Episode 121. The Enemy Countess Wence
Neruan opened the letter. Rose gazed at it, glancing around.
Actually, there was one person she had a guess about.
Another possessed person who knew the department store system well.
'Doana...'
It was a reasonable suspicion, considering her behavior was incredibly cowardly.
However, her guess was spectacularly wrong.
The person who came out of Neruan's mouth wasn't Doana.
"Madam Anaod?"
Rose's head tilted at the sound.
"Who is Madame Anaod?"
It was a name she had never heard before.
She had always thought she knew all the nobles in the capital. Rose blinked and looked at Neruan.
"...Well, I'm not sure. It's the first time I've heard that name either."
It seemed Neruan was equally unaware of her identity. Neruan trailed off and turned his gaze to the man who had brought the letter.
“Who is Madame Anaod?”
“She’s a merchant who recently came to the capital with her husband. The extent of her wealth is unknown, but rumor has it she possesses considerable wealth.”
“Would it be possible to meet Madame Anaod?”
Rose, who had been listening to the conversation, addressed the man.
“I’d really like to see her.”
“Well... she’s never shown herself before.”
“Ah...”
Rose trailed off at the man’s words.
“It seems it’s harder to meet than I thought.”
She’d have to meet in person to try to coax her. Rose was lost in thought, contemplating what to do.
Neruan stared at Rose silently, lost in thought. He stared blankly at Rose before turning to the man.
“I have an urgent matter to discuss regarding the department store business, so I request your cooperation.”
Neruan’s tone wasn’t one of request. It could almost be considered an order.
His deep, golden eyes took on a cool gleam. Neruan continued in a low voice.
“This is a formal invitation from the Arteum family.”
Rose inwardly admired Neruan’s appearance.
“Yes. This is a class society. What were you worried about?”
The other person was a merchant without any formality. And behind Rose was the solid background of the Arteum family.
A specialness she had never felt in her past life. Rose’s throat tightened for no reason.
When the mention of the Arteum family came up, the man’s pupils shook involuntarily.
“Damn, something seems wrong.”
Anxiety washed over her, a nervousness like a shrimp about to burst in a fight between whales.
“I thought all I had to do was find the building owner, so I bit.”
His eyes were filled with regret. Somehow, he had paid a lot for the information.
Neruan pulled a fountain pen and paper from his inside pocket and scribbled. He then stamped a seal with the Arteum family crest and handed it to the man.
“Can you pass it on?”
“...”
A thick bead of sweat trickled down the man's back as he stared at the paper.
If only he could refuse, he would. He had been furtively observing, then his eyes met Neruan's.
"Ugh."
He flinched involuntarily at Neruan's fierce gaze.
The man accepted the letter with a trembling expression. He nodded, his face weeping like a condemned prisoner.
"Of course..."
Who could refuse?
He muttered to himself and stared at the letter. Then, his steps became heavy and unsteady.
The man, his back hunched, tried to leave the terrace, but he couldn't shake off his lingering longing, constantly looking back.
Neruan, who had been silently observing him, suddenly called out to the man again.
"You forgot something."
As soon as he finished speaking, Neruan took out a jewel with a jingle.
"This is a tip for you."
The man's expression looked as if he were about to die. The moment he saw the jewel Neruan was holding, his demeanor changed 180 degrees.
The man rushed towards him like a spring and bowed his head before Neruan. The anxiety or regret he had shown just a moment ago was gone.
“Oh my, why are you giving me all these things?”
He rubbed his hands together, preparing to receive the jewel.
Contrary to his words of refusal, his hands were already reaching out for it. Overcome by greed, he couldn’t hide his excitement, panting.
Rose looked at the man with a mysterious expression and thought,
'This must be a pretty valuable jewel.'
Otherwise, it wouldn't have turned out like that, like flipping a coin.
'Well, it's more comfortable than forcing my back on you.'
The man's slumped back was troubling her. She wondered if he was being abusive in the name of nobility.
But in this situation, it was a different story. Rose looked at the man with a relieved heart.
The man who received the jewel couldn't hide the corners of his mouth that rose to the sky. He said he would set a date soon and quickly disappeared.
Rose looked at Neruan and gave a silent thumbs-up.
The man blushed and turned his head away, perhaps embarrassed by Rose's compliment.
Rose planned to stay at the Serviat couple's mansion until Madame Anaod contacted her again.
Neruan said he would come pick her up with the Grand Duke if he heard from her and dropped Rose off at the mansion. Rose's eyes widened as soon as she got out of the carriage.
"What is all this...?"
A pile of gift packages was piled up in front of the door.
What was strange was that expensive items were strewn about, as if being thrown away.
Did he hear Rose's presence inside? Daemon, with a frightened expression, opened the door with a jerk.
"Didn't I tell you to get out of here...!"
Daemon, who had been sulking, finally relaxed when he saw Rose standing there blankly.
"Rose?"
His face softened, as if he had never been angry before. A mixture of surprise and joy crossed Daemon's face.
"Why are you here without contacting me? You must be busy with business."
His gruff voice flowed at a faster tempo than usual. He seemed incredibly happy that Rose was here.
"I came to the capital on business, and I missed you."
Rose smiled, shaking the fruit basket in one hand. Daemon snatched the fruit from Rose's hand as if snatching it.
"It must be heavy. Hand it over here."
He couldn't just stand by and watch Rose carrying the heavy fruit.
“Come in.”
Rose entered the mansion with Daemon.
“Father, what are all those things outside? Is it okay for you to leave all those expensive items lying around like that?”
Daemon, who had been looking at Rose with a pleased expression, hardened into a fierce expression.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m throwing them all away.”
“Huh?”
Rose’s eyes widened at Daemon’s words.
“Throwing them all away?”
It would be surprising if he threw away items he’d used once or twice, but he threw away items that hadn’t even been opened.
“Count Wence sent them all. Why do you keep sending them even though you said you didn’t need them?”
Rose’s doubts were answered by Rivera. Rivera approached, shaking her head with a look of exasperation.
“Eric sent those?”
Rose let out a squeak involuntarily, startled.
“Yeah. He's usually better. Why is he getting all sloppy now? Tsk tsk.”
Rivera was strangely excited, despite her tongue-clicking expression.
It was quite a delight to see the man who had clung to her until her daughter died now clinging to her in return.
“He must have discovered our Rose’s true worth too late.”
Daemon chimed in. He kept a blank expression and lifted Rose up high.
“But how much I hate seeing him cling to you. He’s got a wife and a mistress hanging on to him, and he’s coveting our Rose!”
“Even if he divorced you, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. He’s such a ridiculous man.”
“That’s right. Even if you gave up everything for Rose, I would never accept him. It seems like he’s the only one ignorant of that fact.”
Rivera’s expression was utterly absurd.
“Don’t worry, daughter. No matter how much we live without, we’ll never fall for Count Wence’s tricks.”
Rose’s heart grew heavy at her words about living without.
It was true that Count Serviat and his wife had no assets, as all their property had been confiscated. However, Rose was capable of providing for her parents.
“Mother, Father, I don’t think it’ll work out,”
Rose muttered to herself and looked at the Serviat.
“It’s just the two of you here, and I feel uneasy. Eric might suddenly change and do something.”
Rose continued, her voice tinged with concern.
“I hope you’ll look upon the move to the Arteum Estate I mentioned last time as a positive. The Arteum Estate might seem insignificant now, but it’ll become a wonderful place to live in.”
“Rose, we already discussed that last time. Let’s take a trip and look around, and then decide.”
“You keep making excuses to postpone your trip... It seems like Mother has no intention of coming to the Arteum Estate.”
Rivera smiled awkwardly, perhaps stung by Rose’s words. Rose’s words were spot-on.
While she had been somewhat attuned to her daughter’s goodwill, she had absolutely no intention of moving to the Arteum Estate. That’s why Rose’s travel proposal kept being postponed.
Rivera hesitated, making excuses. But when Rose’s stubborn attitude seemed to be holding her back, she sighed deeply.
“Ha. Yes, Rose. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not really keen on moving down to the countryside. I’ve been covering up your kindness, but now I have to be clear.”
Rivera rambled on, insisting on her unwillingness to leave her hometown. At that moment, Daemon, who had been quietly listening, joined in on Rose and Rivera’s conversation.
“Let’s move.”
“Honey!!”
Rivera’s voice rose at Daemon’s decision without even consulting him.
“No, what the hell is this?! If you’re going to go, you can go alone. I absolutely cannot go.”
As Rivera continued to threaten, Daemon placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
“It’s not something I bring up easily either.”
He looked at Rivera with steady eyes and continued.
“Actually, I didn’t tell you because I thought you might be upset...”
He trailed off and sighed softly. Then, with difficulty, he opened his mouth.
“I sensed suspicious activity around the mansion.”
Both Rose and Rivera flinched at Daemon’s words. Daemon opened his eyes blearily and looked at Rivera.
“As if... they were watching us.”
Rose didn’t dare to catch who was watching this place. Cedric, Eric, the Emperor, and even Duke Flice. There were too many people to guess.
There wasn't a single normal person there.
Rose spoke urgently.
"There's a mansion I've already checked out in the Artaeum estate. You can stay in the same grand mansion as before. I'll gather all the servants and knights."
"Honey, where do we have the money to buy a mansion like that right now? We don't even have enough to pay our servants."
Neruan opened the letter. Rose gazed at it, glancing around.
Actually, there was one person she had a guess about.
Another possessed person who knew the department store system well.
'Doana...'
It was a reasonable suspicion, considering her behavior was incredibly cowardly.
However, her guess was spectacularly wrong.
The person who came out of Neruan's mouth wasn't Doana.
"Madam Anaod?"
Rose's head tilted at the sound.
"Who is Madame Anaod?"
It was a name she had never heard before.
She had always thought she knew all the nobles in the capital. Rose blinked and looked at Neruan.
"...Well, I'm not sure. It's the first time I've heard that name either."
It seemed Neruan was equally unaware of her identity. Neruan trailed off and turned his gaze to the man who had brought the letter.
“Who is Madame Anaod?”
“She’s a merchant who recently came to the capital with her husband. The extent of her wealth is unknown, but rumor has it she possesses considerable wealth.”
“Would it be possible to meet Madame Anaod?”
Rose, who had been listening to the conversation, addressed the man.
“I’d really like to see her.”
“Well... she’s never shown herself before.”
“Ah...”
Rose trailed off at the man’s words.
“It seems it’s harder to meet than I thought.”
She’d have to meet in person to try to coax her. Rose was lost in thought, contemplating what to do.
Neruan stared at Rose silently, lost in thought. He stared blankly at Rose before turning to the man.
“I have an urgent matter to discuss regarding the department store business, so I request your cooperation.”
Neruan’s tone wasn’t one of request. It could almost be considered an order.
His deep, golden eyes took on a cool gleam. Neruan continued in a low voice.
“This is a formal invitation from the Arteum family.”
Rose inwardly admired Neruan’s appearance.
“Yes. This is a class society. What were you worried about?”
The other person was a merchant without any formality. And behind Rose was the solid background of the Arteum family.
A specialness she had never felt in her past life. Rose’s throat tightened for no reason.
When the mention of the Arteum family came up, the man’s pupils shook involuntarily.
“Damn, something seems wrong.”
Anxiety washed over her, a nervousness like a shrimp about to burst in a fight between whales.
“I thought all I had to do was find the building owner, so I bit.”
His eyes were filled with regret. Somehow, he had paid a lot for the information.
Neruan pulled a fountain pen and paper from his inside pocket and scribbled. He then stamped a seal with the Arteum family crest and handed it to the man.
“Can you pass it on?”
“...”
A thick bead of sweat trickled down the man's back as he stared at the paper.
If only he could refuse, he would. He had been furtively observing, then his eyes met Neruan's.
"Ugh."
He flinched involuntarily at Neruan's fierce gaze.
The man accepted the letter with a trembling expression. He nodded, his face weeping like a condemned prisoner.
"Of course..."
Who could refuse?
He muttered to himself and stared at the letter. Then, his steps became heavy and unsteady.
The man, his back hunched, tried to leave the terrace, but he couldn't shake off his lingering longing, constantly looking back.
Neruan, who had been silently observing him, suddenly called out to the man again.
"You forgot something."
As soon as he finished speaking, Neruan took out a jewel with a jingle.
"This is a tip for you."
The man's expression looked as if he were about to die. The moment he saw the jewel Neruan was holding, his demeanor changed 180 degrees.
The man rushed towards him like a spring and bowed his head before Neruan. The anxiety or regret he had shown just a moment ago was gone.
“Oh my, why are you giving me all these things?”
He rubbed his hands together, preparing to receive the jewel.
Contrary to his words of refusal, his hands were already reaching out for it. Overcome by greed, he couldn’t hide his excitement, panting.
Rose looked at the man with a mysterious expression and thought,
'This must be a pretty valuable jewel.'
Otherwise, it wouldn't have turned out like that, like flipping a coin.
'Well, it's more comfortable than forcing my back on you.'
The man's slumped back was troubling her. She wondered if he was being abusive in the name of nobility.
But in this situation, it was a different story. Rose looked at the man with a relieved heart.
The man who received the jewel couldn't hide the corners of his mouth that rose to the sky. He said he would set a date soon and quickly disappeared.
Rose looked at Neruan and gave a silent thumbs-up.
The man blushed and turned his head away, perhaps embarrassed by Rose's compliment.
***
Rose planned to stay at the Serviat couple's mansion until Madame Anaod contacted her again.
Neruan said he would come pick her up with the Grand Duke if he heard from her and dropped Rose off at the mansion. Rose's eyes widened as soon as she got out of the carriage.
"What is all this...?"
A pile of gift packages was piled up in front of the door.
What was strange was that expensive items were strewn about, as if being thrown away.
Did he hear Rose's presence inside? Daemon, with a frightened expression, opened the door with a jerk.
"Didn't I tell you to get out of here...!"
Daemon, who had been sulking, finally relaxed when he saw Rose standing there blankly.
"Rose?"
His face softened, as if he had never been angry before. A mixture of surprise and joy crossed Daemon's face.
"Why are you here without contacting me? You must be busy with business."
His gruff voice flowed at a faster tempo than usual. He seemed incredibly happy that Rose was here.
"I came to the capital on business, and I missed you."
Rose smiled, shaking the fruit basket in one hand. Daemon snatched the fruit from Rose's hand as if snatching it.
"It must be heavy. Hand it over here."
He couldn't just stand by and watch Rose carrying the heavy fruit.
“Come in.”
Rose entered the mansion with Daemon.
“Father, what are all those things outside? Is it okay for you to leave all those expensive items lying around like that?”
Daemon, who had been looking at Rose with a pleased expression, hardened into a fierce expression.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m throwing them all away.”
“Huh?”
Rose’s eyes widened at Daemon’s words.
“Throwing them all away?”
It would be surprising if he threw away items he’d used once or twice, but he threw away items that hadn’t even been opened.
“Count Wence sent them all. Why do you keep sending them even though you said you didn’t need them?”
Rose’s doubts were answered by Rivera. Rivera approached, shaking her head with a look of exasperation.
“Eric sent those?”
Rose let out a squeak involuntarily, startled.
“Yeah. He's usually better. Why is he getting all sloppy now? Tsk tsk.”
Rivera was strangely excited, despite her tongue-clicking expression.
It was quite a delight to see the man who had clung to her until her daughter died now clinging to her in return.
“He must have discovered our Rose’s true worth too late.”
Daemon chimed in. He kept a blank expression and lifted Rose up high.
“But how much I hate seeing him cling to you. He’s got a wife and a mistress hanging on to him, and he’s coveting our Rose!”
“Even if he divorced you, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. He’s such a ridiculous man.”
“That’s right. Even if you gave up everything for Rose, I would never accept him. It seems like he’s the only one ignorant of that fact.”
Rivera’s expression was utterly absurd.
“Don’t worry, daughter. No matter how much we live without, we’ll never fall for Count Wence’s tricks.”
Rose’s heart grew heavy at her words about living without.
It was true that Count Serviat and his wife had no assets, as all their property had been confiscated. However, Rose was capable of providing for her parents.
“Mother, Father, I don’t think it’ll work out,”
Rose muttered to herself and looked at the Serviat.
“It’s just the two of you here, and I feel uneasy. Eric might suddenly change and do something.”
Rose continued, her voice tinged with concern.
“I hope you’ll look upon the move to the Arteum Estate I mentioned last time as a positive. The Arteum Estate might seem insignificant now, but it’ll become a wonderful place to live in.”
“Rose, we already discussed that last time. Let’s take a trip and look around, and then decide.”
“You keep making excuses to postpone your trip... It seems like Mother has no intention of coming to the Arteum Estate.”
Rivera smiled awkwardly, perhaps stung by Rose’s words. Rose’s words were spot-on.
While she had been somewhat attuned to her daughter’s goodwill, she had absolutely no intention of moving to the Arteum Estate. That’s why Rose’s travel proposal kept being postponed.
Rivera hesitated, making excuses. But when Rose’s stubborn attitude seemed to be holding her back, she sighed deeply.
“Ha. Yes, Rose. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not really keen on moving down to the countryside. I’ve been covering up your kindness, but now I have to be clear.”
Rivera rambled on, insisting on her unwillingness to leave her hometown. At that moment, Daemon, who had been quietly listening, joined in on Rose and Rivera’s conversation.
“Let’s move.”
“Honey!!”
Rivera’s voice rose at Daemon’s decision without even consulting him.
“No, what the hell is this?! If you’re going to go, you can go alone. I absolutely cannot go.”
As Rivera continued to threaten, Daemon placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
“It’s not something I bring up easily either.”
He looked at Rivera with steady eyes and continued.
“Actually, I didn’t tell you because I thought you might be upset...”
He trailed off and sighed softly. Then, with difficulty, he opened his mouth.
“I sensed suspicious activity around the mansion.”
Both Rose and Rivera flinched at Daemon’s words. Daemon opened his eyes blearily and looked at Rivera.
“As if... they were watching us.”
Rose didn’t dare to catch who was watching this place. Cedric, Eric, the Emperor, and even Duke Flice. There were too many people to guess.
There wasn't a single normal person there.
Rose spoke urgently.
"There's a mansion I've already checked out in the Artaeum estate. You can stay in the same grand mansion as before. I'll gather all the servants and knights."
"Honey, where do we have the money to buy a mansion like that right now? We don't even have enough to pay our servants."
"I'm here. I can easily give you a billion res."
"What? A billion res?!"
A billion res wasn't the name of a dog. Rivera and Demon exchanged stares, dumbfounded.
"How can we spend your money? It's all your business funds. Don't worry too much. Let's wait and see how things go for a few more days."
Rivera was deeply concerned that Rose was spending more than necessary on them.
Business wasn't a stable business. Having surplus funds was essential for navigating crises.
Rose cut Rivera to the chase.
"No. Don't worry about that. It wasn't money out of my pocket."
"So you're saying you're asking the Grand Duke for money? If that's the case, I'd decline even more."
"That's not it either."
Rose said, her lips curling into a mysterious smile.
"I received 1 billion res in compensation. It's money I received from the nemesis, Count Wence, so don't worry about it and use it comfortably."
Rose finished her sentence with a faint smile.
A billion res wasn't the name of a dog. Rivera and Demon exchanged stares, dumbfounded.
"How can we spend your money? It's all your business funds. Don't worry too much. Let's wait and see how things go for a few more days."
Rivera was deeply concerned that Rose was spending more than necessary on them.
Business wasn't a stable business. Having surplus funds was essential for navigating crises.
Rose cut Rivera to the chase.
"No. Don't worry about that. It wasn't money out of my pocket."
"So you're saying you're asking the Grand Duke for money? If that's the case, I'd decline even more."
"That's not it either."
Rose said, her lips curling into a mysterious smile.
"I received 1 billion res in compensation. It's money I received from the nemesis, Count Wence, so don't worry about it and use it comfortably."
Rose finished her sentence with a faint smile.
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