Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Father's Legacy
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In the end, the new year dawned, and a few days later, William quietly closed his eyes.
What can I say? It was a more uneventful end than I expected.
On one hand, it felt fortunate that he simply passed away in his sleep, but on the other, it felt strange that we couldn't share those final words before his death.
"Lize, I think you can tighten the waist a bit more."
"Understood."
"Just fit the hat with something appropriate."
"Yes."
...After William's death, we held an official funeral.
I wasn't the Family Head yet, but since Rozalin was my stepmother, I had to take charge personally.
Well, the funeral wasn't anything grand anyway.
We just rented a small chapel, held a simple ceremony, and cremated him—that was it.
In truth, it was so minor that it would probably wrap up in one to two hours.
"Hmm... For a funeral, this feels a bit too flashy. Is that just my imagination?"
After finishing my preparations, I said that while looking in the mirror.
My clothes and hat were all black, and I hadn't added any jewelry, but it still felt ornate.
Maybe I should wear a veil after all.
"...I think it's just because the Young Lady's appearance is so outstanding. The outfit itself is perfectly fine."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I don't expect anyone to say anything about the Young Lady's attire."
"That's a relief, then."
The only people coming were those connected to William through business anyway.
Truth be told, part of me still couldn't believe William was really gone.
I never imagined he'd pass right after I turned nineteen.
Anyway, once preparations were complete, I boarded the carriage and headed straight to the chapel.
Naturally, I wasn't alone—Rozalin and Lize rode with me—but conversation was sparse.
After all, a close family member had died, and even if William hadn't been devoted to the family, he was still my father.
We simply traveled to the chapel in a quiet atmosphere.
*
William lay coldly in the casket.
Well, he still didn't look particularly handsome.
His appearance was so different from mine that I often wondered if I really didn't take after my birth mother too much.
"Hmm."
Well, my memories of my birth mother were starting to fade by now.
It was just how things were.
"Are you the daughter of Viscount Leonhardt?"
"Yes, I'm Camellia Leonhardt. Thank you for coming to my father's funeral."
"The viscount was a fine business partner. He provided tremendous help in our dealings."
"I'm sure most people here feel the same."
I was in the middle of greeting the many visitors to the chapel, but their words were all similar.
In fact, there wasn't a single person unrelated to business—it was all the same refrain.
Elderly men who looked far older than William, young men around my age, middle-aged folks of moderate years—they were all connected to his ventures.
They were probably the people I'd have to deal with in business from now on.
I'd inherited his operations from William, but some were meeting me for the first time.
Well... since it was just the funeral today, we exchanged polite words, and they left on their own.
"He really was remarkable when it came to business."
That was the thought that crossed my mind.
In this regard, at least, I couldn't help but admire him.
Of course, that might be why he died so young.
With the funeral neatly concluded, I sat alone in front of the chapel, lost in such thoughts.
Rozalin, Lize, and the other family servants were still inside handling the cleanup.
"Feels comfortable being the de facto Family Head like this."
Is this what power feels like?
I'm not sure.
I hadn't officially taken the Family Head position yet, but in reality, I was already in charge.
William was gone, Rozalin was the stepmother, and I was the only child.
Even without paperwork from the capital or a formal succession ceremony, I was now the highest authority in House Leonhardt.
"Hmm..."
Well, after the funeral, I had plenty to do back at the mansion right away.
I needed to sort out William's old room, check that safe he'd mentioned, and while I was at it, redecorate the interior.
"Camellia, the cleanup's mostly done."
As I rested alone outside the chapel, Rozalin came out.
The inside work must have finally wrapped up, leaving only the very last tasks.
"It finished much sooner than I expected. I thought it would take longer."
"With all the servants we brought from the family, it went quickly. Just the final bit left now."
"...Got it."
With that, I stood from my seat.
This was truly the funeral's final moment.
I'd left the tedious parts to the servants, but as his daughter, this much was on me.
*
After the funeral fully concluded, everyone returned to the mansion.
Since we'd all handled exhausting matters, I gave most of the servants a day or two of rest.
Of course, those who hadn't attended the funeral just kept working at the mansion as usual.
"Just a few more weeks to hold out."
In the midst of that, I was alone in William's room, thinking such thoughts.
It was regrettable, after all.
He could have at least stuck around until his daughter became a full adult.
There wasn't any deep father-daughter affection or anything, but I couldn't help the sentiment.
"Most of this stuff is probably best thrown out."
He was gone now, after all.
I planned to clear out most of what was in William's room.
I could even turn it into storage without issue.
"Let's start by opening the safe."
It was the last thing he'd properly told me about, and honestly, I'd been curious for a while.
I decided to handle that first.
Unlike the rest, this felt like something only I should see.
"Hmm..."
He'd already told me the safe's location, so no issue there, and opening it was effortless.
As he'd said, it was something only Leonhardt blood could access, and that turned out true.
"Oh..."
Just as he'd claimed, pulling the door opened it right up.
No locks or mechanisms—just open.
"Amazing."
Inside the safe were various documents, mostly related to land.
Besides the land with the mansion and the capital villa, it seemed he owned even more properties...
But those paled compared to the other items that caught my eye.
"His background really was shady."
William had risen from commoner to viscount mostly through legitimate business.
But even so, commoners didn't often become nobles just by making a fortune.
I knew that well enough... but I'd never dug into it or planned to, so I'd ignored it.
But the contents of this safe...
"So that's how he did it."
I was a bit surprised.
No, quite surprised.
I hadn't anticipated finding these.
[Akers Baron Family]
[Dunbag Marquis Family]
[Dusheng Baron Family]
[Rose Count Family]
[Siller Marquis Family]
Documents on various families.
Not just information on noble houses, but records of their weaknesses, scandals, and incidents.
"...Wow."
Some were famous houses, others not hugely so... but still influential in their regions.
And every document seemed like it could pose a massive threat to those families.
"...And the black market."
At the very bottom of those papers were details on the black market—a place I'd never visited.
Dealing in hard-to-obtain goods: drugs like narcotics and aphrodisiacs, to magic scrolls and items not exactly illegal but rare.
Information on its location, even credentials for entry...
"More surprising than I thought."
I'd never imagined William preparing things like this.
Land, sure, but noble weaknesses and black market access? No idea.
Alone in William's room, I laughed in disbelief.
"He's truly impressive, in retrospect."
Yeah.
Really.
He'd left me things I couldn't help but acknowledge, in all sorts of ways.
"The black market, huh..."
The family intel was intriguing enough, but personally, this drew me in.
I'd never encountered the black market before.
I'd been curious once, but during academy days, I'd deliberately dropped it.
But now, adulthood was near, and everything was prepared for entry.
"...Maybe I should check it out."
It was only natural for the thought to slip in unbidden.