HTNSA 119

Chapter 119

* * *

As soon as the weekend arrived, Freya shut herself inside her house.

Normally, she would have spent her time attending banquets or shopping with her friends. But today, she simply couldn’t bring herself to do any of that.

Despite how confidently she had spoken in front of Rosia, inside, she was uneasy.

‘We erased all the evidence thoroughly, so it shouldn’t become a huge issue…’

What bothered her was that it was the royal family—and especially Prince Darian—who had started to investigate the matter so actively.

If only he hadn’t escalated the situation, she could have pressured the dean to pass it off as an accident and quietly buried the incident.

Now, anxiety gnawed at her, wondering if she might be expelled from the academy, or worse, if it might ruin her potential engagement with the royal family.

Freya’s gloomy mood persisted all the way to dinner.

When she finally appeared in the dining room, Count Arman and his wife looked at their daughter with puzzled expressions.

“What’s this? Staying home on the weekend instead of attending a banquet?” the Count asked.

Freya pouted slightly as she replied:

“I’ve been tired since coming back from the Subjugation Festival. I need to rest sometimes too.”

The Count nodded, accepting the excuse.

“I suppose so. I heard there was a frightening incident during the festival. Someone was controlling monsters artificially, wasn’t it?”

At this, the Countess frowned.

“It’s terrifying, honestly. To think our daughter could have been caught up in something like that…”

“His Majesty seems to have taken it seriously as well, since he’s assigned the investigation directly to the Mage Tower. They’ll likely catch the culprit soon enough.”

At her father’s words, Freya flinched.

‘The Mage Tower is taking over the investigation… Does that mean Prince Darian is stepping back from it? Should I feel relieved or not…?’

The more she thought about it, the more tangled her mind became.

While she was sighing repeatedly at how complicated everything was becoming, her father suddenly spoke up.

“Ah, there’s something I need to discuss with you both.”

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he continued heavily.

“I’m going to have to sell the land in the Farun region.”

The unexpected announcement made the Countess turn to her husband in shock.

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“It’s just… business hasn’t been going well lately. Our finances are in shambles.”

“I did notice you’ve seemed troubled recently… Is it really that bad?”

Freya, too, looked at her father with worried eyes.

“You know how Flor’s cosmetics have become extremely popular lately, right? Because of that, sales at Sharon Atelier have plummeted.”

He tapped the table with a troubled expression.

“It hasn’t been long since we expanded the business, but with customers disappearing, the damage has been severe.”

“But to sell the land? You said you wanted to build a villa there someday!”

“What choice do I have? We need to put out the immediate fire.”

The Count sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair.

“I’ve been looking into it, but… it seems the person behind Flor’s cosmetics is quite talented. The problem is that the guild master is hiding their identity so thoroughly that it’s hard to find out who it is.”

“Are you planning to recruit them?”

“At this point, it’s the fastest solution. If we can get our hands on Flor’s technology, our competitors will disappear, and Sharon Atelier can dominate the market again.”

The Countess nodded in agreement.

“That would be ideal.”

“If we can just find out who it is, I can offer better terms than what Flor’s guild can. No one in this world can resist money.”

He tried to smile reassuringly, telling them not to worry.

But seeing that smile only made Freya’s anxiety deepen. Her father had never spoken openly about the family’s financial issues before.

‘Just how serious is the situation…? Can we even proceed with the royal marriage talks like this?’

The more she thought about it, the more she felt like sighing.

The only reason marriage talks with the royal family were even possible was because of the Arman family’s immense wealth.

If that advantage disappeared, the imperial family would have no reason to pursue a marriage with a mere count’s daughter.

As she sensed her carefully laid plans for the future beginning to unravel, Freya’s face twisted unconsciously.

‘If things go well, Eila might end up marrying the heir of House Agenta… Meanwhile, I might end up with someone lesser.’

Just imagining herself bowing her head before Eila, the future duchess, made anger bubble up inside her.

If she wanted to avoid such humiliation, she had to marry Darian—no matter what.

Her hand, gripping her knife, trembled slightly, but Freya forced herself to calm down.

‘No matter how unfair and infuriating this is, I need to hold back for the sake of my future.’

* * *

As soon as classes ended, Eila hurried to pack her things.

She was always busy, but recently, preparing for early graduation had made each day pass in a breathless rush.

‘I need to go to the library to study for the graduation exams and look for research materials. It would be great if I could get a sample of a magical paternity testing device while I’m at it.’

But it was not as easy as it sounded.

The Mage Tower strictly controlled the outflow of the knowledge they possessed.

In other words, if she wanted to study the mechanism behind the magical paternity testing device, she would need to become a mage affiliated with the Tower.

‘Hmm, I’ll have to discuss this with Pioni later. There has to be a way.’

Just as Eila was slipping through the crowd of students to leave the lecture hall, someone grabbed her arm firmly, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Eila!”

As she lifted her head, she saw Pioni’s face flushed with excitement. It was clear she had run straight to find Eila the moment class ended.

“What were you thinking about, huh? I called you so many times, but you didn’t hear me.”

“Really? Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“Anyway, I have great news! I ran here just to tell you!”

With an excited look, Pioni quickly glanced around, then leaned in close to whisper:

“Count Arman finally put the land in the Farun region up for sale!”

Eila’s eyes widened in surprise, the joy reflected clearly in her sparkling gaze.

“Really?”

“Yep, just like you said, it seems their business has been struggling a lot lately.”

“They must be under serious financial pressure if they’re selling land.”

“It’s good news for us, though. Like you said, it’s only a matter of time before Count Arman goes bankrupt.”

Pioni curled her lips into a cold smile.

“Don’t you wonder what kind of face Freya will make when her family collapses?”

At that, Eila let out a small laugh.

Even though she hadn’t said anything, Pioni had already concluded that the incident at the Subjugation Festival was something Freya and Rosia had orchestrated.

‘Well, it’s not like it wasn’t obvious.’

There weren’t many people who possessed such magical abilities and also held a grudge against her.

And Pioni had no intention of letting those who dared to harm her precious friend go unpunished.

Seeing Pioni so full of drive, Eila cautioned her quietly.

“You know, right? We can’t let it be known that we’re after that land. We need to find a proxy buyer to avoid suspicion.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already picked out some candidates: Baron Loin, Viscount Mayan, Baron Lucy… They’re all provincial nobles, so even if Count Arman looks into it, he won’t find anything.”

“It has to be someone trustworthy, but who doesn’t appear connected to us.”

“All three are perfect. They’re simple, and honestly, a bit dumb too. Promise them a minor position, and they’ll agree in no time.”

“Thank you. Hearing that puts me at ease.”

Eila looked at Pioni with eyes full of gratitude.

Honestly, if she had to personally manage all these small details herself, even ten bodies wouldn’t have been enough.

But thanks to Pioni’s support, everything was progressing smoothly.

“I’ve already found a good shop for sale in the capital, too. It’s in a high-traffic area with great accessibility, and—”

While Pioni was chattering on excitedly, Eila, who was walking beside her, wasn’t paying attention and ended up bumping into someone.

Thud.

As she lifted her head to see who it was, Eila’s eyes widened.

“Eila, do you have a moment?”