Episode 125. Continued
Tercia, who had been egging on Beliana, hummed and wandered around the mansion.
“Where’s Eric?”
“The Count said he had some business to attend to and left in a hurry.”
“Really? Then I’ll wait in the room, so when Eric arrives, please show him here.”
“Yes, I understand, my lady.”
Tercia sat alone on the sofa. She sipped the tea the maid had brought her. A leisurely smile graced her face.
“I’m tired of playing the good mother-in-law, but this turned out great.”
She had no intention of seeing Doana today.
And she wouldn’t be gentle with Doana anymore. To think she’d caused such trouble herself...
Tercia slowly put down her teacup, her eyes narrowed.
“...Eric, that guy is the problem.”
If Eric still protects Doana after going through all this, what should she do then?
Tercia looked down at the table with bleary eyes. She consoled her complicated feelings as she waited for Eric.
Eric had been gone for quite some time, apparently gone somewhere. A glance at the clock showed that four hours had already passed.
Tercia sighed softly.
“Where did that Count go, abandoning all his work?”
Her brow furrowed as she waited quietly. Just when her patience reached its limit, a maid knocked cautiously on the door and entered.
“Um... ma’am.”
“What about Eric?”
“The Count did come back, but...”
She rolled her eyes in embarrassment and spoke with difficulty.
“He said he was too tired today and asked you to just go home.”
“What?”
Tercia jumped to her feet at the maid’s words.
“I’ve been waiting for him for over four hours, and he's telling me to just go home?”
He shouldn’t have been the type to treat his mother this badly.
'That Eric... Aren't you avoiding me because you're afraid I'll scold you?'
Tercia came to visit as soon as rumors about Doana spread. Eric must have known what Tercia would say.
He must be avoiding Tercia because he doesn't want to be bothered.
"Where is Eric?"
"...T-he's in the bedroom."
Tercia stormed out of the room before the maid could even finish her sentence. She walked towards Eric's bedroom.
"Ma'am!"
The maid chased after Tercia with a contemplative expression.
"The Count said not to let anyone in!"
If Tercia went in like this, she might face severe punishment.
The maid swallowed hard, remembering Eric ordering her around with a cold gaze.
However, she couldn't stop Tercia alone. She stubbornly opened Eric's bedroom and went in.
"Eric!"
As she entered the bedroom, she saw Eric lying down. Tercia gritted her shoulders at Eric's refusal to even look at her when she came in.
"I've waited for over four hours. How dare you just leave your mother? What's the situation?"
Eric mumbled in response to Tercia's angry voice.
"...I'm so tired today."
"Where on earth have you been? Are you seeing other women again? I told you this must stop. Now that we've welcomed the young lady of the Dukar family into our household, you mustn't bring shame upon us."
"That's not it."
Tercia felt a deep sense of distrust in Eric. His own mother came, and instead of welcoming her, he was lying in bed.
If Eric had been sick, she would have understood, but not now.
Tercia glared and struck Eric on the back.
"Are you talking to me without even looking at your mother? Why don't you wake up right now?"
Eric flinched and twisted with a snap.
“I know you’re doing this because you’re afraid of hearing bad things about Doana. What on earth is going on!”
“Haa...”
Eric sighed as if he was fed up with Doana’s story. Then he muttered to himself,
“That damn Doana, Doana... I've been suffering all day.”
Suffering? By whom?
Tercia questioned Eric’s words.
“Who did you meet today?”
Not a woman... but perhaps he secretly met Cedric? Cedric was the only one who could corner Eric like she did.
“Did you meet your father by any chance?”
Eric flinched at Tercia’s words. He bit his lower lip and denied her words.
“Why would I meet my father?”
Eric's eyes flickered slightly, despite his previous encounters.
In truth, he had met Cedric. However, he didn't want to tell Tercia about it. He knew that if she found out he'd met Cedric, tears would well up in Tercia's eyes right before his eyes. There was only one reason Cedric would call Eric in secret: to discipline him harshly. Eric tried to hide the pain he felt.
His back felt numb where Tercia had struck him. Normally, it would have been a trivial touch, but not today.
Tercia, who had been egging on Beliana, hummed and wandered around the mansion.
“Where’s Eric?”
“The Count said he had some business to attend to and left in a hurry.”
“Really? Then I’ll wait in the room, so when Eric arrives, please show him here.”
“Yes, I understand, my lady.”
Tercia sat alone on the sofa. She sipped the tea the maid had brought her. A leisurely smile graced her face.
“I’m tired of playing the good mother-in-law, but this turned out great.”
She had no intention of seeing Doana today.
And she wouldn’t be gentle with Doana anymore. To think she’d caused such trouble herself...
Tercia slowly put down her teacup, her eyes narrowed.
“...Eric, that guy is the problem.”
If Eric still protects Doana after going through all this, what should she do then?
Tercia looked down at the table with bleary eyes. She consoled her complicated feelings as she waited for Eric.
Eric had been gone for quite some time, apparently gone somewhere. A glance at the clock showed that four hours had already passed.
Tercia sighed softly.
“Where did that Count go, abandoning all his work?”
Her brow furrowed as she waited quietly. Just when her patience reached its limit, a maid knocked cautiously on the door and entered.
“Um... ma’am.”
“What about Eric?”
“The Count did come back, but...”
She rolled her eyes in embarrassment and spoke with difficulty.
“He said he was too tired today and asked you to just go home.”
“What?”
Tercia jumped to her feet at the maid’s words.
“I’ve been waiting for him for over four hours, and he's telling me to just go home?”
He shouldn’t have been the type to treat his mother this badly.
'That Eric... Aren't you avoiding me because you're afraid I'll scold you?'
Tercia came to visit as soon as rumors about Doana spread. Eric must have known what Tercia would say.
He must be avoiding Tercia because he doesn't want to be bothered.
"Where is Eric?"
"...T-he's in the bedroom."
Tercia stormed out of the room before the maid could even finish her sentence. She walked towards Eric's bedroom.
"Ma'am!"
The maid chased after Tercia with a contemplative expression.
"The Count said not to let anyone in!"
If Tercia went in like this, she might face severe punishment.
The maid swallowed hard, remembering Eric ordering her around with a cold gaze.
However, she couldn't stop Tercia alone. She stubbornly opened Eric's bedroom and went in.
"Eric!"
As she entered the bedroom, she saw Eric lying down. Tercia gritted her shoulders at Eric's refusal to even look at her when she came in.
"I've waited for over four hours. How dare you just leave your mother? What's the situation?"
Eric mumbled in response to Tercia's angry voice.
"...I'm so tired today."
"Where on earth have you been? Are you seeing other women again? I told you this must stop. Now that we've welcomed the young lady of the Dukar family into our household, you mustn't bring shame upon us."
"That's not it."
Tercia felt a deep sense of distrust in Eric. His own mother came, and instead of welcoming her, he was lying in bed.
If Eric had been sick, she would have understood, but not now.
Tercia glared and struck Eric on the back.
"Are you talking to me without even looking at your mother? Why don't you wake up right now?"
Eric flinched and twisted with a snap.
“I know you’re doing this because you’re afraid of hearing bad things about Doana. What on earth is going on!”
“Haa...”
Eric sighed as if he was fed up with Doana’s story. Then he muttered to himself,
“That damn Doana, Doana... I've been suffering all day.”
Suffering? By whom?
Tercia questioned Eric’s words.
“Who did you meet today?”
Not a woman... but perhaps he secretly met Cedric? Cedric was the only one who could corner Eric like she did.
“Did you meet your father by any chance?”
Eric flinched at Tercia’s words. He bit his lower lip and denied her words.
“Why would I meet my father?”
Eric's eyes flickered slightly, despite his previous encounters.
In truth, he had met Cedric. However, he didn't want to tell Tercia about it. He knew that if she found out he'd met Cedric, tears would well up in Tercia's eyes right before his eyes. There was only one reason Cedric would call Eric in secret: to discipline him harshly. Eric tried to hide the pain he felt.
His back felt numb where Tercia had struck him. Normally, it would have been a trivial touch, but not today.
"Am I crazy enough to see my father at this point? Please make sure he doesn't come to me."
Tercia agreed with Eric.
'Right. What good would Eric have seen Cedric for? Besides, Cedric had seemed quite busy lately. He's got a lot of work to do, so he can't even look at Eric.'
She tried to hide her anxiety before speaking to Eric.
"So, how much did she borrow? Rumor has it it's in the billions."
"We'll have to dig deeper to find out."
Eric had now completely lost faith in Doana.
He couldn't completely trust what she was saying. He trusted only his own information.
Doana had taken out a loan without permission in the name of Count Wence. And the fact that she had used a private loan made Eric sick.
The interest rates on loans at regular banks weren't that high. The average was around 3%.
Count Wence had such a strong credit rating that he should have been able to get a loan at around 1%, but someone said,
"Doana, you had no fear and took out a private loan with an interest rate of 400%."
The interest rates on private loans were outrageous.
It was so terrifying that even people who heard it said it was a misunderstanding.
Doana had suffered a huge loss because she had taken out a private loan despite having ample funds.
Eric was also extremely frustrated because of Doana.
Tercia, who had come to visit him, grumbled and soothed the anger that had welled up in her head at the sight of Eric's helpless figure.
Seeing her son so helplessly slumped, a part of her heart sank.
"...Haa. Right. What's your fault? It's all Doana's fault."
Unlike Cedric, who had been mercilessly disciplining him, Tercia spoke to Eric as if comforting him.
Eric, perhaps relieved by this, slowly sat up from his prone position. He leaned weakly against Tercia.
"I'm going crazy. Nothing is going right because of Doana. Because of that woman... my life is completely messed up."
Even his divorce from Rose was all because of Doana. If he hadn't met Doana, he could have lived happily with Rose.
Eric thought of Rose, who had always been by his side.
Why do we always realize love only after it's lost?
We don't feel its value when someone is around, and only after that person is gone do we feel the emptiness.
“...If it weren’t for that woman, Rose would be by my side right now.”
Eric lowered his head and muttered weakly. Until the very end, he only blamed others, as if it were not his fault at all.
Tercia, who had been gently patting Eric’s back, flinched at Rose’s name.
'Rose, what on earth is that kid?'
Seeing her son suffer made her hate Rose, whom she already disliked, even more.
However, Tercia didn’t scold Eric like last time.
“Yes. That’s how this mother thinks.”
Instead, she spoke words that seemed to sympathize with Eric’s feelings.
“Doana, if only that kid hadn’t existed, you wouldn’t have had to separate from Rose. Poor son.”
Tercia’s voice was incredibly warm as she comforted Eric. However, her expression was utterly venomous.
“It’s because of Doana that Rose can’t come back. Can she live without you? If Doana weren’t in this mansion, Rose would have already abandoned the Grand Duke and come to you.”
She poured a hopeless hope into Eric’s heart.
“But what can I do... Doana is carrying your child. I can’t just take the child away and kick Doana out...”
She whispered in Eric’s ear.
‘Take the child away... and kick her out?’
If Doana wasn’t here, Rose might come back... Eric was shaken by Tercia’s words.
Then, Tercia carefully observed Eric’s reaction.
‘It seems Eric’s feelings for Doana have grown somewhat.’
It had been exhausting to protect her so long.
‘As of today, it’s become clear. My son no longer loves Doana.’
No, did he ever love her in the first place? Doana was nothing more than a passing breeze.
This wasn't love. It was an impure curiosity about a new woman. It was simply a desire entangled with instinct.
Tercia tried to hide her quivering lips.
Now, everything was in Tercia's hands.
"As you said, I've hired some capable lawyers. They're incredibly skilled, having never lost a case. When I presented them with the case, they readily accepted the job. Of course, the generous fee you gave them played a part."
"Gwen. Did you already know all about it?"
Rose's eyes sparkled at Gwen's trustworthy demeanor.
"Of course. You're my master."
Gwen beamed, as if nothing had happened. A halo seemed to shine behind his face.
"You're truly amazing."
Rose looked at Gwen with admiration.
Truly, he couldn't have handled things so neatly and quickly.
Gwen wasn't just good at finances. His ability to work quickly, honed from years of working as a butler, was also exceptional.
"If it weren't for Gwen, finding a lawyer to litigate wouldn't have been so easy."
Finding a lawyer wasn't difficult. Anyone with money could hire one.
However, finding a competent lawyer was incredibly difficult.
It required both connections and money. It might seem a bit unfortunate, but the top 1% of lawyers are selective about their work.
"Thank you so much."
"I was just doing my job. I'm honored that I could be of help, even in a time like this."
And he was so humble.
Rose realized once again how much strength Gwen had given her by holding his hand.
"I've delivered consolation money to the affected merchants and their families. And I've also received a list of those who want to participate in the lawsuit."
"Do you want to actively participate?"
Gwen smiled mysteriously at Rose's question. He silently handed Rose a stack of documents.
They were quite thick. Rose carefully looked through the documents she had received from Gwen.
"Every single one of them wanted to participate in the lawsuit."
The documents detailed the names of each person and the damages they suffered.
They were perfectly organized.
Rose looked up from the documents and looked at Gwen. Her voice was heavy, as if she were imitating someone, her expression solemn.
"Let's move forward."
Her expression and tone were as if she were possessed by a movie star.
It was a line she'd always wanted to say.
Tercia agreed with Eric.
'Right. What good would Eric have seen Cedric for? Besides, Cedric had seemed quite busy lately. He's got a lot of work to do, so he can't even look at Eric.'
She tried to hide her anxiety before speaking to Eric.
"So, how much did she borrow? Rumor has it it's in the billions."
"We'll have to dig deeper to find out."
Eric had now completely lost faith in Doana.
He couldn't completely trust what she was saying. He trusted only his own information.
Doana had taken out a loan without permission in the name of Count Wence. And the fact that she had used a private loan made Eric sick.
The interest rates on loans at regular banks weren't that high. The average was around 3%.
Count Wence had such a strong credit rating that he should have been able to get a loan at around 1%, but someone said,
"Doana, you had no fear and took out a private loan with an interest rate of 400%."
The interest rates on private loans were outrageous.
It was so terrifying that even people who heard it said it was a misunderstanding.
Doana had suffered a huge loss because she had taken out a private loan despite having ample funds.
Eric was also extremely frustrated because of Doana.
Tercia, who had come to visit him, grumbled and soothed the anger that had welled up in her head at the sight of Eric's helpless figure.
Seeing her son so helplessly slumped, a part of her heart sank.
"...Haa. Right. What's your fault? It's all Doana's fault."
Unlike Cedric, who had been mercilessly disciplining him, Tercia spoke to Eric as if comforting him.
Eric, perhaps relieved by this, slowly sat up from his prone position. He leaned weakly against Tercia.
"I'm going crazy. Nothing is going right because of Doana. Because of that woman... my life is completely messed up."
Even his divorce from Rose was all because of Doana. If he hadn't met Doana, he could have lived happily with Rose.
Eric thought of Rose, who had always been by his side.
Why do we always realize love only after it's lost?
We don't feel its value when someone is around, and only after that person is gone do we feel the emptiness.
“...If it weren’t for that woman, Rose would be by my side right now.”
Eric lowered his head and muttered weakly. Until the very end, he only blamed others, as if it were not his fault at all.
Tercia, who had been gently patting Eric’s back, flinched at Rose’s name.
'Rose, what on earth is that kid?'
Seeing her son suffer made her hate Rose, whom she already disliked, even more.
However, Tercia didn’t scold Eric like last time.
“Yes. That’s how this mother thinks.”
Instead, she spoke words that seemed to sympathize with Eric’s feelings.
“Doana, if only that kid hadn’t existed, you wouldn’t have had to separate from Rose. Poor son.”
Tercia’s voice was incredibly warm as she comforted Eric. However, her expression was utterly venomous.
“It’s because of Doana that Rose can’t come back. Can she live without you? If Doana weren’t in this mansion, Rose would have already abandoned the Grand Duke and come to you.”
She poured a hopeless hope into Eric’s heart.
“But what can I do... Doana is carrying your child. I can’t just take the child away and kick Doana out...”
She whispered in Eric’s ear.
‘Take the child away... and kick her out?’
If Doana wasn’t here, Rose might come back... Eric was shaken by Tercia’s words.
Then, Tercia carefully observed Eric’s reaction.
‘It seems Eric’s feelings for Doana have grown somewhat.’
It had been exhausting to protect her so long.
‘As of today, it’s become clear. My son no longer loves Doana.’
No, did he ever love her in the first place? Doana was nothing more than a passing breeze.
This wasn't love. It was an impure curiosity about a new woman. It was simply a desire entangled with instinct.
Tercia tried to hide her quivering lips.
Now, everything was in Tercia's hands.
***
"As you said, I've hired some capable lawyers. They're incredibly skilled, having never lost a case. When I presented them with the case, they readily accepted the job. Of course, the generous fee you gave them played a part."
"Gwen. Did you already know all about it?"
Rose's eyes sparkled at Gwen's trustworthy demeanor.
"Of course. You're my master."
Gwen beamed, as if nothing had happened. A halo seemed to shine behind his face.
"You're truly amazing."
Rose looked at Gwen with admiration.
Truly, he couldn't have handled things so neatly and quickly.
Gwen wasn't just good at finances. His ability to work quickly, honed from years of working as a butler, was also exceptional.
"If it weren't for Gwen, finding a lawyer to litigate wouldn't have been so easy."
Finding a lawyer wasn't difficult. Anyone with money could hire one.
However, finding a competent lawyer was incredibly difficult.
It required both connections and money. It might seem a bit unfortunate, but the top 1% of lawyers are selective about their work.
"Thank you so much."
"I was just doing my job. I'm honored that I could be of help, even in a time like this."
And he was so humble.
Rose realized once again how much strength Gwen had given her by holding his hand.
"I've delivered consolation money to the affected merchants and their families. And I've also received a list of those who want to participate in the lawsuit."
"Do you want to actively participate?"
Gwen smiled mysteriously at Rose's question. He silently handed Rose a stack of documents.
They were quite thick. Rose carefully looked through the documents she had received from Gwen.
"Every single one of them wanted to participate in the lawsuit."
The documents detailed the names of each person and the damages they suffered.
They were perfectly organized.
Rose looked up from the documents and looked at Gwen. Her voice was heavy, as if she were imitating someone, her expression solemn.
"Let's move forward."
Her expression and tone were as if she were possessed by a movie star.
It was a line she'd always wanted to say.
Comments
Post a Comment