“He invested in automobiles development from the beginning, proposing supportive legislation and working hard, but that turned out to be a curse. The rapid growth caught the attention of others, and many began targeting the automobiles investment rights. Among them, Count Vallemont was the most severe. He constantly pressured and even threatened my parents to hand over the investment rights. My parents tried to find a way to safely protect it.”
Emilia frowned as if she were angry, her lower lip trembling. Tears welled up again in her eyes.
“They could have just sold the investment rights, but they were sorry for me that I couldn’t inherit the family due to being a woman, they wanted to leave me with more. So…So, they made investments in my mother’s name to avoid detection. But eventually, Count Vallemont noticed and increased his pressure, not only for the automobiles investment rights but also for everything else. My parents had no choice but to seek other means…”
Emilia closed her mouth tightly once. She took a deep breath as if to suppress her emotions and tried not to cry. Enrico just looked at her strangely.
He didn’t show any impression on the long story, and he didn’t get annoyed by her voice filled with tears. In fact, in his original nature, he would have left without looking back.
“If I’m reading this letter, it means they are no longer in this world. They apologized for not being able to ensure the success of their measures. But why…why apologize for that? They didn’t have to go that far…”
“It seems their plan succeeded.”
At his calm words, her eyes, which had been trembling, widened.
“Yes?”
“They died in an accident on their way home, and now the investment rights are confirmed under anonymous ownership. They likely used legal loopholes. Finding the lawyer who handled it should be our priority.”
She blinked, looking as if she had not considered this. Caught up in her emotions, she had no time to think logically. His words seemed to bring her back to her senses.
“Oh… If we keep looking, we might find more. I believe they left everything related to this here. If we find information about the lawyer, we should ask if he noticed any suspicious people on the day they met or if anything unusual was discussed.”
Enrico watched Emilia rummage through the boxes again. The letter didn’t seem to contain any noteworthy details, merely context before the incident.
While not curious about the incident itself, Enrico pondered the shared trait between Emilia and her late father, the Viscount of Este. A word surfaced in his mind, causing his eyebrow to arch slightly.
Sacrifice.
The image of them willing to give everything, even leaping into flames for each other, came to mind. Now, he noticed her starting to reach for the wooden boxes stacked high.
Her hands, which rummaged through the dusty interior without caring about the mess of her dress, were unwavering.
‘I’m not even in her sight anymore.’
When they were together, she would at least glance at him, but since they arrived here, she barely noticed him. How did she plan to search this vast place alone?
Enrico’s gaze, which had been watching her unfavorably as she repeated her stubborn actions, moved slightly upwards. His eyes widened, and he moved before he could speak.
Crash-!
A box tumbled above Emilia’s head. There was no time to avoid it. Enrico quickly wrapped his arms around Emilia, who was watching the falling box with surprised eyes. Then moved to the side, dodging the falling box.
Thud! He twisted his body, ensuring his back took the impact as they landed on the ground. The recoil slid them towards the wall, where they finally stopped.
“Hah…”
A sigh of relief escaped him.
Enrico lowered his head, which he had been holding up to avoid hitting the back of his head, to the floor. Emilia, who had fallen over while being tightly hugged, was trembling on his chest, and he could feel her heart pounding rapidly through their bodies pressed together.
“Are…Are you okay?”
Emilia propped herself up on his chest and looked up. Her voice trembled, showing how shocked she was.
He glanced down at her briefly, then lay his head back on the ground after confirming she wasn’t hurt.
The box had hit his back and shoulders but not his head, so it just ached. Though not seriously injured, the new tension made him reluctant to get up immediately.
“Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?”
Seeing him lying there without a word, she panicked and raised herself further. Her hands frantically roamed over his chest, shoulders, and face, which made his lips twitch. She didn’t seem to realize where she was lying.
Enrico grabbed Emilia’s wrist to stop her from reaching up to touch the back of his head.
“Are you okay?”
As he reacted, she moved slightly closer, trying to check his face. His handsome brows furrowed deeply.
“Don’t provoke me.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t have a hobby of doing this in places like this.”
“Doing what…?”
She blinked in confusion at his low, husky voice. He propped himself up with one hand and raised his upper body.
“Do you not realize where you’re sitting right now?”
“…Gasp!”
A beat later, she gasped and quickly moved away.
“S-Sorry.”
Even in the dim light, her face was visibly flushed. Sitting with a helpless expression, she suddenly jumped up from her seat.
“Aak-!”
“Emilia?”
However, seeing her immediately collapse back down, He swiftly got up. He sat down right across from her, meeting her eye level. Her face, with her eyes tightly shut and clutching her left ankle, looked pained.
“I…I guess I was just surprised. I’m fine.”
His face hardened. Her awkward smile, forced as she barely opened her eyes, didn’t convince him at all.
Without saying another word, he lifted her into his arms. He heard her gasp in surprise but ignored it, grabbing the lamp as he strode towards the stairs.
“Your Grace, I’m really fine! Your Grace?”
“I’m not fine.”
She stiffened at his stern voice. He noticed her hands clasped in front of her chest and pulled her closer into his embrace. For some reason, she felt a strange heat rising on her skin, perhaps because of his hot body temperature against hers.
He thought her body, held tightly in his arms, was too light. So light that she might just fly away from his embrace at any moment, making him feel an inexplicable sense of unease.
* * *
Alessandro questioned the words he had just heard, his voice filled with doubt. Colorful light streamed through the stained glass windows, casting a vibrant glow upon the room.
“Emilia and Enrico went to Vacorta together?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I investigated as you instructed, and it seems they took the train together yesterday.”
Count Vallemont’s voice was laced with indignation. Alessandro had instructed him the day before to find out where Emilia had gone on vacation. He had intended to arrange a coincidental meeting and spend time with her at her vacation destination, but an unexpected turn of events awaited him.
Alessandro’s eyes, now free of the mask of the affable crown prince, glinted coldly.
“I didn’t like it from the moment they started their patronage charade, and now this….”
“You said patronage just now? Surely you don’t mean Emilia Este and Duke Michele are in a patronage relationship?”
The count’s wrinkled face contorted even further. Alessandro sneered at Valmont’s expression of utter surprise.
“Isn’t it a bit too easygoing for someone who constantly brags about wanting to squeeze out the Este Viscount’s investment rights?”
“T-That’s because… Giorgio is the head of the family. I thought it best to focus on managing him more closely.”
“He’s been nothing but the head on paper. So far, he hasn’t been of any use. Neither for your investment rights nor for my Emilia.”
TL/N: EXCUSE ME!!!!!! “MY EMILIA” EWWWW STFU DUDE.
“……That’s true.”
Watching Count Vallemont’s hesitant reply, Alessandro clicked his tongue in disdain, as if looking at something insignificant.
Useless old man. His mind was empty, yet his lust was strong. He had joined forces with Count Vallemont because circumstances aligned, but every time he saw what the man did, he felt like killing him.
‘Not yet.’
Getting involved with these so-called nobles would only tire him out right now.
Who knows where these people would crawl out from, questioning his legitimacy of the throne and tying his hands up. Once he was on the throne, he could just chop off the heads of all those he didn’t like.
‘I hope our dear king’s days are numbered…’
He couldn’t be sure how long his limited patience would last, but he repeated to himself that he would endure just a little bit longer today, waiting for the day when the place he was destined for would be vacated.
* * * *
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