The girl’s expression stiffened in an instant. Surprised, I tilted my head; despite my attempts to put her at ease, she looked terrified once again.
“M-my Lady. I-I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Piren, ah, Piren is my younger sister, she…”
The girl finally let out the tears she had been struggling to hold back.
“She lost the hairpin you gave us…. She walked around outside until late at night looking for it, and then she c-caught a cold.”
I realized she must have been talking about the youngest child present when I gave them the wild strawberries. I had, in fact, given them a pin from my hair along with the fruit.
In truth, Charlize had so many accessories that it was hardly something the children needed to take so seriously.
I decided to lighten the girl’s heart.
“It doesn’t matter. I was going to throw it away anyway.”
“B-but….”
“You’re crying again.”
I rose from my seat and headed toward the dresser. I retrieved a pin decorated with a butterfly and placed it atop the ornaments the girl was already holding.
“Here. Give her this and tell her to stop being sick.”
The girl looked up at me, startled. Then, suppressing her sobs, she bowed her head deeply.
Just then, the door opened, and the maid, Anna, entered cautiously.
“My Lady, the Duke is looking for you.”
“Is that so?”
…What does that old man want with me now?
On the other hand, I could easily guess his motive. I glanced at the children once more.
“Anna, buy plenty of the snacks and sweets I enjoy and send them along with these kids. Pack the ornaments they’re holding so they’re easy to carry, too.”
After a moment of thought, I added, “I have no more use for them, anyway.”
The children exchanged glances before the boy stepped forward, bowing politely and deeply. “Thank you, my Lady!” The girl hastily followed his lead.
I nodded and left the parlor. As I walked out, I instructed Anna, who remained behind, to ensure the knights didn’t bother them, and then I departed.
* * *
Piache was a child living in the Remut Territory. Pina, standing by her side, was her younger cousin. They were the same children who had mustered the courage to give Charlize wild strawberries—even if those very strawberries had been the root cause of them being dragged to this mansion.
Yet, as they departed, the children had already forgotten the memory of being brought here against their will.
The Lady is pretty, and she’s super pretty, and she’s completely kind!
Piache blinked, looking down at the box in her arms. Her cousin, Pina, wore a similar expression of wonder.
I’m going to brag about this so much when we get back.
Big brother, me too, me too!
There were three maids guiding these children toward the carriage. Except for Anna, these were maids Charlize hadn’t seen up close since returning from her trip. To them, Charlize was still a figure of terror. They were busy whispering among themselves, their hands full of dessert packages and toys.
“…It’s that, right?”
“Yes, it’s that. Definitely.”
One maid nodded with a stiff expression.
*She must have given them these to buy their silence.*
Regardless of what kind of trouble Charlize had caused, she had always been the type to silence people with money or goods. The maid reasoned that showering these nameless children with so many gifts was no different from her usual methods.
It was strange that the recipients were commoners rather than nobles, but it wasn’t entirely unprecedented. Buying silence was Charlize’s first line of defense; if rumors were to be believed, she would simply kill to ensure their permanent silence if that failed.
The maids, excluding Anna, looked at the children with pity.
*The poor things, they’re still so young…. To think they might lose their lives for nothing.*
The children, unaware of this, looked blindingly bright. The maids shook their heads and headed toward the carriage.
***
The old man had summoned me, but instead of heading straight to his office, I stopped by my room first.
There was something I needed to bring along.
“You’ve arrived.”
When I entered the office, the old man set aside the newspaper he had been reading on the sofa.
I hadn’t come in alone.
I signaled to the servants trailing me, and they carefully set their burdens on the table. It wasn’t just one box, but several, stacked high.
A flicker of doubt crossed the old man’s face.
“What is this?”
I offered a bright smile.
“What could it be, Grandfather? It’s the interest the Duke of Remut is paying this month.”
I gestured for the servants to open the lids. The gold coins within, overflowing and catching the light, were fully revealed.
“I went to the Remut Territory and collected the full interest for this month from the Duke. It’s four times higher than last month, isn’t it? One should take what one can while the opportunity exists.”
Surprise and satisfaction dawned on the old man’s face.
“…I was always worried because you were immature, but it seems that was just this old man’s groundless fear. Very good. As expected of my granddaughter. This is how it should be.”
The sum included the gold coins I had received from my fiancé and a portion I had borrowed from the tyrant brother.
My fiancé had only paid a fraction of the original interest, but honestly, how could he be expected to pay an amount that had suddenly quadrupled? I had decided to handle the difference myself.
“You are an Alzbeit.”
At those words, the tyrant brother’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
“Abandon the Alzbeit name and become royalty.”
That memory vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
The old man’s face, etched with a satisfied smile, filled my vision.
“A festival honoring the Goddess’s blessing will be held soon. The Imperial Palace is hosting a grand banquet, as it does every year. Do not cause trouble this time. Try to be well-behaved—or rather, do not act rashly. Do you understand?”
“…Yes. When have I ever caused trouble?”
I shrugged, and the old man’s voice turned stern with a tut.
“Rumors are rampant that you went on a trip after causing a scene. Prove to me that you’ve changed since your return.”
I let the old man’s admonitions slip in one ear and out the other.
*I’m sorry, Grandfather. I’ve already promised to commit even greater atrocities in exchange for money….*
Still, judging by his satisfied expression, he wouldn’t replace my fiancé just because I acted out a few times. It seemed the old man truly cherished Charlize, after all.
“I’ll try.”
The old man clicked his tongue at my reply, then lowered his gaze and began counting the gold coins himself.
The records in the books had described his love for money, but seeing it firsthand, I could truly feel the depth of his devotion to it.
“And we plan to announce your wedding date with the Duke of Remut at this imperial banquet. Keep that in mind.”
“…A wedding?”
I was rendered speechless by the unexpected news.
How is it that this old man can give me a headache even worse than the problem I just solved?
I suppressed a groan and tilted my head.
“Has Askin given his permission?”
“Do you need that fellow’s permission? How could he possibly refuse?”
Wow. If Askin had heard that, it was a remark that would have made him furious enough to declare the engagement void on the spot.
*And then I would face the threat of death once more.*
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
“It will have no choice but to proceed.”
“…Is there another way to repay the debt if Askin calls off the engagement?”
“How could such a thing come to be? That fellow can never repay that money.”
For some reason, the old man spoke with a voice full of conviction.
“Not as long as he continues to keep that sickly thing he doesn’t even need.”
The moment I heard that, defiance surged within me. It was because Aria’s brightly smiling face came to mind.
I hid my clenched fists behind my back and offered only a faint, practiced smile.
“You, just be well-behaved and try to win that fellow’s heart. I’m telling you to capture him with that beauty of yours. Tut, how long do you intend to follow him around so pathetically?”
Even under the old man’s relentless instructions, I merely smiled and gave a half-hearted promise to comply.
* * *
…I only need to endure being engaged for one year, so what kind of wedding is this?
Leaving the office, my expression darkened.
My grandfather had insisted to the very end that, since I had mastered the craft of resourcefulness, I should now focus on winning my fiancé’s heart.
I had feigned agreement to his demands, but I had no intention of following through.
Getting that man to agree to a one-year arrangement—where we would simply mind our own business—was enough.
‘Besides, would he even want this marriage?’
Being pestered by someone you dislike is stressful enough on its own.
I would much rather abandon the seduction, which wasn’t in my destiny anyway, and negotiate our mutual freedom through a civil conversation.
‘Since things have come to this, I’ll deal with my fiancé as quickly as possible and get him to stamp a one-year contract!’
Is it his life? It’s mine! Marriage, my foot. I had just arrived in my room and was venting my annoyance by pummeling my pillows when, shortly after, I heard unexpected news.
“Duchess-To-Be, an attendant from the Imperial Palace has arrived.”
From the Imperial Palace? Having just been thoroughly drained by my grandfather, this was not welcome news.
However, I was startled when the visitor, supposedly an attendant, removed his hooded cloak.
I immediately ordered the maids in the room to leave.
“……Sir Noah? Since when were you an attendant for the Imperial Palace?”
“I greet the noble Duchess-To-Be.”
It was Noah, the sub-male lead of the original work and the tyrant’s adjutant.
He asked for my understanding, explaining that he had come in this manner to avoid the eyes of Duke Alzbeit.
I crossed my arms and tilted my head.
“His Imperial Majesty is looking for you.”
“……Do I really have to go just because my brother calls?”
“He did not summon you for anything that would bring you harm, Duchess-To-Be.”
“And what if I get there, only to find my brother has gone mad and is brandishing a sword?”
I retorted snidely, my mood already sour.
It was only after seeing Noah’s distressed expression that I realized my mistake. Right, what fault did this man have?
I stood up. Staying at home would only result in me hitting my pillows, anyway.
“Lead the way.”
Noah strode over and held out his hand. Was he planning to carry me like last time?
I started to reach out, then paused, tilting my head.
“It’s not an urgent matter, is it?”
“Pardon? No. It is not.”
“Then I suppose I won’t have to be carried by you this time.”
“Ah…….”
Noah nodded and carefully lowered his hand.
“Let’s go.”