CHAPTER 15…………………………………..
At that moment, Count Arno was pacing outside.
Perhaps because it was a place frequently used by nobles, he couldn’t hear a single word of what was being said inside.
‘She’s not going to find out about the dowry, is she?’
If that happened, the Marchioness of Devon would never let him off easily.
She had ordered him to stay by Lloyd’s side, assist him, and make sure no connection formed between him and Trisha.
‘Just what are they talking about that it’s taking this long?!’
Count Arno was reaching the limit of his patience and was about to knock on the door when—
Crash!
He heard the sound of something breaking inside.
Thinking this was his chance, Count Arno opened the door.
“What is going on here?!”
“Who said you could come in?”
Trisha glared at him, her red eyes blazing.
Startled, Count Arno quickly darted his eyes around, trying to grasp the situation.
‘The Archduchess looks genuinely furious. And Count Rosenthal…’
He was silently picking up shards of broken porcelain scattered on the floor.
What a mess.
Having assessed the atmosphere, Count Arno twitched the corner of his mouth before barely managing to restrain himself.
“My brother’s aide has arrived, so I’ll take my leave now. Next time, even if we happen to run into each other, please pretend you don’t know me.”
“……”
“It would be unpleasant for both of us.”
With that chilling warning, the Archduchess left the room.
Count Arno approached Lloyd, who looked utterly dejected.
“Are you all right, my lord? What in the world happened…?”
“It seems Trisha is angry with me.”
As he said that, Lloyd let out a deep sigh, his face stiff and hardened.
Considering that he was the kind of man who used to be pleased even when the Archduchess sent letters demanding nothing but money without so much as a greeting…
‘They must have had a huge fight.’
It didn’t seem like the topic of the dowry had come up.
‘If it had, Count Rosenthal would have tried to divorce the Archduchess immediately.’
Seeing no sign of that at all, Count Arno felt greatly relieved.
Though it wouldn’t be long before he was struck hard from behind.
*
The reception room of the House of Devon.
“What is all this nonsense all of a sudden?!”
A furious voice echoed through the reception room at dawn.
“Count Rosenthal said he won’t support Edwin anymore?”
The Marchioness of Devon was livid at the news Count Arno had brought.
“What on earth got into him all of a sudden?!”
“I—I’m not entirely sure myself…”
“I heard Count Rosenthal and Trisha ran into each other by chance. What did they talk about?”
“…The Archduchess wanted to be alone with the Count, so I couldn’t hear the details of their conversation.”
“They didn’t talk about the dowry, did they?”
As the Marchioness’s eyes grew even colder, Count Arno jumped in alarm.
“Of course not! If anything, it looked like they had a huge argument. The Count must have been hurt by that and declared he’d cut off his support!”
He explained the situation as thoroughly as he could.
The Marchioness of Devon’s momentum eased slightly.
“It’s unfortunate that Count Rosenthal cut off his support, but it’s better than him finding out about the dowry.”
If she waited a bit and sent another letter in Trisha’s name, Count Rosenthal would surely change his mind.
But if it were discovered that she had siphoned off the dowry, she would be branded a swindler by all of noble society.
‘That would be troublesome.’
It wouldn’t end with mere humiliation.
‘And if it were to come out that Trisha and Edwin were never actually married…’
Just imagining it sent a chill down her spine.
In that case, not only Trisha but Edwin as well—there was no telling how they would react.
“B-By the way, my lady,”
Count Arno spoke cautiously.
“Do you perhaps have other plans today?”
The Marchioness of Devon was already perfectly dressed in travel attire.
Considering the sun hadn’t even risen yet, it was an even stranger sight.
Surely she hadn’t dressed like that just to speak with him.
“I’m going on a trip.”
“A trip?”
Count Arno looked puzzled.
‘Given what’s happening with Count Rosenthal, shouldn’t even a scheduled trip be canceled?’
Only then did he notice several pieces of luggage lined up along one side of the reception room.
Growing even more confused, Count Arno asked carefully,
“In a situation like this, why suddenly go on a trip…?”
“I suppose I raised my niece too preciously,”
The Marchioness of Devon said with a sigh.
“She doesn’t know the value of people.”
“……”
“How much I devoted myself for her sake…”
Only then did Count Arno understand her words.
‘She said the Archduchess of Mason took the ducal seal from her.’
As a result, the Marchioness of Devon’s influence within the ducal house of Mason had visibly diminished.
On the other hand, the Archduchess, having obtained the seal, would be steadily strengthening her position.
‘She plans to put pressure on His Grace.’
Count Rosenthal had just cut off his support, and now the Marchioness of Devon was leaving as well?
From Edwin’s perspective, it would be unbearably unsettling.
If she could exploit that anxiety and retrieve the seal once more—
‘She must see it as a profitable move.’
A relaxed smile appeared on the Marchioness of Devon’s face.
“So you may leave now. I should be on my way as well.”
The certainty that she could not possibly lose.
The composure born from that certainty.
Thanks to it, Count Arno felt reassured as well.
Thinking to himself that he had chosen the right side to cling to.
*
At that same time, at the Rosenthal estate.
Lloyd was receiving a report on Count Arno’s destination.
Following Trisha’s advice, he had hired people from the information guild, and as a result—
“The target has been confirmed entering the House of Devon.”
Lloyd let out a hollow laugh.
In fact, the day he had run into Trisha, she had quietly tipped him off.
“Count Arno is my aunt’s man. Even if you replace him, she’ll just plant someone else, so leave him be and keep an eye on him.”
So he had prepared himself mentally, but seeing it confirmed like this still hurt deeply.
Count Arno had served under the previous Count of Rosenthal.
And yet, such a man had been acting as a spy.
Was it because he himself was an incompetent head of the house, or had the man already defected back in his predecessor’s time?
“Well, that doesn’t really matter anymore.”
Count Arno had already betrayed both him and Trisha, stabbing them in the back.
They had even uncovered evidence that he had been tampering with letters behind the scenes.
Lloyd stopped thinking about Count Arno.
Instead, he recalled Trisha’s advice.
“Use him by leaking fake investment information only to Count Arno. Then my aunt or Edwin will take the bait.”
“And since we’re expanding the scale of the business, say you need more secretaries and hire additional people. Entrust the important work to them. You remember the business details I told you about, right?”
“And don’t forget to act like you and I are on bad terms.”
The last request was the most difficult, but it couldn’t be helped.
“It didn’t seem like something she prepared in just a day or two.”
There must have been countless hardships and pain leading up to this.
“At the very least, I shouldn’t be the one holding you back.”
With a sigh, Lloyd picked up his pen.
Even though Count Arno had likely already passed along the message, this was to send an official letter.
“Send a letter saying that after a major argument with me, you will no longer support Edwin for the time being.”
Up until now, Lloyd had supported Edwin without holding back entirely for Trisha’s sake.
‘But if that support didn’t contribute even a little to Trisha’s happiness…’
There was no longer any reason to keep acting like a fool.
