Chapter 74
After finishing writing all the letters, I carefully folded them and placed them in envelopes. Then, I melted sealing wax and sealed the envelopes with the family crest. After confirming that the five letters were neatly sealed, I turned to Julia.
“Julia, could you send these for me? The recipients are written on the envelopes, so please check them carefully before sending them.”
I handed the letters to her, making sure the names of the recipients were visible.
“Yes, of course, Your Grace.”
Soon, Julia left the office with the five letters.
Now that I had sent the letters, I expected to receive a reply within a week at the latest. I hoped for a quick response, but as the one making the request, I couldn’t afford to be too greedy.
There was a chance that I wouldn’t receive a reply at all…
It had been nearly ten years since my mother passed, and during that time, Baron Hazel had completely ruined all the connections of the Tristan family. Because of that, some people may have turned their backs on us due to the bitterness of the situation.
If they had truly turned away, there was nothing I could do about it, and I would have to accept it. For now, though, I was clinging to the hope, even if it was just a straw.
After sending the letters, I felt uneasy and stood up from my seat. I walked toward the window to release the growing frustration in my chest. Outside, I could hear the sounds of knights training. They looked familiar. They were the knights of Count Theodore’s family.
Since I was going to stay here for a while, it seemed they were training in the sparring grounds, making up for the training they had missed.
Leaning against the window, I watched them practice. Their movements were coordinated and swift, following the commands of the commander, Richard. It was an impressive sight.
I knew that Richard had put a lot of effort into training them, but since I had never properly seen them train, it was a fascinating sight.
Then, suddenly, I remembered the first time I had gone to Count Theodore’s estate. Back then, Richard had been so wary of me that I had to turn back from the entrance of the sparring grounds. I had even collapsed from dizziness at the time.
The embarrassing memory made my face flush with heat.
As I silently groaned inwardly from the embarrassment, I felt Richard’s gaze lift toward me. I awkwardly smiled and waved at him. He gave a faint smile in return.
Seeing his smile, my heart skipped a beat, and I stood frozen in place. Meanwhile, Richard seemed indifferent and simply turned his gaze back to the knights.
I silently watched him for a moment before letting out a bitter smile and turning away.
It was time to get back to work.
When I checked my mother’s financial records, there was evidence that she had invested in several businesses. However, after Baron Hazel took over as Duke of Tristan, he had liquidated everything and withdrawn from those ventures, so it wasn’t going to be easy to restart those businesses.
The more I reviewed the records, the more daunting it became. After Baron Hazel’s interference, nothing of value remained.
If my mother had still been alive, I’m sure the Tristan family would have prospered even more…
But that was all in the past, and I couldn’t change it, so I quickly pushed the sorrowful thoughts aside.
For now, my best option was to focus on what I could do now.
I had a simple lunch of butter rolls, a few slices of ham, and a salad, and then I continued trying to analyze the current state of the Tristan family estate. After organizing what Baron Hazel had gotten rid of and what was left, I needed to figure out whether the lost assets could be recovered and whether the remaining ones could be revitalized.
As I was rummaging through documents, I heard a light knock on the door. Olivier, who had been waiting outside, went over and opened it, allowing a maid to enter.
“What is it?”
“I have brought a reply to the letter Your Grace sent to Marchioness Mariel this morning.”
“What?”
I was so surprised by the maid’s words that I immediately jumped to my feet. I hadn’t expected a response so quickly. I had thought it would take at least a day, so I was very curious about the contents of the letter that had arrived so soon.
The reply from Marchioness Mariel, who had been a close friend of my mother. However, I didn’t think the reply would necessarily be positive.
It had been over ten years since our contact with Marchioness Mariel was severed due to Baron Hazel’s arrogance. The last time I had seen her, she had seemed worn out by Baron Hazel’s behavior.
Perhaps the letter I had sent today was a message asking for no further contact.
“Could you bring it here?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The maid approached me with quick steps and politely handed over the letter. I took the letter, used a letter knife to carefully cut open the edge, and then pulled out the neatly folded letter inside.
Before reading it, I took a deep breath to calm myself.
It was to remind myself not to be disappointed, no matter what the contents might be.
After taking a couple of deep breaths, I slowly unfolded the letter.
Inside was a carefully written reply in a beautiful, neat handwriting. The contents of the letter included a greeting asking how I had been, expressing relief that Baron Hazel no longer held the title of Duke of Tristan, and how happy the sender was to hear from me again. All of it was written with great care.
Just reading the letter filled me with warmth, and I relaxed my tense shoulders. Without realizing it, a smile spread across my face as I continued reading.
It was true that I had been anxious, as the person writing this letter had been a close friend of my mother’s. If the contact had been cut off in a normal way, it wouldn’t have been as worrisome, but since it had been severed by Baron Hazel, I was concerned that she might hold a negative view of me because of the situation with him.
Fortunately, it seemed that Marchioness Mariel was still favorable toward me.
With a lighter heart, I continued reading the letter.
It seemed that Marchioness Mariel was also aware of how Baron Hazel had ruined the Tristan family while holding the title of Duke.
It would have been strange if she didn’t know. Baron Hazel and Cecilia’s vanity were already well-known in society. The luxury items they had bought and the lavish banquets they hosted once or twice a month were proof of it.
They had blocked off all sources of income while only spending, so it wasn’t surprising that people around them were concerned.
And for someone like Marchioness Mariel, who had a deep friendship with my mother, it was even more concerning.
However, upon hearing the news that I had reclaimed the title of Duke of Tristan from Baron Hazel, she seemed relieved, although she expressed concern about the difficulties I would face due to the ruined finances.
The letter concluded with an invitation to a salon that would be held in three days at the Marchioness’s estate, asking me to come and meet her in person.
I read the letter over and over, and then pulled out the invitation attached to the back of it.
It was an invitation to the salon.
The invitation indicated that a social gathering would be held in three days at the Marchioness’s estate. Only the invitee and one companion could attend.
The salon was in three days. Preparing for it would be tight, but I had no choice. Marchioness Mariel was a big name in society. She was the head of the prestigious Mariel family and had many business ventures. I had to prepare thoroughly for this event, given how important it was.
“Olivier, could you go to Richard and ask if he can spare time to attend in three days? I think it would be nice for us to go together.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Olivier left the office to tell Richard about the invitation to the salon.
I was sure Richard wouldn’t refuse the invitation. He was involved in business, and above all, the reason he had married me was to build connections with the central nobility, so there was no reason for him to turn down an invitation to a salon hosted by Marchioness Mariel.
In fact, he might even want to attend to make new connections.
If we did attend, I would need to speak with Marchioness Mariel for a while.
“Julia, have someone pick out a dress for me to wear to the salon, along with shoes and accessories.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Julia called one of the maids and gave her the same instructions I had just given. Meanwhile, I looked over the list of luxury items from Baron Hazel that Julia had prepared for me.
Since Marchioness Mariel had invited me to the salon, I couldn’t go empty-handed.
Among the luxury items still owned by the Tristan family, there were many that would make excellent gifts.
I found a painting by the famous artist Delphin on the list.
“Julia, where is Delphin’s ‘Essence of the World’ kept? I’d like to take a look at it.”
“I’ll guide you, Your Grace.”
After hearing Julia’s reply, I immediately began walking. She led me to the banquet hall, which was a separate building from the main estate. Cecilia had loved holding banquets there, and just thinking about it made my face scrunch up in distaste. I wondered if Cecilia ever realized how much those banquets cost. Probably not, and she never would.
I had reclaimed the title of Duke of Tristan from Baron Hazel, so I would have to clean up their mess.
“This is it.”
At the very front of the banquet hall, on the most beautifully decorated wall, hung a large painting. It was a depiction of an elegant goddess—Delphin’s ‘Essence of the World’.
It was certainly expensive, judging by the records, and it exuded a certain elegance.
If I held onto it, its value would surely increase over time, but to me, the value it might have in the future paled in comparison to the kindness that Marchioness Mariel had shown by reaching out to me.
“Move it carefully and pack it well. I’ll take it to the salon.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Hey dear readers, the advance chapters of this novel are now available on Patreon. Also I’ll be posting chapters of my other novels there more frequently than here for some time due to some technical issues. Make sure to not miss your favourite novels. Thank you, have a nice day.✨❤️
