As I looked at Count Sasha and smiled obliquely, Count Sasha smiled back at me.
“Do you have anything to say to me?”
He was a fool who couldn't even grasp the meaning of my laughter. Humans, when consumed by greed, tend to become arrogant. He carried Prince Cain on his back, guarding him, and it seemed he couldn't see a thing.
“Count Sasha.”
It's really funny. He doesn't even know who has Prince Cain locked up in the palace right now.
“I will use every penny of the donations from this charity party for the Glarry Slums.”
Count Sasha's expression softened at my words. He seemed to finally understand my intentions. He really couldn't be more foolish.
Count Sasha stroked his mustache and cleared his throat with a displeased "Ah!"
"The Glarry slums belong to my domain. It's only right that I get involved, even if it's a hassle."
“You spoke well.”
I covered my mouth with my fan and smiled with my eyes wide open. Anyone who saw it would have clearly seen it as a mocking sneer.
"The Glarry slums are directly within Sasha's territory. Everyone here knows how much support Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress have provided to relieve the Glarry slums."
At my words, the people nodded and looked at Count Sasha. This was what I meant.
'Where on earth did all that money go?'
Everyone present must be thinking the same thing as they look at Count Sasha. His pale, pig-like face flushed red. He cried out in frustration.
"Does Your Highness doubt me? The Glarry slums are a place where dirty, lowly people laze around! No matter how much money you pour into them, most of them don't understand its value!"
“Count Sasha, are you saying that this charity party was meaningless in the first place?”
I put my fan aside, feigning anger, and looked straight at him. Count Sasha, realizing his slip of the tongue, broke out in a cold sweat. I didn't have time to wait for him to take a handkerchief from his bosom and wipe his forehead.
“Count Sasha doesn’t seem qualified to be here.”
“How rude! I am the lord of that estate!”
“How dare you!”
I shouted loudly and opened my eyes wide to look at Count Sasha.
“How dare you raise your voice against me, the Grand Duchess!”
To Count Sasha, I must have been the daughter of the Count of Winsley. No, I was definitely the young daughter of an old friend. That's why he could act so arrogantly toward me.
But when I put forward my status as the Grand Duchess, he must have thought of the Grand Duke of Duchzan, who was standing firmly behind me.
“Your Highness, I...”
There was no reason for me to fear Prince Cain, who was not even the Emperor of a country and was imprisoned in his own palace.
"The donations raised for this charity gala are extremely valuable. Therefore, I cannot entrust them to someone as careless as Count Sasha. I will report this matter to Her Majesty the Empress and ask for her assistance."
“Oh, Her Majesty the Empress...”
If I were to entrust this matter to the Empress, it would be a very awkward situation. Count Sasha was Prince Cain's man, and the Empress was strictly speaking the Crown Prince's man. The Empress would undoubtedly be very pleased to receive and manage this donation. She could use it as an excuse to check whether Prince Cain had embezzled any funds.
I cut off Count Sasha's words and said:
“Count Sasha, you are not qualified to be involved in this matter.”
I gestured to the security guard waiting outside the party venue.
“Count Sasha is leaving, so see him off outside.”
At my command, Count Sasha, of course, as well as the other nobles, seemed flustered. This wasn't a simple expulsion order. This action signaled not only my intention to sever ties with Count Sasha but also my intention to sever ties with Prince Cain. It was almost a declaration of war.
Of course, even though I was the Grand Duchess, I couldn't drag Count Sasha out of the party. It would have been a very unpleasant sight.
Leaving my regret behind, I turned my gaze to a corner of the party hall. Shuan was still standing there, staring intently at the whole scene.
I spent my time clinking champagne glasses with the aristocrats of the party until the party atmosphere ripened.
It was getting dark outside, and some guests were starting to leave the party. I looked around, searching for Shuan. I thought it was time to meet him and talk. But no matter how much I looked around the party, he was nowhere to be found.
“Anna, haven’t you seen the Young Master Eriant?”
"Well, uh, I saw him leaving the party earlier. Maybe he's heading home?"
"What?"
He's leaving without even meeting me? I felt anxious. The party was already in a state of disarray, and as the host, I couldn't leave. I had a duty to say goodbye to everyone.
“Anna, send a carriage to catch up with the Young Master Eriant.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Anna still looked puzzled, but she quickly followed my orders. I, too, began to wrap up the party somewhat hastily.
By the time the number of guests had decreased from three to two, from two to one, I was almost out of my mind, wondering whether the carriage I had sent had caught Shuan.
I asked the butler to empty the party hall and climbed into the carriage without even changing clothes. I passed the other carriages leaving the Grand Duke's residence, checking outside the window to see if any had stopped.
How far had I run? Fortunately, not far away, I saw two carriages parked side by side, one in front of the other.
I parked my carriage nearby, approached it, and knocked on the door. As if waiting, the door opened, revealing Shuan.
“Young Master Eriant.”
He didn't even look surprised, as if he'd expected me to come. Shuan was the first to bow, his expression stiff and formal.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess.”
“There’s no need to be so polite. We’re friends.”
“Then Your Highness, please call me Lete too.”
Shuan laughed, tossing out a lighthearted joke. But the atmosphere was fleeting. Shuan looked at me, then lowered his gaze and sighed.
“I thought you were in a difficult situation when you were with Count Sasha.”
“Not at all.”
“It seems so. There’s nothing I can do to help.”
Because it was night, Shuan's face was mostly obscured by the shadows inside the carriage. But just by hearing his voice, I could tell what his expression was. His face must have been tinged with a tired smile and a sigh.
I could already realize the decision Shuan had made.
“That’s not the kind of help I want from Young Master Eriant.”
“I know.”
The moonlight shifted, illuminating Shuan's face. Shuan's face, once somewhat serpentine, now seemed as swampy as a swamp.
“Young Master Eriant, I need your help.”
Shuan shook his head very slowly.
“I think I already answered that question.”
"I didn't hear any answer. Were you too timid to speak directly?"
"Yes. I've always considered myself a brave person. But with my family involved, I can't help but be a coward."
I squinted my eyes and looked at him. That was it. There was a coward in this place.
"Shuan Eriant. I didn't show you mercy. I made a deal with you because I wanted something I deserved. I paid you enough, and now it's your turn."
My words must have touched Shuan's guilt, and he frowned painfully. He seemed easygoing at first glance, but he was by no means shameless.
“...As Your Highness the Grand Duchess said, I don’t know much about my younger sister.”
“Everyone has ambition.”
"But why, if she had said she wanted to become Prince Cain's wife and Empress, I might have supported her. Why would the government...?"
“I want you to figure it out.”
Shuan covered his face with his hand. After sitting like that for a while, he raised his dark face.
"I'm sorry, but that won't do. I'll find another price."
Just as I was about to say something, Shuan slammed the carriage door shut. Then he ordered the coachman to start the carriage. I hurriedly stepped aside and climbed into my own carriage.
“Madam, shall we set off?”
The coachman asked in an impatient voice. But it didn't seem easy to change his mind just by chasing him like this. It was better to find another way to persuade him.
“Let’s go back to the Grand Duke’s residence first.”
At my words, the coachman turned the carriage toward the Grand Duke's residence. Several carriages exiting the Grand Duke's residence passed us by. Like Shuan earlier, I placed my hand on my forehead and let out a long sigh.
Not only did I not meet Ari Eriant, but even the Owl Captain, whom I had worked so hard to acquire, slipped past my grasp. In my previous life, I had shown no interest in Ari Eriant, so Shuan remained one of my few allies until the very end. But this life was different.
I couldn't blame Shuan. Before I lost my family, I, too, never even considered turning my back on Kaiser. When something precious is at stake, people are capable of unimaginable things, sometimes even things that go against their own convictions.
So, it could be said that it was Ari's job to change Shuan's mind. Or, I could figure out Ari's situation on my own and make Shuan feel even more guilty, thereby incurring a greater debt.
Think, I have to think.
At that moment, a sudden headache struck. My vision blurred, and I saw afterimages. I saw a woman slumped before a grave, weeping. It was the very grave where the inscription on the headstone read, "Isaac Duchzan."
“Why again....”
It was when I was trying to hold onto Anna by pressing my temples with my fingertips.
Bang!
A loud bang was heard, followed by the sound of a horse neighing.
I felt a pang of wonder, along with a pounding pain all over my body.
Carriage accident? Are you saying there's another carriage accident?
“Do you have anything to say to me?”
He was a fool who couldn't even grasp the meaning of my laughter. Humans, when consumed by greed, tend to become arrogant. He carried Prince Cain on his back, guarding him, and it seemed he couldn't see a thing.
“Count Sasha.”
It's really funny. He doesn't even know who has Prince Cain locked up in the palace right now.
“I will use every penny of the donations from this charity party for the Glarry Slums.”
Count Sasha's expression softened at my words. He seemed to finally understand my intentions. He really couldn't be more foolish.
Count Sasha stroked his mustache and cleared his throat with a displeased "Ah!"
"The Glarry slums belong to my domain. It's only right that I get involved, even if it's a hassle."
“You spoke well.”
I covered my mouth with my fan and smiled with my eyes wide open. Anyone who saw it would have clearly seen it as a mocking sneer.
"The Glarry slums are directly within Sasha's territory. Everyone here knows how much support Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress have provided to relieve the Glarry slums."
At my words, the people nodded and looked at Count Sasha. This was what I meant.
'Where on earth did all that money go?'
Everyone present must be thinking the same thing as they look at Count Sasha. His pale, pig-like face flushed red. He cried out in frustration.
"Does Your Highness doubt me? The Glarry slums are a place where dirty, lowly people laze around! No matter how much money you pour into them, most of them don't understand its value!"
“Count Sasha, are you saying that this charity party was meaningless in the first place?”
I put my fan aside, feigning anger, and looked straight at him. Count Sasha, realizing his slip of the tongue, broke out in a cold sweat. I didn't have time to wait for him to take a handkerchief from his bosom and wipe his forehead.
“Count Sasha doesn’t seem qualified to be here.”
“How rude! I am the lord of that estate!”
“How dare you!”
I shouted loudly and opened my eyes wide to look at Count Sasha.
“How dare you raise your voice against me, the Grand Duchess!”
To Count Sasha, I must have been the daughter of the Count of Winsley. No, I was definitely the young daughter of an old friend. That's why he could act so arrogantly toward me.
But when I put forward my status as the Grand Duchess, he must have thought of the Grand Duke of Duchzan, who was standing firmly behind me.
“Your Highness, I...”
There was no reason for me to fear Prince Cain, who was not even the Emperor of a country and was imprisoned in his own palace.
"The donations raised for this charity gala are extremely valuable. Therefore, I cannot entrust them to someone as careless as Count Sasha. I will report this matter to Her Majesty the Empress and ask for her assistance."
“Oh, Her Majesty the Empress...”
If I were to entrust this matter to the Empress, it would be a very awkward situation. Count Sasha was Prince Cain's man, and the Empress was strictly speaking the Crown Prince's man. The Empress would undoubtedly be very pleased to receive and manage this donation. She could use it as an excuse to check whether Prince Cain had embezzled any funds.
I cut off Count Sasha's words and said:
“Count Sasha, you are not qualified to be involved in this matter.”
I gestured to the security guard waiting outside the party venue.
“Count Sasha is leaving, so see him off outside.”
At my command, Count Sasha, of course, as well as the other nobles, seemed flustered. This wasn't a simple expulsion order. This action signaled not only my intention to sever ties with Count Sasha but also my intention to sever ties with Prince Cain. It was almost a declaration of war.
Of course, even though I was the Grand Duchess, I couldn't drag Count Sasha out of the party. It would have been a very unpleasant sight.
Leaving my regret behind, I turned my gaze to a corner of the party hall. Shuan was still standing there, staring intently at the whole scene.
I spent my time clinking champagne glasses with the aristocrats of the party until the party atmosphere ripened.
It was getting dark outside, and some guests were starting to leave the party. I looked around, searching for Shuan. I thought it was time to meet him and talk. But no matter how much I looked around the party, he was nowhere to be found.
“Anna, haven’t you seen the Young Master Eriant?”
"Well, uh, I saw him leaving the party earlier. Maybe he's heading home?"
"What?"
He's leaving without even meeting me? I felt anxious. The party was already in a state of disarray, and as the host, I couldn't leave. I had a duty to say goodbye to everyone.
“Anna, send a carriage to catch up with the Young Master Eriant.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Anna still looked puzzled, but she quickly followed my orders. I, too, began to wrap up the party somewhat hastily.
By the time the number of guests had decreased from three to two, from two to one, I was almost out of my mind, wondering whether the carriage I had sent had caught Shuan.
I asked the butler to empty the party hall and climbed into the carriage without even changing clothes. I passed the other carriages leaving the Grand Duke's residence, checking outside the window to see if any had stopped.
How far had I run? Fortunately, not far away, I saw two carriages parked side by side, one in front of the other.
I parked my carriage nearby, approached it, and knocked on the door. As if waiting, the door opened, revealing Shuan.
“Young Master Eriant.”
He didn't even look surprised, as if he'd expected me to come. Shuan was the first to bow, his expression stiff and formal.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess.”
“There’s no need to be so polite. We’re friends.”
“Then Your Highness, please call me Lete too.”
Shuan laughed, tossing out a lighthearted joke. But the atmosphere was fleeting. Shuan looked at me, then lowered his gaze and sighed.
“I thought you were in a difficult situation when you were with Count Sasha.”
“Not at all.”
“It seems so. There’s nothing I can do to help.”
Because it was night, Shuan's face was mostly obscured by the shadows inside the carriage. But just by hearing his voice, I could tell what his expression was. His face must have been tinged with a tired smile and a sigh.
I could already realize the decision Shuan had made.
“That’s not the kind of help I want from Young Master Eriant.”
“I know.”
The moonlight shifted, illuminating Shuan's face. Shuan's face, once somewhat serpentine, now seemed as swampy as a swamp.
“Young Master Eriant, I need your help.”
Shuan shook his head very slowly.
“I think I already answered that question.”
"I didn't hear any answer. Were you too timid to speak directly?"
"Yes. I've always considered myself a brave person. But with my family involved, I can't help but be a coward."
I squinted my eyes and looked at him. That was it. There was a coward in this place.
"Shuan Eriant. I didn't show you mercy. I made a deal with you because I wanted something I deserved. I paid you enough, and now it's your turn."
My words must have touched Shuan's guilt, and he frowned painfully. He seemed easygoing at first glance, but he was by no means shameless.
“...As Your Highness the Grand Duchess said, I don’t know much about my younger sister.”
“Everyone has ambition.”
"But why, if she had said she wanted to become Prince Cain's wife and Empress, I might have supported her. Why would the government...?"
“I want you to figure it out.”
Shuan covered his face with his hand. After sitting like that for a while, he raised his dark face.
"I'm sorry, but that won't do. I'll find another price."
Just as I was about to say something, Shuan slammed the carriage door shut. Then he ordered the coachman to start the carriage. I hurriedly stepped aside and climbed into my own carriage.
“Madam, shall we set off?”
The coachman asked in an impatient voice. But it didn't seem easy to change his mind just by chasing him like this. It was better to find another way to persuade him.
“Let’s go back to the Grand Duke’s residence first.”
At my words, the coachman turned the carriage toward the Grand Duke's residence. Several carriages exiting the Grand Duke's residence passed us by. Like Shuan earlier, I placed my hand on my forehead and let out a long sigh.
Not only did I not meet Ari Eriant, but even the Owl Captain, whom I had worked so hard to acquire, slipped past my grasp. In my previous life, I had shown no interest in Ari Eriant, so Shuan remained one of my few allies until the very end. But this life was different.
I couldn't blame Shuan. Before I lost my family, I, too, never even considered turning my back on Kaiser. When something precious is at stake, people are capable of unimaginable things, sometimes even things that go against their own convictions.
So, it could be said that it was Ari's job to change Shuan's mind. Or, I could figure out Ari's situation on my own and make Shuan feel even more guilty, thereby incurring a greater debt.
Think, I have to think.
At that moment, a sudden headache struck. My vision blurred, and I saw afterimages. I saw a woman slumped before a grave, weeping. It was the very grave where the inscription on the headstone read, "Isaac Duchzan."
“Why again....”
It was when I was trying to hold onto Anna by pressing my temples with my fingertips.
Bang!
A loud bang was heard, followed by the sound of a horse neighing.
I felt a pang of wonder, along with a pounding pain all over my body.
Carriage accident? Are you saying there's another carriage accident?
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