039. What he wants
“It seems like Grand Duke Leichnen has been visiting this place a lot lately.”
“Is it just the Grand Duke? Master Meyer, too. Didn’t he come the day before yesterday?”
“It won’t be long before Miss Bianca and Master Meyer are reunited.”
As the servants said, the Kramwitz villa was busy welcoming guests for several days. The quiet place, which was called 'Duke Meyer's Grave', was crowded with people for the first time in a while.
Kaitlyn called in the chef and head servant from the Nowak family home to entertain her guests. The table was set with ornate dishes, and the smell of grilling meat wafted from the oven.
Every evening, the three of them would enjoy dinner and discuss their new plan, the 'scandal'. Most of the talking was done by Haness. Kaitlyn would nod or smile, and Hardius would listen silently.
“Yes, then shall we move now? I have prepared some new cigarettes for Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
The two left the dining room with a smile. In Hardius’s case, he only had dinner with her and left the villa, so Kaitlyn prepared to say goodbye. However, her son wanted to attend the banquet for some reason.
Kaitlyn was momentarily taken aback, knowing how much Hardius hated smoking. But then she smiled softly.
“Yes, Hardy. Let’s go together.”
The three headed to the study. The night grew dark with tea, cigarettes, and business talk. Haness couldn't hide his delight at spending time with his son-in-law. But Kaitlyn was different. She was getting more and more uncomfortable.
It's completely dark outside, so why are you still here? Why don't you go back to Nowak?
“Do you have anything to say to me, Hardius?”
Her son, who had been resting his chin on one of the armrests with his elbows on it, straightens his posture.
“Yes, actually, there is something I would like to discuss closely with my mother.”
Kaitlyn nodded as if to continue. But Hardius did not open his mouth. His gaze was directed straight at Haness. It was obvious that he was in trouble in his presence.
Kaitlyn looked back and forth between the two men, a little surprised, before opening her mouth to Haness.
“Could you please step aside for a moment?”
"Yes?"
Hanes opened his eyes wide, then nodded willingly.
“Ah, it’s already this late. Well then, I guess I’ll be going now.”
After exchanging a friendly greeting with Kaitlyn, he turned to Hardius just before leaving.
“You know that our Bianca is coming, right? Shouldn’t we meet her soon?”
“I plan to visit her soon. It’s been five years, so I’m a little nervous about what she’ll think of me. Please say hello.”
“You will be amazed. Don’t forget that our Bianca has been offered the position of Empress of Birmingham.”
Haness tapped Hardius on the shoulder.
As soon as he disappeared, Kaitlyn chuckled.
“They say that whenever they talk about their daughter, they become such fools. Well, it’s not wrong. People around them praise Bianca so much. They say she’s worthy of being a Queen or an Empress. She’s a child that I would want so badly if she were my daughter.”
There is a strange longing in Kaitlyn's amber eyes. For the eldest daughter of a fallen noble family, the fantasy of being a Princess or Queen lies deep in her subconscious.
“By the way, what is ‘something important to say’? I hope it’s something important. The Grand Duke didn’t show it just now, but he must have been offended. You are his son-in-law and the one who will continue the alliance. But since we blatantly rejected him, he must be grumbling inside. I will visit him soon and apologize...”
“I’m getting sick of hearing that, Mother.”
The warm atmosphere froze in an instant.
“Don’t you trust him and Haness too much? Sometimes he seems like a dog. He’s a loyal dog who only watches his master’s face and turns over at the slightest opportunity.”
The shock travels through Kaitlyn from head to toe.
“Don’t you know that you keep losing the initiative to them?”
“What on earth does that mean, Hardius?”
“I don’t know if you know that Sir Richard is making excessive promises to attract investors. The joint venture is Meyer’s after all. Richard is only an investor, not a partner. And yet he is pushing everything forward on his own. I can’t understand why Mother allows him to continue to climb the ranks.”
Kaitlyn looked up at Hardius blankly, hearing the sound of her heart beating loudly.
It's hard to breathe because of that guy who dares to treat her like a stupid dog. But it's also true that he hits the nail on the head.
Yeah, she thought about it, and she was swayed. She let him crawl away, spitting out sarcastic remarks. She was desperate to cling to and rely on him.
“The same goes for Lord Leichnen. You were too revealing in front of him earlier.”
What did you say?
The conversation they had just had flashed through Kaitlyn’s mind. They had talked about Meyer & Leichnen Steel. They had talked about how to divide the shares...
“I wonder if you are aware that the Leichnen family is forming a negotiating team to secure a stake in the company.”
What?
“What... do you mean? Has Haness already formed a negotiating team?”
“Rumors are going around in some clubhouses that Haness has been working behind the scenes for a long time to take the lead in the merger. They are even going around to investors one by one to try to persuade them. What were we doing while Lord Leichnen was doing this behind the scenes?”
"Ha!"
The hand holding the armrest trembled violently, revealing white joints. The heat rose to her ears, making it hard to breathe.
“Honestly, I don’t trust my mother. You were so concerned about the broken engagement that you lost the initiative in the important things that came after the breakup.”
“...!”
“I am not like my mother. The reason I filled Basilion House with my people is to guard against those two. Remember, an alliance is an alliance, not a blood oath.”
“...”
“I will definitely break off the engagement. But don’t forget. If you don’t trust me and get swayed by those men and get caught up in scandals and other strange things, you will end up being a troublemaker for Leichinen.”
Kaitlyn slumped back against the backrest, unable to deny a single word. Had she been Hardius, she would have thought the same thing.
“...So...what do you want to talk about?”
“I want to form our negotiation team with my own hands. Since my mother was unable to take the initiative, please leave the negotiations to me.”
A deep furrow formed between Kaitlyn's eyebrows.
“Who got the mine? It was me. Don’t forget it.”
“...Tell me exactly, Hardius. You have embarrassed me, but I am a person who puts family and business above everything else. What do you plan to do?”
“Give me the Meyer Steel. Right now. I’ve already finished preparing everything. All you have to do is make your decision.”
“You’re still young. It’s not over just because I handed over the CEO position to you. The people who lead Meyer Steel include numerous investors and executives. Do you think they will so readily accept and acknowledge you as their CEO?”
“I'll take care of that.”
Kaitlyn looked at her son in surprise.
“I want to negotiate as a representative of Meyer Steel. Even during the Trunia negotiations, I kept hearing things like successor. So I wasted two weeks on a trivial negotiation. I should have shortened the negotiation period and rushed to meet Joseph. I missed the timing and got caught up in strange public opinion. Because of my mother’s strange obsession with my fiancée.”
Het son dares to look down on her, as if he were looking at an extremely foolish person.
Kaitlyn couldn't even breathe, let alone answer.
“Now that I’ve acquired the Trunia mine, you can hand over Meyer Steel to me. It was my mother who always emphasized that a deal is a deal, even between mother and son.”
Blinking, Kaitlyn looked at the transformed Hardius with an unfamiliar look.
Government.
Emilia couldn't shake those words out of her mind for days.
In her head, a government is someone who goes out with you, links arms, and dances with you even though you have a spouse.
Most noble men take 'governors' for granted. There are even ladies who have male governments... She really can't understand why they keep mistresses even after they are married, but they definitely exist.
Forget it. It's a completely different story from a completely different world.
Emilia tried to shake off the strange word by hammering the nail, but the door became normal too quickly.
She put down the hammer and looked around with empty eyes. Unlike her troubled mind over the past few days, her hands and feet were more diligent than ever. Today, she pulled out all the weeds in the garden in an instant and cleaned up the stable.
What else is there to do? No matter how much she looks around, the house is so clean.
Her father's only mistake was that he dared to make Emilia the Duchess of Meyer.
People criticized her father, but Emilia couldn't hate him. Where in the world is there a perfect person?
Her father was simply blinded by a moment of greed.
Not at all like the apothecary who let his daughter become a government official!
Emilia suddenly stopped. The leash was yanked, and Brave looked back as if he found it strange.
Her head was spinning with disjointed thoughts, but the conclusion was the same.
She must find out what Hardius wants. If he shows any sign of wanting a government, she must firmly reject him...
Emilia turned around at the beach gate and turned back to Beppy.
“Sir, please take me to Basilion House right now. I need to see the young master.”
A rare smile appeared on Beppy's face as he chopped firewood.
“Let’s go. Let’s go now.”
Beppy quickly put down his axe and headed for the stables. While he prepared the carriage, Emilia finished preparing to go out.
If he wants the government, they should never meet again. They cannot go to Madame Luen's ball, graduation, or anywhere else.
Emilia gathered her courage and went into her room. She took something out of the depths of a drawer. It was a small box. Something she had never dared to open before.
Her trembling hands clicked open the lid, revealing a small ring. It had not seen the light of day in years, but it still sparkled beautifully.
Was it really this small? Back then, it was so loose that it would spin around on her fingers. She had to clench her fists so that she wouldn't drop it...
For some reason, her eyes became hot.
In fact, she was excited. Her heart was pounding so hard that it was scary. In the empty and scary palace filled with strangers, Hardius held her hand.
The hands of her sixteen-year-old fiancé were unbelievably warm. She thought he would be as cold as ice, but he was so warm that she thought her heart would burst.
Emilia, clutching the ring, placed her hand on her chest and couldn't say anything for a while.
“It seems like Grand Duke Leichnen has been visiting this place a lot lately.”
“Is it just the Grand Duke? Master Meyer, too. Didn’t he come the day before yesterday?”
“It won’t be long before Miss Bianca and Master Meyer are reunited.”
As the servants said, the Kramwitz villa was busy welcoming guests for several days. The quiet place, which was called 'Duke Meyer's Grave', was crowded with people for the first time in a while.
Kaitlyn called in the chef and head servant from the Nowak family home to entertain her guests. The table was set with ornate dishes, and the smell of grilling meat wafted from the oven.
Every evening, the three of them would enjoy dinner and discuss their new plan, the 'scandal'. Most of the talking was done by Haness. Kaitlyn would nod or smile, and Hardius would listen silently.
“Yes, then shall we move now? I have prepared some new cigarettes for Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
The two left the dining room with a smile. In Hardius’s case, he only had dinner with her and left the villa, so Kaitlyn prepared to say goodbye. However, her son wanted to attend the banquet for some reason.
Kaitlyn was momentarily taken aback, knowing how much Hardius hated smoking. But then she smiled softly.
“Yes, Hardy. Let’s go together.”
The three headed to the study. The night grew dark with tea, cigarettes, and business talk. Haness couldn't hide his delight at spending time with his son-in-law. But Kaitlyn was different. She was getting more and more uncomfortable.
It's completely dark outside, so why are you still here? Why don't you go back to Nowak?
“Do you have anything to say to me, Hardius?”
Her son, who had been resting his chin on one of the armrests with his elbows on it, straightens his posture.
“Yes, actually, there is something I would like to discuss closely with my mother.”
Kaitlyn nodded as if to continue. But Hardius did not open his mouth. His gaze was directed straight at Haness. It was obvious that he was in trouble in his presence.
Kaitlyn looked back and forth between the two men, a little surprised, before opening her mouth to Haness.
“Could you please step aside for a moment?”
"Yes?"
Hanes opened his eyes wide, then nodded willingly.
“Ah, it’s already this late. Well then, I guess I’ll be going now.”
After exchanging a friendly greeting with Kaitlyn, he turned to Hardius just before leaving.
“You know that our Bianca is coming, right? Shouldn’t we meet her soon?”
“I plan to visit her soon. It’s been five years, so I’m a little nervous about what she’ll think of me. Please say hello.”
“You will be amazed. Don’t forget that our Bianca has been offered the position of Empress of Birmingham.”
Haness tapped Hardius on the shoulder.
As soon as he disappeared, Kaitlyn chuckled.
“They say that whenever they talk about their daughter, they become such fools. Well, it’s not wrong. People around them praise Bianca so much. They say she’s worthy of being a Queen or an Empress. She’s a child that I would want so badly if she were my daughter.”
There is a strange longing in Kaitlyn's amber eyes. For the eldest daughter of a fallen noble family, the fantasy of being a Princess or Queen lies deep in her subconscious.
“By the way, what is ‘something important to say’? I hope it’s something important. The Grand Duke didn’t show it just now, but he must have been offended. You are his son-in-law and the one who will continue the alliance. But since we blatantly rejected him, he must be grumbling inside. I will visit him soon and apologize...”
“I’m getting sick of hearing that, Mother.”
The warm atmosphere froze in an instant.
“Don’t you trust him and Haness too much? Sometimes he seems like a dog. He’s a loyal dog who only watches his master’s face and turns over at the slightest opportunity.”
The shock travels through Kaitlyn from head to toe.
“Don’t you know that you keep losing the initiative to them?”
“What on earth does that mean, Hardius?”
“I don’t know if you know that Sir Richard is making excessive promises to attract investors. The joint venture is Meyer’s after all. Richard is only an investor, not a partner. And yet he is pushing everything forward on his own. I can’t understand why Mother allows him to continue to climb the ranks.”
Kaitlyn looked up at Hardius blankly, hearing the sound of her heart beating loudly.
It's hard to breathe because of that guy who dares to treat her like a stupid dog. But it's also true that he hits the nail on the head.
Yeah, she thought about it, and she was swayed. She let him crawl away, spitting out sarcastic remarks. She was desperate to cling to and rely on him.
“The same goes for Lord Leichnen. You were too revealing in front of him earlier.”
What did you say?
The conversation they had just had flashed through Kaitlyn’s mind. They had talked about Meyer & Leichnen Steel. They had talked about how to divide the shares...
“I wonder if you are aware that the Leichnen family is forming a negotiating team to secure a stake in the company.”
What?
“What... do you mean? Has Haness already formed a negotiating team?”
“Rumors are going around in some clubhouses that Haness has been working behind the scenes for a long time to take the lead in the merger. They are even going around to investors one by one to try to persuade them. What were we doing while Lord Leichnen was doing this behind the scenes?”
"Ha!"
The hand holding the armrest trembled violently, revealing white joints. The heat rose to her ears, making it hard to breathe.
“Honestly, I don’t trust my mother. You were so concerned about the broken engagement that you lost the initiative in the important things that came after the breakup.”
“...!”
“I am not like my mother. The reason I filled Basilion House with my people is to guard against those two. Remember, an alliance is an alliance, not a blood oath.”
“...”
“I will definitely break off the engagement. But don’t forget. If you don’t trust me and get swayed by those men and get caught up in scandals and other strange things, you will end up being a troublemaker for Leichinen.”
Kaitlyn slumped back against the backrest, unable to deny a single word. Had she been Hardius, she would have thought the same thing.
“...So...what do you want to talk about?”
“I want to form our negotiation team with my own hands. Since my mother was unable to take the initiative, please leave the negotiations to me.”
A deep furrow formed between Kaitlyn's eyebrows.
“Who got the mine? It was me. Don’t forget it.”
“...Tell me exactly, Hardius. You have embarrassed me, but I am a person who puts family and business above everything else. What do you plan to do?”
“Give me the Meyer Steel. Right now. I’ve already finished preparing everything. All you have to do is make your decision.”
“You’re still young. It’s not over just because I handed over the CEO position to you. The people who lead Meyer Steel include numerous investors and executives. Do you think they will so readily accept and acknowledge you as their CEO?”
“I'll take care of that.”
Kaitlyn looked at her son in surprise.
“I want to negotiate as a representative of Meyer Steel. Even during the Trunia negotiations, I kept hearing things like successor. So I wasted two weeks on a trivial negotiation. I should have shortened the negotiation period and rushed to meet Joseph. I missed the timing and got caught up in strange public opinion. Because of my mother’s strange obsession with my fiancée.”
Het son dares to look down on her, as if he were looking at an extremely foolish person.
Kaitlyn couldn't even breathe, let alone answer.
“Now that I’ve acquired the Trunia mine, you can hand over Meyer Steel to me. It was my mother who always emphasized that a deal is a deal, even between mother and son.”
Blinking, Kaitlyn looked at the transformed Hardius with an unfamiliar look.
***
Government.
Emilia couldn't shake those words out of her mind for days.
In her head, a government is someone who goes out with you, links arms, and dances with you even though you have a spouse.
Most noble men take 'governors' for granted. There are even ladies who have male governments... She really can't understand why they keep mistresses even after they are married, but they definitely exist.
Forget it. It's a completely different story from a completely different world.
Emilia tried to shake off the strange word by hammering the nail, but the door became normal too quickly.
She put down the hammer and looked around with empty eyes. Unlike her troubled mind over the past few days, her hands and feet were more diligent than ever. Today, she pulled out all the weeds in the garden in an instant and cleaned up the stable.
What else is there to do? No matter how much she looks around, the house is so clean.
"Ha..."
Emilia pressed both hands to her temples. The word 'government' was pecked at her head like a woodpecker.
They had no choice but to head back to the beach. Beppy, who was in the stable, noticed Emilia was going for a walk and untied the dog's leash.
“Here, take Brave, too.”
The dog was jumping around excitedly at the thought of going for a walk. Emilia and Brave headed down the forest path.
Just before reaching the beach, she happened to make eye contact with the 'suspicious farmhand' that Mitch had mentioned, but she didn't think much of it. Her head was too complicated to care about such things.
Does he really want her to become the government?
If it weren't for the kiss, she would never have thought that way. But up until now, everything Hardius has said and done can be explained so easily with just one word: 'government.'
Emilia had never even dreamed of marrying him.
The same would be true for Hardius. Their relationship had been through many twists and turns, but neither of them had ever dreamed of the possibility of 'marriage'.
But what about the government?
It's a very realistic story. As Mitch said, any common woman could become a government official.
In fact, not long ago, she heard the news that Reina, the daughter of the herbalist Mr. Suleman, had become the mistress of a certain man. Mr. Suleman, who had incurred a huge debt from gambling, had sold his daughter to a nobleman. Emilia was worried that Reina would fall into despair and commit suicide. She had read stories of mistresses who had committed suicide in newspapers and books.
But Reina didn't commit suicide. She lives happily in a small house on Deal Street, with servants. According to Hailey, she even invited her neighborhood friends and threw a party.
Do you wish for that too?
The hand holding the leash tightened for a moment. No, absolutely not.
Marriage is sacred to Emilia.
Her late father always missed her dead mother, and he also loved his stepmother Kalia with faith. Although their relationship did not feel like love, it was a strong relationship bound by faith and trust. Her father was a great man who put his family first.
Emilia pressed both hands to her temples. The word 'government' was pecked at her head like a woodpecker.
They had no choice but to head back to the beach. Beppy, who was in the stable, noticed Emilia was going for a walk and untied the dog's leash.
“Here, take Brave, too.”
The dog was jumping around excitedly at the thought of going for a walk. Emilia and Brave headed down the forest path.
Just before reaching the beach, she happened to make eye contact with the 'suspicious farmhand' that Mitch had mentioned, but she didn't think much of it. Her head was too complicated to care about such things.
Does he really want her to become the government?
If it weren't for the kiss, she would never have thought that way. But up until now, everything Hardius has said and done can be explained so easily with just one word: 'government.'
Emilia had never even dreamed of marrying him.
The same would be true for Hardius. Their relationship had been through many twists and turns, but neither of them had ever dreamed of the possibility of 'marriage'.
But what about the government?
It's a very realistic story. As Mitch said, any common woman could become a government official.
In fact, not long ago, she heard the news that Reina, the daughter of the herbalist Mr. Suleman, had become the mistress of a certain man. Mr. Suleman, who had incurred a huge debt from gambling, had sold his daughter to a nobleman. Emilia was worried that Reina would fall into despair and commit suicide. She had read stories of mistresses who had committed suicide in newspapers and books.
But Reina didn't commit suicide. She lives happily in a small house on Deal Street, with servants. According to Hailey, she even invited her neighborhood friends and threw a party.
Do you wish for that too?
The hand holding the leash tightened for a moment. No, absolutely not.
Marriage is sacred to Emilia.
Her late father always missed her dead mother, and he also loved his stepmother Kalia with faith. Although their relationship did not feel like love, it was a strong relationship bound by faith and trust. Her father was a great man who put his family first.
Her father's only mistake was that he dared to make Emilia the Duchess of Meyer.
People criticized her father, but Emilia couldn't hate him. Where in the world is there a perfect person?
Her father was simply blinded by a moment of greed.
Not at all like the apothecary who let his daughter become a government official!
Emilia suddenly stopped. The leash was yanked, and Brave looked back as if he found it strange.
Her head was spinning with disjointed thoughts, but the conclusion was the same.
She must find out what Hardius wants. If he shows any sign of wanting a government, she must firmly reject him...
Emilia turned around at the beach gate and turned back to Beppy.
“Sir, please take me to Basilion House right now. I need to see the young master.”
A rare smile appeared on Beppy's face as he chopped firewood.
“Let’s go. Let’s go now.”
Beppy quickly put down his axe and headed for the stables. While he prepared the carriage, Emilia finished preparing to go out.
If he wants the government, they should never meet again. They cannot go to Madame Luen's ball, graduation, or anywhere else.
Emilia gathered her courage and went into her room. She took something out of the depths of a drawer. It was a small box. Something she had never dared to open before.
Her trembling hands clicked open the lid, revealing a small ring. It had not seen the light of day in years, but it still sparkled beautifully.
Was it really this small? Back then, it was so loose that it would spin around on her fingers. She had to clench her fists so that she wouldn't drop it...
For some reason, her eyes became hot.
In fact, she was excited. Her heart was pounding so hard that it was scary. In the empty and scary palace filled with strangers, Hardius held her hand.
The hands of her sixteen-year-old fiancé were unbelievably warm. She thought he would be as cold as ice, but he was so warm that she thought her heart would burst.
Emilia, clutching the ring, placed her hand on her chest and couldn't say anything for a while.
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