Chapter 81
“Noella, could you take a look at this? I brought it from the capital, and I trust your sharp eye.”
“Ah…”
“Hurry up.”
Chloe held out the hats from the box toward Noella.
When Noella hesitated, looking shy, Chloe encouraged her again.
“Friends usually help each other pick things like this. You wouldn’t be thinking it’s just me considering us friends, would you?”
“Ah, no. Of course not.”
Noella blushed and shook her head.
Watching her inspect the hats with her new friend, she looked quite excited.
“Maybe it’s the difference in climate, but the fashion down south is different. Here, hats have wider brims and more decorations to block the sun and wind.”
“Right?”
Chloe nodded in agreement and lifted her teacup, hiding a triumphant smile.
As expected.
The more she looked, the more she realized she had found a single, perfect gap.
Among such a strong-willed family, the daughter who was unusually gentle.
The more gentle a person, the greater the desires and wishes hidden within. No need to look far—this was exactly the case with the late daughter of Duke Oren.
“Chloe, I’m so glad you’re here. Without you, I—couldn’t have endured life in this house.”
The young lady of the ducal family, who had clung to her while teary-eyed, had indeed passed away because she could not bear it.
It was unfortunate that she died so soon, but with such fragility, it was inevitable. So instead of feeling guilty, it was a virtue—and Chloe’s role—to let her enjoy the world she never could.
“Chloe, look at this.”
“…Yes, I’m looking carefully.”
It was then, encountering this lovely blonde young lady from the south, that she realized:
If I had met you first, the young lady of the ducal family might still be alive.
“Which one do you think suits me best?”
“Ah, for you, milady…”
That meant she was easy to handle, apparently with many suppressed desires.
Seeing Noella shyly recommending hats with such earnestness, Chloe decided to strike a spark.
“You really have a good sense of style. I feel it’s a shame you haven’t done anything with such talent.”
“Ah, well…”
Noella hesitated, and Chloe nodded sympathetically, her expression softening.
So she wasn’t completely naïve.
Judging from the way she revealed a hint of longing and ambition, they might understand each other. Truly hopeless people usually live with restraint so much that they don’t even know what they want.
“…My elder sister will inherit all the family business. Including the boutique.”
“That’s impossible! Even this hotel belongs to your sister, doesn’t it?”
“…There’s nothing we can do. But my sister isn’t a bad person. She’s just good at everything…”
“Even in this situation, you think of her.”
Chloe took Noella’s hand, signaling that there was no need to be so formal. Noella flinched slightly but forced a lonely, resigned smile.
“It’s fine. I can live like this because of my sister, after all.”
“But Noella, you’re also the daughter of the Count. With your sense, you could run the boutique easily. Why not do it? Even just say it—if I were your sister, I’d certainly tell you to. Isn’t it for the family’s sake to hand over the business to someone who can do better?”
“…My sister is different from you, Chloe.”
Noella blinked sorrowfully, as if unsure how to explain.
“And she’s too busy to even discuss such things… these days, she’s occupied with acquiring land for the new head office of the guild.”
“…Land?”
“Yes. It’s in the central district of the south. The marquis who owns it refused to sell, but apparently it ended up in court. The bidding is in a few days, and seeing my sister staying up all night without enjoying her honeymoon is heartbreaking…”
“…I see.”
Heartbreaking for your life, not for this young lady.
Chloe ground her teeth in silent amusement.
But since Noella had unwittingly given her so much information, Chloe couldn’t complain.
“Land for the head office!”
Her eyes opened wide at once.
After surveying for days, she concluded: the south was practically an empire of the Yuden Guild.
Hotels, boutiques, carriages, ships—hardly anything escaped their reach.
So rebuilding the headquarters was surprising, but for Chloe, it meant losing a strategic foothold in the south.
It had not seemed tempting until now, but having seen it with her own eyes, she couldn’t help but covet it.
“Really… there’s still land that doesn’t belong to the Yuden Guild? I thought the whole southern city belonged to the Count’s family.”
“All except that one spot, I’ve heard. My sister and father struggled because they couldn’t acquire the most important land. It seems even my fiancé is on alert, making him hard to see.”
“…So it’s truly an important matter.”
Sitting demurely and fussing with the hat feathers, this gentle heiress of the Count’s family struck Chloe as quite approachable.
She had thought Noella would be easy to handle—but not this easy.
Chloe’s voice grew softer.
“It might be good for your family… but perhaps not for you personally.”
“Me? Why…?”
“You said your sister monopolizes all the family business. Once she finishes with this major deal, you won’t even be able to dream of it. And if she’s married, all the Count’s property will go to her and her husband.”
“….”
“Hmm, I’m not so sure. Is that really right?”
Chloe slowly scrutinized Noella.
She noticed the feather on Noella’s hat trembling faintly. Just a light puff of air and it would float away.
“…If your sister doesn’t acquire that land, will it cause trouble for the family?”
“What? How could you ask that… and only our family could afford land in the south anyway.”
“Perhaps—but that’s in the south. Even here in the capital, our family is hardly lacking. Purchasing land outside the capital is no problem at all.”
“Ah, but because of me… that’s impossible—”
“Impossible? We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“…But…”
“Think about it. If I built a building there and let you run the boutique, Noella, wouldn’t that be wonderful? Even if I didn’t, if your sister fails to acquire it, surely the Count would give you a chance, right?”
Chloe’s sweet whisper reached Noella’s ears.
Watching her dreamy, blue eyes, Chloe swallowed a meaningful smile.
‘It’s not that it could happen—I have to make it happen.’
The reason for her actions was simple: for an even greater dream.
No matter the southern powers, they couldn’t compare to the daughter of a capital duke.
So the ultimate dream she could seize? Only one more remained.
Being the Crown Princess was just the beginning. The Emperor wouldn’t last long, and without a Crown Prince, the throne would naturally fall to the heir—meaning she would sit on the Empress’s throne.
‘Look how far I’ve come.’
Click.
The silk fan opened, the sound crisp in her ear.
Instead of dwelling on the past, it was better to grasp reality.
The missing Crown Prince had become the Count’s son-in-law, and eliminating him directly as the Paladin Commander was physically impossible.
Had he remained unmarried, she might have approached him, but since he had a crazy habit of breaking bridges, that option was gone.
What’s not mine is the enemy.
Living by that principle, the remaining method was to destroy the Crown Prince’s greatest support.
Could the Emperor’s throne be claimed just by stepping aside?
The Emperor’s supporters wouldn’t allow that.
Anyone closely related to the Emperor would use him to fight for the throne.
Having seen his in-laws firsthand, she had to destroy that family.
Otherwise, this formidable family could intervene massively in the throne dispute.
‘First, cut off their finances and power.’
If she had the time, she’d dismantle the Sergio family entirely, but she didn’t.
The fastidious Crown Prince could appear at any moment, so she had to act before that.
Taking the heir’s position from his wife was the first step.
‘Father favors her greatly, doesn’t he?’
She was curious what kind of woman she was.
She married that handsome man, inherited the household as a woman, and might even be someone she could relate to—if they had met under different circumstances, certainly.
“….”
What a pity.
Chloe folded her fan and wiped her smile.
Her true friend now was not some unseen woman, but this poor, unfortunate young lady.
“Don’t worry, Noella. I’ll help as much as I can.”
“But Chloe, you spending so much money…”
“Oh, we’re friends. Wouldn’t you do the same for me if I were in trouble?”
“…Yes, of course I would.”
“See? Friends should help each other. Now it’s my turn, but when you open your boutique in the capital, don’t forget me.”
Chloe let slip just the words to melt Noella’s heart, then signaled to Pirel standing in the corner.
They needed to hurry to request emergency funds from the capital duke for the bid.
Chloe waved her fan gently, cooling Noella’s flushed cheeks.
“Chloe.”
Even a heart as fluttering as hers could be soothed by the sight.
Better get this done before the Crown Prince sees it.
Thus, Chloe made another decision.
“The bid amount is the issue. Even if I prepare, I don’t know how generously your sister will act. Ah… and your fiancé is the guild’s accountant, right?”
“…Yes. If it’s Xerxes, my sister surely consulted him. The guildmaster, my brother-in-law, is away for a while.”
“I see.”
It seemed as if heaven and earth were helping.
No further discussion was needed. Their newly forged friendship already carried significance in their glances.
“Then could you come back here in three days?”
“Of course. If someone like me is welcomed here.”
“Oh, don’t say that.”
Their farewell was almost as beautiful as a painting.
When Noella stood, Chloe placed the hat she had chosen herself on her blonde hair like a gift.
A hat worth more than a house, but perfect as a token of friendship.
“By the way… you said your younger brother lives here too? If he tries to interfere—”
“Don’t worry.”
The eyes of Noella, who had been anxious until now, flickered briefly.
Tying the silk ribbons of the hat with hands that had just trembled showed skill beyond belief.
“…I think I have a way.”
