TGDHC Chapter 82

Chapter 82: An Unreliable Husband

That necklace was too valuable to sell outright.

‘But maybe I could use it as collateral to borrow some money?’

So, I took the sapphire necklace to the Barcot Bank in Goldrain.

The bank director rushed out to greet me, and though surprised when I said I wanted a loan, he agreed without hesitation and handed me 150,000 coins—a huge sum.

When asked if he needed to appraise the jewel, he waved it off, saying, “For Her Highness, that alone is proof enough.”

I passed all the money directly to Alchent as investment capital.

It was 300 times the amount of my dowry.
Even as I handed over the check, my hands trembled.

Still, if the investment succeeded, my personal fortune would grow.
If it failed, the necklace would be lost.

‘The only thing I can do now is help make sure Alchent’s business succeeds.’

“I’ll publish two of Cecile’s recipes a week!” Cecilia declared, burning with determination.

Her passion made me laugh, easing the heavy pressure on my heart.

Thankfully, the problem seemed solved.

Or so I thought— until that night, when I saw Loic.

***

It was late when the duke came to me, his face dark.

“…Loic? Please, come in.”

Calling his name still felt awkward, but “Duke” didn’t seem right either in this mood.

Normally, just stepping into the room, he would smile shyly and move carefully.
But tonight, there was no trace of a smile.

Loic strode in with heavy steps, standing before the sofa until I sat down first. Only then did he sit.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

He lowered his lashes, then raised his eyes with a sigh.

“I thought you might have lost something… so I came to return it.”

“Lost? Me?”

I touched my hairpin—Ferdinand’s wedding gift. It was still there.

“Earrings, perhaps?”

As I checked my ear, Loic placed a slim velvet box on the table with a sharp thud.

“What is this?”

I opened it and gasped.
Inside was the sapphire necklace I had deposited at the bank earlier that day.

“How… did you…?”

Loic was clearly angry.

He said nothing, and the silence stretched uncomfortably long before he finally spoke in a low voice.

“Why did you borrow money?”

“Ah, that…” I fidgeted with my fingers.
‘How much should I tell him?’

Last time, with the egg incident, he almost punished Meisel severely until I calmed him.
If he knew Meisel was involved again, it could truly cause a disaster.

I couldn’t be the reason the duke’s family quarreled with an old vassal family.

Seeing my hesitation, his face grew darker.

“Is this something you cannot tell me?”

“No, no, it’s not like that.”

So I briefly explained how I had invested in Alchent’s business to prevent The Northern News from being sold off, and that I needed money for it.

“That’s why I borrowed it.”

“You could have taken it from the household funds,” he replied.

“But I couldn’t use Blenheim money for something personal.”

Loic bit his lip.

“Did you trust me so little?”

“…What?”

His voice trembled slightly.

I looked at him closely—his lips were pouting faintly.
Not angry, but… hurt.

“Loic… were you upset?”

“Upset?” He clenched his jaw and forced his voice steady.

“As a husband, I believed my wife was well. Yet to learn she was pawning jewelry and borrowing money because she lacked a few coins—how could I possibly feel upset?”

His voice shook. His eyes carried a trace of sorrowful reproach.

‘But it wasn’t just a few coins…’

“I was simply disappointed. To realize I’m such a useless husband that you couldn’t depend on me at all.”

He turned his gaze aside, sulking.

Though he sounded serious, his expression was strangely… cute.
I had to bite my lips to hold back a laugh.

‘Idiot, this isn’t the time to laugh.’

It was my mistake.
If word spread that the duchess had pawned jewelry to borrow money, it would damage his honor greatly.

‘I didn’t expect the bank to be so loose-lipped.’

“I’m sorry,” I said, tilting my head toward him.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just didn’t want to use household funds for personal matters.”

But Loic didn’t move.

I leaned a little closer.
“You must have been really hurt. Right? After all, you tell me every day who you meet and what you do.”

At my coaxing tone, his brow twitched, but his gaze still stayed fixed on the desk corner.

“Please don’t be angry. It’s my fault.”

At that, his throat bobbed, and finally, he looked at me.

“Don’t say that,” he murmured, his eyes softer.
“You did nothing wrong.”

“But I made you feel hurt.”

He ruffled his bangs, as if steadying himself, then lifted his head with new resolve.

“…At the very least, when you need help, please come to me first.”

His tone was firm, almost commanding.

“I don’t want to hear about you from other people’s mouths.”

The phrasing was oddly new.
Loic had often said, “You mustn’t,” but rarely, “I don’t want to.”

“…All right. From now on, I’ll always discuss everything with you first.”

“You promise?”

At last, his mood eased, and he held out his little finger.

‘See? My duke—no, my Loic—learns quickly.’

Smiling, I hooked my pinky with his.

And silently vowed that next time I went to the bank, I’d give that loose-tongued banker a piece of my mind.

***

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

The Merchant Guild leader, Gelfry, clicked his tongue at the investment repayment note lying before him.
Alchent had just dropped it off.

It wasn’t a sum impossible for Alchent to repay eventually, but far too large to raise so quickly.

‘I even told people not to lend him money. Where did he get it?’

The opera business should have made a fortune. But now he’d ended up returning funds without gaining much profit.

Still, there was some gain.

Recently, Lady Meisel had stormed into his café, fuming.
She’d asked if it was possible to acquire The Northern News.

Her tone was too arrogant to even be called a “request.”

—“I and some acquaintances invested in Alchent’s business…”
—“So, you can do it, right?”

‘Is she trying to trip me again?’

He recalled the trouble from the “egg incident.”
Because the duchess had asked him to gather merchants, he had gone along, thinking he’d gain some favor with Count Avoir’s daughter.
Instead, radicals had appeared, causing chaos, and he had almost been arrested.

Though suspicion was avoided, he had been summoned by the duke, humiliated, and forced to clear the duchess’s name.

‘And now she dares to come asking again?’

Still, The Northern News was tempting.
Its influence had grown strong, a perfect tool for shaping public opinion.

And since the duchess had excluded the Merchant Guild from the new marketplace after the failed first entry, his position had become awkward.
If this could strike a blow against her, it might be worth it.

—“Very well, Lady Meisel. I’ll help you.”
—“Good.”
—“But on one condition.”
—“Condition? You mean to demand something of me?”
—“Merchants only act for profit. We are lowly creatures, after all.”

Meisel had raged, asking if he’d forgotten who her father was.
But he only sneered.

—“If you wish, I can speak directly with Count Avoir about this.”

That shut her up.
If her father could know, she wouldn’t have come to him secretly.

—“What do you want?” she asked at last.

—“Not long ago, wasn’t there an incident in Goldrain while Her Highness was present?”

—“I know nothing of that!” she snapped, her face flushing.

Gelfry ignored her protest.

—“That new lakeside shopping district… Isn’t it the perfect place for radicals to cause trouble?”