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Chapter 9
“Lady Hess…? Ah, I see. A pleasure to meet you.”
Viscount Royce said he was pleased, but he showed no real interest in Nadia. He was looking for someone wealthy enough to scam out of money, and there was no reason to engage with the impoverished Hess Baron’s daughter.
It was exactly the reaction she expected, so Nadia was not surprised.
“Forgive my rudeness, but you said you possess The Emperor’s Bird?”
“Hmhm, you’ve heard of it?”
“Yes. It’s truly… remarkable. I may be poorly educated, but I could never fail to recognize such a famous work. I… heard by chance that you were looking for a new owner.”
“That is correct. However, the price is so high that no one is willing to step forward.”
In other words: You people can never afford it, so leave.
That was the clear meaning behind Viscount Royce’s words.
But Nadia stood her ground and continued calmly.
“Our Hess family recently discovered a magic stone vein. We used the funds to treat my mother’s illness and repair our estate, but the price of magic stones has risen sharply… so we still have some spare funds.”
At that, Royce’s ears perked up immediately.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. The North has many artists, so if our family acquires a fine piece, it would greatly enhance our reputation.”
As Nadia feigned disappointment and cast her bait, Royce’s eyes wavered.
Though he still moved within noble society, after being once accused of fraud and brought to trial, it would not be easy for him to commit scams again.
And now a baron’s daughter from a rural territory had appeared—Nadia, someone who seemed easy to deceive. If she had no money, she would be useless, but if she did… what better target could there be?
Royce quickly dropped his guard and began enthusiastically rambling about The Emperor’s Bird—its beauty, its history, and its significance.
Nadia nodded as though deeply impressed, and eventually suggested signing a contract.
“Without even seeing the actual piece?”
“What if someone else offers a higher price? Our family cannot go beyond a certain limit, so I’d like to finalize the contract now. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all! Lady Hess is very decisive.”
“I would do anything for my family.”
Nadia and Viscount Royce stepped slightly away from the crowd and asked a maid to bring paper.
“I’ve never written a contract before. Could you help me?”
“Of course.”
Royce was clearly delighted at the thought of swindling an innocent woman, his lips curling upward.
As expected, he drafted an extremely unfair and illegal contract. Nadia pretended ignorance, asking a few questions here and there, and Royce answered smoothly, as though oil had been poured onto his tongue.
“You are very kind. Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to acquire a wonderful artwork. I was so embarrassed attending the Baldwin party without owning any art pieces.”
“If you possess The Emperor’s Bird, even the Baldwin Ducal House will envy you.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It will surely be a great opportunity for the Hess Barony to enter Northern high society.”
Smiling, Nadia returned to the garden and immediately walked toward the Dowager Duchess of Baldwin.
After bowing politely, she spoke without hesitation.
“Dowager Duchess of Baldwin, I was deeply moved by Sir Shuliano’s artwork. I have also acquired a fine piece myself—may I offer it as a gift to Your Grace?”
At her words, Viscount Royce’s face turned deathly pale.
Is this woman insane?
Royce forced a stiff smile and hurriedly intervened.
“Lady Hess, isn’t it a bit early? You haven’t even received the artwork yet.”
“Oh? Whatever do you mean? The contract is already signed. All that remains is the transfer. There’s no need to send it to the Hess estate—please deliver it directly here to the Baldwin Ducal House. Dowager Duchess, you will accept it, won’t you?”
The Dowager Duchess looked slightly confused, but as the host of the party, she could not refuse goodwill.
With a gracious smile, she nodded.
“If it is an artwork, I will gladly accept it. I look forward to seeing what Lady Hess has prepared.”
“The piece I intend to present is The Emperor’s Bird.”
Nadia smiled as innocently and harmlessly as possible.
The Dowager Duchess’s eyes twitched ever so slightly. Though she was usually a noblewoman who rarely showed emotion, Nadia—who had once been her daughter-in-law—could clearly see it.
She was displeased.
“The Emperor’s Bird…”
The Dowager Duchess looked at Nadia with a cold smile.
“You mean the artwork that disappeared over a hundred years ago? I would very much like to ask how you came to acquire such a rare piece.”
Nadia answered confidently.
“I am not so capable. Viscount Royce happened to acquire The Emperor’s Bird by chance and agreed to sell it to me at a fair price.”
The Dowager Duchess turned her gaze to Royce.
She looked back and forth between Nadia and Royce before suddenly realizing something and letting out a quiet, “Ah.”
Her expression changed instantly.
“Viscount Royce, how dare you commit fraud against nobles in the garden of the Baldwin Ducal House!”
Royce jumped in shock.
“F-fraud?! Dowager Duchess, you cannot falsely accuse an innocent man!”
“That’s right, Your Grace. How could Viscount Royce possibly deceive me? He even carefully wrote a contract.”
Nadia handed over the document she had received.
A maid beside the Dowager Duchess took it, examined it, and whispered something into her ear.
Most likely, the contract contained extremely unfair clauses.
The Dowager Duchess closed her eyes briefly, suppressing her anger, then spoke.
“The true Emperor’s Bird is in the possession of the Baldwin Ducal House.”
“What? You possess the authentic Emperor’s Bird?”
Royce looked ready to faint from shock.
Of course, Nadia already knew this.
Until just ten years ago, she had been the true authority within the Baldwin Ducal House. She had handled countless matters no outsider would ever imagine, and knew many secrets.
Back then, Libenya had discovered a blackened frame stored with sealing magic while managing the duchy’s art collection.
Suspicious, she hired a mage to inspect it—and it turned out to be The Emperor’s Bird, a piece lost a hundred years ago.
Inside the massive frame—so large that even with both arms stretched out one could not embrace it—was a beautiful couple spending a tender moment together.
There had been debate over the title: which of the two figures was the “Emperor”? But based on symbolism and composition, it was likely the reclining woman who represented the emperor.
The painting was warm. A little unstable, perhaps, but beautiful. The lovers were deeply in love. Even just brushstrokes conveyed a heartbreaking tenderness.
Libenya had viewed the piece together with the Dowager Duchess and Heinrich, then resealed it with magic for safekeeping.
And now, by coincidence, Viscount Royce had claimed to possess it.
Naturally, the Dowager Duchess—who loved art dearly—was furious.
“B-but The Emperor’s Bird was lost long ago…”
“I merely refrained from speaking of it so lightly so as to protect it from those easily swayed by greed like yourself. The Baldwin Ducal House spares no resources in preserving great works.”
The Dowager Duchess spoke firmly, and Royce’s face turned ghostly pale. He frantically looked around, panicking.
The nobles around them clicked their tongues in disgust.
“What a disgrace to nobility.”
“So his so-called ‘traveling’ was actually fleeing. As expected, he was guilty all along!”
“If not for the Dowager Duchess, Lady Hess would have been completely deceived…”
All eyes turned toward Nadia, expecting her to be distraught or in tears.
But contrary to expectations, Nadia looked at Royce with a calm, cold gaze.
“Viscount Royce, you attempted to deceive me?”
“I-it’s not like that… I truly believed it was The Emperor’s Bird!”
Nadia approached the Dowager Duchess’s maid and respectfully took the contract. She scanned it quickly, then began reading aloud.
“It says here the piece was verified by a trusted expert. But it also states that once transferred, the seller bears no responsibility even if something is wrong. I assumed this was for damage after purchase, but it seems I was mistaken?”
The contract contained many vague clauses, all leaving loopholes for Royce to escape responsibility.
However, the phrase “verified authentic” alone was enough for Nadia to attack the contract.
“…To attempt such an unfair agreement. Truly despicable. This matter will be handled fairly by the Baldwin Ducal House, which governs the North.”
With a raised hand, knights hidden in the shadows stepped forward and seized Royce.
They approached Nadia as well, but not as roughly.
Thus, through a three-way confrontation between the Dowager Duchess, Viscount Royce, and Nadia, the matter was resolved.
Royce was found guilty of fraud against a noble using a fake artwork and was ordered to pay Nadia a massive compensation.
The incident would spread all the way to the capital, ensuring Royce would never dare commit art fraud again.
Or perhaps more accurately, since he was now completely ruined, it was uncertain whether he could even retain his viscount title at all.
