, reviewed the compensation proposal presented by Seraphie. “A-Acquisition the store?” He hesitated, his expression showing concern.
The request was simple: Seraphie wanted to take over the store Lunie had been running.
“This has already been agreed upon with the Felicia family.”
“Why would the Felicia family…”
“As Count knows, Duke Felicia…” Seraphie trailed off as if it was too delicate a matter to finish.
Count Mars nodded in understanding without needing further explanation. It was clear enough.
“Even if I don’t fully know his intentions, he’s probably doing this for Lady Felicia’s sake—perhaps for Lunie.”
“For Lunie?” Count Mars brightened.
Come to think of it, it was plausible. Even though Duke Felicia was infamous for being eccentric, he was well-known for his deep love for his family. He would go to great lengths for his daughter’s close friend, and besides, Lunie was engaged to Carl, the duchess’s nephew.
…Alright. Count Mars made his decision. He would give up the store. He had done his best, and even the crown prince knew that.
The store was on the edge of a key location, and Seraphie was offering a fair price to acquire it. There was no downside for him, and in return, Seraphie promised to keep her mouth shut.
“…How can I trust that you’ll keep quiet about this?” Even in this situation, Count Mars exercised caution.
Seraphie handed over the final contract. “This will be the last time arson is mentioned,” she assured him.
The contract clearly stated that she would not interfere in the affairs of the Mars family, regardless of what happened in the future.
Satisfied at last, Count Mars signed all six copies of the contract, affixing his family seal. They agreed to keep three copies each. Seraphie signed as well.
“Count Mars,” Seraphie smiled brightly as he stamped the last contract. “Let’s do our best moving forward.”
It was as if her earlier illness that seemed unbearable just moments ago had been a lie.
* * *
“Lu! My sweet peach…!”
“Hiiing, my one and only silver prince!”
Ugh. Seraphie’s face twisted in disgust.
From the crack of dawn, Carl, who had come to Vallidus’s estate, and Lunie were wrapped in each other’s arms, exchanging sweet nothings and subtle touches. And they were doing it right in front of Seraphie’s office, where she was trying to work.
“Could you do that somewhere else, please?” Seraphie asked, struggling to hold back her nausea. Otherwise, she feared she might stab someone with the sharp pen in her hand.
“Lu…” Carl looked at Lunie’s face with a gaze full of concern. His eyes lingered, and soon his lips followed, pressing gently against the spot his gaze had touched. “Look at how thin you’ve gotten. Have you been sleeping well? You haven’t been skipping meals again, have you?”
Thin? Where? Seraphie clicked her tongue internally. If someone heard it, they’d think I was mistreating her.
Far from being thin, Lunie had been glowing more than ever since staying at the Vallidus estate. If anyone doubted how well she was doing here, the mansion servants could easily vouch for it.
“Countess Vallidus.” Only after spending a long moment fussing over Lunie did Carl finally turn to Seraphie. “Thank you so much.”
Carl bowed his head without hesitation, grateful to the person who had kept his beloved safe. “I should have come sooner, but I couldn’t. Thank you for taking care of Lu.”
“Lu is also a dear friend of mine. And before that, it was thanks to Sir Iris’s help that we were able to form such a bond.”
Seraphie expressed her gratitude as well. In truth, she felt both apologetic and thankful to him in many ways. If he hadn’t noticed her in distress at the Central Library and chosen to help, she would never have made it this far. Carl smiled awkwardly at that.
“My love is truly the best,” Lunie said, beaming as she clung to Carl’s arm.
“…Everything is fine, but could you stop using nicknames? At least don’t use it when I’m around.”
Seraphie looked at the two with a mix of discomfort and disbelief as Lunie boldly called Carl by such an embarrassing nickname. The two, however, paid no attention to her stare.
“Countess, you can call me comfortably too,” Carl said, extending his hand for a handshake.
“…Are you telling me to call you ‘my love’?” Seraphie recoiled in horror.
“No, I meant my actual name,” Carl laughed softly but then became serious. “You may not know this, but in fact, I was the one who received great help from you, Countess. You reminded me of the pride of being a knight.”
“…”
“You’re a benefactor to me as well, Countess.”
It was an incredibly burdensome statement, but Seraphie didn’t dislike hearing it. If anything, it made her feel shy. She wondered what she had done that was so impressive, but it felt nice to hear that the path she had walked wasn’t in vain. Especially since she had never received such praise in the world in which she had originally lived.
“…Carl too,” Seraphie mumbled awkwardly, his gaze shifting. “Feel free to call me by my name.”
“Yes, Seraphie.” Carl obliged with a warm smile.
“My lover and my friend are getting along so well!” Lunie clapped her hands in delight.
Carl, who was looking at Lunie with affectionate eyes, suddenly remembered something. The reason he came here wasn’t just for Lunie. “Oh, right. Kis asked me to deliver a message.”
“Lord Felicia? I mean, my darling?” Seraphie asked.
Carl chuckled. “I know you two are pretending to date, so you don’t have to explain it to me. Additionally, Kis had earnestly requested to refrain from using such titles when he wasn’t around.
“Right, it’s disgusting.” Lunie agreed, wrinkling her nose.
“So, what did my darling say?”
“He said the firewood deliveries will no longer be coming.”
“…”
“Did Peni’s brother buy firewood for you?” Lunie asked in disbelief, muttering that Orkis had a lot to learn from Carl.
But for Seraphie, it was the best news. It meant that the marriage proposals from the Katio family would no longer be coming.
“Anyway, what were you two working on?” Carl asked, finally noticing the stacks of documents cluttering the office.
“Uhm…” Lunie glanced at Seraphie, hesitant to explain just yet.
Luckily, Seraphie caught on and answered for her. “We’re planning several business ventures.”
“With Lu? I guarantee it — it will be the best decision you’ve ever made, Seraphie.”
“I agree,” Seraphie nodded.
Hearing them speak so highly of her, Lunie’s face turned red.
“May I ask what kind?”
“Well, what I can tell you right now…” Seraphie said, holding one of the plans, “is a rehabilitation center.”
* * *
It was on the day the Great Madam of Vallidus collapsed.
“Mother, would you like to leave this mansion?”
Seraphie asked the great madam, who had just regained consciousness after a full day.
“I don’t think this place is good for you.”
“…”
“It’s not that I’m kicking you out. If you don’t want to, I’ll find ways to make you more comfortable here…”
“I want to leave.”
After a brief hesitation, the great madam spoke honestly.
“I thought things would get better with time.”
That’s why she had tried so hard to leave the room—standing by the door, reaching for the doorknob, ignoring the specific time her ex-husband used to enter.
To others, it might have seemed laughable or pathetic, but to the great madam, it was a life-or-death struggle. But now, she had to admit it.
“I’ll never be able to live a normal life in this house.”
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