Chapter 145: Patience
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: Patience
She looked like a young girl who had fallen asleep after playing princess.
‘At least she didn’t hate them. That’s a relief.’
Whether it was the mage or his aide who had done their jobs well, every piece of jewelry suited Annette perfectly, as if they had been crafted specifically for her.
She would be breathtakingly beautiful when she wore the ‘Finale.’
Even Loik, who knew nothing about jewelry, could envision that much. He had held back from saying more today, fearing she might find it a burden, but…
After carefully removing everything that might be uncomfortable—from the necklace and earrings to the hairpins and brooches—the remaining bracelet caught his eye.
Loik gently stroked the chain of the bracelet.
If he placed a spell on this, could he turn it into a shackle that would prevent Annette from ever leaving?
‘You madman.’
Loik gritted his teeth at his own dark thoughts and laid Annette back down comfortably on the bed.
Annette had said she wouldn't give her heart to any other man.
— “I can’t tell you right now, but my circumstances are a bit complicated in many ways.”
What exactly was this "complicated situation"?
‘She came to the North in the first place because she wanted to escape her family.’
Since that dog of a Marquis had apparently even laid a hand on her, it was understandable why Annette wanted to leave the Marquis’s house. She must have been desperate to choose him, her enemy, over her own family.
But if they divorced, she would inevitably fall under the Marquis’s thumb again.
‘If I pry for no reason, she might feel pressured. If a startled Annette were to run away…’
He didn't even want to imagine such a horrific outcome.
He had to wait.
Until Annette lowered her guard and relied on him completely.
Fortunately, one of Loik’s greatest virtues was patience. He could endure and wait as long as it took, provided there was hope that Annette would one day choose him.
Right now, all Loik had to do was help Annette do whatever she wanted to her heart's content.
Annette seemed to find great joy in starting new ventures. As she wished, he would help her with the wine business, the merchant guild, the second shopping district, the opera…
As more things fell under her influence, she would naturally find her ankles bound to the North. Eventually, she might even forget that she had ever intended to leave.
The mere thought brought a smile to his lips.
Annette, who had turned onto her side in her sleep, was breathing softly with her hand tucked near her face. The bracelet on her wrist shimmered faintly.
Loik lay down beside her and gently pulled her into his arms. A sharp thrill ran through him, and a familiar heat enveloped his body, starting from the pit of his stomach.
‘I didn’t even get to kiss her properly today. Surely it’s fine to just hold her while we sleep.’
Offering himself excuses for his unpermitted actions, he pressed his body close to hers. Soon, his entire body grew uncontrollably hot.
Loik allowed the sensation to ravage his body as if he were torturing himself. Even this pain was agonizingly sweet. Feeling intoxicated by the scent of her soft skin, Loik closed his eyes.
*
Today, I headed to the theater with Cecilia to discuss the details of the opera with Alcent.
“Your Highness, that necklace…!”
Cecilia gasped, covering her mouth the moment she saw the ruby necklace.
“This? The Grand Duke gave it to me as a gift.”
I was answering a bit shyly when she exclaimed, “Then could the owner of the Finale be…!”
“The Finale? What’s that?”
And so, I finally learned the true identity of the gift Loik had given me.
“…500,000 Danir?”
“They say the capital is in an uproar. Both the Empress and the Crown Princess failed to win the bid for the Finale.”
I had thought it looked incredibly expensive, but I never imagined it would be that much. Why did he suddenly give me such a piece of jewelry? Did someone say something strange to him?
‘It looks so delicate I was afraid I’d break it, so I didn’t even dare touch it properly.’
I really needed to store it carefully and not even lay a finger on it. My heart pounded just at the thought of damaging it.
“I had no idea our Grand Duke was so generous.”
Cecilia made a fuss, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “It suits you so well!”
Even after we boarded the carriage, Cecilia’s admiration continued endlessly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I toyed with the ruby necklace around my neck.
This morning, when I woke up feeling refreshed, a handsome "statue" was lying before my eyes. It was certainly a feast for the eyes first thing in the morning, but…
— “Loik! Did you sleep here?”
— “My apologies. I must have drifted off because I was tired.”
Contrary to his words, Loik didn’t look sorry at all. I couldn't exactly scold him for accidentally falling asleep.
Furthermore, after I tied his cravat, he insisted on putting the necklace on me himself. Once he fastened it, he naturally pressed his lips to the back of my neck.
I was certain our boundary ended at kissing. But ever since we slept together at the temple, he kept falling asleep in my room and kissing my neck.
‘His movements are so quick that it’s awkward to even say anything.’
My face heated up involuntarily as I remembered the way his hand had softly wrapped around my waist while he kissed my neck.
“Your Highness? Are you feeling hot?”
“A little bit, maybe?”
Seeing my flushed cheeks, Cecilia opened the carriage window.
The carriage was passing through Gold Lane. As I cooled my face by the window, I noticed something strange. Gold Lane was excessively quiet. It hadn't been this bad before… it was as if there were no customers at all.
“I suppose the impact of the new shopping district is quite significant?”
Cecilia also seemed to notice the desolation of Gold Lane as she peered outside.
‘This is problematic.’
I was the one who created the lakeside shopping district, but Gold Lane was still the central commercial district of Blenheim.
‘I heard that almost all the merchant guilds in Blenheim have shops in Gold Lane.’
If this place collapsed, it meant Blenheim’s commerce would falter as well.
‘What on earth is Count Gelfry doing?’
I couldn't believe the Merchant Association President was taking no action while Gold Lane reached this state. My blood began to boil.
We arrived at the theater entrance. As I stepped out of the carriage, I saw Alcent talking to a young man up ahead.
“Even just one or two people would be fine. They are all diligent and highly capable employees.”
The man pleaded with a desperate expression.
“Goodness, this is awkward. I sympathize with your situation, but I’m not in a position to hire more staff either…!”
Noticing me mid-sentence, Alcent hurriedly gestured to the man. “I’m sorry. Let’s end this conversation here.”
Leaving the dejected man behind, Alcent hurried toward me.
“Were you in the middle of a conversation? I don’t mind waiting a moment.”
“Not at all! Please, come this way. I’ll escort you inside.”
As we walked, the sight of the man walking away with slumped shoulders lingered in my mind.
“Was that man just now a merchant guild master?”
When I asked as we climbed the stairs, Alcent replied with a slightly flustered expression.
“That was Evan, a middle manager from the Iris Trading Company.”
Seeing my curiosity, he briefly explained Evan’s situation. Iris was a guild that specialized in liquor, but after failing to compete with guilds like Sendore or Valchern and suffering losses, they were finally closing their liquor business at the end of this month.
“It seems they’ve also closed their shop in Gold Lane.”
“Specializing in liquor?”
The Iris Trading Company hadn't been on the list Alcent recommended for the Snow Wine.
“…I couldn't recommend a guild that was operating at a loss.”
Alcent spoke with an apologetic face, having grasped the intent behind my question. Well, I had asked him to recommend stable places.
“But the employees are very diligent and hardworking. Especially Evan—that fellow is sharp and has great initiative.”
Alcent added that Evan’s parents had worked in a brewery, so he knew a lot about brewing as well.
“If he’s a manager, is there a separate guild master?”
“Actually, that’s the reason I didn’t recommend the Iris Trading Company.”
Alcent lowered his voice, as if embarrassed to speak ill of the guild master. “The guild master is often soaked in alcohol for more than half the day.”
He shook his head, saying the man was ruining the business his father had built.
“If he just did as Evan suggested, they’d at least be doing average, but the guild master is so stubborn…”
“Are you close with the master of Iris?”
“I was quite close with his father.”
“Ah! I’ve heard of him too.”
Cecilia, who was behind us, spoke up as if she had just remembered. “I heard the father was very resourceful, but the son knows how to do nothing but drink.”
Alcent wore a bitter expression. “People are the most important part of a business, yet he went and fired the employees his father cherished so much.”
“So, did Evan come to ask you for a job?”
At my question, Alcent let out a pitying sigh. “It seems the guild master fired all ten employees at the Gold Lane branch. He came to ask if I could hire even one or two of them.”
“But wasn't he fired himself?” Cecilia blinked in confusion.
Alcent scratched his forehead, explaining that Evan felt a strong sense of responsibility and wanted to take care of the employees who had worked under him.
“You don’t need to worry too much, Your Highness,” Alcent said, glancing at me. “Evan is a smart fellow, so there will be many guilds looking to take him in.”
“I wasn't worried.”
I gave him a bright smile. “I have enough on my own plate; who am I to worry about others? I need to save this theater immediately so I don't lose my 150,000 Danir.”
“Y-yes, of course, Your Highness.”
At my banter, Alcent tensed up and cleared his throat. “About the merchandise shop you mentioned last time. I was thinking of placing it here, next to the entrance…”
“I think it would be better if it were wider than this…”
The conversation soon shifted to the theater.
*
“You may wait here.”
Following the butler’s guidance into the parlor, Evan sat in a state of extreme tension, repeatedly gripping and releasing his knees with both hands.
‘To think I’ve actually entered the Grand Duke’s Castle.’
Though he knew he shouldn't let himself be intimidated, his shoulders kept hunching forward. For someone working in a merchant guild, appearance was paramount. One had to look neat and well-dressed to earn a client's trust.
Having not received his salary for the last two months and being kicked out without a penny of severance pay, he had even been forced to return his manager’s uniform.
‘I polished my shoes since dawn, but…’
The frayed sleeves of his old jacket bothered him, so he tried to hide his wrists.
A moment later, the door opened.
An elegant lady, looking like a summer fairy, stepped inside.