"I just didn't think it was necessary to tell my father. I've known for a long time. I used that as a condition to get engaged to Calix. It's infuriating that he keeps postponing the wedding, though."
"Are you saying you have been deceiving me?"
"Rather than deception, isn't it more like a kind of hidden card? Just because we are looking in the same direction, is there really a need to share all the information?"
Fabiana lifted the glass and swirled it lightly.
"I am telling you now because it is time for you to know, Father. Since Calix trampled on my dignity first anyway, I have no reason to keep this secret any longer. That is why I called you. This time, we should be able to get what we want."
Devon bit his lip in anger for a moment, but soon flashed a spiteful smile. The one backed by the Emperor was, in fact, the last descendant of the rebels, making her good kindling for a raging fire.
Devon narrowed his eyes and scanned her.
“If that’s what you want?”
"I will make my child the Emperor no matter what. To do that, shouldn't I get rid of Calix? Father, how long will you be satisfied with being a mere minister?"
If this goes well, you should at least be granted the title of Grand Duke. I will give you that position, the second highest after the Emperor. And this Empire will be entirely mine.
Fabiana muttered to herself as she watched the corners of Devon's mouth curl up.
Your death is the next thing to happen.
***
A few days later. Talamand Estate.
The deep scent of midsummer's greenery enveloped the castle. While Odelia was organizing documents, a maid rushed in and whispered.
"Lady Odelia. We have a guest. He is an outsider... He is Mr. Gideon's lawyer."
Odelia put down her pen for a moment and stood up. Gideon's lawyer. A mix of unfamiliar anxiety and anticipation pricked a corner of her heart.
As she entered the drawing room, a middle-aged man in a black robe greeted her with sincere courtesy.
"Baroness, I am the attorney for the trading business formerly run by Gideon. I have come to speak with you regarding the deceased's will."
"A will?”
"Yes. The deceased's business and assets were originally set to be inherited by Allan Talamand."
"...Allan died, too."
The lawyer's gaze briefly dropped as if mourning his death.
"In that case, according to the will, the property will be inherited by the next heir, Lady Odelia."
“To... me?”
It was such an unexpected story that Odelia muttered in bewilderment. The lawyer took out a thick envelope and placed it in front of her.
"This is the list of heirs personally specified by the CEO. The primary heir is Allan, followed by his legal wife, Odelia. If Odelia decides to accept the inheritance, she will inherit not only the merchant guild managed by Gideon, but also the six trading ships and the businesses located in the Negotiating Nation through which those ships frequent."
Odelia's gaze slowly scanned the document. What he had just said was written in detail.
"Will you accept the inheritance? If you refuse, this legacy will entirely revert to the Imperial Family for the advancement of the Empire."
So you were really prepared to die. She took a long breath and closed her eyes.
"...Yes. I will accept that will."
Odelia's voice trembled low as she ruminated on the feelings Gideon had left behind.
After the lawyer left, she sat there for a long time clutching the documents. Overnight, that woman became the de facto owner of a large-scale trading company.
It was not merely tangible assets. It included the trading network with merchants Gideon had built, negotiation rights with other countries, and even the personal connections he had maintained.
"I will make good use of the legacy you have left me."
Gideon and Allan.
Odelia's voice trembled slightly as she called out the names of those she missed.
***
A few days later, Odelia received an invitation to the top representatives' meeting.
It was an envelope bearing the names and seals of massive merchant guilds. Now that she had inherited Gideon's business, she was rightfully the representative who should attend the event.
A few days passed like that, and finally, the day of the meeting arrived.
Odelia arrived in front of a pub in a huge port city, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Representatives from each top house had already taken their seats at both round tables. A diverse array of attire, various accents.
As soon as Odelia entered, they all stopped talking and quietly stared only at her.
"Isn't this where the top representatives' meeting is held?"
When Odelia, feeling embarrassed, asked, a middle-aged man replied with a mocking laugh.
"Is that so? Did you come here expecting a nobles' meeting or something?"
Since they were called the emerging aristocracy, she expected them to act refined like the nobility, but that was not the case at all. Most of the sons of the bourgeoisie here were merchants who had started from the bottom, and many were even former fishermen, making them rough individuals.
"You are Odelia of Talamand, aren't you? I heard you were lucky enough to inherit the entire business after Gideon died. An orphaned Baroness as the head of a trading company—it’s ridiculous. Look here, Madam, you should leave these rough tasks to your husband."
As a merchant for whom information is crucial, they surely knew what had happened to her husband, but Odelia let out a brief chuckle, then unhesitatingly snatched a beer glass from the tray of an employee who happened to pass by. Then, she began to gulp it down refreshingly.
Soon, as the empty glass landed on the table with a heavy thud, everyone looked at her with bewildered expressions. Odelia calmly scrubbed the foam off the corners of her mouth with her hand.
"It seems everyone has a misunderstanding about me. If you were expecting an elegant Baroness, you are mistaken. I am Odelia, the one who has rolled around on the battlefield."
Laughter and cheers soon erupted among the representative merchants who had been staring blankly for a moment.
Small glasses were lined up one after another on the long table. Odelia and a man sat facing each other and took a deep breath. It was a drink well-known for being quite strong.
The first glass. The second, the third... As the glasses piled up, the cheers from the side grew louder. When the man staggered and collapsed at the ninth glass, Odelia finished it all by herself.
"Yaaaah!"
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Odelia shook her empty glass vigorously over the crown of her head.
"I've never seen a CEO drink this well!"
The inside of the bar was filled with explosive cheers.
Odelia chuckled to herself and muttered, 'I'm confident when it comes to cognac. Thanks to someone from somewhere, I drank it like water while traversing every battlefield.'
With such thoughts, Odelia took another gulp of her last glass.
***
Someone was watching from beyond the window, through the gap in the curtains, fluttering in the cool winter breeze. It was Damian.
As he leaned back with his arms crossed, his eyes held a mixture of bewilderment and resignation.
"Look at this. Are you still worried?"
At his words, which sounded as if he were dumbfounded, the man concealed by a hat and cloak chuckled and stepped into the carriage. It was Calix who had gone out of his way to adjust his schedule to visit this city.
Damian followed Calix and got into the carriage.
"She is doing just fine on her own, so why are you treating her like a helpless child?"
"I never treated her like that. I just came because I wanted to see her."
Damian let out a short sigh, then looked at him and clicked his tongue.
"If you were going to do this, why didn't you just go and strike up a conversation? Say something like, 'I came because I was worried those incredibly rough merchant group representatives would ostracize you, Odelia.' I suppose you came intending to step up and say a word if that actually happened. But seeing her win in a drinking fight like that... you must be very proud."
Calix smirked and averted his gaze.
"And you, too, despite being told not to, went to find Odelia and insisted on rambling on about Gideon's death."
It was a tone that sounded like a rebuke yet was mixed with playfulness. Damian frowned, looking unnecessarily embarrassed.
"When I look at Your Majesty, I cannot tell if you wish for Odelia to become strong, or if you simply want to keep her in your arms and protect her. What exactly are your feelings? If it is just love, shouldn't you simply confess and make it happen?"
Calix looked at Odelia through the window and laughed softly.
"If it were possessiveness, I would have done so."
Calix's gaze clouded over for a moment. It was a look that seemed to hold a deeper meaning.
He couldn't fully express it in words, but it was different from mere possessiveness. Besides, he had known for a long time that she wasn't the kind of woman he could have in that way.
"I am merely giving her a choice. Whether she chooses me or not, that should be Odelia's free choice alone."
"What will you do if you are shunned later?"
Calix chuckled and shook his head.
"That, too, must be Odelia's choice."
Soon, he tapped the ceiling of the carriage with his cane, and the carriage started moving.
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