“Well, did you hear the news? Lady Caroline has been embezzling and embezzling the North’s financial expenses illegally!”
“Really?”
“Didn’t you know? It’s been causing a huge uproar these days.”
“It’s mind-boggling to see those who used to brag about the success of their business being investigated and arrested one after another.”
“And that’s not all. There’s also talk that on the day of the charity event held at the Grand Duke’s house, they tried to slander the Grand Duchess and frame her as a subversive woman who had sex with him.”
“No way.”
“They said that they tried to drag a nobleman in and frame her as a subversive woman.”
“Didn’t you see that newspaper? It had a pretty detailed account of the Grand Duchess’ situation.”
“Oh my God. Is that true?”
“I never thought Last Caroline would do something like that. Who would have imagined it?”
People were gathered here and there, chatting away.
Karina sipped the warm fruit tea in her hand while listening to the conversation.
Her escort, Mikhail, also looked amused as he listened to the conversation of the people at the next table.
“Rumors spread faster than I thought.”
Karina snickered at Mikhail’s words.
“Of course. I worked hard behind the scenes to make it spread quickly, so of course.”
Karina took care to ensure that the details of the charity event were spread. She even called Young Lady and Young Master of Count Medius, who owned shares in the newspaper company, separately and asked them to write an article that contained only the facts.
From their perspective, it was more of a warning than a request.
So what?
Newspapers are a means of spreading the truth, and she had asked them to write only the facts as they were, so she had done nothing wrong.
And she told Selena and Hasten to secretly distribute the newspaper in places where anyone, whether commoner or noble, could see it.
Honestly, she was worried that Jeremiah would find out in advance and stop it, but that didn’t happen.
'Why didn't you say anything, considering that you value the prestige of the Grand Duke's family the most? You must have known before the newspaper was published...'
Karina wondered but decided not to think about it.
The newspaper had already been published, and the facts were facts.
Karina sipped her tea once more and shook off her unanswerable doubts.
With this, Caroline's social burial was a done deal.
Karina smiled with satisfaction.
"You were the one who put the newspapers in a conspicuous place so that people could see them, right?"
She said to the boy sitting in front of her.
"I thought I should pay for the meal."
It was the boy from the orphanage who had been caught pickpocketing.
The boy answered with a slightly satisfied expression.
"You already paid for the meal by coming to the event."
"That was because I told you to eat well."
The boy snickered as if he was pleased.
"The higher-ups don't really care about how we're doing. They don't even want to know. So the best way is for us to go and show them in person."
Before the event, Karina sent Mikhail to tell the orphans what to do in advance.
She asked them to come to the event and show the children their dirty appearances in detail.
Karina thought that the boy would definitely refuse.
He was a boy who cherished his younger siblings, and he didn’t lack pride just because he was an orphan.
‘That’s why I sent Mikhail to persuade him.’
When Mikhail returned, he said something completely different from Karina’s expectations.
‘He’s a smart boy. He said he understood as soon as he heard it. It seemed like he understood what the Grand Duchess was trying to do.’
A smile appeared on Mikhail’s lips as he said that.
He called him arrogant and bold, but he seemed to really like the boy.
Now that she thinks about it, she thinks she understands why Mikhail liked the boy.
Karina snickered.
“You did a great job, so I thought I should give you a reward, so I called you. Eat as much as you want.”
Karina bought the boy sweet hot chocolate and a lot of delicious bread.
But the little boy didn’t touch the food, even though he was drooling at the sight of the dessert.
Karina said to the little boy who was watching him.
“I told them to buy some for the orphanage children separately. This is for you, so don’t worry about the children and eat as much as you want until you burst.”
“Ah...!”
The little boy then stuffed the bread and cookies into his mouth as if he had been waiting for it.
The little boy’s cheeks puffed out.
The little boy’s eyes sparkled as if it was delicious.
Mikhail, who was watching, tapped the little boy’s cheek with his finger.
“Eat slowly so that you don’t get sick. No one will steal it.”
The little boy nodded and eagerly ate the bread that filled his mouth.
The little boy, who quickly ate all the food in front of him, drank the hot chocolate that had cooled down a little at a time.
“Whoa.”
The little boy put the empty cup down on the table with a look of satisfaction. Then he looked at Karina with an expression that said he had eaten well.
“Why? If it’s not enough, should I order more?”
The little boy shook his head and lowered his gaze to the table.
He scratched the bridge of his nose and soon mumbled in a crawling voice.
“...Thank you.”
“Yes?”
Karina asked back, her voice too small to hear properly.
“...Thank you.”
“For buying you bread today?”
“No.”
The little boy looked up at Karina.
“Everything.”
“...”
Karina was surprised inside.
She had never expected to hear the boy thanking her.
“You...”
“Aiden.”
The boy blurted out.
“Yes?”
Karina tilted her head at the boy’s sudden, unexpected words.
“Aiden. My name...”
“Ah...”
“The late director gave it to me.”
The boy said with an awkward expression.
Karina’s heart was moved by the boy telling her his name.
“Aiden. What a wonderful name.”
Karina smiled softly and praised him.
“It suits you really well. The old director gave you a good name.”
Aiden pursed his lips, trying not to show his embarrassment.
“I know.”
His tone was grumbling, but Karina could see the boy’s ears turning red.
“I would like to continue to receive your help in the future, is that okay?”
When Karina said that, Aiden’s expression brightened for a moment.
Aiden forced down the corners of his mouth that were rising high into the sky.
“Since you said you need me, I can’t help it. I have to help you.”
But Karina could already see he was walking around because his expression was full.
“I know the back alleys like no other. There’s probably no one who knows where and when people gather better than I do.”
Karina and Mikhail snickered at Aiden’s smirk.
Knock knock.
“...”
Jeremiah, who had come to Karina’s room, opened the door and went inside. He had knocked several times but there was no response from inside.
Jeremiah frowned when he saw that Karina was not in the room.
However, that was only for a moment, and he was a little puzzled when he saw Karina’s room.
Karina’s room had only a few essential pieces of furniture, and there were hardly any decorations or ornaments like the rooms of ordinary noblewomen.
Even the furniture was very old, having been used continuously by the Grand Duke’s family.
There was only one framed frame of dried flowers on the wall, and a half-filled water jug and cup on the table.
Jeremiah suddenly realized that he had never visited Karina’s room in person since their marriage.
Jeremiah called Ron and Jansen to check where Karina had gone.
“Really?”
“Didn’t you know? It’s been causing a huge uproar these days.”
“It’s mind-boggling to see those who used to brag about the success of their business being investigated and arrested one after another.”
“And that’s not all. There’s also talk that on the day of the charity event held at the Grand Duke’s house, they tried to slander the Grand Duchess and frame her as a subversive woman who had sex with him.”
“No way.”
“They said that they tried to drag a nobleman in and frame her as a subversive woman.”
“Didn’t you see that newspaper? It had a pretty detailed account of the Grand Duchess’ situation.”
“Oh my God. Is that true?”
“I never thought Last Caroline would do something like that. Who would have imagined it?”
People were gathered here and there, chatting away.
Karina sipped the warm fruit tea in her hand while listening to the conversation.
Her escort, Mikhail, also looked amused as he listened to the conversation of the people at the next table.
“Rumors spread faster than I thought.”
Karina snickered at Mikhail’s words.
“Of course. I worked hard behind the scenes to make it spread quickly, so of course.”
Karina took care to ensure that the details of the charity event were spread. She even called Young Lady and Young Master of Count Medius, who owned shares in the newspaper company, separately and asked them to write an article that contained only the facts.
From their perspective, it was more of a warning than a request.
So what?
Newspapers are a means of spreading the truth, and she had asked them to write only the facts as they were, so she had done nothing wrong.
And she told Selena and Hasten to secretly distribute the newspaper in places where anyone, whether commoner or noble, could see it.
Honestly, she was worried that Jeremiah would find out in advance and stop it, but that didn’t happen.
'Why didn't you say anything, considering that you value the prestige of the Grand Duke's family the most? You must have known before the newspaper was published...'
Karina wondered but decided not to think about it.
The newspaper had already been published, and the facts were facts.
Karina sipped her tea once more and shook off her unanswerable doubts.
With this, Caroline's social burial was a done deal.
Karina smiled with satisfaction.
"You were the one who put the newspapers in a conspicuous place so that people could see them, right?"
She said to the boy sitting in front of her.
"I thought I should pay for the meal."
It was the boy from the orphanage who had been caught pickpocketing.
The boy answered with a slightly satisfied expression.
"You already paid for the meal by coming to the event."
"That was because I told you to eat well."
The boy snickered as if he was pleased.
"The higher-ups don't really care about how we're doing. They don't even want to know. So the best way is for us to go and show them in person."
Before the event, Karina sent Mikhail to tell the orphans what to do in advance.
She asked them to come to the event and show the children their dirty appearances in detail.
Karina thought that the boy would definitely refuse.
He was a boy who cherished his younger siblings, and he didn’t lack pride just because he was an orphan.
‘That’s why I sent Mikhail to persuade him.’
When Mikhail returned, he said something completely different from Karina’s expectations.
‘He’s a smart boy. He said he understood as soon as he heard it. It seemed like he understood what the Grand Duchess was trying to do.’
A smile appeared on Mikhail’s lips as he said that.
He called him arrogant and bold, but he seemed to really like the boy.
Now that she thinks about it, she thinks she understands why Mikhail liked the boy.
Karina snickered.
“You did a great job, so I thought I should give you a reward, so I called you. Eat as much as you want.”
Karina bought the boy sweet hot chocolate and a lot of delicious bread.
But the little boy didn’t touch the food, even though he was drooling at the sight of the dessert.
Karina said to the little boy who was watching him.
“I told them to buy some for the orphanage children separately. This is for you, so don’t worry about the children and eat as much as you want until you burst.”
“Ah...!”
The little boy then stuffed the bread and cookies into his mouth as if he had been waiting for it.
The little boy’s cheeks puffed out.
The little boy’s eyes sparkled as if it was delicious.
Mikhail, who was watching, tapped the little boy’s cheek with his finger.
“Eat slowly so that you don’t get sick. No one will steal it.”
The little boy nodded and eagerly ate the bread that filled his mouth.
The little boy, who quickly ate all the food in front of him, drank the hot chocolate that had cooled down a little at a time.
“Whoa.”
The little boy put the empty cup down on the table with a look of satisfaction. Then he looked at Karina with an expression that said he had eaten well.
“Why? If it’s not enough, should I order more?”
The little boy shook his head and lowered his gaze to the table.
He scratched the bridge of his nose and soon mumbled in a crawling voice.
“...Thank you.”
“Yes?”
Karina asked back, her voice too small to hear properly.
“...Thank you.”
“For buying you bread today?”
“No.”
The little boy looked up at Karina.
“Everything.”
“...”
Karina was surprised inside.
She had never expected to hear the boy thanking her.
“You...”
“Aiden.”
The boy blurted out.
“Yes?”
Karina tilted her head at the boy’s sudden, unexpected words.
“Aiden. My name...”
“Ah...”
“The late director gave it to me.”
The boy said with an awkward expression.
Karina’s heart was moved by the boy telling her his name.
“Aiden. What a wonderful name.”
Karina smiled softly and praised him.
“It suits you really well. The old director gave you a good name.”
Aiden pursed his lips, trying not to show his embarrassment.
“I know.”
His tone was grumbling, but Karina could see the boy’s ears turning red.
“I would like to continue to receive your help in the future, is that okay?”
When Karina said that, Aiden’s expression brightened for a moment.
Aiden forced down the corners of his mouth that were rising high into the sky.
“Since you said you need me, I can’t help it. I have to help you.”
But Karina could already see he was walking around because his expression was full.
“I know the back alleys like no other. There’s probably no one who knows where and when people gather better than I do.”
Karina and Mikhail snickered at Aiden’s smirk.
***
Knock knock.
“...”
Jeremiah, who had come to Karina’s room, opened the door and went inside. He had knocked several times but there was no response from inside.
Jeremiah frowned when he saw that Karina was not in the room.
However, that was only for a moment, and he was a little puzzled when he saw Karina’s room.
Karina’s room had only a few essential pieces of furniture, and there were hardly any decorations or ornaments like the rooms of ordinary noblewomen.
Even the furniture was very old, having been used continuously by the Grand Duke’s family.
There was only one framed frame of dried flowers on the wall, and a half-filled water jug and cup on the table.
Jeremiah suddenly realized that he had never visited Karina’s room in person since their marriage.
Jeremiah called Ron and Jansen to check where Karina had gone.
“The Grand Duchess went out with her escort.”
Ron reported.
“Where did she go?”
“As usual, she didn’t tell us where she was going today.”
“...”
Jeremiah felt a little depressed and asked Jansen what he had been curious about.
“Did you know that the Grand Duchess’ room was like this?”
Karina’s room felt cold and empty.
Jeremiah slowly entered the room where the bed was and examined it more closely.
The blanket on the bed was heavy and the material was stiff. There was only enough firewood by the fireplace to light a fire once.
The air in the room was completely devoid of warmth, and there was hardly any trace of movement.
“No. The Grand Duchess’s room was taken care of by Lady Caroline, so she told me not to worry about it... I’m sorry.”
Jansen bowed, apologetic.
Jeremiah’s brow furrowed.
“Call the maid in charge right now.”
Jeremiah ordered the maid in charge of Karina’s room to come.
While waiting for the maid to arrive, Jeremiah opened Karina’s dressing room.
The dressing room, too, felt cold and empty.
In fact, there was another reason why Karina’s dressing room was empty.
Karina had disposed of everything she could to secure the money she needed for investments, commissions, and the execution of her plans.
As a result, Karina’s dressing room was more than half empty.
All that was left in the dressing room were a few everyday clothes she had brought when she got married and two dresses she had worn at a banquet.
The jewelry box next to it, where she kept her jewelry, was also almost empty.
“It’s really empty,”
Ron muttered as if he had never seen such an empty dressing room before.
“...”
Jeremiah didn’t answer, but he sympathized with his words.
He had never looked closely at a woman’s dressing room, but he knew that it was not normal for it to be this empty.
Because she knew that Caroline had a new dress made for every banquet. If she had bought just as many dresses as Caroline had made, Karina’s small dressing room would have already been lacking in space, and it should have been done long ago.
More than half of that space was empty.
Jeremiah’s crumpled expression didn’t seem to clear up.
“I was summoned, Your Highness.”
Just then, Charlotte, the head maid, arrived in front of Jeremiah.
“Why is the state of the Grand Duchess’ room like this?”
Jeremiah asked out of the blue.
Charlotte answered without panic.
“It’s been like this from the beginning.”
“From the beginning?”
Charlotte tensed at Jeremiah’s clearly upset appearance.
At the same time, she thought that now was the chance to tell him everything about the unfair situation Karina was in.
Charlotte swallowed dry saliva and opened her mouth again.
“Ms. Caroline instructed. The management and preparation of the Grand Duchess’s room has been taken care of by Lady Caroline since the first day the Grand Duchess came to this mansion.”
“...”
“She said that a Grand Duchess should practice frugality and modesty in our lives, so she filled the furniture only with the things already used, and she strongly discouraged Grand Duchess from purchasing any new dresses or accessories other than what she already had.”
Charlotte, who had taken a deep breath, continued speaking while observing Jeremiah’s expression.
“In addition, she said that it would be better to use the Grand Duchess’ living expenses for the North. Instead of the Grand Duchess, who did not know much about the North, Lady Caroline said that she would use it for good purposes, and she took over the management authority.”
Jeremiah’s expression eventually distorted into a fierce expression.
No matter how much his older sister had insisted on it, he could not understand why Karina had really followed her words.
“The Grand Duchess accepted everything obediently?”
Charlotte hesitated at the question and then spoke carefully.
“Lady Caroline said that if the Grand Duchess did that, His Highness the Grand Duke would like the Grand Duchess more. Hearing that, she accepted it.”
“What...?”
Jeremiah stood there blankly, as if slightly shocked.
“Is it true?”
His tone was one of disbelief.
“It is true.”
Jeremiah glanced around the room again as if confused.
His gaze turned to the picture frame hanging on the wall.
Charlotte, who confirmed where Jeremiah’s gaze was directed, spoke again.
“That picture frame hanging on the wall is a bouquet of dried flowers from the wedding day. It is the most precious thing the Grand Duchess cherishes.”
“Most cherished?”
“Yes.”
“...”
Jeremiah’s lips were tightly shut at those words.
Jeremiah stared at the picture frame for a while with a complicated expression, then let out a long sigh.
“Hoooo.”
Then he gave an order.
“First, leave the things the Grand Duchess cherishes and uses frequently, and replace the rest with usable things. Right now.”
Charlotte happily followed Jeremiah’s order.
“Yes, I understand. Your Highness.”
Ron reported.
“Where did she go?”
“As usual, she didn’t tell us where she was going today.”
“...”
Jeremiah felt a little depressed and asked Jansen what he had been curious about.
“Did you know that the Grand Duchess’ room was like this?”
Karina’s room felt cold and empty.
Jeremiah slowly entered the room where the bed was and examined it more closely.
The blanket on the bed was heavy and the material was stiff. There was only enough firewood by the fireplace to light a fire once.
The air in the room was completely devoid of warmth, and there was hardly any trace of movement.
“No. The Grand Duchess’s room was taken care of by Lady Caroline, so she told me not to worry about it... I’m sorry.”
Jansen bowed, apologetic.
Jeremiah’s brow furrowed.
“Call the maid in charge right now.”
Jeremiah ordered the maid in charge of Karina’s room to come.
While waiting for the maid to arrive, Jeremiah opened Karina’s dressing room.
The dressing room, too, felt cold and empty.
In fact, there was another reason why Karina’s dressing room was empty.
Karina had disposed of everything she could to secure the money she needed for investments, commissions, and the execution of her plans.
As a result, Karina’s dressing room was more than half empty.
All that was left in the dressing room were a few everyday clothes she had brought when she got married and two dresses she had worn at a banquet.
The jewelry box next to it, where she kept her jewelry, was also almost empty.
“It’s really empty,”
Ron muttered as if he had never seen such an empty dressing room before.
“...”
Jeremiah didn’t answer, but he sympathized with his words.
He had never looked closely at a woman’s dressing room, but he knew that it was not normal for it to be this empty.
Because she knew that Caroline had a new dress made for every banquet. If she had bought just as many dresses as Caroline had made, Karina’s small dressing room would have already been lacking in space, and it should have been done long ago.
More than half of that space was empty.
Jeremiah’s crumpled expression didn’t seem to clear up.
“I was summoned, Your Highness.”
Just then, Charlotte, the head maid, arrived in front of Jeremiah.
“Why is the state of the Grand Duchess’ room like this?”
Jeremiah asked out of the blue.
Charlotte answered without panic.
“It’s been like this from the beginning.”
“From the beginning?”
Charlotte tensed at Jeremiah’s clearly upset appearance.
At the same time, she thought that now was the chance to tell him everything about the unfair situation Karina was in.
Charlotte swallowed dry saliva and opened her mouth again.
“Ms. Caroline instructed. The management and preparation of the Grand Duchess’s room has been taken care of by Lady Caroline since the first day the Grand Duchess came to this mansion.”
“...”
“She said that a Grand Duchess should practice frugality and modesty in our lives, so she filled the furniture only with the things already used, and she strongly discouraged Grand Duchess from purchasing any new dresses or accessories other than what she already had.”
Charlotte, who had taken a deep breath, continued speaking while observing Jeremiah’s expression.
“In addition, she said that it would be better to use the Grand Duchess’ living expenses for the North. Instead of the Grand Duchess, who did not know much about the North, Lady Caroline said that she would use it for good purposes, and she took over the management authority.”
Jeremiah’s expression eventually distorted into a fierce expression.
No matter how much his older sister had insisted on it, he could not understand why Karina had really followed her words.
“The Grand Duchess accepted everything obediently?”
Charlotte hesitated at the question and then spoke carefully.
“Lady Caroline said that if the Grand Duchess did that, His Highness the Grand Duke would like the Grand Duchess more. Hearing that, she accepted it.”
“What...?”
Jeremiah stood there blankly, as if slightly shocked.
“Is it true?”
His tone was one of disbelief.
“It is true.”
Jeremiah glanced around the room again as if confused.
His gaze turned to the picture frame hanging on the wall.
Charlotte, who confirmed where Jeremiah’s gaze was directed, spoke again.
“That picture frame hanging on the wall is a bouquet of dried flowers from the wedding day. It is the most precious thing the Grand Duchess cherishes.”
“Most cherished?”
“Yes.”
“...”
Jeremiah’s lips were tightly shut at those words.
Jeremiah stared at the picture frame for a while with a complicated expression, then let out a long sigh.
“Hoooo.”
Then he gave an order.
“First, leave the things the Grand Duchess cherishes and uses frequently, and replace the rest with usable things. Right now.”
Charlotte happily followed Jeremiah’s order.
“Yes, I understand. Your Highness.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment