Chapter 92
“Without giving an exact address, they just requested delivery to the Central Post Office of the Casad Kingdom. They also said they’d cover the shipping costs themselves afterward.”
Even in the Casad Kingdom, summer hats made of straw could easily be purchased at a similar price. Yet here was someone foolish enough to pay double the price, including the shipping cost from the Empire to the Casad Kingdom, just to buy a hat. It even made her wonder absurdly if she was the only one unaware that straw hats were about to rise in price.
Cayente suddenly had an idea and escorted Yulia to a nearby leather workshop.
“Could it be that someone from Casad showed up to buy that leather as well?”
“How did you know? That’s exactly what happened.”
Sure enough, at the leather shop, Cayente and Yulia heard the same thing. A customer wanted the exact leather Yulia had chosen and offered double the price, requesting delivery to the Central Post Office of Casad. The shopkeeper had apologized and returned the check—but Yulia didn’t even remember receiving it.
Quickly, Lucy was sent to check other stores and workshops, but somehow, both the hat Yulia wanted and the Lusad buffalo leather were already sold out.
“What could be going on?”
The situation was too strange to dismiss as coincidence, and Yulia’s face darkened on the carriage ride back to the mansion. It was impossible to think anything other than that someone was deliberately interfering with what Yulia was trying to do.
“Could it be that someone jealous of the Lady is doing this?”
“Surely not… Why would anyone be jealous of me… Ah…”
Yulia hesitated as she tried to deny Lucy’s suggestion, trailing off as she glanced at Cayente across from her. Considering his reputation wasn’t great overall but he was popular with women, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Cayente, silent and thoughtful, had a name come to mind at Lucy’s remark: Aveline Dains. Unless it was that woman, who would treat the expensive pink diamonds in a new mine as if they were mere stones underfoot, no one else would have the leisure to do something like this.
Yulia, fidgeting with her hands on her lap, cautiously spoke while watching Cayente’s reaction.
“Brother must have had business trips to other countries, just like Mr. Cain, right?”
“What?”
“If he went on a business trip to Casad, there might have been a woman who had feelings for him. I can’t believe she’d go this far, though…”
“Feelings for him?” Cayente thought internally, smirking at the thought that she was likely frustrated for not being able to hold his face in her mind, given her large chest. As he kept silent, Yulia’s expressions flickered constantly, trying to read his thoughts.
She seemed suspicious, then relieved, then suddenly angry, then disappointed—all in moments.
At the party earlier, it had seemed Yulia had gotten closer to him, but for some trivial reason, she now felt distant again.
“If you’re curious, just ask. Don’t keep staring with that face.”
“I was wondering… if you had any girlfriends before marriage.”
“What?”
“I was thinking maybe someone who once had feelings for you might be willing to spend so much money just to interfere with my work.”
Cayente, touching his lips with a finger, laughed in disbelief. He had already said it was her first kiss—had she completely forgotten? He thought that if she reflected on what he said, her doubts would vanish, but seeing her still serious, he had no choice but to speak.
“You don’t even remember I said your first kiss was with me? I have no one else. You’re the only woman for me.”
Hearing this, Yulia couldn’t hide her delight; her face flushed red. Even Lucy, seated beside her, let out a small gasp and glanced out the window in embarrassment.
Is this really okay? Cayente wondered. He wanted to see her smile, completely forgetting his previous thoughts of revenge. All he knew for sure was that he wanted to see that smile—for the rest of his life.
“Is that so?”
Yulia, as if she had been waiting for those words, finally let her feelings show, laughing freely. Cayente could only conceal the smile that matched hers.
He didn’t know what was right or okay, but one thing was certain: he wanted to see her smile. Always.
The next day, Cayente called Mark into his office. Though he had thought of letting things play out, the fact that someone was interfering with not only his work but Yulia’s made it impossible to ignore. He needed to find out who was behind it.
“Start by checking the funding sources for Hashi Trading, which bought Bairin Trading. Also see if there’s any influence from Edren Trading or Sian Trading, and find the person who purchased the straw summer hats and Lusad buffalo leather from the market.”
As expected, a company had purchased Bairin Trading after Cayente had failed to acquire it. It was a relatively small company, primarily dealing with art and decorative items.
“Also, check if Aveline Dains is in the Empire… Actually, forget it. I’ll check that myself.”
If Aveline were in the Empire, she was likely with Cain. Cain might have been involved from the start. If it was Cayente versus Cain, Cain could dislike him for no reason. Perhaps he had simply been yielding to his younger sister’s wishes, moved by her tears. It was a family remarkably close-knit.
Even if it wasn’t Aveline, he needed to warn Cain to stay away from Yulia. One more incident like the cotton farm, and Cayente wouldn’t tolerate any sad looks or threats of divorce.
Although someone was deliberately interfering with Yulia’s work, she didn’t stop. Under the agreement that they wouldn’t cancel the deal unilaterally, she paid 1.5 times the original price for other leather and placed a new order. She also purchased a hat made from different materials and sent it to the farm.
Since then, Yulia developed certain habits when buying items. She always asked exactly when her order would arrive, offered to pay the messenger fees herself, and requested to be notified directly of any changes. She also made a list of alternative items in case the ones she chose were unavailable.
“Will it be delivered by 7 PM today?”
“Yes, ma’am. It takes time to pack, but it will arrive before then.”
“Please be punctual. If it’s even a minute late, I’ll come myself!”
This time, she was out buying return gifts for the charity concert a week later. She chose neatly designed, reasonably priced handkerchiefs. Even though it was a “charity” concert, she wanted to show her gratitude to the attendees at her first concert under her own name.
“I wonder who would interfere with the Lady’s work.”
Yulia was annoyed her plans were disrupted but not angry. Lucy, however, was thoroughly frustrated—upset that Yulia’s good intentions were blocked and that she herself failed to complete the task properly.
“The Count will find out, right? If we catch the person, even if they’re a noble, I’ll glare at them on your behalf.”
Although not angry, Yulia smiled, pleased that Lucy would act on her behalf. Despite a minor disruption, she got the gifts she wanted. Moreover, two days prior, Cayente had unexpectedly agreed to reconsider her request about profit distribution, leaving Yulia happier than ever.
Seeing Cayente gradually returning to the kind of person she knew before made her feel especially joyful.
But once again, her good mood was spoiled by the Baroness.
