CHAPTER 14…………………………………………….
…This makes no sense.
The current Count of Rosentain, Lloyd Rosentain, was truly a beautiful man.
He possessed looks comparable to Millard Winchester, who was considered the most handsome man in Efelberno.
His dazzlingly clean silver hair was tied back neatly, and with glasses perched on his nose, he gave off an intellectual impression.
Above all else, there were his ruby-like red eyes.
They say he’s the Grand Duchess’s half brother, after all.
She didn’t particularly want to acknowledge it, but since the Grand Duchess herself was an extraordinary beauty, perhaps it was only natural.
Even though the impressions the two gave on the surface were complete opposites.
“It’s been a while, Brother.”
“Yes, it has been.”
Lloyd nodded with a faint smile, then reflexively reached out—only to stop short.
The look in Trisha’s eyes as she regarded him was icy cold.
Because of that, instead of checking on her directly, he only examined her condition with his eyes.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Unlike Lloyd, who asked cautiously, Trisha gave only stiff, curt answers.
Standing beside them, Olivia was genuinely puzzled.
Why is the Grand Duchess acting like that?
Come to think of it, she’d heard rumors that the two of them didn’t get along.
“Then may I take my leave?”
Trisha’s face remained expressionless.
With that expression and those words, it sounded like she was telling her to get lost.
Irritated by the Grand Duchess’s attitude, Olivia nearly clicked her tongue.
To treat such a handsome older brother so coldly.
No wonder their relationship was bad.
“More importantly, Miss Olivia, you should go see a physician. Even if it’s not serious, you were in an accident.”
“I-I’m fine, Your Highness! I’m perfectly—”
“We’ll determine the cause of the accident later. You there, escort Miss Olivia to my carriage.”
Olivia tried to find some way to stay behind, but Trisha’s momentum was overwhelming.
With just a few swift gestures, Trisha had Olivia placed into the carriage and sent away.
As a result, silence fell over those who remained.
They had just witnessed how razor-sharp Trisha’s attitude toward Lloyd was.
“Then I’ll be going now—”
“W-wait, Trisha.”
Lloyd stopped Trisha as she turned away without hesitation.
“Could you spare me some time?”
“Please keep it brief.”
Even after moving to a nearby tearoom, Trisha’s attitude remained cold to the extreme.
Arno, the Baron and Lloyd’s secretary, looked as though he wanted to point out Trisha’s rudeness, but Lloyd stopped him.
“And you there—Baron Arno, was it?”
“Y-Yes?”
“I have something to discuss with my brother. It concerns the Mason Grand Ducal House as well, so I’d like you to step out for a moment.”
Baron Arno’s expression stiffened instantly.
Still, rather than venting his feelings, he looked to Lloyd.
“Do as Trisha says.”
“But—”
“Trisha is my sister.”
There was a firm resolve on Lloyd’s face as he spoke.
“…Understood.”
In the end, Baron Arno left the room with his tail between his legs.
Not a single word passed between the two of them until the staff finished setting out the tea and snacks and left.
“When I got married, Brother,”
It was Trisha who finally spoke first.
“You didn’t give me a single coin of dowry, did you?”
“What?”
“Was it because I’m filthy and vulgar, a foreigner’s daughter?”
“Of course not!”
Lloyd sprang up in shock.
“Even after you married the Duke of Mason, I continued to send you living expenses.”
Then, as if realizing something, he hurriedly added,
“I’m not saying this to boast. If you still don’t want to see me, even just sending an occasional letter like before would have been—”
“Letters? What letters?”
This time, Trisha’s eyes widened.
Lloyd took out an envelope he had carefully kept on him.
After checking its contents, Trisha let out a hollow laugh.
Those bastards deserve to be torn apart.
The letters contained nothing but blunt requests for support, without even a word asking how she was doing.
Furious, Trisha handed Lloyd a letter she had brought with her.
“This is a letter Marchioness Devon—my aunt—sent me early in my marriage.”
“……”
As Lloyd read through it, his expression rapidly turned cold.
Trisha spoke calmly.
“It criticizes and scolds me for bringing not a single coin of dowry.”
“That’s absurd!”
Truly enraged, Lloyd slammed one hand on the table, then quickly corrected his posture as if he realized what he’d done.
“I’m sorry if I startled you, Trisha. But that letter from the marchioness is utter nonsense. I definitely sent your dowry.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. It’s possible what I sent didn’t satisfy them… but then they should have confronted me. How dare they insult you.”
Lloyd’s red eyes were darker and deeper than ever before.
He looked ready to march off at once and bring everything to an end with Marchioness Devon or Edwin.
“To be honest, I thought you had abandoned me, Brother. The former count is gone now, and I’m the lowborn daughter of a foreigner.”
“Abandoned you? Never!”
In truth, until the former Count and Countess of Rosentain died, the siblings had not been particularly close.
The countess loathed Trisha, the illegitimate child, and the count deferred to his wife.
Lloyd, too, had been unable to approach Trisha freely because he was mindful of the two of them.
After the former count couple died, he’d been too busy stabilizing the family.
And before I could do anything, Trisha married the Duke of Mason.
He had assumed they simply drifted apart and that their connection had ended there.
“I thought there was nothing I could do. Because of what Mother did, I thought you had no choice but to hate me.”
That was why, even when he received letters that demanded payment without a single word of concern, he had accepted them willingly.
At least it meant his bond with Trisha hadn’t been completely severed.
“But now I know. Those letters weren’t sent by me. Both you and I were deceived.”
Trisha’s eyes sank into a dark, heavy calm.
Lloyd swallowed a sigh.
“First of all, let’s get you divorced, Trisha. I don’t know how your husband will respond, but considering he’s keeping a mistress, opening a lawsuit itself shouldn’t be difficult.”
“But winning is a different matter. He may be illegitimate, but he’s still His Majesty’s son.”
“……”
It was a fact both Lloyd and Trisha knew well.
If Edwin set his mind to it, Trisha couldn’t escape.
The courts of Efelberno weren’t particularly fair.
Right now, I’m not legally tied to Edwin at all, but… if he’s cornered, there’s no telling what he might do.
He might even try to falsify the marriage documents.
“So for the time being, I’ll remain Edwin’s wife.”
“Trisha.”
“And after I reclaim everything they extorted from you in my name, I’ll divorce him.”
Because she said something so outrageous so casually, it almost felt unreal.
Lloyd frowned. He hated his own incompetence for being unable to divorce his sister so easily.
If only he had a bit more power, he could have easily taken back what had been stolen from Trisha and arranged her divorce as well…
Lost in thought, Lloyd sighed and toyed with his teacup.
Trisha sipped her tea and waited for him to organize his thoughts.
Only after a long while did Lloyd finally speak, almost like a sigh.
“I understand what you mean.”
Fortunately, Lloyd’s answer didn’t stray far from Trisha’s intentions.
“Do as you wish. But if I judge the situation to be dangerous, you must come straight to the Rosentain estate.”
Watching Lloyd insist on that point without compromise, Trisha nodded.
She felt as though she might cry.
Having cleared up their misunderstanding, the siblings moved on to a more practical discussion.
“Brother, how is the Milanet Bank doing these days?”
The Milanet Bank.
It was a bank run by Lloyd. Though smaller in scale than the Berkshire Bank, it could be considered second in the industry.
That’s why Jane was so surprised when I said I’d open an account at Milanet Bank.
After all, it was the bank run by a brother who, she’d believed, was on such bad terms with her that he hadn’t even provided a dowry.
Lloyd seemed to think for a moment before continuing calmly.
“There’s nothing out of the ordinary. However, the gap between us and the Berkshire Bank is widening, so I’ve been considering selling it to another investor.”
“Absolutely don’t.”
This was precisely why Trisha had urgently sought Lloyd out.
“I’ll help you narrow the gap with the Berkshire Bank.”
“The gap with Berkshire Bank?”
Lloyd’s eyes widened.
With a confident expression, Trisha explained her plan.
“If that happens, you’ll be able to advance one step further, beyond merely safeguarding valuables.”
“That’s certainly true, but… unless you have as many users as Berkshire Bank, it’ll be hard to sustain.”
“Exactly. Which is why we need to bring Berkshire Bank’s customers over.”
The owner of Berkshire Bank, Baron Berkshire, was Edwin’s financial lifeline and closest confidant.
He was also the one who had provided the largest sums when Edwin gathered money from all over in the name of doing business.
He’s traveling in some remote place right now, but he’ll be back soon.
In the past, Trisha had suffered greatly because of him.
“If you interfere with your husband’s financial lifeline, His Majesty won’t stay idle.”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
She already had something in mind.
“By now, even His Majesty must be regretting having given too much authority to a single person.”
Or if not—
She could make him regret it.
Trisha smiled faintly.
“Brother, you trust me, right?”
