Chapter 16
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16
So, it was possible to fill a space this massive with nothing but gold and ivory-colored marble.
There was a desk wide enough to be used as a bed.
A massive ebony table, easily capable of seating eight people, was surrounded by matching chairs.
The tapestries hanging on the walls were embroidered with gold and silver thread; even the slightest shift in my gaze made it feel as though the twinkling traces of stars were blinding me.
The sunflower carvings decorating the cabinets were clearly made of genuine gold and diamonds, and through the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, the vast gardens of the main castle stretched out like a painting.
I stood there, eyes wide and jaw dropping at the sheer scale and opulence of the office.
I thought the illustrations were flashy... but the real thing is even more intense.
In The Milk Bread, Corico captures Grand Duke Asis Frezier’s heart with just a few choices.
After that, she’s able to drift in and out of the Grand Duke’s office—a place most nobles can’t even dream of entering—whenever she pleases.
I had assumed Tulia would have to put in significantly more effort just to set foot in here.
It was a strange sensation; this was the first time in my life I had ever entered such a magnificent place, yet it felt oddly familiar.
“Father.”
At Lilius’s call, the Grand Duke, who had been looking out the window, turned around.
Grand Duke Asis Frezier’s eyes were a dark, forest green.
Based on the eye color alone, she’s definitely in the same relative category as Tulia.
Of course, Tulia’s current eye color was a soft light green, like springtime sprouts.
I had seen many illustrations of Tulia while playing The Milk Bread.
This official villainess had an unusually high number of illustrations where her eyes were rolled back in a frenzy; in those moments, Tulia’s eyes would darken into a deep green, glaring upward exactly like the Grand Duke’s.
In other words, didn't this mean Grand Duke Asis Frezier possessed the same level of madness as the game’s greatest villainess as his default setting?
...As expected, I felt a bit intimidated.
It might be pretty scary if the Grand Duke gets angry at me.
I had worried he might snap at me, asking who I thought I was to dare enter this place, and I’d hoped Lilius would take responsibility as he’d promised. However, the Grand Duke didn't offer any particular reprimand.
He merely glanced at the basket in my hand before shifting his gaze back with his usual indifferent expression.
“What is it?”
“Father. The representative sent by Brother Nigella has just arrived at the main castle.”
My ears perked up.
If he means Brother Nigella...
Grand Duke Asis Frezier had four children with the late Grand Duchess.
The eldest daughter, Hyacinthia Frezier.
The second son, Aster Frezier (Tulia’s father).
The third son, Nigella Frezier.
And finally, the youngest son and father of that bastard Tedric, Lilius Frezier.
The Grand Duke and his wife had been quite prolific, but only the three sons remained alive.
The eldest daughter and Grand Princess, Hyacinthia Frezier, had passed away at a young age—not even twenty—due to a certain incident.
The Grand Duchess had followed her to the grave not long after, succumbing to the shock.
Since then, Grand Duke Asis Frezier had never remarried, nor had he taken a mistress.
Then again, I couldn't help but think: what kind of woman would want to be the second wife of a man with such terrifying eyes?
She’d be lucky not to be eaten alive.
Anyway, what kind of representative did he send?
My question was answered almost immediately.
“Does it have to be that land?”
The Grand Duke’s voice pierced my ears.
“I am asking if both Nigella and you truly must use that land to build a horse ranch, just like those nobles in the Imperial Capital.”
“Father. Of course, I fully understand your reluctance, as it is land you have cherished as an ornamental flower garden for a long time, but...”
Viscount Lilius spoke while wiping away a cold sweat.
“Is it not the Empress herself who said she would only sell seed horses to families that construct a ranch within their territory that meets the regulations? A horse of good lineage has always been one of the key factors in a family’s prosperity for generations.”
“Tsk.”
Grand Duke Asis Frezier clicked his tongue loudly. In an instant, a chill emanated from his eyes.
“It is obvious the Empress is trying to rip us off. What is the point of buying horses at such an exorbitant price when they are barely distant relatives of true warhorses?”
His voice was thick with blatant disapproval.
“Furthermore, such matters are entirely within the Emperor’s authority. Why is a mere remarried consort like the Empress interfering?”
“Father...”
“Tsk. How is she any different from a legal mistress?”
I wondered if Tulia’s wicked tongue was actually inherited from Grand Duke Asis.
“But Father, even if it isn't for the seed horses, utilizing the Statis Plains commercially is a necessity in the long run.”
Viscount Lilius hurried to persuade him.
I listened intently.
I know the Statis Plains very well.
When playing The Milk Bread, it was a piece of land you absolutely had to acquire to see the ending 'Corico, the True Family of Frezier.'
The location was excellent, the terrain was gentle and flat, and the soil was so fertile it was known as the Land of the Sun—where simply planting expensive crops would see their value skyrocket by the following year.
But more important than that...
The description said it was a desolate land that had been miserably abandoned after the horse ranch business failed.
Of course, it didn't have much to do with me.
Even if it did, a mere granddaughter who was being bullied within the family didn't exactly have a say in the matter.
The horse ranch business will fail spectacularly, but whatever. They’re the ones who will take the fall.
Naturally, the Statis Plains had many uses when playing The Milk Bread. You could bring in plenty of profitable crops from across the Empire to plant, and since the location was so good, you could collect a fortune in tolls from merchant guilds if you just paved the roads well.
Technically, I needed to have the Statis Plains for my own quests.
Once the horse ranch business failed miserably and the land value hit rock bottom, I could just buy it up with the money I’d been steadily saving.
Right then, Lilius suddenly changed his tactics.
“Father, look at Tulia.”
Lilius, still holding my hand, spoke in a pleading tone.
“Is it not pitiful for one so young?”
Me? Why me?
“Brother Aster also needs better horses at that freezing border if he’s to properly show those barbarians what’s what, Father!”
Weren't you the one nibbling away at Tulia’s inheritance just a moment ago?
The Grand Duke looked at me. I had been staring at Viscount Lilius in disbelief and was a beat late in fixing my expression.
For now, I was staying quiet because my ultimate goal and Lilius’s objective aligned to some extent, but internally, I was appalled.
How can a person be so shameless?
I was calming my nerves while waiting for his inevitable ruin when Grand Duke Asis Frezier, who had been looking down at me thoughtfully, finally spoke.
“Put it on the official agenda for this weekend’s council meeting.”
“...!”
Lilius’s face brightened instantly.
“Yes, Father! An excellent choice!”
“Father, you are truly wise!”
Viscountess Aubrey Frezier, who had been standing anxiously beside me as if she were invisible, also looked relieved.
Of course, she immediately flinched and lowered her gaze when the Grand Duke looked her way.
Aha.
I had a general idea of what was going on.
Even if they were the couple in charge of internal affairs, the responsibility for the comfort and daily life of the direct family usually fell much more heavily on the lady of the house.
While my living like a beggar was surely a joint effort by the couple, Viscountess Aubrey would have been the one to receive more of the blame.
However, they likely brushed off the unauthorized budget cuts and the lie about my indefinite confinement as a mistake by their subordinates.
That was probably why she was able to enter the Grand Duke’s office so boldly (albeit while clinging to her husband).
But it didn't seem like she had been fully forgiven.
It looked like she was keeping a low profile, fearing that if she begged too hard for forgiveness, her hidden crimes might be further exposed.
“To drive stakes and raise beams on the Statis Plains... your mother won't be pleased.”
At the sudden mention of the late Grand Duchess, the reactions of those listening varied wildly.
First, Viscountess Aubrey.
She bowed her head with feigned politeness, but her expression showed she felt absolutely nothing.
Next, her son, Viscount Lilius.
He looked slightly uncomfortable, but he quickly finished his mental calculations and put on a smile that suggested it couldn't be helped.
And then, me.
I don't know anything about this.
I didn't know why the Grand Duchess was being brought up.
In The Milk Bread, that was the extent of the setting. It only mentioned that the late Grand Duchess and Grand Duke Asis had a typical political marriage and didn't get along well.
What did a person like that have to do with the important Statis Plains...?
“Of course, the Statis Plains was the land Mother cherished most during her lifetime.”
Thump.
My heart sank at Lilius’s words, spoken with a forced smile.
This wasn't Tulia’s heart. It was the heart of a K-Confucian girl.
“It was land your mother tended to with her own hands.”
“...”
“She did so, despite her noble status.”
The Grand Duke’s voice sounded bitter—only slightly, so faint that I wondered if I had misheard it.
“T-That may be true, but Mother would surely be happy from heaven to see her sons’ business prospering. Father!”
“...”
If he were the child of a truly destitute family, well, I could understand acting like that for the sake of the future. Whether for his own future or his children’s. The living are more important than the dead, after all.
But for the youngest son of the Grand Ducal House of Frezier—who already had everything and enjoyed every luxury—to act like this was pure greed.
And it was a very ugly kind of greed.
“Rather than just flowers, it’s much better to see horses of good lineage growing strong. It’s far more rational, Father.”
Deep breath.
This guy.
In the name of the K-Confucian girl, I’m starting to feel like I can’t forgive him.