CHAPTER 73………………….
. The True Heroine Arrives
Chloe’s face lit with interest as she stepped down from the carriage and took in the busiest street in the South.
“This place is impressive.”
Rather than weariness from the long journey, it was the sight of the southern city that left its mark on her.
Not just the sweltering heat and the light clothing, but also the dazzling, exotic buildings and shops—no less splendid than the capital’s—and the vibrant energy spilling through the streets. She drank in every detail, unwilling to miss a thing.
“My lady, we should first get you settled. I asked around for the most luxurious hotel while they were replacing the carriage wheels….”
“Was there really any need to ask?”
Chloe shrugged at Pirel’s report.
Everything here belonged to the same trading house anyway. No matter where she looked, the same insignia was stamped everywhere.
“This is more impressive than I imagined.”
“…It seems they hold absolute power in the South, after all.”
“At this scale, calling them merely powerful is an understatement.”
Chloe tapped her cheek as her gaze fell on a massive eagle emblem.
Before coming here, she had thought the rumors about southern tycoons were exaggerated hearsay.
How could such a thing be possible, tucked away so far from the capital? She had laughed it off.
“How can an operation of this scale remain confined to the South?”
“I’m not certain myself, but they say the successor of House Sergio decided it that way.”
“The successor? You mean that new bride?”
Chloe arched a brow.
After all, that wedding was the very reason she had come. Of course she was curious.
“Yes. If the Lennox Bridge hadn’t collapsed, we’d have arrived yesterday and witnessed the ceremony. Honestly, who in their right mind would destroy a bridge like that?”
“…Pirel.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Muttering like a sulking child, Pirel straightened his posture at Chloe’s warning.
The duke’s foster daughter disliked straying from the main point.
When she held out her hand, he immediately pulled a sheet of paper from his coat and offered it to her.
“I asked around among the guests at the wedding. This sketch should be the most accurate likeness. They all said no drawing could truly capture her beauty.”
“…I see.”
Chloe studied the portrait intently, a sly smile tugging at her lips.
Silver hair, blue eyes, and the captain of San Fidelio’s knights.
That alone was impressive, but seeing the finely rendered sketch left no doubt.
It was a face one could never forget.
Even if her only glimpse years ago had been stolen from afar, the shock of it had remained vivid.
Prince Aaron, the second son, was considered handsome in his own right, but compared to his brother, he seemed almost ordinary.
“…Why would someone like him be here?”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Go on—what about the woman?”
Rolling up the sketch, Chloe fixed her mind back on strategy.
The wedding had already taken place. The only option now was to understand her opponent as thoroughly as possible before moving.
She needed to deliver news quickly to the prince waiting for her trust.
Of course, his desires and her own didn’t perfectly align—but that depended entirely on what she chose to do next.
Suppressing a secretive smile, Chloe urged Pirel on.
“They say she’s highly capable. In the South, nothing escapes the influence of the Yuden Trading House, and she manages most of it herself. No wonder the count holds her in such esteem.”
“Then why hasn’t such an ambitious woman expanded into the capital?”
“That I don’t know…”
Pirel scratched his head, and Chloe dismissed it with a flick of her hand.
The world had no shortage of mysteries. If she had truly chosen to restrict herself to the South despite wielding such power, then there had to be a reason.
Interesting.
Chloe smiled faintly as her gaze swept up at the eagle banners fluttering on either side of the grand hotel.
The scale alone was overwhelming, but the entrance itself was astonishing. Marble pillars, reminiscent of a temple, towered with solemn grandeur.
“So she married the captain of the Holy Knights. She must have been devout to begin with.”
“That’s not all. They say her beauty and social skills are unmatched as well.”
“…Unmatched? Not even compared to me?”
“Perish the thought, my lady.”
Chloe’s half-joking remark was met with Pirel’s hasty flattery.
Not that it was entirely flattery. This young woman truly was the emblem of a life transformed.
The Wise Chloe.
That was how the capital’s high society referred to her.
Yes, the duke’s real daughter had died, but how often did someone step into the place of a duchess’s child?
In her grief, the duchess had turned to Chloe, who had managed the family’s trading concerns in her stead. Naturally, Chloe became the duke’s adopted daughter.
Two years had passed since then, and the original young lady was scarcely remembered. Chloe had solidified her place so completely that people whispered she would soon become a princess.
With Duke Oren’s wealth and power behind her, it was only a matter of time before the second prince usurped the crown prince’s position.
…Which would make her empress someday.
Pirel looked at her with awe and dread alike.
For such a clever and promising woman to come this far south herself meant the matter was of the utmost importance.
If he wanted her favor, he had to risk everything.
“Say the word, and I’ll do anything.”
“…That’s good to hear.”
Chloe’s smile, as if she’d read his ambition, was satisfied. Ambitious men without strong backing were always the easiest to use.
“We’ll need to send word to His Highness quickly. But since we don’t yet know Sergio’s true intentions, we must tread carefully.”
“Then perhaps you should meet them directly, my lady.”
“With no pretext? No. For now, we watch, find a thread, then make contact.”
“How?”
“You didn’t only come back with a sketch, did you? Surely you’ve heard gossip about their family. Recall whatever you can.”
As they stepped into the hotel, Chloe couldn’t help but marvel again at its size.
Could it rival the duke’s establishments in the capital?
…No. Perhaps it was even greater.
The more she compared the Sergio holdings to her own family’s, the hotter her blood ran.
“They say the count himself has appeared at the royal palace a few times. Apparently, he’s a strikingly handsome man. He lost his wife young, and besides his eldest daughter—the heir—he has two illegitimate children.”
“Illegitimate?”
“Yes, a son and a daughter. But relations aren’t good. Little is known about them compared to the eldest. The son, in particular, is infamous for his temper. He’s rarely home, and though said to be as handsome as his father and sister, his violent, eccentric ways leave few willing to speak with him.”
“I see.”
Chloe paused in her steps.
A family as vast as their fortune—plenty of strengths, but just as many openings.
“And the heir, the eldest daughter?”
“In the South, they say if you don’t know her, you’re not truly from here. Her reputation is that great. Her beauty aside, in some ways she even surpasses her father. But her ruthlessness in business has earned her enemies as well as respect.”
“…And the younger daughter?”
“Renowned for her kindness and beauty. Recently, there was talk of a match with the guild’s accountant, who is also her sister’s friend. But with the elder marrying first, it’s uncertain. She’s considered the only truly pure-hearted lady of the family.”
“…I see.”
Ah. There it was—the weakness.
Chloe bit her lip lightly, her eyes gleaming.
Pirel, restless, tried to read her intent.
“Wouldn’t the heir be best to approach, my lady? You’re already managing the duke’s trading interests. If you suggested a partnership—”
“Do you know who I distrust the most?”
“…Pardon?”
“People who seem to lack nothing, yet suddenly show up to talk business. Nothing reeks more of ulterior motives.”
With that, Chloe brushed him off and placed a hand on her luggage.
She hadn’t met them yet, but in her mind, the Sergio family stood vividly before her:
A philandering father, a wayward son, an ambitious elder daughter, and an angelic younger daughter.
If she had to choose one target, her decision was clear.
“Find out which salon the younger daughter attends.”
