Chapter 142 – A Dangerous Position
“I forgot about that connection,” Loic said, his expression softening.
“No, it’s fine.”
Encouraged by Loic’s gentler expression, Joren gathered the courage to bring up the main topic.
“Actually, the Countess has been wondering how Your Grace is doing. She has tried several times to send a letter, but…”
The knight trailed off.
Loic understood immediately what Joren meant.
The Countess had likely been too hesitant to send a letter, unsure of how it might affect their relationship. It was after all a family of enemies, and sending a letter could cause more trouble, especially for the Duchess.
“The Duchess has been busy adjusting to life in the north, so I’m sure she hasn’t had the time to write,” Loic said generously.
“She’ll be happy to receive a letter from the Countess. I’ll make sure to tell the Duchess as well.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Joren left with a relieved expression, and Loic, feeling satisfied, turned to walk with his knights.
A few months later, the Freis family gathered for a dinner in the dining room.
Though it had been months since they’d all sat together for a meal, the family atmosphere felt more like a slaughterhouse than a gathering.
“Why did you leave the maid behind?” The Count yelled at his wife.
“What else could I do? She said she wasn’t coming back.”
As the Countess prepared to serve the soup, she spoke in a grumbling tone.
The Count had been furious ever since learning that Janet had decided to stay at the Duke’s castle, and this was the fifth time he’d raised his voice in anger.
“I should have dragged her by the hair to bring her back!”
“Dragged her by the hair? I didn’t even get to see her face when she left.”
The Countess muttered, but she didn’t mention that Janet had been locked up in a prison before.
It was a subtle act of revenge.
“What about Annette?” the Count asked, trying to control his temper.
He had already warned the Countess to fix Annette’s behavior.
The Countess wrinkled her nose, showing her displeasure.
“Annette doesn’t even listen to me anymore. She and the servants, and the knights, they all glare at me whenever I speak…!”
“How shameful! Does she think she’s really the Duchess?” the Count yelled.
“Well, she’s married to the Duke of Blenheim. Does that mean she isn’t the Duchess?” the Countess muttered quietly.
At that, the Count nearly exploded with rage.
“That girl is nothing! She has no right to be recognized as the Duchess!”
Ladriel, the second daughter, laughed mockingly.
“She’s not even being treated like a guest at Blenheim. If not for that, how would any son-in-law send his mother-in-law away without meeting her?”
“Exactly, well said!” The Count threw his napkin down in frustration.
“That idiot is pretending to be something important!”
“At least no one at Blenheim calls my sister stupid,” Raphael, the youngest son, said with a firm voice.
“What?” the Count snapped.
“The servants and knights there are extremely respectful toward my sister. The Duke is especially kind to her…”
The Count let out a derisive laugh.
“That beast is pretending to be a nobleman… is that it?”
Raphael, his neck flushed with anger, clenched his small fists tightly.
“At least he treats my mother better than you do.”
“What did you say? I’ve spoiled you too much!” the Count shouted.
“Enough,” Ferdinand, the eldest son, interrupted.
“Why are you getting so worked up over a child’s words?”
He then turned to Raphael.
“And you, what kind of words are those for the head of the house?”
At that, Raphael looked down, nervous.
The Count was unhappy with the entire situation.
‘When did that boy start acting like the head of the house?’
Since Annette left, everything in the house had started to fall apart.
Annette, who had always been obedient, was now openly ignoring him. His wife, who had always been subservient, now seemed inspired by Annette and was beginning to rebel.
Ferdinand, the heir, had started raising his voice against him, and Raphael now feared his older brother more than his father.
The Count glanced at Ladriel, who was the only one left who hadn’t betrayed him.
Her pouting face was still somewhat attractive.
‘I need to marry her off to the Third Prince before the year ends.’
The Third Prince, the son of the current Empress, was a marriage proposal the Empress had made long ago.
Back then, the Empress had little power, and most noble families were supporting the Crown Princess, the former Empress’s daughter.
The Count had been struggling as Annette’s magic hadn’t manifested for a long time, and he had supported the Empress’s bid to secure the position of Empress by offering his family’s support. Now, the Empress had gained enough influence to threaten the Crown Princess.
Therefore, it seemed natural to marry Ladriel to the Third Prince, but the Empress kept making excuses, saying that the Third Prince was too young.
The Count was now becoming uneasy.
If the Empress broke her promise, he couldn’t just marry his daughter to the Crown Prince’s family anymore.
And Ferdinand had also formed a somewhat decent relationship with the Crown Princess, which meant that one day, the Crown Princess might even have to step aside for Ferdinand.
‘It should have been me who appointed Ferdinand as the heir…’
Ferdinand had already grown into a force to be reckoned with.
The Count was more afraid of Ferdinand than he was of the Empress.
Tomorrow, he would meet with the Empress.
He had made up his mind to settle things once and for all.
‘I promised myself that, but…’
The Count had been sitting awkwardly across from the Empress, trying to sip on the lukewarm tea when she suddenly spoke.
“How is your daughter doing?” the Empress asked.
The Count was taken aback. ‘I suppose she’s starting to think about marriage too.’
“She’s always been well, thanks to your care,” the Count replied excitedly.
But then the Empress cut him off.
“Not that daughter.”
The Empress spoke with an irritated tone.
“I’m talking about the one who went to the north.”
“…You mean Annette,” the Count said, forcing a smile.
“Well, she’s doing just fine. She’s fulfilling her role.”
“Her role, which is to expand Duke Blenheim’s power, is it?” the Empress pressed.
“What? What are you talking about…?”
“The merchant group she set up in Blenheim was the talk of the town. The Blenheim Duchess impressed the Rondoris diplomatic delegation,” the Empress continued.
The Count’s eyes widened. “You didn’t know?”
“Were you really that unaware?” the Empress raised an eyebrow.
The Count, feeling guilty, tried to explain. “It’s all just rumors. I had no idea about this merchant venture.”
“But you should have. If I had known this, I would have married her off to the Third Prince instead,” the Empress said, her tone clearly displeased.
The Count’s thoughts raced. ‘There’s no way I could marry Annette off to be Empress. Not after everything she’s been through.’
The Empress, who had once been against Annette marrying the Duke of Blenheim, was now reconsidering things.
With a sigh, the Count laughed nervously. “I meant no offense. Ladriel is still our best match.”
The Empress, displeased, waved her hand dismissively.
“Are you aware of the upcoming gemstone auction?” she suddenly asked.
The Count paused, realizing why she had called him here.
‘The Blenheim Gemstone Auction.’
Blended into the northern mountains, Blenheim controlled all the mines in the area.
After the previous emperor had given the land to his brother, the Duke had received land in the mountains, but the true value of the mines was discovered later.
In fact, these gemstones were the purest in the empire, unmatched by any other mines.
With this discovery, the previous emperor had been furious, but he couldn’t touch the Duke’s hold on the mine.
The Duke had signed an exclusive contract with the Lumit Trading Group to mine and process the gemstones into jewelry for auction. From this, Lumit took a commission of 30% of the profits.
And thus, the famous ‘Blenheim Gemstone Auction’ was born.
The grand finale of the auction, featuring the finest gems, was held in summer before the autumn ball season, and securing one was considered the greatest honor for noble ladies.
“Such a thing must never happen again, understood?” the Empress said sharply, her eyes narrowing.
