The Duke let out a derisive laugh.
“Helena… Helena… Whatever made you think that?”
He set his teacup down, amusement laced with scorn.
“There is
nothing
in this world that escapes my will.”
His crimson eyes gleamed dangerously.
Helena thought to herself,
So this is his true face.
A mask of grace peeled back, revealing the predator beneath.
With another smooth smile, the Duke added,
“More than that, I see your manner of speech has grown quite insolent, Helena.”
Helena scoffed. “Truth is, I’m actually older than you. I just pretended to be younger.”
You bastard.
She glared at Valdek, who wore that ever-calm smirk.
How dare he… How dare he threaten my daughter, my son, my son-in-law!
...This can’t be allowed to continue any longer.
A sharp light stirred in Helena’s brown eyes—something dangerous, like the edge of a blade unsheathed.
At that moment, loud footsteps came thundering from above, and a familiar voice called out:
“Mother!”
Helena gently set down her teacup and turned toward the staircase. She was preparing to greet her daughter with elegance—only to see Emelline dangling off the banister, wearing an expression more fearsome than any spirit beast.
“Mother…?”
Helena had no choice but to rise from her seat. She offered the Duke a graceful bow, then said,
“I’m here to check on Emelline’s health today. As you know, bearing
your precious grandchild
means she hasn’t been able to take medicine—how dreadful.”
As she uttered the words
your precious grandchild
, Helena fixed the Duke with a look brimming with contempt, before turning and gliding up the stairs with the composure of a matriarch cultivator.
Left alone, the Duke leaned back in his chair, muttering under his breath:
“I thought I let in a mouse… but it seems I’ve brought in a weasel.”
Despite his composed tone, his crimson eyes burned with fury.
✵
✵
✵
“You’re alright, right? Hm?! Look at your face—so pale!”
As soon as I led Mother into one of the guest chambers on the second floor, she grabbed my cheeks with both hands and began kneading them like a baker with fresh dough.
“Waaaah! Stop that!”
I shrieked and swatted her hands away. I had so much to say to her, but like always, I was being swept into her rhythm again. Damned woman!
When she finally let go of my face, she started patting down my body.
“Any injuries? Oh my, look how plump you’ve gotten! You little brat—when
I
told you to eat, you wouldn’t touch a thing, and now look at you—”
Mother’s specialty was turning any conversation into a nagging monologue without a shred of logic.
She raged about how I wouldn’t eat back when we traveled in threes, yet now I was fattened up like a spring pig just from living in a noble estate—
—and was just about to slap my back in righteous fury…
…when Erik, who’d been quietly observing from afar like a gentle guardian spirit, stepped forward and subtly shielded me with his body.
“…?”
Mother blinked, completely thrown off, and stared at Erik.
I stared at his back, stunned just the same.
“Emelline still has a bit of a fever…” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly.
Mother scowled and muttered,
“Good heavens, playing the part now, are we…?”
Mother!
Watch your mouth! That’s the heir of House Valdek you’re talking to!
I peeked my head around Erik’s shoulder and shot Mother a glare.
Ah, dammit…
She
really
thinks Erik’s my husband, doesn’t she…?
I glanced up at Erik to see how he’d taken it, but he didn’t seem particularly bothered. He merely said he’d step outside for a while.
The moment Erik exited, Mother plopped down on the sofa and narrowed her eyes at me.
Why. Why is she like that again…? She’s the one who caused the mess! I had so many things I was ready to confront her about!
And yet… why do I feel so small standing in front of Mother? I avoided her gaze, looking off to the side.
Mother cut straight to the point.
“You two—don’t tell me you haven’t just avoided getting pregnant—you haven’t even confessed to each other yet, have you? All that ‘I want to protect you’ talk was a load of spiritual mist, wasn’t it?”
“...Uh… no…?”
Ugh, I should’ve just said it right away… Missed the timing again.
Mother scoffed, as if she expected that.
“I thought something was off. You didn’t even tell us you were getting married. Strange, that.”
While she clicked her tongue in disapproval, I snapped back.
“So what! You planning to suggest we all run away together again?! I’m telling you, we
can’t
this time. If we all disappear, everyone dies!”
I shouted, then quickly clamped my mouth shut and looked around. Thankfully, I’d already cleared out all the servants in the corridor, just in case she pulled something like this.
Mother looked thoughtful, frowning in concentration.
“A reason, huh…”
Yeah. I had a strange dream, but…
Ugh, there’s no way she’d believe me if I explained it like that.
Then Mother narrowed her eyes at me.
“So what—did you marry Erik just to sabotage
my
marriage? And Erik married you to ruin
his father’s
?”
…Huh? What the—?
Surprisingly, she’d grasped the situation with near-perfect clarity. I quickly nodded.
It seemed that near-death incident three days ago had really made her suspicious of the Duke.
I decided to quietly spill the truth—well, everything except the dream part.
“Remember the coastal land Wedgwood left behind? You’re holding the deed, right?”
“Oh, that…”
Mother clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“I wouldn’t say
I
hold it exactly… It’s more like the loan cultivators, including the witch, have it. I’ve been worried about that land too.”
“Why?”
At the mention of ‘worry,’ I furrowed my brows. Mother sighed.
“The witch went south, didn’t she? And her mouth’s loose as a drunken spirit beast. She’ll definitely blab about our location… Sure, I told her not to, but still… Dammit, where are we supposed to get that kind of money?! We barely scraped together 500,000 gold!”
Wait. Hold on.
She said the southern loan cultivators would
know our location
? So… they’ll
come here
?
Then that means… we don’t even have to go looking for them.
‘Ah… right. So I can
use
the witch!’
My eyes widened as I looked at Mother—but then I noticed her expression had turned strange. I frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you
mean
what’s wrong? Your brother and I are about to die over this million-gold debt, that’s what’s wrong!”
“And so what…?”
Mother’s eyes glittered with greed as she gave me a sly smile.
“That elixir… when you two shared that drink, what
really
happened, huh? You at least
did something
with him, right…”
AAAGH! Stop! Just stop! Goddess, you’re my
mother
!
I glared and shot up from my seat.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to
borrow
all that gold from Erik again?! Seriously?! You don’t even plan to
pay him back
, do you!”
I
knew
this would happen.
I
knew
my family would latch onto Erik, drain his qi, his heart, his spirit stones! That’s why I said we shouldn’t mix with a man that perfect! He’s like a divine portrait—something to admire, not touch!
As I fumed, Mother shrugged and replied with maddening calm:
“She’s already losing herself over a man… Just look at that temper of yours,” Mother muttered.
What did I even do? Wait… was she testing me just now?
I was dumbfounded when—
Creeeak—
The wooden door opened ever so slightly.
Mother turned toward the sound and beamed.
“Ohhohoho~ Our son-in-law is here!”
“…?”
What did she just say? Son-in-law? S-son-in-laaaw?!
Standing at the door, slightly leaning on the frame, was Erik.
He let out a small, helpless laugh at Mother’s words.
“You won’t need to repay the one million gold. Instead…”
He glanced between Mother and me.
“Sell the coastal land belonging to the Wedgwoods to the Princess.”
Mother cast a smug glance at me.
Her expression practically shouted,
See that? Your mother’s negotiation prowess.
What prowess?
I scowled.
While I was still stunned, Erik quietly approached and leaned in to whisper,
“So that ‘informant’ you mentioned before… it was Lady Helena, wasn’t it?”
Informant…?
Oh, that one. The fake lead I made up ages ago.
I licked my lips and looked up at him.
“…Y-yeah, looks like it.”
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✵
When Erik tried to explain the coastal land’s strategic value, Mother instantly waved him off.
“Ah, I don’t wanna hear it!”
…She’s exactly like me in that regard.
She said she didn’t care about the complicated stuff—just help her pay the debt, and she’d gladly sell the land to the Princess. No questions asked.
But the real issue was this…
Where in the world is Erik going to get a million gold?!
I tapped his shoulder and muttered,
“You have that much money lying around? A whole million? Did the Princess help out or something?”
Wow, if that’s true, then Her Highness has
crazy
liquidity…
But Erik looked down at me as if I’d just said something absurd.
“The Princess likely drained all her assets funding that new venture with Margaret.”
“…So then, it’s your private funds?”
Is he banking on getting reimbursed later if he stays loyal enough to the royal line…?
But Erik shook his head.
“Nope.”
“…You don’t?! Then why would you throw out such an outrageous offer—!”
I frowned.
Where the heck is that money coming from?!
When the Wedgwood Viscount first borrowed from those loan sharks, it was only 250,000 gold!
Those bloodsucking lenders jacked it all the way to a million—seriously?!
Even Helena looked uneasy, letting out a cough.
Then Erik spoke.
“…You’re aware that my maternal grandfather was royalty of the fallen Rusalka Kingdom, right?”
Ah, yeah. Rusalka…
The kingdom that collapsed fifteen years ago.
It used to be a southern island nation—an exotic paradise praised a hundred years ago for its distinct culture and separation from the continent.
But when the last queen bore only daughters, the line of succession grew unstable.
Civil war broke out, plunging the realm into chaos.
In the end, to preserve what remained, the last king surrendered the entire kingdom to the Denik Empire on the Helennia continent, pledging allegiance and becoming one of its vassal houses.
Wait—
Wasn’t the royal marriage between the current Emperor and Empress a symbolic pact born from that surrender?
That’s right… It’s all coming back now.
If the Empress is the daughter of Rusalka’s last king—
Then that
“princess who couldn’t become queen”
story Ella told me… She was talking about her own mother.
…Wait a second!
“So that’s why you’re so close to the Princess? You’re cousins?!”
My eyes flew wide open in disbelief. “That’s not it. My mother and Her Majesty the Empress… were half-sisters.”
Ahh… so that’s why people once entertained the idea of a marriage alliance between Erik and Ella.
Well, among royals, even cousins often wed—especially for political gain.
Mother leaned over and whispered,
“Hey… Is there still something going on between the Princess and the Young Lord…?”
Mother!
He can hear you!
I glared at her in silence. Erik, maintaining his ever-composed face, replied calmly,
“There is nothing of the sort, Lady—no, Mother-in-law.”
Mother-in-law?!
W-what was that just now?!
Mother reacted dramatically to the title, letting out a loud, ridiculous, “Ohohohoho!”
“Of course! Of course! I
know
our son-in-law only has eyes for our daughter!”
Excuse me?! Didn’t we
just
say there’s nothing going on between me and Erik?!
But strangely… Erik looked oddly pleased. A quiet joy in his expression, fleeting but visible.
What are you two doing right now?
I quickly tried to steer the conversation back on track.
“Anyway, so what were you saying?”
He seemed to return to himself and answered,
“I’ll borrow the money from there. Or rather, I’ll retrieve it. It’s my rightful inheritance. There’s a certain artifact in the armory—something valuable enough to sell.”
At this, Mother let out a sigh of admiration.
“Of course nobles have hidden treasure stashes lying around. Naturally.”
Erik chuckled under his breath.
“You really are two of a kind, Mother.”
As soon as he said it, both Mother and I snapped in unison:
“Where?!”
“Where am I like her?!”
We turned to glare at each other.
“Why are you mad when he said I take after you?!” I asked in disbelief.
I’m the most proper one in this whole clan!
Mother scoffed.
“You should be honored to resemble me. I was the most beautiful woman on this continent, you know!”
…Well, that’s not exactly wrong.
Still unimpressed, I crossed my arms and asked,
“But when those southern loan sharks start flooding into the capital, won’t the Grand Duke find out? What’ll you do then?”
Erik gave a slight nod.
“That’s why we need a diversion. We’ll make it public—big, flashy news: that you and I are heading south together.”
“…Huh?”
Make it public?
I tilted my head. “How?”
He replied, “Didn’t the Cavendish family send you an invitation?”
“Ah… that thing…”
I wasn’t planning to go. I didn’t want to see that insufferable Vivian and her smug face.
I clicked my tongue in distaste. Erik, reading my expression like an open scroll, shook his head and pulled something from his robes.
A newspaper.
Now that I think about it, this man secretly reads
a lot
—books, papers, anything.
He’s a cultivator with both refined swordplay and a mind sharp as a blade. A truly troublesome man.
Together with Mother, I followed Erik’s finger to a small ad near the bottom of the page.
New Release from Scarlet:
Cinderella
“…?”
A new novel by Scarlet?
Can a humble maiden who lives peacefully with her stepmother and stepbrother find love by donning a glass slipper?
The famed author of steamy romantic dramas now presents a sweet and fluttering tale of love…
Chapter 95