RBAR 15

Chapter 15

“The plaintiff is Edit Diel?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The Duke of Adelheit’s face froze.

He had suspected it—but to think that the Gold House belonged to Edit…!

“So what about Killian Orfeo?”

“It seems they’ve completely cut ties on that side.”

At the aide’s report, the duke’s expression relaxed entirely. Of course. Anyone with a brain wouldn’t partner with a swindler like that in the first place.

Though of low birth, at least he had sound judgment—so the duke inwardly raised his evaluation of the Grand Duke of Orfeo slightly.

“I still don’t understand why he handed Buchanan over to that brat.”

“Perhaps it was to keep his father in check?” Caleb suggested.

“Compared to us, the Orfeo side is far behind in terms of tradition.”

The corner of Caleb’s lips twisted upward. The mere fact that the Grand Duke had cooperated with Edit, even briefly, irritated him.

“Ahem, well, it seems he’s come to his senses now. Better late than never.”

The duke thought the same. It was fortunate that the Grand Duke had cast Edit aside, even if belatedly.

Things could’ve gotten troublesome otherwise.

No matter how lacking in pedigree he was, the speed at which the Grand Duke had seized power was formidable.

The emperor’s trust in him continued to soar, and he consistently exceeded expectations.

If someone like Killian Orfeo had joined hands with Edit… that would have been a serious headache in many ways.

“This is excellent. One trap, two beasts.”

The Duke of Adelheit burst into hearty laughter at how smoothly things were unfolding.

But unlike his laughter, his insides felt cold.

Of all people, that brat had to be running a coffee house business.

That had originally been monopolized by the Adelheit family through Rohat House. He had even heard she planned to start a clothing business.

But suddenly she started something else?

And of all things—a coffee house?

There was only one conclusion.

She intended to ruin Rohat Coffee House.

In that moment, the duke’s judgment was spot-on.

Hmph! How dare she think she can beat us!

Snorting in irritation, he crushed his cigarette into the glass ashtray.

Just then, a knock sounded at the office door.

“Enter.”

At the duke’s permission, someone stepped in—someone none of them expected.

Richard Edman.

The man who had decided to become engaged to Elisa just two weeks ago.

Richard recalled what had happened that morning.

Elisa had visited the Edman estate early, without prior notice. She had looked extremely anxious.

Soon, he understood why.

“The owner of Gold House is Edit…!”
“What if she started the business just to take revenge on me…?”
“I’m afraid she might come to harm me…”

Gold Coffee House.

A direct competitor to Rohat Coffee House, operated by the Adelheit family.

Richard had only known it as a powerful establishment that had recently been giving the duke headaches.

From a business standpoint, overlapping ventures and competition were inevitable.

But as time passed, what the Duke of Adelheit did to Gold House could hardly be called fair competition.

It was no different from trampling innocent people simply because they were rivals.

Even Richard, an outsider, felt uneasy watching it.

But it wasn’t his place to speak up—especially regarding another family’s business practices, one that had long-standing ties with his father.

“Sir Edman, don’t try to change someone’s way of thinking to match your own. Sometimes, you have to pretend not to know—even when you do.”

Remembering the princess’s words, Richard stayed silent.

And that coffee house belongs to Edit…

His feelings became strangely complicated.

At that moment, he recalled a conversation from a past Adelheit family banquet.

“Ha ha, isn’t this karma?”

Caleb’s mocking voice echoed in his mind.

…Yes. It was karma.

To feel even a shred of sympathy would be disrespectful to Stella. That was the conclusion Richard reached.

He looked at his fiancée, trembling with anxiety before him.

A woman whose life had been stolen for twenty years by Edit and her nanny’s schemes.

She had only just begun to learn happiness, yet now she was afraid—afraid that Edit might come for revenge.

Edit Diel.

For a brief moment, Richard thought that Edit didn’t seem like the type to seek revenge…

But hadn’t there already been precedent?

Objectively speaking, it wouldn’t be surprising if the one who had deceived Stella and caused her death came after Elisa next.

Then, as her fiancé, it was his duty to protect her.

“What brings you here?”

The Duke of Adelheit asked Richard, somewhat sharply.

Returning to reality, Richard opened his tightly pressed lips.

At his words, the duke’s displeased face immediately brightened.

“I wish to proceed with my engagement to Elisa as soon as possible.”

And just like that, the engagement ceremony was scheduled within a few days.

The butler, Talia, knocked on the study door.

“Master, Lady Elisa Adelheit has come to visit.”

At that news, my thoughts froze for a moment.

“Elisa is here? Now?”

My face gradually filled with disbelief.

First Caleb, now Elisa.

At this point, I had to wonder if making sudden visits was a tradition of the Adelheit family.

“Yes. What would you like to do?”

“What does she say is the reason for her visit?”

“Well…”

The butler relayed what he had heard.

Apparently, Elisa had come on behalf of the duke to discuss the ongoing lawsuit involving the Adelheit family.

She came representing the Adelheit family?

That alone was absurd.

Looks like she’s already established her position quite well.

Impressive. I nodded to myself.

“Let her in.”

A moment later, Elisa entered the drawing room.

Her smooth silver hair swayed gently, making her look like a beautiful moon spirit. Fluttering her long eyelashes, she greeted me.

“It’s been a while, Edit.”

Her clear voice carried a warm tone—completely different from my cold, dry one.

“A while”? We saw each other just a few days ago.

I chose not to point that out and simply nodded.

After looking around the room, Elisa’s gaze stopped on a sculpture placed on a cabinet. She hesitated before speaking.

“Is that Piet’s sculpture?”

“Yeah.”

“…Don’t tell me it’s the original?”

What a strange question. Why ask that now?

“Think whatever you want. You didn’t come here to verify that, did you?”

From her expression, it seemed she wanted to believe it was fake. As if that even mattered.

Suppressing my disbelief, I spoke again.

“If you have nothing to say, leave. I’m not free enough to entertain you.”

At my words, Elisa’s smug smile vanished instantly.

“You’ve really changed… Edit.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“It’s like you’ve become a completely different person.”

I flinched inwardly but answered calmly.

“Wouldn’t anyone change after going through something like that?”

When we were young, Elisa—then the nanny’s daughter—had been my close friend.

At first, after Stella died and I was isolated, she showed me small acts of kindness.

But that was just shallow sympathy.

As time passed, she began to feel inferior due to the occasional reminders of our difference in status.

Especially the fact that someone she considered superior to Edit had to remain beneath her.

…That’s how it was described in the original story.

I recalled the novel.

Now that she had everything, I couldn’t understand why she came to me like this.

In the end, it was about money.

“Edit, do you resent me?”

Perhaps misinterpreting my stare, the corners of Elisa’s eyes drooped slightly.

“….”

It was a meaningless question to me.

Since I didn’t feel it deserved an answer, I stayed silent. She must have taken that as confirmation.

Blinking, Elisa looked at me with a sorrowful gaze.

“Of course you must resent me for returning to the family… But I only wanted to restore everything to how it was.”

“Right.”

If I stayed silent, she’d keep going, so I gave a vague response.

Not that I actually resent her.

If anything, she had served as the perfect catalyst to free me from that family.

I almost feel like giving her some money out of gratitude.

Of course, I had absolutely no intention of actually doing that. Not a single coin I earned through blood and sweat would ever go into that household.

“But we’re not strangers… I don’t want to send you somewhere harsh.”

“Somewhere harsh?”

Prison, maybe?

Oh…

From her words, I could roughly guess the family’s stance. The Duke of Adelheit seemed intent on throwing me in jail.

“So?”

At my prompt to get to the point, a brief smile passed over Elisa’s lips. She didn’t even try to hide the condescension in her eyes.

“Father will submit a petition to the imperial palace. But if you return everything to its rightful place, I can persuade him otherwise.”