Chapter 54: The Grand Duchess’s Resolve
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: The Grand Duchess’s Resolve
“How much is the debt?”
The man blinked at the sound of the Grand Duchess’s voice echoing through the drawing room.
The young sisters, who had been paying off their father’s gambling debts in his stead, had proven surprisingly difficult to collect from. Every time his men went to see them, the neighborhood men would block the way with menacing glares.
That was why he had gone earlier than the usual collection date, late at night when the local men were gathered at the tavern, just to avoid any trouble.
‘But then a knight suddenly appeared, and now the Grand Duchess…!’
He had been beaten so badly on the way here that his eyes were swollen shut, making it nearly impossible to see. Yet, the dignity of the woman sitting across the desk was unmistakable.
“I-In my p-pockit…”
The man tried his best to enunciate through his swollen lips, desperate not to offend the high-ranking noble.
“What is he saying?”
When the Grand Duchess voiced her irritation, the bound man hurriedly thrust the left side of his chest forward.
“H-Here, in th-this pockit…”
“Sir Norton.”
With a look of pathetic disdain, the Grand Duchess called for her knight.
Norton, who had beaten the man just shy of death the previous night, stepped closer.
Eek! The man instinctively recoiled as a hand reached out toward him.
Tsk. Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Norton roughly searched the man’s inner jacket pocket, pulled out a bundle of papers, and handed them to the Grand Duchess.
She personally leafed through the papers and asked, “What is the father’s name?”
“It is Karon, Your Highness,” Reta answered, her face tight with tension.
Soon, a promissory note bearing the name Karon appeared. After confirming the amount, the Grand Duchess scribbled something in a checkbook, tore it out, and handed it back to Norton.
Once she saw Norton shove the check roughly into the man’s front pocket, the Grand Duchess tore the promissory note to shreds without hesitation.
“With this, Karon’s debt is paid in full.”
“Y-Your Highness…” Reta’s voice trembled in bewilderment.
The Grand Duchess fixed the man with a chilling gaze. “You are never to appear before those daughters again.”
“Th-Thank you, Your Highness.”
The man’s eyes sparkled at the thought that he had actually managed to collect the debt. But then—
“You would do well to remember this,” the Grand Duchess said, leaning forward over the desk, her voice dropping to a low murmur. “If you ever lend money to that man Karon again, I guarantee I will make you regret being alive.”
Her gaze shifted to Norton.
“What was it you said last time? That there are dozens of people at the Grand Duke’s Castle whose job is the monster dismantling operation?”
“They are all highly skilled, my lady. They can make a small beast vanish without a trace in an instant.”
Norton looked the man up and down as if measuring his size.
“Is that so? I’m actually quite curious. Perhaps I shouldn’t bother giving him a next time…”
“I-I’ll keep it in m-mind!”
Terrified by their gruesome conversation, the man squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
“And why aren’t you answering?”
“N-Ngh!”
As the Grand Duchess glanced at the man’s colleague, who was bound behind him, a groan that sounded like an affirmation escaped. It seemed the colleague was in even worse shape.
“Release them.”
The Grand Duchess finally let out a dissatisfied sigh and gave the order.
As he was dragged out by the soldiers, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Monster dismantling!’
He shuddered as he was kicked out of the back gate of the Grand Duke’s Castle. His instincts, honed by years of rolling around the back alleys, were screaming at him. It would be best for his health never to get involved with those sisters again. No matter how many bad things he did in the future, he would never, ever lend money to that man Karon.
*
“I hope they aren’t complete idiots.”
I was muttering to myself as I watched the drawing room door close.
Reta suddenly dropped to her knees, her voice shaking. “I don’t know how I can ever repay this grace…”
“That’s enough, stand up. You kneel far too often.”
I waved my hand, feeling burdened by the gesture.
“It wouldn’t do for word to get out that a maid of the Grand Duchess is being harassed by debt collectors. I did this to maintain my own reputation, so there’s no need to be so grateful.”
“I will work for the rest of my life to pay back the money you gave!”
“Forget that too. Consider it several years’ worth of wages paid in advance. Just work hard from now on without getting distracted.”
Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a stroke of luck that I had the privy purse the Grand Duke had allocated to me.
My only lingering regret was that I hadn't been able to escort Reta all the way home in the dark. I had sent Norton after her just in case, and to my surprise, he had returned with two debt collectors who had been intimidating the young girl.
My heart had nearly stopped when I heard that the child had been grabbed by her hair. Only then did Reta confess that her father’s gambling debts had snowballed to the point where even paying the monthly interest was a struggle.
Norton said he had ‘admonished’ the debt collectors well throughout the night, but my heart remained heavy regardless. Come to think of it, when Reta was collecting scraps of paper before, I had only found it strange; I hadn't bothered to look into her circumstances.
If not for this incident, I might never have known the trouble she was in.
Had I been too indifferent to those around me? At this rate, how was I any different from those bosses back at the company who acted like they were so well-liked while not even knowing the names of the employees who had worked under them for years?
Just as I was sinking back into a somber mood—
“I will… I will truly serve you with all my strength for the rest of my life.”
The moment I locked eyes with the tearful Reta, the guilt that had been plaguing me since yesterday vanished like a lie.
‘It’s foolish to fall into self-deprecation every time something happens.’
I’m doing my best just adapting to this other world. It’s enough that I don’t turn a blind eye when there’s something I can actually do, like right now. Anyway, I’ve lifted a huge burden off Reta’s shoulders. I did well.
“Fine, that’s enough.”
At my words, a mixture of tears and smiles crossed Reta’s face. Seeing her like that, I felt a faint certainty. Reta had become one of ‘my people,’ as they say.
*
It was a morning where thick clouds hung gray in the sky.
“What is this?”
I tilted my head at the envelope Reta brought. It was stamped with the familiar seal of the Frais family.
‘Don’t tell me Ferdin sent a reply?’
“It’s… a letter from Marquis Frais.”
But seeing Reta’s reluctant expression, my own face quickly soured.
‘Why a letter all of a sudden now?’
I didn't even want to waste a letter opener on it, so I just tore the envelope Reta handed me with my hands. The very first sentence was absurd.
“To my beloved Annette?”
Hah.
I had only read the first line, and already goosebumps were breaking out all over my body.
“Reta, can I have some water?”
Only after draining the cup Reta hurriedly brought and taking several deep breaths did I find the stomach to look at the letter again.
[To my beloved Annette,
My heart has not been at ease since you left home without a proper farewell. I expected you to at least send a letter for the sake of your family who worries for you…]
‘What a load of rubbish. This is the man who didn’t even attend his daughter’s wedding because it was too much trouble.’
I skimmed past the accusations disguised as concern and found the main point at the end of the letter.
[…How much you must be suffering in the harsh North, having been raised so delicately in the capital. I shall send the ladies-in-waiting and maids you were fond of, so send an invitation for the Grand Duke as soon as you see this letter.]
I blew a stray hair out of my face and tossed the letter onto the desk.
Unbelievable. An invitation? He really has no conscience.
The "invitation" the Marquis mentioned was essentially a travel permit. For an outsider to enter Blenheim, they needed a permit to prove the purpose of their visit. In particular, to cross the second wall with the intent of visiting the Grand Duke’s Castle, an invitation stamped with the Grand Duke’s seal was mandatory. This applied to everyone regardless of status, except for the Imperial family.
‘And even this was a law the Marquis himself created.’
It happened when I first entered the Grand Duke’s Castle by carriage. I had passed through the walls easily in a carriage bearing the Blenheim seal, but a merchant group behind us seemed to be undergoing a complicated verification process for quite some time.
— “You mean they can only enter if they have an invitation?”
— “When crossing the second wall, yes. Once you pass one more gate from there, it leads directly to the Grand Duke’s Castle.”
‘If I hadn't come along this time, I might really have been unable to come here forever.’
Back then, curious after hearing Perel’s explanation, I had asked why the security of the Grand Duke’s Castle was so tight. I was worried that perhaps the Grand Duke faced daily assassination threats.
— “That… regarding the permits, it’s not a territorial law but a decree sent down from the capital.”
— “From the capital? Why on earth?”
As I wore a puzzled expression, I only realized the answer when I saw Perel’s eyes shaking violently in fluster.
— “D-Don’t tell me…”
‘Is it Marquis Frais?’
‘That is correct, Your Highness.’
After that silent confirmation, we were both speechless for a moment. I had been so embarrassed then.
In reality, nobles wouldn't visit the Grand Duke’s Castle without an invitation anyway, but the fact that a law existed requiring one gave the castle a very closed-off, isolated image.
‘Just how far does the Marquis intend to push the Grand Duke?’
It was petty to use such power to create useless laws, but it was even more ridiculous for him to brazenly demand an invitation.
‘Fortunately, that ridiculous law will serve as a shield for me.’
“Reta, bring me some stationery.”
“Shall I bring the practice paper as well?”
I shook my head at Reta’s question.
“No, I don’t think I’ll need to practice.”
What I wanted to say was already crystal clear in my mind. The Marquis might have written those disgusting words knowing the letter might be censored, but I had no need for such hypocrisy.
As soon as Reta brought the paper, I scribbled down the contents in an instant.
“Send this to Marquis Frais.”
I had just called a footman and handed him the envelope, which I had sealed firmly with my signet ring.
“Your Highness! It’s out!”
Cecilia burst into the room, her pace nearly a run.