Chapter 64…
Growing up under the oppressive nature of Castleton, Cynthia couldn’t help but wonder if Elizabeth’s increasingly reckless and immoral behavior had been a psychological reaction to that upbringing—a twisted sense of compensation.
When Cynthia failed to answer promptly, Castleton, seated behind his desk with papers before him, flicked three sheets toward her.
They landed at her feet—one was the contract she and Dale had signed together, and the other two were fresh termination agreements written by Castleton himself.
So this was it—contract termination.
“You may have already heard from Dale, but we viewed the Imperial banquet as your final chance,” he said.
“…”
“It’s already been over three months since you started pretending to be Lady Elizabeth, and in all that time, there hasn’t been even the slightest progress in reclaiming the Ritemper Trading Company. You admit that much, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Cynthia’s small voice barely carried across the desk.
“We can’t keep waiting endlessly, uncertain and uneasy. It’s best to end things here, before it drags on further.”
A thin pen rolled across the table toward her.
As Cynthia stared at the pen and the termination papers in dismay, a striking sound broke the silence—the flick of a match, the faint crackle of flame, and a soft inhalation through pursed lips.
“To be honest,” Castleton said, his words muffled around a cigar, “if you had done a better job playing the role of Elizabeth, perhaps I’d have given you another chance. After all, the real Elizabeth is dead, and between her and you, Cynthia, there isn’t much difference to us.”
His words, distorted by smoke, stung like a slap.
Not much difference?
Cynthia looked up at him with darkened eyes.
“In fact,” he continued, “perhaps it would have been more convenient to keep using you. Easier and cleaner in every way.”
Easier and cleaner…?
Elizabeth was dead, yet he spoke of her so casually, as though her memory were nothing more than a matter of utility. Weren’t they even related by blood?
Through the haze of smoke, Castleton’s cold green eyes fixed on her.
“You really don’t suit us,” he said harshly. “I heard you caused quite a scene at the banquet again?”
His pale green eyes regarded her with the contempt one would give an insect.
Cynthia clenched her fists and asked quietly,
“So the rumors have already reached you?”
“Ah, have you forgotten who I am? I’m Castleton Bailey. The banquet hall was full of my eyes and ears—plenty of them.”
He smirked.
Dale, standing nearby, finally spoke up.
“Forgive my saying so, Your Grace, but I wouldn’t call it a ‘scene.’”
“What?”
Castleton frowned, glaring at Dale.
“I heard there was a minor incident between Miss Cynthia and the Count of Illies’ second son. Considering Lady Elizabeth’s temperament when she was alive, it would have been stranger had she stayed quiet and withdrawn. From what I can tell, Miss Cynthia played her role as best she could.”
Cynthia blinked. Dale…
She wasn’t sure if he was defending her or just stating the facts. With him, it was hard to tell.
Castleton exhaled a long, irritated sigh, staring at Dale for a moment before nodding.
“Fine. Be that as it may, the termination stands. Now that the Crown Prince has returned, reclaiming Ritemper is far more difficult than before.”
Cynthia recalled something Dale had once said during one of his Spartan-style lessons:
‘His Highness the Crown Prince’s foremost goal is to fill the imperial treasury.’
According to Dale, the prince was infamous for slapping heavy taxes on everything imaginable, and rumors said he would soon impose special levies even on wealth exchanged between noble families.
No wonder even the simplest contracts had become a political minefield.
Fine, Cynthia thought bitterly. Let’s just end this.
She quietly picked up the termination papers and began to read them.
“Is this really all?” she asked. “No penalty fees, no repayment for lodging or expenses?”
“Correct. Let’s keep things simple. Both sides made sacrifices, so we’ll call it even.”
Too easy, she thought, narrowing her eyes. Castleton Bailey was not the kind of man to let someone go without strings attached.
“We’ll announce that Lady Elizabeth fell ill and returned to her hometown. Since she didn’t have any close friends among the nobility, there’s no need for formal farewells. As for Duke Tession, we’ll quietly arrange a dissolution of engagement. Dale will handle that.”
Dissolution… So today really was the end with Tession.
A pang of regret hit her chest. Would she at least be allowed to write him one last letter?
As she hesitated, pen in hand, Dale spoke again.
“Miss Cynthia met many nobles at the banquet. Simply dissolving the contract and sending her back to a commoner’s life may cause complications.”
“Dale.”
Castleton’s tone dropped, his pale eyes flashing with irritation. He took another deep drag from his cigar before crushing it out in the ashtray.
“And why,” he said coolly, “should I care? Why should I concern myself with the future of some lowborn girl? I’ve already been more than generous.”
The temperature in the room dropped.
Sensing danger, Cynthia hastily scribbled her signature across the page.
“Th-there! I’ve signed!”
Castleton took the paper, checked it over carefully, and leaned back in his chair.
“Good. It’s late—pack your things tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have a carriage ready. Think about where you want to go.”
“…Understood.”
“Discuss the remaining details with Dale. Though you achieved little, I suppose you worked hard enough.”
Even his compliments sound like insults, Cynthia thought, glaring at him silently.
Castleton filed away one copy of the contract and gestured for her to leave. She gave a half-hearted bow and stepped out of the office.
Once in the corridor, she turned to Dale.
“Dale, is it really over?”
“You signed the termination yourself, didn’t you?”
“I did, but… this is it? Just like that? It feels so empty.”
“The contract was simple, so the termination is simple. The Baileys will handle the rest.”
“Huh…”
“As I’ve said before, there’s nothing money can’t smooth over. The servants who’ve seen you will pretend they haven’t, and those who know the truth will keep quiet. Lady Elizabeth rarely appeared in public anyway, so no one will question her sudden disappearance.”
Cynthia shivered at the cold power of the Bailey family.
“Still…” she murmured, gazing down the long marble hallway.
“At least Duke Tession will notice. He’ll know his fiancée vanished overnight without a word.”
Dale looked at her for a moment, then said flatly,
“If she’s ill, what can anyone do? Now that His Grace has regained his sight, he can find a better match. You shouldn’t concern yourself with him.”
“I suppose you’re right…”
Right. Who am I to worry about him when I can barely manage my own life?
Cynthia sighed and hurried to catch up as Dale started walking away.
“So tomorrow morning, I just take the carriage to the house you prepared? I was thinking of stopping by my creditors first, to settle my remaining—”
“Shh.”
Before she could finish, Dale spun around swiftly and covered her mouth.
Cynthia froze, eyes wide in shock.
