FLSL 12

Chapter: 12

The Biggest Sucker

Yvon opened his notebook. He meticulously wrote down the changes compared to before. Reliving memories of a slaughter-ridden hell was painful, but it had to be recorded. With every action he took, the dream changed slightly. Although Vivienne’s marriage to Prince Karl and the attack on Toulouse remained the same, the method and intensity of the attack had shifted. Because of this, Toulouse was no longer entirely defenseless. Yet, the outcome remained unchanged. His own head rolled on the floor, and Toulouse fell into ruin. Yvon’s grip on the pen tightened.

After carefully finishing the record, Yvon sat lost in thought, notebook in hand. The only way to change the future for now was to prevent Vivienne and Prince Karl’s marriage. But who could possibly stop Vivienne? She had already arrived in the Empire earlier than he had in the dream.

“Iana Marseille.”

Yvon muttered the name that had become his master’s, tearing at his hair. There had been a time when he had considered her his only hope. She was the Grand Duke’s only daughter, the same age as Vivienne—perfectly suitable. By beauty alone, some might even say Iana surpassed Vivienne.

He had thought that if Iana married Prince Karl, all problems would be solved. But as human affairs often are, the relationship between Iana, Vivienne, and Prince Karl was far more complicated than he had anticipated, and by the time Yvon found her, Iana was already exhausted.

“In all his daily life, I am probably last in rank. I have no hope left.”

Iana Marseille spoke with a weary, sorrowful expression. Tears welled up in her cold, proud eyes and silently streamed down.

“So use my body. I have no lingering regrets.”

After roughly wiping away her tears, Iana spoke quietly. Her firm tone and expression seemed to convey that she fully understood what her words meant. Yvon opened his mouth, searching for words, but could not say a single one.

“Think it over once more.”

Though he had little right to speak given his own situation, Yvon tried to stop her.

“My decision won’t change. If my life is doomed to end in Prince Karl’s hands, this is better. That doesn’t mean I completely trust the Crown Prince’s words. But I have no hope left—not only regarding Prince Karl but everything is a mess…”

Iana couldn’t continue and swallowed her tears.

“If your mind changes before the banquet, contact me at any time.”

“No. Death is the only thing I have left. I’ve done all I can. You should abandon the thought that I’ll end up with Prince Karl.”

“But just once more.”

At Yvon’s words, Iana quietly shook her head and left first. Yvon remembered her lonely figure, rubbed his face roughly, and muttered curses. He wasn’t even sure if what he was doing was right.

“Yvon, the young lady is looking for you.”

Yvon snapped out of his thoughts at Lou’s voice from outside the door and quickly checked the time. Morning had already passed before he realized it. He hurriedly put the notebook away and locked the drawer.

He opened the door quickly. Lou was standing there with a tray holding a simple meal. As Yvon stepped aside, Lou placed the tray on the table.

“I went to the kitchen, and they said you hadn’t come down yet. So I brought this while running an errand for the young lady. Eat first, then take your time coming down. Usually, this would be a fuss, but lately, the young lady has been quite relaxed.”

Lou smiled and closed the door. Yvon looked at the table. Steam still rose from the freshly made soup and bread, and the rich aroma quickly filled the small room. Yvon finished his breakfast just in time for Iana’s tea time.

“Miss, did you find him?”

“Hmm? Yes. Sit there.”

Yvon took a seat opposite Iana, and Lou quickly prepared tea and snacks.

“After getting sick, my memory seems to have faded. So, did you find out why my father is so harsh with me? I hope it’s not because, as people say, I’m a witch or an illegitimate child.”

‘If that’s the case, I’d be terribly disappointed in the Grand Duke.’

Pretending not to hear Iana’s small mutter, Yvon pulled a sheet of paper from the documents he had brought.

“This is the amount of money you’ve used from your private funds over the past two years, as well as what you secretly took from various places in the Grand Duke’s estate.”

Iana’s jaw dropped at the casually handed paper.

“What?! Are you insane? Me? Where on earth did I spend all this?”

Despite mentioning that her memory was shaky, she asked without hesitation. Yvon adjusted his rimless glasses and picked up the paper Iana had dramatically tossed aside.

“Until two years ago, you had no financial issues. But after your debut at the Imperial banquet two years ago, your expenditures skyrocketed.”

Before that, she had spent her time learning the skills and etiquette a noblewoman should know, so there was little need for money.

“Ah, that damned Prince Karl. Did you buy dresses and jewelry just to impress him?”

Iana clicked her tongue as if speaking about someone else.

“No, you chose a more direct method. Expensive jewels and even estates were purchased for him.”

“What?!”

Iana, half reclining comfortably, suddenly sat up and shouted. How far had this girl gone in being a complete pushover? It felt like the orange juice she drank that morning was coming back up. But Yvon wasn’t finished.

“You gifted several top-quality stallions and built a new riding arena when he said he enjoyed horseback riding.”

Iana clutched her forehead and curled on the sofa, trembling.

“You collected expensive jewels from auctions to curry favor with Her Majesty the Empress…”

“Stop!”

Iana grabbed the documents Yvon was reading and started going through them herself. The papers, several pages long, chronicled a history of financial naivety and the Grand Duke’s shame—a history impossible to read without tears, especially for Alisa within Iana.

“I thought you were just a good girl, but you’re a full-on donation angel. A donation angel. Lou, the jewelry and flowers that Prince Karl sent recently? Why send worthless flowers? Anyway, bring that here.”

Lou ran out and returned with a box, placing it before Iana. She opened it, holding a beautifully crafted blue diamond brooch, examining it from every angle before putting it back in the box and closing it.

“Decent, but it doesn’t really balance the scales, does it?”

“True love doesn’t calculate.”

Iana scoffed at Yvon’s serious remark.

“‘True love,’ huh? True love is for two people, not one. And Prince Karl didn’t exactly give me this out of true love in the first place.”

Shaking the papers, Iana spoke as if scolding an underperforming merchant—Yvon fell silent. He hadn’t imagined that her whispered “I’ve done all I could” meant uprooting the very foundation of the Grand Duke’s household.

“But you did your best, Miss,” Lou said soothingly. Iana’s angry expression seemed more like self-reproach.

“Miss, I think you did wonderfully by giving everything to Prince Karl without counting or questioning! Love that gives everything! How romantic!”

“Lou, don’t ever go into business. Romantic? Hah.”

Iana glared at Lou, closed her eyes tightly, then opened them, clutching her head.

“So that’s why the Grand Duke reduced Iana’s private funds like this.”

“….”

“What? Is there more?”

“Remember the recent fraud case that shook the Empire?”

“You mean the railway investment scam?”

“Yes. Investors were promised doubled returns from building a trans-Empire railway, but the company ran off with all the funds.”

Even though scammers advertised heavily in newspapers, the royal family and administration never issued a refutation. When the public protested, they later claimed they had no idea, as no official notice had been sent.

“You didn’t invest there, did you?”

“Wanting to repay the Grand Duke for past troubles, you invested all your remaining savings.”

As a result, Iana now had not a single penny left. She had to consider herself lucky that the Grand Duke hadn’t thrown her out and still provided meals.

Iana could hear the sound of ‘living leisurely’ running far away. Damn it!

“So, a couple of dresses…”

She paused, closing and opening her eyes, unable to believe her reality.

“So, apart from money for a couple of dresses, there’s not a single coin left?”

Shadows formed under Iana’s otherwise bright eyes.

“Yes,” came the cheerful reply. Could it really be considered pleasant that the only daughter of the Grand Duke, a social witch, and a big spender on Burgundy Street had, in reality, only enough funds for a couple of dresses?

“So, you probably can’t buy Colmar. Perhaps it’s better to marry Prince Karl…”

Before Yvon could finish, a bundle of papers flew toward him. Yvon skillfully dodged and continued.

“Prince Karl’s gifts have become increasingly extravagant. Even this blue diamond was extremely rare on Burgundy Street. Meaning, it’s likely unique in the Empire. What does that signify?”

“Did he suddenly develop a conscience?”

Iana pouted. Prince Karl had already taken so much from her; this was nothing.

“Miss, could you take this seriously? Prince Karl has finally begun to take an interest in you.”

Yvon finished with a proud smile.