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Chapter 15
“Young Lady.”
“I’m not going to die.”
I spoke with certainty.
My repeated lives were so agonizing that I had tried to turn my back on life several times, but each time, I was discovered by someone.
It just made me remember that life where I had to wear a thick necklace because of it, didn’t it?
Causes that would be fatal to others only resulted in simple injuries for me.
After numerous experiences, I realized my attempts were meaningless.
Just as the novel’s content stated, ‘The villainess, Rosia Levian, must be punished by the men who love the protagonist, Melina Ikel,’ it seemed I could only die by the hands of the male leads.
“My stamina is so weak that if I don’t rely on medicine, I get exhausted quickly.”
I absolutely hated the idea of fainting in front of people again.
“So I have to endure by taking medicine.”
I also needed the medicine to actively go around and twist the story.
“Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. That’s much better for your body!”
“I don’t care about that, Ted. Get me the medicine. Are you saying you won’t get it for me and won’t see me anymore?”
When I implied he would quit being my secretary, he grimaced.
“You are the one who takes the least care of your own body.”
When I looked at him as if to ask what he meant, he stared at me almost glaringly.
“You took me in when I was threatened by the Tower Lord, and you worried about the guild members’ safety, even giving me my salary in advance.”
That was only so I could win your favor and make it easier to order you around.
“You let a tired maid rest.”
That maid was going to doze off and break an expensive antique, that’s why.
“But you, you clearly came back from the party looking tired, yet you stayed up all night working that day. And not just that day, but for the past few days, continuously.”
Well, that’s because there were things I had to resolve.
“Even if you don’t work like that, the Levian Marquisate’s power and influence will continue. What is driving you so hard?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
What kind of feelings I’m living with.
“I will definitely find out. Why you act this way.”
“No, you can’t know.”
No matter how famous an information guild master he is.
I smiled.
A few days later, Ted brought the Vitalin.
Although he handed it over with a very displeased expression.
“Thank you, T.”
Ted didn’t use his real name and used the alias ‘Till’.
“I won’t take it recklessly either. I’ll only take it when I really need to, so don’t worry.”
Ted, who let out a light sigh, held out several reports to me.
“Hmm, the development of the Blue Diamond mine seems to be progressing smoothly. And the jeweler you introduced, T, seems to have arrived safely and finished the contract.”
“Speaking of which, the jeweler sent samples. Would you like to see them?”
“Sure.”
Ted brought a sturdy-looking wooden box and placed it in front of me.
When I opened the lid, a brilliantly shining blue diamond was inside.
“Send a telegram to the estate and tell them to send the finished piece, with the necklace chain attached. I need to wear it to the upcoming Imperial Ball.”
“And a matching pair of earrings?”
“If there are enough processed gems to spare.”
A blue color that didn’t suit my red eyes.
Yet, there was a time I loved this color terribly. No, I still do.
As I traced the tip of the diamond with my finger, Ted asked.
“Do you like the color blue?”
“I was just thinking it would have been better if Red Diamonds had been found in our territory.”
Swallowing my true feelings, I smiled faintly.
“Because the Levian family’s crest is red?”
“That’s right.”
“Let me look into it once. If it’s the Young Lady’s wish, shouldn’t I, your secretary, make it come true?”
“Haha, I’d appreciate it if you did.”
We’d searched our family lands countless times, but only Blue Diamond mines and regular diamond mines were found.
But since he’s the information guild master, I thought he might find something different, so I readily agreed.
“And there are two more things for you to check. These arrived sealed, so I couldn’t look at them.”
Ted held out two envelopes sealed with the wax seal of the estate’s head butler, Mark.
“Alright. I’ll call you if I need you, so you can go now.”
“I will send a messenger to the estate.”
The report from Mark was, as expected, related to the account books.
It said they had caught the guy who falsified the account books and thrown him into the underground prison.
Under torture, he confessed that he had infiltrated on purpose to steal information, and Mark was reporting this to me and my father.
In the evening, my father summoned me to his study.
“Roa, this is largely your功劳 (merit). If it weren’t for you, we might never have known.”
Father held my hand, full of emotion, and my mother reacted similarly.
“You really should inherit the Marquis title. Let that boy Calvin just swing the sword he likes so much.”
“Father.”
“Isn’t that right, Roa? Calvin, that boy, even though his house is near the imperial palace, he lives in the dormitory, saying the commute is a waste of time, doesn’t he?”
Calvin’s passion for the sword was genuine, though.
Currently, there was only one Sword Master in the Empire, Lexion Liciancius, but soon Calvin would become a Sword Master too.
As he genuinely recognized his feelings for the sword and for Melina, his skills skyrocketed due to his jealousy and wariness towards the Duke.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to persuade him properly and try giving him the heir education?”
“Roa, why don’t you want to inherit it? Is it because you have to marry the Duke?”
Mother took my hand.
“Mother, it’s true that I’m interested in him, but it’s a bit different. It’s not a romantic interest; it’s because Calvin respects him so much.”
It was about time to cut off any notion of a romantic relationship between me and Duke Liciancius.
“If that’s the case, then that’s a relief. By the way, who is your partner for this Imperial Ball?”
“I’m curious too, Roa. His Majesty the Emperor said you even refused to be His Highness the Crown Prince’s partner. You said you already had a promised partner.”
“Yes, tell us.”
“If it’s some strange fellow, we’ll… well, we’d like to meet our daughter’s partner.”
It seemed the two wouldn’t give up easily, so I decided to target Mother.
“He’s incredibly handsome. I’ll just tell you that much, and could you wait until the day of to find out who it is?”
Since all the young ladies at the salon said he was handsome, the Tower Lord must have a good-looking face, right?
“Oh my, he’s handsome? In that case, I give my permission for now.”
As expected, Mother nodded immediately, and Father looked at her with a betrayed expression.
“I’ll be going now.”
Seizing the opportunity, I quickly left Father’s study.
The account book incident was quite large-scale; the guy who infiltrated our family confessed that he had accomplices in about two other families, including the L Marquisate.
Father relayed this to Marquis Meritny, and I heard Marquis Meritny was furious and conducted a major purge.
“Ugh, thanks to my friend’s exceptional ability, I just look like an incompetent daughter, don’t I?”
Stella, who came to deliver the news, sat down cross-legged elegantly.
“I didn’t have much time to protect your assets.”
What I meant was, I would have liked to tell you slowly, but I had no choice but to report it to the Marquis immediately because I didn’t know when the infiltrator might run away.
“I know. I’m just glad you found out. Do you know what he did?”
“What did he do?”
“He tampered with the pearl farms!”
The Meritny family owned several pearl farms, and pearls were a main trade item with the Duchy.
“He reported a lower quantity than the actual annual pearl production, then embezzled the remainder.”
“That’s a very daring act. The Marquis must have been furious.”
“He’s grinding his teeth, saying this guy definitely didn’t act alone, and he’s trying to find the mastermind behind it.”
Stella spoke nonchalantly, but she seemed quite angry too.
“More importantly, let’s go for a walk in the garden. You look too pale.”
Even though I said I was fine, Stella grabbed my hand and pulled me.
“Pale is in fashion these days, but you look sick. You’ve just been looking at documents and haven’t stepped outside at all, have you?”
“I went to the ball the other day, didn’t I?”
“That’s different! You need to get some sun once in a while.”
Stella nagged, which was rare for her.
“You’re lucky Pony isn’t here. If she saw your state, she’d have dragged a carriage out to the countryside immediately.”
“Thank you for letting me off with just a garden walk, Stella.”
As I was dragged downstairs by my friend, a butler was waiting for me.
“Young Lady.”
“What is it?”
“You have a guest, Young Lady.”
“I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly, Young Lady.”
The person standing in the lobby was none other than Duke Liciancius.
