The Viscount's Plot
Viscount Patrasche read the letter delivered by carrier pigeon at dawn over and over, yet he still could not bring himself to set it down.
The short message, only a few lines long, contained something he had never seen before.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His long index finger struck the mahogany desk in a steady rhythm. This desk had once belonged to his half-brother, the original lord of Grace Territory.
By family tradition, only a lord recognized by the vassals could use it. Therefore, it was naturally his now. When he had traded this desk for a few dresses, the foolish Chloe had clapped her hands and declared it a good deal.
His gaze remained fixed on the letter, smaller than his palm.
“Selling jewels to a jeweler and distributing grain to the territory’s people… Chloe is doing things she never used to do.”
“It seems Chloe has given up on everything. If she’s even selling the mother’s keepsakes she cherished so much, then yes.”
At the viscount’s muttered words, Aileen, seated on the office sofa sipping tea, spoke in a thoroughly condescending tone.
Aileen was the same age as Chloe. Compared to the stupid, lazy, and self-centered Chloe, Aileen was intelligent, diligent, and hardworking in everything—she was the viscount’s pride and the jewel of the family.
Her brilliant golden hair and light-green eyes, reminiscent of spring sprouts, made her beauty even more dazzling. Her slender waist and ample bosom stirred the hearts of many men, and her shining intellect earned praise from every noblewoman whenever a salon was held.
Though his title was modest, public opinion held that Viscount Patrasche, who had built an enormous fortune through his own efforts, was the only one fit to inherit the Grace marquisate. His influence was no less than that of any other noble. As if to prove it, most of the Grace Territory’s land had already fallen into his hands.
The viscount’s brows, which had been furrowed while reading the letter, relaxed the moment he looked at his daughter.
Whenever he saw those light-green eyes that appeared only to those blessed by the goddess of spring, he felt reassured, as if gazing upon the guaranteed future of his house.
His eyes, fixed on Aileen, were filled with fondness and affection.
His daughter was incomparably more brilliant, beautiful, and socially prominent than Chloe. The whispers that subtly dismissed her as a bastard’s child had gradually faded as the viscount’s wealth grew. Now, wherever he went, people clamored to be close to him.
“Indeed. If Chloe had been even half as perceptive as you, the Grace Territory would not have fallen into such ruin.”
“Thanks to that, our territory has grown larger, so I consider it fortunate. Perhaps that was its fate from the beginning.”
At his daughter’s words, the viscount’s lips curved into a wide, pleased smile.
“So, do you think Chloe suddenly changed like that because she has given up on everything?”
He waited eagerly to hear what sharp answer she would give.
“Chloe never thinks about the consequences. She always decides things on impulse. She trusts others too easily and gets deceived just as easily. But she never improves. She always blames someone else. The fact that she still hasn’t come to her senses even after the territory has shrunk so much and keeps chasing after men says it all.”
Aileen took a sip of tea before continuing, her voice full of conviction.
“Chloe Grace is beyond saving. Before this year is over, the entire Grace Territory will fall into our hands. And at a bargain price, too. Chloe has no intention of checking land prices.”
The viscount nodded in satisfaction as he listened to his daughter.
There was not a single flaw in Aileen’s words.
Anyone could see that the viscount was snatching up the territory’s prime lands at rock-bottom prices, yet Chloe regarded him as a kind man buying land for her because she had run out of money.
She was so easy to handle that whenever he bought land cheaply and gave her a few dresses trimmed with the lace she liked as “gifts,” she would be beside herself with joy.
The clever Aileen would accompany him each time, match Chloe’s mood, and flatter her by saying the gaudy dresses suited her perfectly and that she looked beautiful.
“I’m thinking of sending an invitation to the birthday party. I can’t wait to see what she’ll look like this time.”
Imagining Chloe appearing in a dress covered in dangling lace without realizing how tacky it was, Aileen’s mood lifted and she let out a giggle.
The oblivious Chloe would never realize people were mocking her and would probably smile like an idiot, delighted by their sarcastic compliments.
“I plan to visit Grace around next week. Will you come with me again?”
“Of course. Who else would help Father if not me? You can count on me this time too. If we deliver the invitation while we’re there, she’ll be thrilled.”
The viscount smiled broadly and patted Aileen’s shoulder affectionately.
“I’ll send word that we’re coming next week. How about you write the letter this time?”
“Gladly. I’ll write it so sweetly that Chloe will be over the moon when she receives it. Ah! I should also send a brooch I don’t use. If I claim it’s something I treasure, Chloe will probably be so moved she won’t know what to do.”
“An excellent idea. Then, which land should we purchase this time?”
At the viscount’s question, Aileen’s light-green eyes sparkled with intelligence.
“Hmm… I think we should buy Morta Village.”
“Why?”
The viscount’s face was full of delight as he asked. The conclusion was already clear in his mind, but confirming his daughter’s cleverness was one of his greatest pleasures.
“The arable land in Morta Village is less than one-tenth of the total area.”
“Yet you still think it’s worth purchasing before the others?”
“Of course. Morta Village has the Black Forest.”
“The Black Forest is full of monsters, isn’t it?”
“But that also means there are many things that can turn into money. Hunting monsters and selling their byproducts, or cutting down trees and processing them into lumber, could bring in a fortune.”
“And the villagers?”
“We just give them a little money and send them into the forest to hunt monsters. People who are starving will rush in like mad even for a few coins. They’ll make excellent bait.”
The viscount’s face, beaming at Aileen, was filled with pride.
Aileen, who resembled him in intelligence and perseverance, always gave her all to see things through to the end. She studied many subjects that interested her and was quite skilled in swordsmanship, rivaling most knights.
If he placed Aileen at the forefront once the monster hunting reached a suitable stage, she might even become a national hero.
The day when the name “Grace” would belong solely to his own family was not far off.
The long line in front of the makeshift distribution center had gradually dwindled and was now only half its original length.
Despite the chilly air caused by the overcast sky and the absence of sunlight, the lord remained at the distribution center without a single complaint, not even retreating into the carriage. Scrooge and the knights could not hide their astonishment.
Could a person change so drastically in just a few days?
They rubbed their eyes repeatedly, wondering if they were seeing things.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
Scrooge asked as he watched the lord gazing not at the people receiving food, but at the area around the broken fountain.
“The children.”
“Pardon? The children?”
Scrooge had not even noticed the children until now. Only then did he spot them playing near the fountain.
“Did those children perhaps offend you, my lord…?”
Worry crept back into Scrooge’s eyes as his voice trailed off. He feared the thoughtless children might have upset the sensitive lord.
Meanwhile, Donghee understood their lack of trust, but she found it rather unpleasant that every word she spoke seemed to fill them with guilt.
Donghee let out a deep sigh, her eyes never leaving the children, and muttered,
“Those kids must be freezing. Their clothes are far too thin.”
They were people who had appeared here one day as if dropped from the sky and might disappear just as suddenly. Yet Donghee was not heartless enough to ignore the half-naked children wandering before her eyes.
Even if these people were merely game characters, Donghee would have worked hard to earn points to provide them with clothes, even if she would not go so far as to spend real money.
“What?”
Once again, the lord said something Scrooge had not expected.
“Is there a tailor nearby?”
Having heard the term somewhere, Donghee asked for a tailor rather than a clothing merchant.
“Nobles have their clothes made by tailors. Most commoners sew their own or inherit hand-me-downs from siblings.”
“I see.”
“The tailors who used to work inside Grace Castle left for other places when the drought dragged on.”
She vaguely recalled hearing on the news that flower shops and clothing stores were the first to suffer during an economic downturn.
After all, new clothes or flowers were not essential for survival.
Donghee nodded in understanding and continued.
“Then find the nearest tailor. Also, send someone to the city to buy fabric and request that the tailors visit our territory. Make sure to mention that the travel expenses will be generous.”
“Travel expenses?”
It was a good thing that the lord had suddenly become sane, but the longer this went on, the harder it was to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Because the lord was doing things that the Chloe Grace he knew would never do.
And now, travel expenses?
“Since they’re coming from far away, we should pay travel expenses, shouldn’t we? When can we have the tailors here at the earliest?”
“I will do my best, but it will take at least a month. May I ask why you wish to summon the tailors?”