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Chapter 6
If her father had still been alive, he would have pushed aggressively for justice. But now the situation had become ambiguous.
The person who deserved punishment was already dead, and the ancestral sword of the previous generation still remained in the marquis family’s mausoleum.
Furthermore, the current Emperor was not born from the Empress. His legitimacy was his greatest weakness, so he would never dare go against the will of his ancestors.
Therefore, the punishment would likely be no more than a reduction in rank or the confiscation of territory. Either way, they would survive.
Of course, considering the family’s current financial state, they might starve to death on their own even if His Majesty spared them.
As Ariel examined the financial records, she let out a sigh filled with worry.
“The most urgent problem right now… is the debt to the Kuno Merchant Guild.”
The Kuno Merchant Guild was the third-largest merchant guild in the Empire.
When her father’s shipping company collapsed and dealt a devastating blow to the marquis family’s finances, he had borrowed a massive sum from the Kuno Guild.
At the time, the treason incident had not yet occurred, so the guild trusted the credit of the Marquis Blante family and readily lent them the money.
Now, however, everything had changed.
The moment the guild master heard of her father’s death, he immediately began demanding repayment.
According to the contract, the principal was not due for another thirty years, so there was no legal obligation to repay it immediately.
But the guild ignored that fact.
They knew the marquis family had already lost its power and could do nothing against them, so they simply disregarded the contract and applied pressure.
“If this turns into a court battle…”
Ariel frowned.
If it went to court, she might be able to delay repayment…
But she didn’t even have the money to hire a lawyer.
And there was no guarantee she would win.
Trials were ultimately contests of connections and influence.
For now, Ariel had sent a letter to the Kuno Guild asking for understanding, while selling anything in the marquis estate that could be converted into money.
They were priceless treasures collected by her ancestors over hundreds of years.
But she had no choice.
Even if she sold everything, it still would not be enough to repay the debt.
Setting down the financial records, Ariel picked up another sheet of parchment.
On it was a list of minor nobles who had borrowed money from the marquis family.
A considerable amount remained unpaid.
Two days ago, Ariel had sent letters demanding repayment.
No replies had arrived.
“…I can’t just keep waiting.”
She rang the bell on the table, and the butler soon entered the room.
“Did you call for me, my lady?”
“Butler, none of these people have replied yet, correct?”
The butler nodded with a dark expression.
With a sigh, Ariel set down the parchment and asked about another matter.
“Then what about Father’s friends…? No replies from them either?”
Not only had she contacted minor nobles, but she had also written to influential nobles who had been close to her father.
She had asked them to help the marquis family, even if only a little.
None of them had attended her father’s funeral.
Even so, she had sent the letters like a drowning person grasping for a straw.
They were filled with desperate pleas.
But that effort had also failed.
The butler lowered his head.
“…No one has sent a reply, my lady. I am sorry.”
She had expected as much.
Still, she had hoped there might be at least one person who believed in her father’s innocence.
Someone who remembered him.
Someone who honored him.
Reality was cruel.
Suppressing her disappointment, Ariel spoke.
“This isn’t your fault. It’s alright.”
The butler raised his head, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
“If you have something to say, then say it. At this point, nothing can really surprise me anymore.”
She smiled lightly, but she meant it.
What else could possibly shock her now?
If something even worse happened, she probably wouldn’t survive it.
She was already standing at the edge of a cliff.
Any farther, and she would fall.
The butler stepped closer and carefully spoke.
“My lady, even after selling half of the marquis family’s assets… I don’t think we can manage these debts. The operation of the estate is no different. Perhaps it would be better to declare bankruptcy…”
Ariel immediately shook her head.
“No. If we do that, everything will truly collapse. Somehow… we have to find a way to endure.”
A way to bring in money.
…Kylance.
For a brief moment, his face appeared in her mind.
Ariel hurriedly shook her head.
The familiarity she still felt toward him had simply made her think of him.
Until recently, Kylance had been a dependable partner she could always lean on.
But not anymore.
She could not rely on him just because things were difficult.
Besides…
On the very day of her father’s funeral, Kylance had openly handed her the agreement to dissolve their engagement.
And now she was supposed to ask such a man for help?
He wouldn’t help her anyway.
And she did not want to become that pathetic.
If Kylance truly became her only option, she would rather choose bankruptcy.
Even if it meant losing the mansion itself, she would never reach out to him.
Steeling her briefly wavering heart, Ariel spoke.
“Butler, I think I need to act personally.”
“Pardon? By personally, you mean…?”
“I’ll meet them myself. They may ignore letters, but they can’t openly slam the door in my face.”
“But, my lady… none of them would even respond to a letter requesting a visit.”
“Then I’ll go without an invitation. It’s a bit rude, but…”
“I worry you may suffer humiliation.”
“…Being humiliated is better than going bankrupt. Butler, prepare the carriage.”
Having made up her mind, Ariel rose from her seat.
* * *
The carriage of House Blante headed toward the estate of House Bayern.
The Bayern Marquis family, while not as prestigious as House Blante, had risen rapidly thanks to the success of their mining business.
They had achieved enormous wealth almost overnight, but because they lacked noble pedigree, they had cultivated a close friendship with Marquis Blante.
Through a relationship that had continued since their fathers’ generation, Ariel had grown close to Bayern Ciel from childhood.
Ariel had often helped Ciel, who struggled to adapt to noble society.
So…
Even if everyone else rejected her, surely Ciel would not treat her coldly.
After becoming engaged, Ariel had rarely seen her friend because she had been occupied with archduchess training at the Grand Duchy.
Still, she hoped Ciel remembered their old friendship.
Holding a gift box tightly in her trembling hands, Ariel tried to steady herself.
Outside the carriage, she heard the coachman speaking.
“Lady Blante has arrived. She wishes to see Lady Bayern.”
Since they had arrived without prior notice, they first had to pass through the guards.
After a brief commotion, a guard finally answered.
“You may enter.”
Ariel, who had been nervous about being turned away, let out a sigh of relief.
“My lady, please step out.”
The carriage passed through the gates, moved a short distance farther, and stopped.
As Ariel stepped out through the door opened by the coachman, her expression turned confused.
Several carriages were lined up beside the mansion.
“Don’t tell me…”
Carriages from numerous noble houses.
And faint music drifting through the air.
A party was being held at the Bayern estate.
“…My lady, shall we return?”
The coachman asked cautiously.
She had not been invited.
And uninvited guests were often met with ridicule and contempt.
She had already abandoned her pride and come here without notice.
But she was not yet prepared to be mocked and humiliated before countless people.
It would also inconvenience Ciel.
An unwanted guest suddenly disrupting a party.
Perhaps she should leave.
Just as she turned around, thinking today was not the right day, a maid hurried toward her.
“Lady Blante, my lady has instructed me to escort you to the ballroom.”
“Ciel wants me… there?”
Ariel froze.
Ciel knew perfectly well how uninvited guests were treated.
Inviting her inside would surely affect the atmosphere of the party.
Yet she still wanted Ariel to come?
The maid nodded.
“Yes. My lady asked that you be brought in.”
Ariel stared toward the ballroom with a strange expression.
After a moment, she slowly spoke.
“…Alright. Let’s go.”
A guest who arrived without permission should not leave on her own terms either.
Since Ciel had invited her inside, she could not simply turn around.
And…
Surely Ciel wouldn’t call her in just to make her a laughingstock.
Ariel felt an inexplicable sense of unease, but she forced herself to ignore it as she followed the maid toward the ballroom.
Unfortunately, her bad feeling proved correct.
The moment Ariel entered the ballroom, her face stiffened before she could take more than a few steps.
Because the person she least wanted to see was there.
Kylance Seyard.
And although their engagement had only recently been broken, he was standing beside someone Ariel knew all too well.
Her friend.
Looking at the two standing together, Ariel thought:
Perhaps she could no longer call Ciel her friend.
At that moment, the nobles noticed her standing frozen in place and began whispering among themselves.
