TMDL 36

Chapter : 36

“Please don’t interfere in my relationship with the Duke ever again from now on. I will no longer obey any of Father’s orders.”

“You… you dare to defy me?”

Bang!

Whoosh—

Clang!

“You are my daughter! Of course you should listen to me. Where do you get the nerve to spout such nonsense!”

Unable to contain his anger, Marquis Valche slammed the desk and shouted. The smoking pipe that flew from his hand struck a vase and fell to the floor.

Staring at the deeply cracked vase, Freya looked at the marquis, who was breathing heavily, and said,

“How long do you expect me to keep listening to you?”

When you don’t even listen to a word I say.

“I’ve listened to everything you’ve said and done everything you told me to. I’ve been an adult for a long time now—can’t I finally live the way I want?”

A daughter who obeyed her parents without a will of her own. She didn’t want to be that anymore.

“Hah! You talk like a thoughtless child. Do you not know that a noble daughter must put her parents’ wishes above all else?”

“I’ve listened enough, and I’ve done enough. How much more do I have to do for you to be satisfied? Or… well, I suppose Father doesn’t know the meaning of satisfaction.”

As the marquis’s daughter, she attended social gatherings at least twice a week without fail. Whether it was studying, work, or social skills, she strove to outperform others, making countless efforts to produce results that would please him.

‘Even becoming the head of the Administrative Department was because of Father’s pressure.’

When Freya said she wanted to work after graduating from the academy, Marquis Valche told her, “Then join the department in the imperial palace that will be of the greatest help to me and our family.”

The departments that would benefit the marquis and his family, who ran various businesses, were the Administrative Department and the Business Bureau. With few choices, Freya chose the Administrative Department, which at least interested her.

‘He’ll never know how much of a burden it was when he told me that if I wanted to keep working in such a harsh environment, I had to become the head.’

At the time, there were only two female employees in the department, including her. Now there were more women in the palace, but back then they were rare enough to count on one hand. Because of that, the discrimination was blatant.

‘Shouldn’t a marquis’s young lady be taking bridal lessons instead of dealing with documents like these?’

‘This seems a bit difficult for you, my lady. I’ll handle it, so why don’t you change the water in that vase over there?’

‘What if ink stains those white hands of yours? The young gentlemen will all run away, my lady.’

‘Leave the difficult work to us and just enjoy some tea, my lady. Shall I bring you a book to read?’

The employees of the Administrative Department treated Freya solely as “the marquis’s daughter” and constantly mocked her. They wouldn’t give her any real work, arbitrarily decided she couldn’t handle it, and thoroughly ignored her.

Amid contempt, ridicule, discrimination, and rejection, Freya had to fight a lonely battle.

Even after half a year without visible results, Marquis Valche did not hesitate to scold her.

‘Do you finally realize that you’re useless for anything but marriage?’

‘There’s no place for you there. Quit and go take bridal lessons. Prepare to get married.’

Marriage, marriage, marriage.

All the marquis thought about was marrying Freya off to a good family. As a noble daughter, it was the best way to contribute to the family—an obligation and mission given from birth.

The only way for a noblewoman to raise her status was to marry into power. Being “someone’s wife” was itself like a calling card in high society.

Complex politics and work belonged to men; managing the household and socializing belonged to women. In that rigid framework, Freya’s struggle was nothing more than kicking about in a lake.

‘Never. I won’t give up.’

‘If I collapse here, I won’t be able to do anything.’

‘Keep moving. No matter what anyone says, push forward.’

‘I’ll carve out my own path.’

No matter how much Marquis Valche pressured her, and no matter how much those around her mocked or swayed her, Freya did not back down.

Instead, she burned with determination, sought ways to break through dead ends, and strode forward even if only one step at a time.

She began to take control of the Administrative Department without hesitation, and the abilities she had honed over many years at the academy, along with the practical skills she had absorbed by observing her coworkers for half a year, shone brilliantly.

In less than two months, Freya surpassed the male employees and was promoted with outstanding performance.

After that, she defeated those who resisted her with sheer competence, reformed inefficient practices, and steadily increased her influence within the department.

‘We changed the workflow just as you suggested last time, my lady, and it’s much more efficient now! Thank you for looking into it so carefully.’

‘You handled all these documents by yourself? It takes us a long time too… That’s amazing, my lady.’

‘You even resolved the complaint from another department! It was such a complicated issue that we didn’t know what to do. Thank you so much.’

‘As expected, when my lady steps in, nothing is impossible and everything runs smoothly. You’re a huge help!’

‘The new policy you proposed is excellent. Please let us work with you. We’ll do our very best to support you.’

The employees, who had first been shocked and flustered, either backed down or acknowledged and accepted her achievements once they recognized Freya’s abilities.

Thus, after two years, she rose through the ranks at an unprecedented speed and became the youngest-ever head of the Administrative Department.

An achievement made purely through effort. Faced with Freya, who had secured undeniable merit, Marquis Valche could say nothing.

‘Even that was nothing more than a grace period to him. In the end, once my work stops being useful, he’ll ruthlessly manipulate me however he likes.’

If not for her engagement to Raiden, she would have been paraded around by the marquis and marchioness and sold off to another family under the pretense of marriage. Even after that, she would surely have been controlled like a puppet.

To live such a life forever—just thinking about it was horrifying.

Now that the agreement she had made with Marquis Valche had fallen through, there was no longer any reason for her to be bound to this family.

Having made up her mind, Freya lifted her head. What more could she possibly give to parents who didn’t even treat their daughter as a daughter?

Now was the time to put an end to it.

“…It’s been over a year since I became head of the Administrative Department. Both you and the family have benefited a great deal from my help, Father.”

“Isn’t it only natural for you to do your best for me and the family? That’s why I kept you in that position.”

“It was because of your greed. Do you know that all the big advantages you’ve enjoyed were possible only because I worked myself to the bone?”

“What do I care about that? If you can’t even do that much, then that’s the limit of your usefulness.”

“……”

Truly, a man who knew nothing but his own desires to the very end. Freya did not hide her long sigh.

“Then this is where the ‘usefulness’ I offer you ends. Everything I’ve done until now, and what you’ll gain from this engagement to the Duke as well. I think that’s more than enough.”

“Freya!”

Turning away, she walked toward the door, grabbed the handle, and looked back.

“Don’t be greedy beyond that.”

“Wait. If you leave now, I won’t let this go!”

“What, are you going to hit me? The Duke won’t just stand by if he sees that.”

“……”

The marquis, who had been striding toward her, flinched and stopped when she mentioned Raiden. Snorting at his obvious reaction, Freya opened the door and left the office.

“My lady! Are you all right?”

Greta, who had been waiting in the hallway, hurried over with a worried look. Seeing her face full of concern, Freya smiled gently.

“I’m fine. My talk with Father ended well. Let’s go back to the room.”

As Freya led the way, Greta followed behind. Watching her carefully, Greta parted her lips and asked cautiously,

“Did it really end well? The marquis seemed very angry.”

“Don’t worry. I made my position clear. Even if Father doesn’t accept it, he can’t treat me recklessly anymore.”

Although the engagement ceremony had not yet taken place, now that the engagement had been approved, she was practically Raiden’s fiancée. No matter how much he was her father, even a marquis wouldn’t find it easy to lay a hand on the Duke’s fiancée.