The Theater Confrontation
Even though she was the homeowner, Iara fidgeted restlessly like a guest in someone else's house.
Scrooge held out a scroll to her. It was a document stating that the wife of the fallen soldier Sam would receive two hundred gold in consolation money and a lifetime position. Iara looked back and forth between the scroll and Scrooge, then accepted it with both hands in a polite gesture. She unrolled it in a daze, but since she couldn't read, she had no idea what the letters said.
“This is Her Lordship's consolation payment for the family of the soldier Sam, who gave his life in battle.”
Scrooge placed a small box on the worn table. When he opened it, Iara clapped both hands over her mouth in shock. Her hands trembled violently, and tears streamed down her face without end.
“I know this cannot possibly ease the grief of two people who have lost their beloved husband and father. But the living must go on, mustn't they? And if you wish, I will provide you with work. Come live with Noah at Grace Castle. You will both be safe there. Until Noah grows up, I will stand as your sturdy shield in Sam's place.”
While listening to Donghee's story, Iara kept repeating “Thank you” without pause, her eyes never drying from tears.
After that, Donghee personally visited the home of every single victim, offering her gratitude and delivering the consolation money. Grace's banner now hung in front of their houses, and monuments had been erected to honor their sacrifice. Before the large stones engraved with their husbands' and sons' names, the families wept endlessly.
Once all the compensation had been paid, Donghee strengthened security throughout the territory even further. She issued a stern warning that anyone who tried to harm the families who had received the money or attempted to steal it would have their wrists cut off and be driven out of the fief.
When news spread of the compensation and treatment given to those who had lost their lives fighting for Grace Territory, the loyalty of the soldiers and knights under Grace's command soared to the heavens.
It had been a long time since they'd left Grace Territory. Inside the rattling carriage, Anna couldn't hide her excited expression. Scrooge and Handsome, sitting across from her, looked just as thrilled.
Donghee, who had never been outside Grace Territory before, gazed out the carriage window with eyes tangled in a complicated mix of excitement and fear.
She had thought it might all feel like a dream that would fade from memory after a good night's sleep. But the longer she stayed here, the more distant and dreamlike her life as Ha Donghee became.
The rattling of the carriage, the fresh breeze slipping inside, the smiles and kind voices of the people sitting across from her—if all of this was a dream, she didn't think she could bear to wake up anymore.
“Are you very worried, my lady?”
Scrooge asked with a gentle smile, noticing Donghee's darkened expression.
“No. It's not that.”
“Please don't worry. Everything will go well.”
According to what Handsome had found out, Ray, now completely out of money, would be heading to the theater with the villa deed he'd taken from Chloe.
The thought of that bastard gloating and laughing without having put in a single coin of his own made her blood boil in reverse.
Fron was far more prosperous than Donghee had imagined.
Every road where carriages and people traveled was paved with neatly cut, flat stones, and the buildings along the streets were as beautiful and splendid as those she'd seen in movies.
Fron belonged to the special administrative zones directly managed by the capital.
There were about twenty such special zones across the entire empire, each centered around a palace where the emperor would temporarily reside, surrounded by noble mansions and thriving commercial districts.
Even though they were far from the capital, they offered just as many conveniences and dazzling attractions, making them extremely popular with young nobles from nearby regions. Hotels, dress shops, cafés, and jewelry stores in particular were always bustling with customers.
Looking out the carriage window, Donghee made a firm resolution that someday she would develop every village in Grace to this level. She studied the scenery carefully, determined to commit everything to memory, when the carriage gradually came to a stop.
“My lady, we have arrived at Halis Theater.”
They had finally reached the theater in question. The very same theater that Ray had dared to try to purchase with the blind money he'd slowly siphoned from Chloe Grace.
Donghee glanced swiftly out of the carriage, then stepped out boldly as Red Bear opened the door for her.
Today she had let Delma and Anna dress her exactly as they wished. Adorned with the most expensive jewels, Chloe looked every bit as elegant and glamorous as any highborn lady.
“What business brings you here?”
As soon as she reached the theater entrance, two uniformed attendants blocked her path and asked the question. The intimidating atmosphere suggested that if she hadn't come dressed to impress, she would have been turned away at the door.
Handsome stepped forward in front of the men, who were staring at their exalted lord with disrespectful eyes, and answered.
“This is Chloe Grace, Lord of Grace. She has come to meet the person in charge of Halis Theater.”
Even though he stood on ground a step lower than the men at the entrance, Handsome's eye level was nearly the same as theirs.
At Donghee's instruction, both Handsome and Scrooge had dressed from head to toe with imposing dignity. The already tall and strikingly handsome Handsome looked even more refined, exuding an aristocratic aura that rivaled any noble's son.
The attendants, who had flinched for a moment at the pressure Handsome gave off, relaxed their stiff expressions when they heard the name “Grace.” The problem was that their attitude wasn't welcoming—it carried a strong undercurrent of subtle contempt.
“So you're the lord of Grace.”
They knew of Grace Territory, of course. Wasn't it the poorest region in the area?
Moreover, its lord was said to be a foolish woman obsessed with luxury and men, who had allowed what little wealth she had to be slowly drained away by her fiancé. And that very fiancé was here today to sign the contract for this theater using the money he'd taken.
The two men quickly put the pieces together. The Lord of Grace had undoubtedly come here clutching at straws. Letting her in might cause unnecessary trouble.
“Do you have an appointment?”
They asked again, their tone dripping with veiled disdain.
“No.”
This time it was Chloe who answered. She spoke with such confidence that the attendants briefly wondered if they should invent an appointment for her.
“If you don't have an appointment, you cannot meet him.”
“Tell your master this: if he wants to receive the remaining balance properly, he'd better come out right now. And as you probably already know, every last coin that bastard Ray paid for this theater is my money. Which means I will soon become the owner of this theater.”
Donghee glared at them with wide eyes and growled in a threatening voice. This was not the expression of the stupid, fragile noble lady they had heard about in rumors.
The woman before them radiated a murderous aura, as if she might sink her teeth into their throats at any moment.
“Please wait a moment. I will go inside and inform him.”
The man, who had been unbearably arrogant just moments ago, quickly tucked his tail between his legs and ran inside.
A short while later, a different man—his face deathly pale—came rushing out and guided Donghee inside.
Following his guidance, they entered a room where a man who appeared to be the theater's owner sat facing Ray, who looked utterly disheveled.
Whether he'd been drinking all night, the stench of alcohol wafted over even from a distance, and his once-lustrous hair was dry and brittle from lack of washing.
“Chloe!”
The moment he spotted Chloe, Ray shot up from his seat as if he'd found his long-lost parents. She thought bitterly that he must have grown weak-hearted now that the actual contract date had arrived, despite having thrown her out so coldly before.
“I knew you wouldn't abandon me!”
Ray interpreted the situation entirely in his own favor, to the point where she wondered if he had short-term memory loss. It was all because Chloe had acted like such a pushover before. Irritation surged through her.
Ray approached Chloe with his arms spread wide, whining pathetically. Donghee ignored him completely and walked right past. When Ray tried to follow, Handsome stepped in front of him.
“You! Do you even know who I am? Get out of my way! I am Chloe's fiancé!”
Ray thrust his chin up and screamed at Handsome.
“Handsome!”
“Yes, my lady.”
“If that bastard says the word ‘fiancé’ one more time, rip his mouth open.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Hup!”
At Chloe's ruthless command, Handsome cracked his knuckles pointedly as he answered. Ray clapped both hands over his mouth. He didn't think she would actually do it, but from the look on Chloe's face, it seemed she might tear it apart several times over.
Donghee walked briskly toward the man who was watching the scene with great interest. She could tell without asking that he was the current owner of Halis Theater.
“So you are the Lord of Grace.”
When Donghee approached, the man smiled leisurely and bowed his head. From head to toe, he exuded elegance and refined restraint.
“Are you the owner of Halis Theater?”
“Yes. I am Edard Crayson.”
“That man came here with the deed to my villa to pay the theater's remaining balance, correct?”
“Yes.”
“But you haven't processed it yet.”
“That is correct.”
When Donghee spoke as if she already knew everything, Ray, still held back by Handsome, shouted in protest.
“Why can't you process it? That villa is mine! Chloe gave it to me as an engagement gift!”
Donghee turned to look at Ray with a pitying expression.
“That was when you were my fiancé. You're nothing to me now, are you?”
“Th-that can't be! The document clearly states that the villa's owner is me! Look! My name is written right there!”
It was then that Scrooge, who had been quietly standing by, stepped forward confidently and handed a document to Edard.
“On the very day their engagement was annulled, ownership of the villa reverted to Lady Chloe Grace. This is the updated certificate of ownership, issued this morning.”
When Chloe Grace, blinded by love, had transferred the villa to Ray Frad, Scrooge had added a tiny clause in the deed. The letters were so small that one would miss them unless looking very closely.
Chloe Grace hereby transfers Ferrenti Villa to Ray Frad.
(Provided that the engagement and marital relationship between Chloe Grace and Ray Frad continues.)
At that moment, Ray's face turned as white as a sheet.