043. Rat hunt
“Emilia!”
“Sister!”
The blood that started at her fingertips flowed down to the back of her hand in an instant.
“You’re bleeding?!”
“Quick... quickly stop the bleeding first!”
There was total chaos.
It was something trivial that everyone would have experienced at least once while cooking. But the whole family was getting excited as if they were in the middle of a war zone.
“It’s okay. It’s nothing... It’s okay...”
Even as she muttered, Emilia felt something hot running down her nose and throat.
She blinked hard to shake it off, but it was no use. The hot clot continued to surge in like waves, and eventually, it flowed down.
“Sister?!”
With a thunderous scream, a large drop of water fell. Since she rarely cried, everyone who was watching was momentarily dumbfounded.
The stepmother was the first to come to her senses.
“Let’s see, Emilia. Shouldn’t we get stitches?”
“No, not that much...”
Before she could finish speaking, Mitch interrupted.
“Doctor...I’ll bring the doctor. Uncle Beppy...!”
“Oh, no! It’s okay.”
Emilia was barely able to grab the back of her brother's neck as he tried to fly out like a bullet.
“Let’s start with disinfection first.”
Kalia calmly poured the rum and applied the styptic. Emilia stared blankly at the bubbles rising from the wound. A sharp pain pressed down her spine.
“It’s not that bad. Fortunately.”
The stepmother began to wrap her daughter's fingers tightly with bandages. As she wrapped them more and more, the tears stopped flowing.
“...Mother is right.”
Emilia muttered as if talking to herself.
“A kind and ordinary man. I want to meet someone like that.”
"Yes."
“But I need to earn some money before that. I’m not even twenty yet.”
“That’s good too.”
“I’m going to ask Mr. Haspel to hire me as a full-time worker. I want to gain experience and earn more money. Or study...”
“Yes, if you want, go ahead.”
Kalia's indifferent positivity warmly embraced her bruised heart.
“Yes, it’s done.”
Kalia had already finished wrapping the bandage. Emilia just stared at her throbbing finger.
“It’s strange... I don’t know why I’m crying...”
“Why are you crying? It’s because you’re sick. Rest today, Emilia. Don’t be stubborn.”
Emilia nodded like a gentle lamb, “Yes.”
Grojean's gaze turned to the ring lying carelessly on the desk.
It was a ring so small that it would be difficult to fit on even a little finger. Since the ring was returned here, its owner has become noticeably gloomy.
“Mrs. Meyer is beginning to suspect?”
Grojean turned his eyes away from the ring and looked at his master. Hardius was looking at the blueprints hanging on the wall with his arms crossed.
“Yes. I think it’s because the young master expressed his distrust of the alliance and demanded Meyer Steel so suddenly. She worried that there might be another ulterior motive and ordered me to investigate.”
“Well, I guess it’s not just because she's suspicious.”
A crooked smile appears at the corner of the owner's mouth.
“Mayer Steel accepted me as its CEO much sooner than she expected. She probably expected the shareholders to oppose me for longer and more vigorously. She only says business is the top priority, but in reality, she just wants me to fail.”
It's a statement that makes you nod your head while thinking, 'Could it really be that much?'
“Then what should we do?”
“First, I have to make her feel better. Like I always have.”
Hardius took his eyes off the blueprints for a moment and looked at Grojean.
“Tell her that the young heir seems a little burdened. It seems like he inherited Meyer Steel too early. We need to confuse her as much as possible. Then we can start the real rat hunt.”
Grojean nodded silently.
Hardius Myers is the most capable and greedy of all the Meyers in history, so you don't have to worry about him betraying Kaitlyn Myers and choosing his son.
Except for one problem.
“The lady also asked about Miss Bern.”
As soon as his fiancée’s name was mentioned, his eyes changed, and he became very angry...
“Nothing special. Just how often she meets the master, or if I see anything strange, things like that. I guess she's just nervous because the ball is coming up. She has to spread rumors, and the master is attending with her, so Madamis is probably nervous.”
“...”
“Do you have a plan? I’m a little worried.”
“I won’t do anything like risking my life. I’ll have to fight my mother later. After my safety is secured.”
Grojean was in a precarious mood again.
When he first received the order to build Hilden Farm and protect the cabin family, he wasn't exactly sure what his master's feelings were.
He thought it was just a feeling of guilt, pity, or fresh excitement. No, even if it was more than that, he was confident that he could draw the line.
But now he can't be sure. The master's gaze toward his fiancée in name only has long since crossed the line, and he is afraid that the country girl might take control of the young Meyer's soul as well.
It is no different from following in the footsteps of his father, Van Drake Meyer. He dug his own grave and walked the path to ruin by falling for a commoner woman and her illegitimate child before he was even married.
“What’s my next schedule?”
Grojean opened his mouth, unable to shake off the heavy thoughts that were weighing on him.
“...There is nothing else scheduled for the morning. You may meet His Majesty the King in the afternoon.”
The Palazzo Riccardi is one of the most beautiful buildings on the continent. Made of the finest stone and cutting-edge technology, it is a long, rectangular, three-story building with a beautiful lake and fir forest behind it.
On a cloudless, sunny afternoon, Hardius was meeting King Joseph in the garden there.
“Congratulations. You became the CEO of Meyer Steel at the age of just twenty.”
"Thank you"
“Don’t let your guard down too much. This is just the beginning. Even if you are the legitimate successor, there will be opposition from the existing powers.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The two men shook hands and crossed the cloud bridge over the pond.
“You have proven your worth by obtaining Meyer Steel, so now it is my turn to keep my promise. I will allow you to break off the engagement. Right now, right here, right now.”
The heir of the Meyer family soon breaks off his engagement with Jim Bern's daughter. In return, the King receives a portion of the profits from the Trunia mines owned by the Meyer family in the form of a tribute.
Allied forces, including Kaitlyn Meyer, will only know so much.
“It’s going according to plan, step by step. Except for one thing, the third condition.”
“I have something to ask you about that matter anyway.”
Joseph hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if to continue.
“When will it be possible?”
Hmm, the King sighed.
“I’m actually a little worried. The Queen doesn’t trust you. She seems suspicious and dubious about that third proposal.”
“...I know it may be presumptuous of you to do so, but I would like you to make a decision as quickly as possible.”
The King frowned, but his expression seemed to indicate amusement.
“What’s the rush? Didn’t you specifically ask me to do it safely and reliably, even if it takes time?”
The King stroked his beard again in front of the unresponsive opponent.
“Actually... It’s not easy when you actually try to do it. It’s easier said than done to ask me to become your fiancée’s guardian. The Queen is a little reluctant, saying that it would mean taking in an adopted daughter. I guess she’s worried about your mother. Besides, if it’s up to you, we’ll have to protect not only the child, but also the entire family...”
Joseph stopped talking and glanced at his successor. A look of discontent was clearly visible on his opponent, who kept his mouth shut.
“Of course, I don’t mean to renege on the deal. I just want you to meet the Queen and reassure her. Yvonne will also be able to put her mind at ease if she meets you in person.
“...I will do as you command.”
Only then did Joseph calm down. The sensitive successor was as cold as ice when it came to the third condition.
“By the way, when are you going to call your mother? You did that, didn’t you? Call Madame Meyer to the palace and have her personally declare the breakoff of the engagement.”
“Please do it as soon as possible.”
“Yes, let’s do it in three days.”
Kaitlyn Meyer had been locked in her room for days, unable to come out. The servants at the lodge couldn't help but worry.
The master is skipping meals and sleeping poorly at night. Not only Grand Duke Leichnen, who used to visit the villa every three days, but even Senator Richard suddenly stopped coming.
No one knew exactly why, but one thing was certain.
The master had let go of Meyer Steel too early. The loss was too great. Of course, there was a bigger reason that the servants could not even guess.
'Aren't you too trusting of William Richard and Haness? Sometimes they seem like dogs. They are loyal, always watching their master's face, and turning over at the slightest opportunity.'
Since hearing such a shocking story from her son, Kaitlyn has been rapidly losing strength like a toothless tiger.
The words her son threw that day, like a knife, were definitely right.
She was overly dependent on her allies and was so obsessed with breaking off engagements that she neglected more important business matters.
But after the initial shock wears off, one or two strange suspicions begin to arise.
When did it start? Probably the day she found the article “The Abandoned Fiancée of the Meyer Family,” she can’t say for sure, but something changed drastically from that day on.
It was always Kaitlyn's job to give orders and directives. But at some point, the relationship started to reverse. Hardius gave orders, and she just followed. She was losing the initiative.
His son was so unfamiliar. Hardius was becoming a completely different person without realizing it.
Even if Hardius had not threatened to use the mine as an excuse, Meyer would never have given up his steel. However, the mine obtained from Trunia clearly belonged to the successor, 'Hardius Meyer'.
She never expected that her son would use that as an excuse to threaten her. And he even got the shareholders' approval.
She thought a confident successor would please her, but instead, he only makes her feel uncomfortable and insecure.
That wasn't the only strange feeling she had that she couldn't understand.
Just now, Hardius had delivered the surprising news that the engagement was likely to be broken off. He had also told her that she would soon be contacted by the royal family and asked her to take good care of the situation.
Still, Kaitlyn didn't believe it.
What if Hardius is thinking something completely different from what she has ever known?
What if there was another ulterior motive behind the broken engagement issue? Should she call Grojean back? What if she tells him to investigate in detail, even if it means being caught?
No, don't jump to conclusions. You might be being too sensitive.
“Fuck...”
Kaitlyn bit her fingernails as if she were trying to tear them apart. It was three days later that the chaos in her head finally came to an end.
“Master, a messenger has arrived from Riccardi.”
“Riccardi?”
“This is a message from Her Majesty the Queen. She asks to see you at the Etna Palace tomorrow.”
Kaitlyn has been completely cut off from the royal family since the engagement ceremony five years ago. She has never spoken to Queen Yvonne in particular, beyond a formal greeting at official functions.
But then she suddenly told her to come. Just as Hardius had predicted.
Could it really be true? Is Joseph really going to allow the engagement to be broken off?
“Emilia!”
“Sister!”
The blood that started at her fingertips flowed down to the back of her hand in an instant.
“You’re bleeding?!”
“Quick... quickly stop the bleeding first!”
There was total chaos.
It was something trivial that everyone would have experienced at least once while cooking. But the whole family was getting excited as if they were in the middle of a war zone.
“It’s okay. It’s nothing... It’s okay...”
Even as she muttered, Emilia felt something hot running down her nose and throat.
She blinked hard to shake it off, but it was no use. The hot clot continued to surge in like waves, and eventually, it flowed down.
“Sister?!”
With a thunderous scream, a large drop of water fell. Since she rarely cried, everyone who was watching was momentarily dumbfounded.
The stepmother was the first to come to her senses.
“Let’s see, Emilia. Shouldn’t we get stitches?”
“No, not that much...”
Before she could finish speaking, Mitch interrupted.
“Doctor...I’ll bring the doctor. Uncle Beppy...!”
“Oh, no! It’s okay.”
Emilia was barely able to grab the back of her brother's neck as he tried to fly out like a bullet.
“Let’s start with disinfection first.”
Kalia calmly poured the rum and applied the styptic. Emilia stared blankly at the bubbles rising from the wound. A sharp pain pressed down her spine.
“It’s not that bad. Fortunately.”
The stepmother began to wrap her daughter's fingers tightly with bandages. As she wrapped them more and more, the tears stopped flowing.
“...Mother is right.”
Emilia muttered as if talking to herself.
“A kind and ordinary man. I want to meet someone like that.”
"Yes."
“But I need to earn some money before that. I’m not even twenty yet.”
“That’s good too.”
“I’m going to ask Mr. Haspel to hire me as a full-time worker. I want to gain experience and earn more money. Or study...”
“Yes, if you want, go ahead.”
Kalia's indifferent positivity warmly embraced her bruised heart.
“Yes, it’s done.”
Kalia had already finished wrapping the bandage. Emilia just stared at her throbbing finger.
“It’s strange... I don’t know why I’m crying...”
“Why are you crying? It’s because you’re sick. Rest today, Emilia. Don’t be stubborn.”
Emilia nodded like a gentle lamb, “Yes.”
***
Grojean's gaze turned to the ring lying carelessly on the desk.
It was a ring so small that it would be difficult to fit on even a little finger. Since the ring was returned here, its owner has become noticeably gloomy.
“Mrs. Meyer is beginning to suspect?”
Grojean turned his eyes away from the ring and looked at his master. Hardius was looking at the blueprints hanging on the wall with his arms crossed.
“Yes. I think it’s because the young master expressed his distrust of the alliance and demanded Meyer Steel so suddenly. She worried that there might be another ulterior motive and ordered me to investigate.”
“Well, I guess it’s not just because she's suspicious.”
A crooked smile appears at the corner of the owner's mouth.
“Mayer Steel accepted me as its CEO much sooner than she expected. She probably expected the shareholders to oppose me for longer and more vigorously. She only says business is the top priority, but in reality, she just wants me to fail.”
It's a statement that makes you nod your head while thinking, 'Could it really be that much?'
“Then what should we do?”
“First, I have to make her feel better. Like I always have.”
Hardius took his eyes off the blueprints for a moment and looked at Grojean.
“Tell her that the young heir seems a little burdened. It seems like he inherited Meyer Steel too early. We need to confuse her as much as possible. Then we can start the real rat hunt.”
Grojean nodded silently.
Hardius Myers is the most capable and greedy of all the Meyers in history, so you don't have to worry about him betraying Kaitlyn Myers and choosing his son.
Except for one problem.
“The lady also asked about Miss Bern.”
As soon as his fiancée’s name was mentioned, his eyes changed, and he became very angry...
“Nothing special. Just how often she meets the master, or if I see anything strange, things like that. I guess she's just nervous because the ball is coming up. She has to spread rumors, and the master is attending with her, so Madamis is probably nervous.”
“...”
“Do you have a plan? I’m a little worried.”
“I won’t do anything like risking my life. I’ll have to fight my mother later. After my safety is secured.”
Grojean was in a precarious mood again.
When he first received the order to build Hilden Farm and protect the cabin family, he wasn't exactly sure what his master's feelings were.
He thought it was just a feeling of guilt, pity, or fresh excitement. No, even if it was more than that, he was confident that he could draw the line.
But now he can't be sure. The master's gaze toward his fiancée in name only has long since crossed the line, and he is afraid that the country girl might take control of the young Meyer's soul as well.
It is no different from following in the footsteps of his father, Van Drake Meyer. He dug his own grave and walked the path to ruin by falling for a commoner woman and her illegitimate child before he was even married.
“What’s my next schedule?”
Grojean opened his mouth, unable to shake off the heavy thoughts that were weighing on him.
“...There is nothing else scheduled for the morning. You may meet His Majesty the King in the afternoon.”
***
The Palazzo Riccardi is one of the most beautiful buildings on the continent. Made of the finest stone and cutting-edge technology, it is a long, rectangular, three-story building with a beautiful lake and fir forest behind it.
On a cloudless, sunny afternoon, Hardius was meeting King Joseph in the garden there.
“Congratulations. You became the CEO of Meyer Steel at the age of just twenty.”
"Thank you"
“Don’t let your guard down too much. This is just the beginning. Even if you are the legitimate successor, there will be opposition from the existing powers.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The two men shook hands and crossed the cloud bridge over the pond.
“You have proven your worth by obtaining Meyer Steel, so now it is my turn to keep my promise. I will allow you to break off the engagement. Right now, right here, right now.”
The heir of the Meyer family soon breaks off his engagement with Jim Bern's daughter. In return, the King receives a portion of the profits from the Trunia mines owned by the Meyer family in the form of a tribute.
Allied forces, including Kaitlyn Meyer, will only know so much.
“It’s going according to plan, step by step. Except for one thing, the third condition.”
“I have something to ask you about that matter anyway.”
Joseph hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if to continue.
“When will it be possible?”
Hmm, the King sighed.
“I’m actually a little worried. The Queen doesn’t trust you. She seems suspicious and dubious about that third proposal.”
“...I know it may be presumptuous of you to do so, but I would like you to make a decision as quickly as possible.”
The King frowned, but his expression seemed to indicate amusement.
“What’s the rush? Didn’t you specifically ask me to do it safely and reliably, even if it takes time?”
The King stroked his beard again in front of the unresponsive opponent.
“Actually... It’s not easy when you actually try to do it. It’s easier said than done to ask me to become your fiancée’s guardian. The Queen is a little reluctant, saying that it would mean taking in an adopted daughter. I guess she’s worried about your mother. Besides, if it’s up to you, we’ll have to protect not only the child, but also the entire family...”
Joseph stopped talking and glanced at his successor. A look of discontent was clearly visible on his opponent, who kept his mouth shut.
“Of course, I don’t mean to renege on the deal. I just want you to meet the Queen and reassure her. Yvonne will also be able to put her mind at ease if she meets you in person.
“...I will do as you command.”
Only then did Joseph calm down. The sensitive successor was as cold as ice when it came to the third condition.
“By the way, when are you going to call your mother? You did that, didn’t you? Call Madame Meyer to the palace and have her personally declare the breakoff of the engagement.”
“Please do it as soon as possible.”
“Yes, let’s do it in three days.”
***
Kaitlyn Meyer had been locked in her room for days, unable to come out. The servants at the lodge couldn't help but worry.
The master is skipping meals and sleeping poorly at night. Not only Grand Duke Leichnen, who used to visit the villa every three days, but even Senator Richard suddenly stopped coming.
No one knew exactly why, but one thing was certain.
The master had let go of Meyer Steel too early. The loss was too great. Of course, there was a bigger reason that the servants could not even guess.
'Aren't you too trusting of William Richard and Haness? Sometimes they seem like dogs. They are loyal, always watching their master's face, and turning over at the slightest opportunity.'
Since hearing such a shocking story from her son, Kaitlyn has been rapidly losing strength like a toothless tiger.
The words her son threw that day, like a knife, were definitely right.
She was overly dependent on her allies and was so obsessed with breaking off engagements that she neglected more important business matters.
But after the initial shock wears off, one or two strange suspicions begin to arise.
When did it start? Probably the day she found the article “The Abandoned Fiancée of the Meyer Family,” she can’t say for sure, but something changed drastically from that day on.
It was always Kaitlyn's job to give orders and directives. But at some point, the relationship started to reverse. Hardius gave orders, and she just followed. She was losing the initiative.
His son was so unfamiliar. Hardius was becoming a completely different person without realizing it.
Even if Hardius had not threatened to use the mine as an excuse, Meyer would never have given up his steel. However, the mine obtained from Trunia clearly belonged to the successor, 'Hardius Meyer'.
She never expected that her son would use that as an excuse to threaten her. And he even got the shareholders' approval.
She thought a confident successor would please her, but instead, he only makes her feel uncomfortable and insecure.
That wasn't the only strange feeling she had that she couldn't understand.
Just now, Hardius had delivered the surprising news that the engagement was likely to be broken off. He had also told her that she would soon be contacted by the royal family and asked her to take good care of the situation.
Still, Kaitlyn didn't believe it.
What if Hardius is thinking something completely different from what she has ever known?
What if there was another ulterior motive behind the broken engagement issue? Should she call Grojean back? What if she tells him to investigate in detail, even if it means being caught?
No, don't jump to conclusions. You might be being too sensitive.
“Fuck...”
Kaitlyn bit her fingernails as if she were trying to tear them apart. It was three days later that the chaos in her head finally came to an end.
“Master, a messenger has arrived from Riccardi.”
“Riccardi?”
“This is a message from Her Majesty the Queen. She asks to see you at the Etna Palace tomorrow.”
Kaitlyn has been completely cut off from the royal family since the engagement ceremony five years ago. She has never spoken to Queen Yvonne in particular, beyond a formal greeting at official functions.
But then she suddenly told her to come. Just as Hardius had predicted.
Could it really be true? Is Joseph really going to allow the engagement to be broken off?
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