Chapter 46
Just then, when an uneasy chill ran down her spine, Countess Haimel spoke.
“So, how did what I asked turn out? Baron Kaiden.”
“Oh, yes. The investigation is complete.”
Julie quickly took out a few sheets of paper from a file and respectfully handed them over. The countess snatched them and quickly scanned the text.
“…What is this at the very bottom?”
Her eyes suddenly narrowed. Julie, still distracted by the newspapers, answered without thinking.
“As you can see, it’s true that he achieved great success in the protectorate, but there have been several issues with highly fraudulent contracts, so I thought it might be too early for you to do business with him and added a few personal opini—”
“Julie.”
At the countess’s gentle call, Julie’s mouth snapped shut. Only then did she realize her mistake, and her face turned pale.
The countess rose gracefully and walked toward the wardrobe. When the lady’s maid who had been standing by the wall hurried over, the countess raised her hand to stop her. She opened the wardrobe herself and took out a whip rolled neatly inside.
“You’re very smart… but you lack awareness and tact. I’ve told you again and again, haven’t I?”
“M-my lady. I-I was wrong—”
Julie quickly knelt down and bowed her head. Her vision went dark, and her hands and feet trembled.
“Have you ever seen a quill think for itself? It only writes as I hold and move it. You’re no different. Why can’t you understand something this simple?”
The countess loosened the whip, gripping it tightly with both hands and pulling it taut. Her red lips curved gently upward.
“Now, it’s time for your lesson.”
“….”
Julie clenched her teeth, her face filled with despair.
After finishing her meeting with Edward, Anna returned to Marcus Castle. She asked Scylla for all the newspapers published that day and read every article related to her marriage with Raiden. After putting them down, she murmured,
“Still, they’re written quite favorably. I thought public opinion would be bad since it’s a marriage right after a broken engagement…”
“Well… money makes anything possible.”
Louis, sitting with her in the sitting room and drinking tea, clicked his tongue as if displeased. His plan to gain the upper hand in the marriage by ruining Miss Evercline’s reputation had failed, leaving a bitter taste.
The marquis is softer than he looks…
Grumbling inwardly at his own excuse, he glanced at Anna. She was reading newspapers from the past few days that she hadn’t seen.
Anna made an awkward face.
“I didn’t know something like this was published.”
The headline she was looking at read:
<Young Master Haimel to Marry Miss Evercline Soon!>
Louis grinned.
“Quite malicious, isn’t it?”
“Well? Who would do something like this on purpose?”
When Anna asked in genuine confusion, Louis only smiled silently. Annoyed by his expression, Anna complained,
“If you have something to say, just say it. Isn’t it tiring to talk in circles?”
“Oh? Now that your marriage to the marquis is decided, you’re speaking more freely.”
He hit the mark, but Anna boldly raised her eyebrows.
“We’ll be seeing each other for a long time, so I should.”
“….”
Louis’s expression suddenly became strange. Anna, who had been ready to snap back, was instead confused by his silence.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Louis lowered his eyes quietly. Anna tilted her head, then clapped her hands as a thought occurred to her.
“Oh, right. I want to visit a jeweler.”
“!”
Louis snapped his head up. His eyes flashed sharply. Oblivious, Anna continued chatting.
“I need to fix a ring. When is the earliest day a jeweler can come?”
She thought of the silver ring hidden deep inside her jewelry box. If it was cleaned and polished, it would look decent despite its simple design.
Would Raiden be surprised when he sees it? No… he’d be happy, right?
Covering her mouth with her hand, she smiled. Then Louis’s mocking voice suddenly cut in.
“Rather than that, how about you look over the marquis’s list of assets?”
“…What?”
Anna blinked, not understanding at all.
Louis, as if he had been waiting for this moment, pulled a bundle of documents from his always-carrying black leather bag.
“I was wondering when you’d ask. It’s a bit later than I expected.”
He spread out the thick, neatly prepared report. Anna could only stare at him in disbelief.
“Let’s see, where should we start… Right, real estate would be good. Isn’t real estate what nobles go crazy for? It’s also great for sellers and buyers to play tax games together. You must have been curious all this time—no idea how you held back.”
“!”
As Anna’s mouth fell open, Lucy, who had been attending nearby, shouted angrily.
“What do you think you’re doing? You’re acting like my lady married the marquis for his money!”
“….”
Louis stopped, blinked a few times, looked at Anna, then Lucy, then the asset list in his hands, and calmly shrugged.
“If that sounds unpleasant, let’s say she’s simply knowledgeable about finances.”
“This man must be insane!”
Lucy raised her hands like claws, ready to grab Louis’s messy hair. Anna hurriedly held her back.
“He’s always been strange. Calm down, Lucy!”
Unaware that his hair had just been saved, Louis raised his thumb in admiration.
“Wow. Insulting me at a time like this? You really don’t miss a chance…”
At this point, even Anna was getting angry.
“What are you saying? Get out of here right now!”
“Yes, yes. Come look anytime you want. I’m always ready. Oh, and please don’t say we were holding you captive here. It was for your safety, but the world believes beautiful people’s stories regardless of the truth. You know that well, don’t you?”
With a sharp grin, Louis spoke as if Anna had cleverly manipulated public opinion for her benefit.
“Hey! Are you done talking? Let’s see if you can talk like that after you lose half your hair!”
Lucy finally dropped all politeness. Anna struggled to hold her back when the door opened and, like a savior, Scylla appeared.
“Scylla, please take care of this colt who can’t tell front from back.”
Louis spoke calmly, as if he hadn’t been provoking anyone. Scylla glanced at the fuming Lucy and silently nodded. When Anna glared at him resentfully, Louis grinned and leisurely left the sitting room.
“He’s doing that on purpose! Even if I get kicked out, I won’t let it slide!”
Lucy collapsed into a chair, fanning her flushed face. Scylla cleared the teacups and said indifferently,
“That’s just how he is. He does it to the master too. Ignoring him is best.”
“….”
Anna and Lucy stared at each other, speechless. If he acted like that even toward Raiden, he was stranger than they thought.
Clicking her tongue, Lucy muttered,
“Why does the marquis tolerate someone like that?”
“And I tolerate you, don’t I?”
At Anna’s cold remark, Lucy finally snapped back to her senses and shrank back, watching her mistress’s face. Anna had warned her so many times to control her temper…
Anna sighed deliberately. No matter how common Louis was, Lucy was clearly at fault this time.
“There will be times when I can’t protect you. What if you get dragged away and whipped?”
“I’m sorry, my lady. I’ll be careful.”
“You’re good with words. You’ll be family soon—go apologize first.”
“That’s… no. If he apologizes to you first.”
Lucy puffed out her cheeks stubbornly. Anna’s head started to ache.
At times like this, Lucy never listened. Even when Lisa dragged her into a storage room to fix that habit and came out exhausted with five broken switches, Lucy’s temper hadn’t changed at all.
“Goodness…”
Anna shook her head.
“I’ll handle my own matters, so don’t worry.”
At least Lucy only overreacted when it came to her.
“….”
Scylla watched Lucy quietly, then turned away and tidied the table. Louis’s evaluation of Lucy echoed in her mind.
‘The most valuable hostage to Miss Evercline…’
After wiping even the tea stains clean, Scylla pointed to the stack of newspapers.
“Shall I clear these as well?”
“Oh, wait…”
Anna flipped through the papers, wondering if she had missed something—then froze. Her eyes fixed on a photo in the culture section. A beautiful woman, dressed as a black swan, showed off her sensual figure.
<Former top actress Amelia Marsden appears at the premiere of the opera ‘Lady Katarina’s Lament’ and laughs off rumors of an affair with a certain noble!>
In the small photo beneath the headline, the man beside her was clearly Raiden.
Anna stared at it for a long moment, then her lips parted slightly.
“…Scylla.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“We’re going back to the mansion. Prepare everything.”
