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CHAPTER 12
At my sudden change in attitude, the Duke of Dinero smiled deeply.
“I like how your attitude flipped like turning over a palm. But what’s that in your hand?”
The Duke motioned toward the paper envelope I was holding.
“Oh, this? It’s nothing.”
“Looks like you brought it for me. Let’s see it.”
Ah—this.
It was the dossier of Artur’s corrupt dealings…
Feigning nonchalance, I handed it over.
He probably already knew. That ever since Artur took control of the Count’s household, Tara Transport’s sales had been steadily declining.
But that wasn’t all.
“What…?! He sold this machine blueprint to Ben Transport?!”
Selling internal schematics was a whole different level.
The Duke’s hand crumpled the papers.
He had spent a fortune scouting the engineer who designed that machine.
Seeing the storm of rage flash through his dark blue eyes, I thought,
‘Yeah, Artur’s never coming back from this…’
Not sorry, but that’s that.
Two weeks later.
I sighed and stood from my desk.
It was another day to visit the Dinero estate. My third visit.
“Ugh, I really don’t want to go.”
“What do you even do there?” Agathe asked.
“Something soooo fun,” I replied dryly.
And with that, I headed out.
“Welcome, Lady Jacqueline. Today we’ll cover the Maritime Trade Treaty Act.”
As usual, an older gentleman greeted me for a lesson.
I knew exactly who he was.
“Ticon Eustache.”
A renowned economist, his portrait appeared in nearly every academy textbook.
Though he introduced himself as a trade and economics teacher, the way he treated me was far from a student-teacher dynamic.
He was surprisingly respectful.
When I had lessons with him, I almost felt like a princess. With his credentials, you’d think he’d look down on a count’s daughter like me.
The Duke of Dinero’s influence must really be something.
As expected, the lesson quality was excellent.
But sometimes he handed out odd test papers mid-class.
Question: Why does the Seriel Empire need the transportation industry right now?
It was like being asked to justify the entire foundation of the Jacqueline family’s business.
There are countless reasons transportation is essential.
Quick delivery of specialties, ore transport, trade, and so on.
But asking why it’s essential specifically for the Seriel Empire meant there had to be a reason unique to the Empire itself.
And it wasn’t hard to figure out.
After all, I’d chosen transportation among all of the family businesses for a reason.
The Seriel Empire is currently the most war-driven nation on the map.
And in war, the most important elements are the delivery of military supplies and efficient troop movement.
Even the spoils of war—reparations from conquered nations—needed a means of transport. That’s where the transportation industry came in.
Timing is everything in business.
That’s why I wanted to inherit the countship and expand Tara Transport before this war ended.
That was the plan—until the Duke denied my succession.
Grumbling about him in my head, I finished writing my answers and stood up.
“Lady Jacqueline, today’s books.”
Upon leaving the estate, René Émile, the Duke’s aide, handed me another large bundle of books.
“Right…”
Sigh. Why does he keep sending me home with books?
From time to time, the Duke would send me volumes on economics and trade, calling them “gifts.”
They were rare texts, unavailable even at the academy, so I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. My arms always ached by the time I returned home.
I’ll just sell them off later for a good price.
His intentions were clear enough, but I had no plans of doing anything productive after securing Lennox’s title.
I was done with studying.
When I returned to the estate, I was greeted with surprising news.
“Hmmm, Lennox has already mastered the imperial language?”
“He’s progressing fast,” Agathe replied.
“He has to catch up quickly—he is already 11, after all.”
“That’s considered late?”
I nodded without hesitation.
“Yep. Most kids start properly learning letters between five and seven.”
“Oh…”
Agathe trailed off, looking visibly flustered. It was the first time I’d ever seen her that way.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, actually, the young master…”
After hearing what she had to say, I jumped up from my seat.
“What?! Melin can’t read?!”
Another shocking secret, suddenly revealed. I clutched the back of my neck.
That damn uncle!
While acting like a doting guardian in public, Artur hadn’t lifted a finger to educate Melin during his time as acting head.
He played the kind uncle while completely neglecting his orphaned niece?!
The sheer audacity!
I ground my teeth in anger.
“Ugh! I should’ve sent him somewhere even worse than the mines!”
“Like where?” Agathe asked.
“The Forest of Dragons.”
“Ah. That would be… quite an appropriate punishment.”
Agathe nodded seriously.
The Forest of Dragons was teeming with monsters corrupted by dragon magic. Sending someone there was practically a death sentence.
In the original story, Artur had sent Lennox there.
Lennox came back after slaying a dragon—stronger than ever.
But if Artur had gone?
He’d have been monster food.
“Ugh, to think she was neglected to the point she couldn’t even read…”
It didn’t sit right with me. Melin might not have starved, but everything else about her upbringing was as harsh as Lennox’s.
Actually, if you think about it, it’s practically starvation too!
I gave Agathe a bewildered look.
She simply looked like she’d known all along.
“Why didn’t you report this?”
“I thought it was normal progress.”
“What age did you learn to read?”
“Fifteen.”
“Oh… right.”
I remembered then.
When I first brought her from the slave market, she hadn’t known a single letter. So I’d taught her to read whenever I had time during breaks.
Now I was back to worrying about Melin.
If she happened to run into Lennox…
With her naturally friendly nature, she’d probably bond with him quickly.
And that wasn’t all. In the original story, Melin once befriended a con artist, brought home a wandering rogue as a fiancé, and fueled Lennox’s jealousy.
Clearly, Melin had zero ability to judge people. The best way to fix that was through education.
And I knew just the right savior for the job.
The Skylar family, of course!
They had produced generations of scholars. If I asked Callisto, I was sure he could recommend the best tutor available.
If I asked the Duke of Dinero, who knows if he’d just send a corporate spy.
I made my decision quickly and wrote to Callisto.
A few days later, the tutor he recommended from the Skylar family arrived.
“I’m Istasha Rowen.”
She was a composed young lady with brown hair neatly braided over one shoulder.
Her calm and graceful voice carried professionalism as she introduced herself.
First impression? Not bad.
She had that perfect “teacher” aura.
“I’ll be teaching Miss Melin Jacqueline, correct?”
“Yes. Just so you know—Melin can’t read yet.”
“Oh.”
Istasha’s eyes widened slightly.
“If I may ask… how old is she?”
“She’s nine… It’s my fault, really.”
I felt heavy admitting that.
The fact that my little sister had reached the age of nine without knowing a single letter—there was no denying I had been far too neglectful.
