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Baron Brian’s voice grew increasingly faint.
“Th-that is… I mean, no matter how much I’ve mortgaged to Bloodstone Bank, this kind of interference is…”
“Damn! Why did I act so rashly?”
If he didn’t get an extension on his loan repayment, he was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Even the prestigious Whitehouse Count family had collapsed overnight for failing to repay their debts.
Yet, as a nobleman, he couldn’t simply cut his spending overnight.
“Of course, I do have other debts that are due soon, but still…”
The duke did not respond.
“I came here to ask if I could delay the repayment deadline anyway…”
As the silence dragged on, Baron Brian’s voice became smaller and smaller.
“Of course, if I can’t pay it back in time, I’ll even have to give up the new villa…”
The more he spoke, the more painfully aware he became of his desperate position.
He had come to Cliff Castle, thrilled to be invited, but in truth, it was to ask for an extension or a new loan.
“If I can just delay the repayment, I’ll buy some time.”
The rise and fall of House Brian was now entirely in the hands of Duke Bloodstone.
At last, Calix opened his mouth.
“Baron.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Startled, the baron instinctively clasped his hands together.
It suddenly felt like Calix was holding his very life in his hands.
With an unreadable expression, Calix uttered a vague word:
“So?”
“…”
Brian swallowed hard, waiting for the next words.
“…”
But Calix said nothing more.
Only his crimson eyes silently stared at him.
Baron Brian felt so tense he could hardly breathe.
“…Th-thank you! My wife was just looking for a highly skilled interior designer!”
He forced a smile, his expression bordering on sycophantic.
“I-if it’s someone recommended by you, then of course we can trust them! Th-thank you so much!”
“Don’t mention it.”
Calix replied indifferently as he picked up his teacup again.
—
The House of Baron Peridan.
A man set down the documents he had been reviewing at his desk.
Baron Peridan’s rough voice rang out.
“Ludik refused the contract?!”
Thud!
He slammed his fist on the table.
“He dares reject the chance to lead the interior design of the Leongrad project under House Peridan?!”
“Father!”
His daughter Edith flinched in surprise where she stood.
Anger flushed Baron Peridan’s face red.
“I told him there were no other true professionals left but us!”
Henry Whitehouse, the late Count of Whitehouse, had been famous as a professionally trained interior expert.
But Henry had never grown his interior design work into a business. He acted more as an advisor—thanks to the wealth of his estate, he never needed to.
“All the time and money we invested in Ludik!”
In contrast, House Peridan had no profitable estates or other businesses.
Worse yet, their recent investments had all failed.
In short: they were in dire financial straits.
That’s why he was expanding into the interior design business—and even sent his daughter Edith to study interior design in Arsen.
“Pulling this kind of stunt right before the contract? Is he trying to squeeze more money out of us?”
“No, he said he still wanted to do business with us—as long as it’s not an exclusive contract.”
Baron Peridan had chosen interior design as a focus largely because of Edith.
“We’re the only true experts left in Leongrad now.”
Edith had a knack for designing wallpaper with beautiful patterns.
She loved luxurious aesthetics and had a good grasp of noble tastes.
Thanks to her growing reputation, she’d been building a solid name as an interior designer.
House Peridan had been gaining footing in the design world, with Ludik mostly handling their wallpaper production.
Ludik had excellent skills and speed in producing materials.
That’s why Baron Peridan had considered an exclusive deal with him.
“Hmm…”
“I don’t think he’s signed an exclusive contract with anyone else yet.”
“Then I’ll have to pressure him again.”
“Yes, please do.”
“Ludik can’t afford to lose us. You’re the only designer who’s even studied abroad in Arsen!”
When Baron Peridan raged, Edith responded in irritation.
“Sigh. It’s so humiliating to have to work just to make money as a noble.”
“What?”
“Even Count Henry Whitehouse only pursued interior design as a matter of honor. For a woman like me to take on more commissions than he ever did—it doesn’t look good.”
“Child!”
“I want to keep design as a hobby—just offering advice and designs to noble families that I like.”
“…!”
“So please don’t assign me so much work. Unless it’s really important, I’m not interested.”
Baron Peridan sighed and shook his head.
“Fine. But in return, you must do your best in securing a good marriage. We’re nearly out of funds.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Can I really not worry? At the last ball, I heard Duke Bloodstone invested in Marianne Whitehouse’s business.”
Edith shrugged.
“Tch. How did that reclusive girl pull something like that? Is there some secret connection we don’t know about?”
“Secret connection?”
“Deciding to invest after just a few minutes? Come on. Who would believe that? Maybe they’re that close.”
“That close…?”
Baron Peridan repeated, pretending not to understand, though he already knew what his daughter was implying.
Edith had destroyed more than a few noble young ladies in high society with rumors like that.
“She has no money and no reputation. What wouldn’t a girl like that do to squeeze money out of a man?”
“Hmph. You’d know best about things like that.”
“Right? If she becomes a nuisance, I won’t sit quietly. Making one girl a laughingstock and getting her kicked out of society is child’s play.”
Edith sat on the sofa, fanning herself.
How dare she touch what I’ve marked as mine.
There might be other wealthy husbands out there besides Duke Bloodstone, but the way he looked at the ball—he was too good to let go.
Knock knock—
Just then, the butler came in with a letter.
“Hm? From Baron Brian’s wife? But she only recently commissioned us for interior design.”
Edith handed it to her father.
“Maybe it’s just to confirm the consultation date.”
Baron Peridan sliced open the envelope with a paper knife.
But as he read through the letter, his expression darkened.
“Father? What is it?”
“…Baron Brian’s wife is canceling the interior request.”
“Really? Is it because of financial problems?”
“Wait a minute…?”
As he read the latter half of the letter, surprise flickered across his face.
“Father? What is it?”
“Whitehouse?”
“Why bring up that name all of a sudden…?”
Crack.
He crumpled the letter in one hand.
“Brian’s decided to give the interior job to the Whitehouse Countess!”
His eyes burned with fury.
“Marianne Whitehouse?”
Edith’s expression turned cold.
“He must have been swayed by the legacy of Henry Whitehouse.”
“Hmph, but how could she possibly compete with us? That girl probably knows nothing about interior design—or even basic social skills.”
Edith scoffed, picking up a cookie.
“Well, good. We won’t even need to lift a finger—she’ll embarrass herself with a shoddy job and crash on her own.”
But Baron Peridan bit his lip and stared into space.
“A sprout that will become a weed… if you
don’t pull it early, it becomes a real nuisance.”
His murmuring expression was chillingly cold.
